Well like many starting out here, I have been a lurker for 2 years and we could not have set up, built and kept our pool clean without this forum. It is awesome beyond words!
I have now come to a point that I want to ask some questions...I think I know the answer to, but want to verify to maybe save some time!
My husband and I have done all of the work from the first shovel of dirt, back hoe work, stone work, leveling, plumbing, deck building, chemistry, etc, etc, etc....so I am intimate with every part of the build and set up. Some of our ideas were great, some ...not so much, but were are pleased with our almost-finished project. We have been swimming in it for over a year while we build the deck and finish surrounding area. So I have been maintaining it for a while now without too much trouble at all.
That said, there are a few things that are out of my area. I will set up questions with a bit of backstory...
Our back yard slopes down to a running creek in the back of our property so the pool is dug into slope about 2.5 feet on high side to about a 8-10" on low side. Pump was below water line and sat on wall/edge of where skimmer basket was but ended up getting flooded and sitting in water after floods last year. Took pump apart and dried out, put back together and had been working just fine, albeit a bit louder than before.
We decided on building a little pool house attached to deck with a lean-to for pump, etc. so we moved the pump and filter a little further away and less than a foot above water line. Kept the same pump (not self priming) and installed a check valve so pump would not lose prime. This has all worked for the last 2 months.
We recently bought a Liquidator to set up bleach because we were about to take an extended vacation, but box had some wrong parts in it and we weren't able to set up before we left. Crossed our fingers to come home to a pool that would not be too bad. Got home and looked ok but had lots of debris on bottom that needed to be vacuumed and water was just a little discolored-nothing I was too worried about. I added bleach. Proceeded to vacuum pool and get all of the junk out and moving all that ick around really made the pool turn cloudy and greenish. So I thought I would let it all settle and vacuum again the next morning. Removed lid of pump, cleaned basket and replaced lid, then went to backwash filter and pump would not stay primed. Filled basket with water to prime -check valve should have made water stay in that portion of pipe but I just kept filling with water and it did not seem to hold. I even asked my husband if a check valve can "fail" because it seems like it is working the opposite of how it is supposed to. Suction not working and losing prime...
Went to look at skimmer basket to see if door flapper had stuck closed- it was open but no water was moving with pump on.
Looked around pipes to see if I could see any water leaking from joints , as I knew there was a problem with suction. Didn't see any water anywhere, so I went ahead and ordered a new pump - Hayward PowerFlow Matrix 1.5 hp- same one as we had before but self priming, thinking our pump had just finally bit the dust. Not too upset as we can now have quieter pump! Came in yesterday, husband hooked up last night and everything is the same. Won't stay primed, no suction etc. Husband put water hose down hole in skimmer basket and turned pump on but it wouldn't prime. Only ran from water we were putting in it. Tried to blow pipes to dislodge anything stuck, dirty water came out but still didn't cause any positive change. We took the top off of sand filter and put hose down in there to start cleaning but we were at this point working late into night and in the dark so this is were we have left it last night.
I guess this is all a really a long way of asking if there is a leak somewhere? Why would it just all of the sudden happen?
Or is the filter so icky that something is clogged? Would this affect the suction since it is after the pump/suction side?
Need a good filter cleaning and try again?
Oh, also somewhere along the way, pool gauge now is at 20 with pump OFF and goes to 0 when turned on... need to go get a new one!
Any help will be appreciated... After days of this mess, pool IS green now...ugh...luckily I have the whole TF TEST kit and SLAM thing down!
I have now come to a point that I want to ask some questions...I think I know the answer to, but want to verify to maybe save some time!
My husband and I have done all of the work from the first shovel of dirt, back hoe work, stone work, leveling, plumbing, deck building, chemistry, etc, etc, etc....so I am intimate with every part of the build and set up. Some of our ideas were great, some ...not so much, but were are pleased with our almost-finished project. We have been swimming in it for over a year while we build the deck and finish surrounding area. So I have been maintaining it for a while now without too much trouble at all.
That said, there are a few things that are out of my area. I will set up questions with a bit of backstory...
Our back yard slopes down to a running creek in the back of our property so the pool is dug into slope about 2.5 feet on high side to about a 8-10" on low side. Pump was below water line and sat on wall/edge of where skimmer basket was but ended up getting flooded and sitting in water after floods last year. Took pump apart and dried out, put back together and had been working just fine, albeit a bit louder than before.
We decided on building a little pool house attached to deck with a lean-to for pump, etc. so we moved the pump and filter a little further away and less than a foot above water line. Kept the same pump (not self priming) and installed a check valve so pump would not lose prime. This has all worked for the last 2 months.
We recently bought a Liquidator to set up bleach because we were about to take an extended vacation, but box had some wrong parts in it and we weren't able to set up before we left. Crossed our fingers to come home to a pool that would not be too bad. Got home and looked ok but had lots of debris on bottom that needed to be vacuumed and water was just a little discolored-nothing I was too worried about. I added bleach. Proceeded to vacuum pool and get all of the junk out and moving all that ick around really made the pool turn cloudy and greenish. So I thought I would let it all settle and vacuum again the next morning. Removed lid of pump, cleaned basket and replaced lid, then went to backwash filter and pump would not stay primed. Filled basket with water to prime -check valve should have made water stay in that portion of pipe but I just kept filling with water and it did not seem to hold. I even asked my husband if a check valve can "fail" because it seems like it is working the opposite of how it is supposed to. Suction not working and losing prime...
Went to look at skimmer basket to see if door flapper had stuck closed- it was open but no water was moving with pump on.
Looked around pipes to see if I could see any water leaking from joints , as I knew there was a problem with suction. Didn't see any water anywhere, so I went ahead and ordered a new pump - Hayward PowerFlow Matrix 1.5 hp- same one as we had before but self priming, thinking our pump had just finally bit the dust. Not too upset as we can now have quieter pump! Came in yesterday, husband hooked up last night and everything is the same. Won't stay primed, no suction etc. Husband put water hose down hole in skimmer basket and turned pump on but it wouldn't prime. Only ran from water we were putting in it. Tried to blow pipes to dislodge anything stuck, dirty water came out but still didn't cause any positive change. We took the top off of sand filter and put hose down in there to start cleaning but we were at this point working late into night and in the dark so this is were we have left it last night.
I guess this is all a really a long way of asking if there is a leak somewhere? Why would it just all of the sudden happen?
Or is the filter so icky that something is clogged? Would this affect the suction since it is after the pump/suction side?
Need a good filter cleaning and try again?
Oh, also somewhere along the way, pool gauge now is at 20 with pump OFF and goes to 0 when turned on... need to go get a new one!
Any help will be appreciated... After days of this mess, pool IS green now...ugh...luckily I have the whole TF TEST kit and SLAM thing down!
