Hi all, let me start by saying I have an in-ground pool, 24,000 gallons, marcite finish, old Triton TR100 sand filter...the pool is about 30 years old, but very well-maintained, and some parts have been replaced in the last few years. It is actually my grandfather's pool, but he passed away a few weeks ago, and I have taken over the maintenance in the meantime.
So, last year, he had it re-plastered, but the guy who did it did a terrible job, and when he went to open it this year, it was all torn up. After months of trying to get in touch with the guy who did it (it was still under warranty), he finally broke down and hired a local reputable company to do it. They were out here about a week and a half ago and did it, and we filled it up. He also paid to have someone from that company come "open" the pool after the water was in it. I met that guy at the pool, and he was very young and did not know much about the filter because of its age and could not get his boss on the phone. He told me water was shooting out of the top (I want to say it's the air valve? but it is rusty and will not turn), and that he thought it needed some kind of plug or a part replaced. He gave me the entire plastic dome that goes over the top of the filter, and I got my dad to take a look at it. He put it back on, and water was no longer squirting out of the top, but it was leaking out the sides from beneath the dome. So, Saturday, I took it to two different pool stores, and both told me it probably just needed a new O-ring. I bought one and replaced it, screwed the dome back on, and it's still leaking. I tried tightening it and loosening it with no change in the leaks. I went ahead and let it run overnight though because the pool had to be shocked.
The problem is now it is not only leaking but the skimmer in the deep end is not working, and it worked fine upon closing last year. There is no suction whatsoever, and the water when I pulled the basket up was really dirty. My dad and I spent the entire weekend looking for a blockage and troubleshooting but couldn't find anything. I also back-washed and cleaned out the pump, but that did nothing. The shallow end skimmer works fine, and the pressure on the filter is perfect. Everything is working fine except that one skimmer and the dome on top of the filter. But I did read that an air leak somewhere could cause that lack of suction, so I'm wondering if it has something to do with removing that dome and replacing it so many times or the fact that it is leaking. One of little things that bubble in the pool (sorry, I'm still learning the technical terms) is bubbling harder than normal, which also leads me to believe there it can be attributed to an air leak. I really need to get the filter going for more than an hour or so at a time, though, so we can finish opening it and get it cleaned.
Any ideas on how to fix this? Should I just go back to the pool store that did the plastering/whose guy took the dome off in the first place and talk to his boss? Sorry for the lack of technical info - I always thought I knew a lot about the pool until dealing with this!
So, last year, he had it re-plastered, but the guy who did it did a terrible job, and when he went to open it this year, it was all torn up. After months of trying to get in touch with the guy who did it (it was still under warranty), he finally broke down and hired a local reputable company to do it. They were out here about a week and a half ago and did it, and we filled it up. He also paid to have someone from that company come "open" the pool after the water was in it. I met that guy at the pool, and he was very young and did not know much about the filter because of its age and could not get his boss on the phone. He told me water was shooting out of the top (I want to say it's the air valve? but it is rusty and will not turn), and that he thought it needed some kind of plug or a part replaced. He gave me the entire plastic dome that goes over the top of the filter, and I got my dad to take a look at it. He put it back on, and water was no longer squirting out of the top, but it was leaking out the sides from beneath the dome. So, Saturday, I took it to two different pool stores, and both told me it probably just needed a new O-ring. I bought one and replaced it, screwed the dome back on, and it's still leaking. I tried tightening it and loosening it with no change in the leaks. I went ahead and let it run overnight though because the pool had to be shocked.
The problem is now it is not only leaking but the skimmer in the deep end is not working, and it worked fine upon closing last year. There is no suction whatsoever, and the water when I pulled the basket up was really dirty. My dad and I spent the entire weekend looking for a blockage and troubleshooting but couldn't find anything. I also back-washed and cleaned out the pump, but that did nothing. The shallow end skimmer works fine, and the pressure on the filter is perfect. Everything is working fine except that one skimmer and the dome on top of the filter. But I did read that an air leak somewhere could cause that lack of suction, so I'm wondering if it has something to do with removing that dome and replacing it so many times or the fact that it is leaking. One of little things that bubble in the pool (sorry, I'm still learning the technical terms) is bubbling harder than normal, which also leads me to believe there it can be attributed to an air leak. I really need to get the filter going for more than an hour or so at a time, though, so we can finish opening it and get it cleaned.
Any ideas on how to fix this? Should I just go back to the pool store that did the plastering/whose guy took the dome off in the first place and talk to his boss? Sorry for the lack of technical info - I always thought I knew a lot about the pool until dealing with this!
