Pacer Pump sucking air?

[Ragnor]

Well Ive been working on my highbanker dredge setup a little bit. Just trying to get it up and running by recirculating into a large water tank/horse trough. My first test I couldn't get any suction on the hf250 , but it was getting dark by the time I got the pump running right and I had to give up.
I hooked it back up today and fired it up but still had no suction. But in the daylight I could see allot of air running through the pressure side line. So I pulled off the pickup line and put a bunch of pipe tape on it and hooked it back up. Fired the pump off, it primed up quickly and low and behold I had suction enough to vacuum a little hole in the driveway with the hydroforce before the pressure line blew off the pump.
So I properly attached the pressure line and tightened the hose clamp and fired the pump back off, but now I have bubbles in the pressure side again. Which as I have learned bubbles in the pressure line equals no suction. See, I'm learning.

Now what I wanna ask you all to save myself a bit more trial and error learning. Are there seals or anything in a homelite pacer pump that can go bad and allow it to suck air? Or can the centrifugal pump cavitate? Or do I just need better fittings and more teflon tape? My intake pipe is off a 1980's home well drilling kit with plastic fittings, so I figure that's gonna need upgraded before a regular field test. I assume the cheap plastic and old stiff suction pipe fittings just don't seal well. But I don't have enough experience with pumps to know if there are other problems to look for.

Anyone feel like enlightening me?

I know I'm asking allot of noob questions, but well, I'm a noob when it comes to automated suction equipment. After all, that's what a forum is for right? So we don't all have to spend years of trial and error to get to the objective. Right?

 

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[SpecJet]

I have several Pacer's. Learned early on that plastic fittings don't work really well with them.
Had the same, air leak on the suction line problems as you until I change to metal threaded pipe nipples.
The stiff suction line could also be a problem, trying putting 2 hose clamps on it. That worked for me once, in a pinch.

 

[mike(swWash)]

If you have clear suction line then follow the bubbles. If no bubbles, then it might be where it hooks to the pump intake. It doesn't take much air to cavitate the pump and lose all pressure. Oh and get rid of all plastic fittings, they can crack or split and not be seen. Go with all metal fittings as suggested above.

 

[russau]

Also check your intake line to feed the pump (foot valve if you use one) if your not deep enough youll suck air down and into your suction line! and make sure all of your connections are tight!

 

[Hoser John]

There is a air bleed off screw on top of the pump also. Teflon tape every joint. If that doesn't work tighten up all the bolts surrounding the pump housing as all it takes is a loose one to ruin your day. Cracked hose bib on the footvalve is yet another fun thing to track down, from your description might be close. Plastic or metal hose bib for footvalve??One thing for sure you will remember how to fix once found John

 

[Beav]

I concur with EVERYTHING Hoser John has stated. Some of what he said has bit me many times out in the field and ruined my precious mining days!
My Pacer has been working A-OK now for years since correcting those issues.
Beav

 

[Reed Lukens]

Change out the suction hose to the clear flow. It's cheap and you can get it at any plumbing store. Then when you don't see air bubbles coming up it, you can eliminate the hose and foot valve as part of the problem. Most of the time where it seals to the pump is where you want steel to steel and you can just use antiseize or pipe dope on the threads there so that you don't have to put tape on every time.

 

[mike(swWash)]

I use camlok connections on all my hoses and have never had any leaks and no need to seal threads every time.

 

[njcommercialdiver]

also check the shaft seal, I had a 3" in 3" out pacer that the seal started leaking and it got to a point I couldn't get it to catch prime anymore because it sucked so much air in