Air and Gas Lock
The two illustrations below will help you understand what an gas lock is, how easy it is to install one, and how to live with one if you eliminate it.
Diagnostics
Symptoms - The following symptoms indicate gas lock in pump intake lines.
1 - Pumps lose prime repeatedly and there are no air leaks.
2 - Pumps lose prime under high flow conditions only.
3 - Gurgling sound is heard when pump is stopped.
Diagnostics
Typically the diagnostician will not be sure if there is an air leak or air lock. Air leaks act slightly different than air locks. As you constantly prime and operate the pump, only to lose prime again and again, you should be concerned as to whether or not you have an air leak or an air lock.
Each time the pump is re-primed, start the pump and measure the time that the pump runs before losing prime. Even though you re-prime the pump many times and it continues to lose prime, if an air lock is causing the loss of prime, each time the pump is allowed to run the pump will run longer and longer before losing prime again. If the pump does run longer each time, then you are making progress, you are clearing air out of the line and reducing the amount of trapped air. Be patient, you may have to re-prime the pump dozens or even hundreds of times (on very long lines with multiple air locks), before you begin to notice a difference. If you do observe a difference, then you will probably succeed in clearing the air out of the line.
If you do not notice an improvement in how long the pump runs each time before losing prime again, then you either have not tried long enough, or you have an air leak.
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