Help! No pressure in filter, basket not filling with water, and also diverter valves

[rawrockanne]

Hello, my husband and I recently bought a house with a pool and we have no idea what we're doing. I've read a lot of information and finally have the water blue again, from looking like a total swamp.

My problem now is that, now that I can see the bottom of the pool, I am trying for the first time to use our new vacuum. This is the model we have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BU5GOM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I installed the vacuum and noticed it wasn't moving which seems to have opened an entire can of worms and now I'm second guessing everything we've done to this point. First of all, are the diverter valves in the correct position for filtering/vacuuming? I have attached a photo and hope you can see. The top & bottom are set to open while the one on the left is set to close.

Secondly, the PSI on the filter gauge is reading at almost 0 pressure. When I backwash the filter it goes up to 5, so I do not think the gauge is broken. The basket connected to the filter is not full or clogged, and isn't totally filling with water, either. I tried to add some water into it but when I turned the filter back on it just emptied out again. There is a small amount of water still in it, I'd say it's almost halfway full. I also tried to unclog the impeller and there was a small amount of debris but that doesn't seem to be helping.

Can anyone show me any videos or explain what I should try next? I uninstalled the vacuum and turned the filter back on to it's regular position and there did seem to be a very small amount of suction at the main skimmer basket near the pool, but when the vacuum is hooked onto it there is zero suction at the vacuum.

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum. I would solve the pressure issue first, which might solve the issue with the auto-vac not running.

YOu have a suction side air leak. Please read the article in Pool School for some insight.

I would disconnect the auto-vac and not address that problem until you get the pump basket full of water and the psi maybe up around 10-20 psi or so. Once you get your system running properly (not sucking air) the vac just may fix itself.

 

[rawrockanne]

Thank you! That link is very helpful, I'll get to work on that. In the mean time, do you know if the diverter valves are in the correct position for filtering?

 

[duraleigh]

Well, I could only see one valve. It appears on the suction side and looks like it is closed....I can't read what it says upside down, but I don't think it should be in the closed position. Where are the other valves?

 

[rawrockanne]

They don't say anything, but this is the position it was in when we moved in. There seems to be three pipes, a top, bottom, and one on the left. Currently the top & bottom are set to 'open' and the left side is set to close. Is that the suction side?

 

[rawrockanne]

Found this on this page:

https://www.inyopools.com/HowToPage...erter-valves-for-pool-spa-water-features.aspx
"When installing these 3-way diverter valves, you have to watch how they are positioned. These valves have three ports: two ends and one center. By design you can close off part of all of the water flow from either end ports, but you cannot shut off the center port. The handle will only rotate 180° on the side opposite the center port. If this valve is installed incorrectly, as shown in the Step 4, it is possible to inadvertently shut off all water to the pump and run it dry. "


Ours seem to be going in different directions than these images, though, and our handle rotates 360° - do we have the center port blocked? If so, should the bottom one be closed? The top one?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Anne,

Is this an in-ground pool? If so, my guess is that the valve in your picture selects between your skimmer (labeled as "T" or top) and your Main Drain (Labeled as "B" or bottom). If I'm correct, then right now all the water coming into your pump (suction side) is coming from your skimmer.

A couple of questions for you..

1. Where are you connecting the vacuum hose?
2. What is the normal filter pressure you see when you are not trying to vacuum?
3. Are there any other valves in your system? More pictures would help.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[rawrockanne]

Anne,

Is this an in-ground pool? If so, my guess is that the valve in your picture selects between your skimmer (labeled as "T" or top) and your Main Drain (Labeled as "B" or bottom). If I'm correct, then right now all the water coming into your pump (suction side) is coming from your skimmer.

A couple of questions for you..

1. Where are you connecting the vacuum hose?
2. What is the normal filter pressure you see when you are not trying to vacuum?
3. Are there any other valves in your system? More pictures would help.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Jim, thank you for your response. It is an in ground pool. I'm connecting the vacuum at the skimmer and I haven't even noticed the pressure guage before today. I am not up to date on the terminology, but is the valve the 3 port diverter? If so, there is only one.

So I basically changed the diverter to where all ports are open and ran the pump again. It's filling with water again and it created suction at the skimmer and the vacuum was working. I wonder if this means that the side port, which was previously closed, was the skimmer basket? I also wonder if the psi gauge is just broken?

It all seems to be running fine now but I am so confused about these ports, I have no idea what the default setting should be for day to day filtering of the pool. Additionally, my husband was under the impression that the side port which we had closed was a 'waste' port for backwashing?

 

[JasonLion]

The valve which appears in the picture selects where water comes from, one or both of two pipes. You will need to figure out what those pipes are connected to. Usually the best way to do this is to experiment. One unlikely possibility to keep in mind, it is possible that the pipe which is closed in the picture is closed because it is broken. Assuming that valve chooses between two skimmers, or between a skimmer and a main drain, the normal position would be both water sources open. But the best position could well be different if it picks between a skimmer and some other location.

If you have a waste line, it does not appear in the photo. It would come out of the multi-port valve connected to the filter (if you have one) and not interact with the rest of the plumbing.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Anne,

I suspect that your vacuum hose was full of air and when you connected it to your skimmer, the pump just ran out of water.

Yes, that would be called a 3 port valve.

Most waste ports would be on the other side of your filter, so I doubt this would be for backwashing. What type of filter do you have? A picture of the filter would be a great help.

Jim R.

 

[Rocco]

I would recommend removing the 8 screws and taking the valve out and examine it. This will allow you to see how it actual works, when I did this it was an eye opener and help me completely understand my equipment and how to control the flow of water. You of couse want to make sure the equipment is off by the breaker so it does not turn on via timer or other means.

This also comes in handy as the valve is one of the places where leaves or other items (goggles) seem to get stuck and clog the lines.

 

[jasonknox]

My exact thoughts Rocco