Pump not pushing water

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esim13

esim13

0
Oct 31, 2009
324
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Good morning guys! Let the season begin!!

I've come home twice this week and have had barely any water flow out of the return. Pump was running, sounded normal. Pressure was around 17. It is usually at 11. I backwashed after vacuuming last weekend. So I didn't think it was that. On both occassions I turned off the pump and then turned it back on and the flow returned. I woke up this morning and it was pushing slow again. I did another backwash, rinse and now the water is pushing fine. Any idea what's going on and what I can look for?

Also, when is one "supposed" to change their sand? The current sand is 4 years old.

THANKS!!!
 
From your brief description, it sounds like backwashing temporarily solves the issue. That means the filter is being plugged by something in your water whether or not you can see it. How does your water look? What are your test results? I suspect you have some algae blooming that test results may reveal and you may need to shock the pool.

The thing that seems sure is that if backwashing fixes the issue (even if temporarily) then something is clogging your filter.

Sand never needs changing. It sometimes may need topping off or it may need an annual cleaning (good idea) but it literally never needs to be changed.
 
The water is pretty clear... It's raining so test results will have to wait until it stops.

When I backwashed last week, the water was pretty green coming out. I ran it until it cleared. This morning when I backwashed the water was fairly clear. I ran it for a couple of minutes. By the way, the pump is running fine since I've been home. I've been running it 24/7 because when I turn it off it takes a while to start up again. It turns on immediately but the "pump action" doesn't start for a few seconds. I had it on a timer but was scared it wouldn't turn on correctly.

I'll get test results as soon as it the weather calms down.
THANKS!
 
Backwashing green usually means algae.
Low flow and high pressure usually indicates blockage either in the filter or beyond. Which means filter.
Once you get the test results, you might want to also do a check of overnight FC loss.
 
ok guys, now my pump is totally not working. It humms but nothing is turning and there is no water flow. I asked about replacing parts on another post but no I haven't gotten any answers on what to look for or what to do. I'm not sure if there is something I can replace or should I just buy a new pump. Could someone please help me. My pool has been sitting now for almost 3 days. THANKS!

duraleigh... how do I clean the sand? I've had the pool for almost 4 years and am starting to worry about sand quality. THANKS!
 

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I read something elsewhere about that. Where is it located and how do I get to it?
Here's a pic of my pump..
IMG_2664.jpg
 
The 88-108 unit is fine.

Those voltages are actually the same. It stems from the progression of the electrical grid over the years. It started out as 110 volts and they've raised the voltage a little over time to 125 volts so that you still get about 115 volts after any voltage drop that occurs.

Well after that rambling I'll try to provide an response that's actually helpful. :)

As long as the new caps voltage matches or exceeds the voltage rating on the original you'll be fine.
 
YAY! The capacitor has been replaced and we are now circulating. The bad news - we are still very green :(. Time to shock!

This mornings numbers are...
FC 0
CC 0
pH 8.0
TA 60
CA 60
CYA 0
Salt 1500

I do not have a salt system. I just added salt last season to help with the feel of the water. Should I worry with TA and CH now or after shocking? What should I shoot for with CYA, not too high b/c of shocking but enough to maintain chlorine levels?
 
You should:
1) lower the ph to 7.2-7.4, then
2)add enough CYA to reach about 30 (it'll take a few days to register on the test, but once it's in, assume that it is 30 for shocking purposes), and
3)dose with bleach to shock level until the overnight FC loss is zero.

Keep the pump/filter running 24/7 until you are done shocking.
 

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