Emptying the basket in the pump housing question

[lulupalooza]

Well, we finally got the darn thing off so I could clean out the filter basket. But when we got the lid removed the water just kept coming and coming. Is it suppose to do this? Anyway to stop it? The pressure of the water makes it hard to get off and even more difficult to get the lid back on.

 

[duraleigh]

Laura,

Shut off the source. There should be valves somewhere on both the suction and pressure side of your sytem to keep the pool water from running out your pump basket.

 

[lulupalooza]

Dave,

we have looked and looked and there is none that I can see. All I saw was some small valve that when I opened it, water came out in a small stream. I thought it might be some pressure relief valve. Looks like we'll be reworking all the plumbing properly soon.

 

[JasonLion]

You can usually get a kitchen sink drain plug or a rubber ball of the right size to sit in the bottom of the skimmer (under the basket) and block the water coming from the skimmer. You probably also need to block the return, which might work the same way or may require a winterizing pipe plug, depending on the shape of the return.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Laura,

Yikes!! That does appear a little spartan as far as controls. Moving the multi-port valve from "filter" to "closed" should shut off the pressure side but I see no way to close the suction side of your pool unless you plugged the skimmer with a tennis ball or something.

There are many AGP owners here that know a bunch more about this than I do.....I'll bet you get some tips very soon. :lol:

 

[SandyA]

When we purchased our AG pool we were given something called an Aquador to cover the skimmer plate inside the pool. We have to use it whenever we need to open the pump basket lid to stop the flow of water into the pump b/c there no other valves to close between the skimmer and pump.

I don't recommend buying this brand b/c after only one year of use, it doesn't seal properly anymore. If you have an extra person to spare and the tennis ball idea doesn't work, try a tupperware lid large enough to cover the skimmer plate and have the person hold the lid against the plate to form a seal. It will work as well as our Aquador.

Good luck.

 

[MikeInTN]

Laura,

For now, get a winterizing plug and use it to plug the hose in the bottom of the skimmer, and as Dave suggested, move your valve to closed on your pump. You should be able to get the plug at either a hardware store or at your local pool store. The plug is cone-shaped and made of rubber.

In the future, if the hubby's good w/ PVC, have him add a ball valve between the pump inlet and the barbed fitting the hose clamps to. That's my plan as well come this winter.

Here's a link so you'll know what the plug looks like:

plugs

 

[whoozer]

Yep Yep Yep gotta plug it. My first pool was an AGP and we had the same issue. Gravity is wonderful isn't it. I actually had the same issue with my last IG pool cuz the equipment was lower than the skimmer. So I always had to shut the valve off. Was a little bit of a pain. You might not want to keep plugging it so we just put a valve inline on our old one to create a shut off so the water wouldn't run everywhere if we forgot to plug it or forbid if the plug fell out.

 

[mac4lyfe]

I actually use a crow bar in order to remove my basket lid. Its very difficult to pry open as the seal is sticky from water and cake. I hand tighten but use the bar to open, no problem.

 

[johannafin]

The hole in the bottom of my skimmer is the same size as the vacuum hose, so I just stick the vacuum hose in it so there is no leakage on that side. To just clean the basket on the pump I usually just stick a rag in the return. A little water gets through, but not enough to be a problem.

If I am doing anything more serious and lengthy and need absolutely no water, I use the winterizing plate on the return.