Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris daily

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Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Beez said:
Melt In The Sun said:
Beez, if your booster ever runs without the main pump on, it will suck unfiltered water in through the returns; that could cause what you're seeing.
Click to expand...
AHA! I think you may be on to something here...check me out on this...

My booster cannot run without main pump on, because they are wired together. However, I *did* have a suction leak earlier that caused partial starving of the main pump. In that situation, is it possible that the booster pump actually sucked water in from the returns?
Click to expand...
For that matter, because both pumps always turn on simultaneously, would the booster tend to draw from the returns *anytime* the main pump is not fully primed? (Such as when I have removed lid and strainer basket for routine cleaning)
 
Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Beez said:
Beez said:
Melt In The Sun said:
Beez, if your booster ever runs without the main pump on, it will suck unfiltered water in through the returns; that could cause what you're seeing.
Click to expand...
AHA! I think you may be on to something here...check me out on this...

My booster cannot run without main pump on, because they are wired together. However, I *did* have a suction leak earlier that caused partial starving of the main pump. In that situation, is it possible that the booster pump actually sucked water in from the returns?
Click to expand...
For that matter, because both pumps always turn on simultaneously, would the booster tend to draw from the returns *anytime* the main pump is not fully primed? (Such as when I have removed lid and strainer basket for routine cleaning)
Click to expand...
I'm going to go ahead and post a resolution to this "mystery" only for the fact that I started it in the first place...as well as to draw my soliloquy to a dramatic close!

So it turns out, MITS nailed it. Why he let me stew in my confusion after pointing out the fact, I will let the gentle reader decide... :mrgreen: :poke:

For the sake of posterity, I will walk through the logic. Although the booster is plumbed post filter, it has two paths of intake: it is plumbed to the return line with a T. (Yes, I can hear the collective DUH) I assume this is a safety measure to protect the booster in the case of a failed main pump.

The point being, that whenever the main pump is functioning as it should, the booster will draw filtered water from the return line. Otherwise, it will use the return line as its intake, drawing unfiltered, UNSTRAINED, water from the returns. Thus, I will make a point of turning off the booster every time I service the main pump until it fully primes. And yes, I realize this fact also reveals the fallacy of the way I operate both pumps in tandem...

Is anyone still reading, at this point? :hammer: Carry on...
 
Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Ohm_Boy said:
Makes sense. I had to stop following that path when you told me that there was no booster. Good thing MITS knew better, eh?
Click to expand...
:?: I think you got me mixed up with someone else. Never said I didn't have a booster... Ref: Polaris 280 in my sig...
 
Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Geesh! Returned home after a week. Storms & 5" of rain. Pool a disaster with leaves & silt. The pre-filter sock (in the return basket leading to the pump) had few leaves but the silt had clogged the sock tight, so that the pump shut down b/c the power needed to suck thru that sock was too great. Have had to clean & wash sock every 3 hrs since (& yes did change sock immediately).

Cannot figure out how debris is getting in that screen in the Polaris hose. The sock gets silted up pretty quick so that it sinks to bottom of basket, creating a "seal" so that all water going to the pump/cartridges is going thru that sock. Plus no debris in sock, yet the screen is still getting packed with seeds & large debris (like picture earlier). Where is that debris/seeds coming from?
 

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Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

JohnInTexas said:
Geesh! Returned home after a week. Storms & 5" of rain. Pool a disaster with leaves & silt. The pre-filter sock (in the return basket leading to the pump) had few leaves but the silt had clogged the sock tight, so that the pump shut down b/c the power needed to suck thru that sock was too great. Have had to clean & wash sock every 3 hrs since (& yes did change sock immediately).

Cannot figure out how debris is getting in that screen in the Polaris hose. The sock gets silted up pretty quick so that it sinks to bottom of basket, creating a "seal" so that all water going to the pump/cartridges is going thru that sock. Plus no debris in sock, yet the screen is still getting packed with seeds & large debris (like picture earlier). Where is that debris/seeds coming from?
Click to expand...
If your booster is plumbed like mine is I know exactly where the debris is coming from. When your skimmer clogs, your main pump doesn't produce the flow that your booster needs, so it sucks from the returns.
 
Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Beez said:
If your booster is plumbed like mine is I know exactly where the debris is coming from. When your skimmer clogs, your main pump doesn't produce the flow that your booster needs, so it sucks from the returns.
Click to expand...
Hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm not sure I agree with myself. :hammer:

I mean, my theory makes some sense, but I am having trouble understanding the mechanics of it. I can't get past the thought that someone reading this does know the answer and they are smiling at my futile attempts... :|
 
Re: Cartridge Filter-Outlet hose screen fills w/ debris dail

Beez said:
Beez said:
If your booster is plumbed like mine is I know exactly where the debris is coming from. When your skimmer clogs, your main pump doesn't produce the flow that your booster needs, so it sucks from the returns.
Click to expand...
Hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm not sure I agree with myself. :hammer:

I mean, my theory makes some sense, but I am having trouble understanding the mechanics of it. I can't get past the thought that someone reading this does know the answer and they are smiling at my futile attempts... :|
Click to expand...
nevermind... :oops:

Just verified it. Should have run my experiment before posting. :whip: Returns definitely suck when pump is not primed. Easy to verify for yourself...
 
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