New Member - In need of help

[Au-Toe]

Hello,
new member on the board, first time pool owner as of April 2014.
inherited the pool that came along with the house we purchased.

i have lots of questions, but i'll just with one that's been a big problem as of 2 weeks ago.

i will preface with some info:

-i dont know much about pool terminology, i will try and go back to some of the sticky threads to educate myself, but i was bad with science terminology in school
-i just looked at leslies pool website, this is the vacuum we have; Baracuda MX8 - Suction Side Pool Cleaner http://www.lesliespool.com/baracuda-mx8-suction-side-pool-cleaner/mx8.htm
-i've been learning as i go to take care of the pool
-we have a pool cleaning service (will cancel with them soon, not very happy with the service)
they used to do full service, clean and chemical
-we downgraded to just chemical because i figured it was easy enough to clean myself
-was told by pool service owner, that our salt cell is no longer working and should be replaced. and in meantime they have treated my pool and cleaned it like it was a regular pool with chlorine, they put in a floater with the chlorine tabs
-unknowingly, but i figured out how to open the big silo looking thing that houses a huge filter with 8 blades in there and sprayed it down and cleaned it off.
seems like the previous owner hadn't done it in possibly a year or longer.
-as of the past month or so, i haven't been running the pool pump or cleaner during the week, as i would clean the pool on the weekends by scrubing and skimming with my catcher

with the last statement, there in lies my problem.
i dont know if i damaged my pump or pipes?

this is the question i wanted to get to.

my pump seems to have stopped working correctly.
my typical day after i come home from work lately is, i turn on the pump to let it automatically clean the pool.
after about 5-15 minutes of my pump working normal, the return pipe is pushing out water, the vacuum is moving and seems like its sucking up any dirt, the pump seems to die down, and everything slows down almost to a halt.

i have once cleaned that big silo (sorry i dont know what its called) and took out the filter and hosed it off.
put everything back the way it should be, and everything seemed like it was fine. till later again everything slowed down and doesn't seem to work.

about 2 weeks of this happening (we went on a weekend vacation last weekend, couldn't take care of the problem) my pool is getting dirtier and slightly greener.

i'm not sure what to do, but i know there is something wrong with the pump.
any ideas?

sorry for the long post but i'm hoping all of my details will help give an idea how to fix.

 

[Smykowski]

Welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you have a cartridge filter, and it's getting dirty, which is causing the flow to slow down. This is all normal as the filter is doing its job and filtering particulates out of the water. Unfortunately, the fact that it's happening so quickly means the pool is dirty, which points to a chemistry problem.

You have a lot of work (readig and learning) ahead of you, but we can help you with it. The first thing you should do is post pictures of your setup and we'll help identify everything. Then read pool school, and read, and read some more. Start with the link in my signature.

 

[wjr75]

You need to run the pump to turn over the water at least once a day. I also clean the pump basket by the filter by removing it and hosing it out once a week. That could also cause clogging.

 

[JVTrain]

Pump turnover per day is fairly irrelevant.

You have other issues to deal with in the mean time with your chemistry before worrying about pump run time but down the road: Determine Pump Run Time

A chemistry problem is leading to your filters getting clogged with debris that would not be there if the chemistry was correct (no algae growth present).

Pictures of equipment helps.

Read lots and lots and lots... did I mention lots? ... of Pool School.

Order a good test kit such as the TF-100 from tftestkits.net. Self testing is more reliable, more convenient and more useful than whatever random number generator your local pool store has. A good test kit is worth more than anything else you put in your pool.

 

[wjr75]

What?

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If I don't run my pool for a day it will be nasty and I wouldn't swim in anyone's pool who doesn't. Sorry. That's really nasty sorry.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Welcome to the forum

You will need to post your water test results.

You should be running the pump daily. The amount of time you run it will vary and be different on different pools with different shapes, depths, pumps, filters, bather load, sun ....
Here is a guide on pump run time :lookhere: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/152-determine-pump-run-time

Post pictures of the filter and or give a complete description off of it's ID plate, manufacturer, model number .... whatever you can find to help us ID it.
It's possible you are growing algae and it's getting sucked into the filter properly and there is just so much of it it's starting to quickly plug your filter.
Does the filter have a pressure gauge ??

You will likely need to SLAM the pool to get rid of the increasing green you are seeing. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

 

[Au-Toe]

Welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you have a cartridge filter, and it's getting dirty, which is causing the flow to slow down. This is all normal as the filter is doing its job and filtering particulates out of the water. Unfortunately, the fact that it's happening so quickly means the pool is dirty, which points to a chemistry problem.
QUOTE]

where is the cartridge filter usually located??

sorry i haven't been able to get pics of my set up yet. i will try and do that today when i get home.

 

[Smykowski]

I was guessing at cartridge, it could be either sand or DE as well. The theory is the same no matter the filter type.

The plumbing for a pool will look like this:
Pool -> skimmer -> pump -> filter -> (any other equipment, like heater, if present) -> return -> pool

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

"Ihave once cleaned that big silo (sorry i dont know what its called) and took out the filter and hosed it off."

Sure sounds like a cartridge filter but ya never know.

A cartridge filter would be right after the pump.

 

[epro05]

He said 8 blades (grids?) in the filter. If it's a DE filter, I'm wondering if DE is being added after each cleaning?

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Good point, so I guess it's time for a picture of it.

 

[Au-Toe]

i will try and post a picture later today once i get home.
i appreciate the input.

 

[Au-Toe]

i actually took this picture on my phone a couple months back when i initially first opened up that housing to find the filter.
this is the picture of it dirty, sorry i don't have a after shot after i hosed it down.

there are 8 blades that i took off to give it a thorough cleaning

 

[Au-Toe]

here are some other pictures i have on my phone for my setup, but these were taken weeks back, before i signed on to this forum

SALT CELL




I DONT KNOW WHAT THIS DOES




PICTURE OF THE SIDE OF THE PUMP, I WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT THE NAME, BUT I HAD NO CLUE, I HAD TO STRETCH MY ARMS THROUGH THE PIPING TO GET THIS SHOT

 

[Au-Toe]

He said 8 blades (grids?) in the filter. If it's a DE filter, I'm wondering if DE is being added after each cleaning?

sounds about right

the previous owner left some DE bottle stored away.
i have no idea what it does, or what its for.
i mean, i know its for the pool, but like i stated in my original long post. i dont know all the terminology yet.

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"Ihave once cleaned that big silo (sorry i dont know what its called) and took out the filter and hosed it off."

Sure sounds like a cartridge filter but ya never know.

A cartridge filter would be right after the pump.

i'm assuming the filter in you picture is a paper type material.
mine does NOT look like that.

 

[RobbieH]

Sounds like you have DE. It may not be charged at all at this point, especially if you took it apart and cleaned it. The capacity of the filter should be on the filter itself, or maybe you can google the model and find out how much DE is required. So let's say you find out it takes 5 pounds of DE, then you put the filter in filter mode and add 5 lbs of DE slowly to the skimmer. From then on out, after backwashing, you add 80% back in through the skimmer again, in this case 4 lbs. After a while you'll get the hang of how much 4 lbs is in volume and can do it by measuring rather than weighing. For my friend's pool, he knows to add X coffee cans of DE back after backwashing.

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Picture of DE grids from my friend's filter:

 

[epro05]

You have a DE filter. The blades that you mentioned are called grids. DE means Diatomaceous Earth. It can be purchased at a Pool Store. It is a powdery material and a DE Filter will not filter your water unless you add DE as described by RobbieH above. The DE is actually doing the filtering. The DE adheres to the grids so that filtering will occur. When you put the valve in your picture into the Backwash position, then the water will run thru the filter in reverse, removing most of the DE and sends the water and used DE to a discharge pipe. You are actually pumping water from the pool through the filter (in reverse) and then to a discharge pipe while this backwashing is happening.

 

[Au-Toe]

i'm still at work, and should be home in a few hours.

where would i be pouring that DE stuff?

and is this all still related to my pump problem, and why it seems to slow down after a short time?
i understand its all related to each other, i'm just wondering if i'll see a sort of instant fix once i figure out this DE filter stuff.

 

[Daltex]

All the DE I've ever purchased has come in 20 or 25 lb boxes. You need to use a scoop or can to add it to the skimmer intake. I would look at the side of the filter housing and see if there is anything that can help determine the amount you need to add. Post here if you can find a make/model but most filters have a sticker on the side that will say how much to use. Maybe it will have a filter size and that can help determine it also. If you see nothing on it then I would add 5 lbs until you find out.

The valve with the black handle in your prior post is the selector for where the water goes. Turn off pump when changing the selector. Put it on rinse and turn on pump for a minute or two and it will back wash the filter grids helping to clean out any debris stuck in the fabric. You will then put back on filter setting and turn on pump and add DE to the skimmer.

I bet your filter is fairly plugged up so when you have a chance you will need to remove the grids and clean them by soaking. When you get to the point that you are ready for this step post back for help.

Read pool school and get the TF test kit so you can stop the growth of what is clogging your filter. With a clean filter your pool sweep will run as advertised.

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Just adding to answer your last question better: With only the grids filtering the debris in your pool, the fabric clogs up fast and does a poor job of getting rid of the debris. It's the DE that does the filtering and when the DE does get clogged you can clean that off and your grids get a fresh coat of DE.

 

[epro05]

I'm not sure if the DE discussion relates to your question. I think we need a better description of "slowing down". What exactly does that mean? What do you see that looks like "slowing down"?