Air Bubbles....! Arghh!

[Shine Window Cleaning]

Can anyone give me a few pointers on where to look as I keep getting air-locks?

So frustrating! I thought I may not have been keeping my tank full enough, which I've corrected and it seems to have helped a bit.

But I seem to still keep sucking air from somewhere and have to go thru the rid-ma-role of dis-connecting pipes to my DI and hose reel to bleed air-lock. Any suggestions?

 

[spruce]

Air can only get into the system by being sucked in. So it will be between the tank and the pump. As the line is under pressure after the pump, any poor connections will manifest themselves as leaks.

So the first place to look is the connection from the tank. We have also softened the hose in hot water and used single ear o clips to secure. Jubilee clips can cause a problem if they are too big and screwed tight. The 'housing' that supports the screw/worn drive won't seat properly if the jubilee clip is too big and can leave a bulge on either side of the housing which may not be air tight.

The second place to look is at the inlet side of the pump. Again the hose on the filter needs to be fitted securely as on the tank outlet. We use Shurflo pumps and the filter we use are those with the wingnut fitting. We have found that you aren't able to tighten them tight enough by hand, so need to use a small spanner to 'nip' them up - do not overtighten. People also seem to think the PTFE tap on these joints are the answer, but it isn't. The joints seal on the faces of the couplings so PTFE tape is of no use.

 

[Tuffers]

I had the same problem with air locks. The tap on my tank was leaking. Air must have been sucked in through there. I have since replaced the tap and all is fine; for now.

 

[Shine Window Cleaning]

Air can only get into the system by being sucked in. So it will be between the tank and the pump. As the line is under pressure after the pump, any poor connections will manifest themselves as leaks.

So the first place to look is the connection from the tank. We have also softened the hose in hot water and used single ear o clips to secure. Jubilee clips can cause a problem if they are too big and screwed tight. The 'housing' that supports the screw/worn drive won't seat properly if the jubilee clip is too big and can leave a bulge on either side of the housing which may not be air tight.

The second place to look is at the inlet side of the pump. Again the hose on the filter needs to be fitted securely as on the tank outlet. We use Shurflo pumps and the filter we use are those with the wingnut fitting. We have found that you aren't able to tighten them tight enough by hand, so need to use a small spanner to 'nip' them up - do not overtighten. People also seem to think the PTFE tap on these joints are the answer, but it isn't. The joints seal on the faces of the couplings so PTFE tape is of no use.

Great detailed advice, thanks mate.