Normal operating pressure

[pierrefromcanada]

Hello all, I am brand new to this forum and I suspect I will be consulting you more experienced gents ( and ladies, why not ? ) as the very short pool season ( Montreal, Canada) gets into gear.

Here we go : I have a Magnetek Centurion 1.5 hp. motor wired at 220 volts, running a Jacuzzi 15 Magnum pump into a 350 pounds of sand Jacuzzi lazer filter. Amazingly, my owner manual does not mention normal operating pressure and also at which pressure I should initiate a backwash.
Can anyone please tip me off.

Thank you for taking the time.....

Pierre

 

[JohnT]

Normal operating pressure varies with your pool installation, since it depends on the plumbing on both the inlet and outlet sides of the system. I think you typically see 15-20psi. It's often recommended to backwash when you see a 10psi rise over your normal (just backwashed) pressure, but my system needs backwashing with a 5 or 6 psi rise if I want to maintain a good flow to the pool.

 

[jeepdad]

I also have trouble understanding this. Does the pressure gauge read a lower number as my filter gets dirty? My pressure is a fairly constant 12 psi it seems to drop a little but not much.

 

[JohnT]

I also have trouble understanding this. Does the pressure gauge read a lower number as my filter gets dirty? My pressure is a fairly constant 12 psi it seems to drop a little but not much.

The pressure gauge is a measure of how much restriction there is between the inlet of the filter and the pool vs. how much water is trying to flow through the filter and plumbing. The dirtier the filter, the higher the gauge will read. If something like a clogged skimmer basket or pump strainer basket restricts the amount of water entering the pump, the pressure reading will drop.