Air pressure, my new cartridge filter, and winterizing

Thinking ahead to winter closing. Being in Minn., freeze protection of the pipes is important.

With my old sand filter and multiport, I could hook a compressor up to the lower pump drain hole, set to "recirc", and pressurize the whole system. Thereby blowing out the skimmers, jets, and main drain. I used to set the compressor to 60-80 lbs at the compressor, assuming that as the air left the 1/2" hose, there was a big pressure drop as it expanded into the rest of the 1 1/2" or 2" plumbing. And quickly dropping further as it blew the water out of whichever line was currently open. It's a smallish 8 gal tank compressor, so not a lot of air volume available. May have to do each line a couple of times individually to push most of the water out. And then I pour in a couple gallons of antifreeze in each line. The main drain took the most pressure and time before I would turn the valve and air lock it.

Now with the new filter, there is no "recirc" setting. Either the filter is "on line" or I can use the new 2 way valve to pump to waste. The filter manual has warnings about air compressed in the filter causing (explosive) failure of the housing.

I would take out the carts, and fully drain the filter first. But would I be at risk of damaging it (or me, with shrapnel)? Are there alternatives to getting the water out of the plumbing?

Replace Pump

Hi,

I have a GRE FS500 pump+filter installed on my pool. In the last two years the pump started to fail to start. This year, before I open the pool, I replaced the bearings and sealings of the pump and now it is quiter and runs smooth however it keeps failing to start. When I opened the motor to change the bearings and sealings I noticed that there was water inside the motor and one of the bearings have a lot of rust. I think the motor windings may be affected by the water and are requiring more power to run.

I'll try to contact a local store to know how it would cost to rewinding the motor but If I need to replace the pump should I replace with another one from GRE or there are better brands without increasing the price too much like astrapool?

Thank you

Equipment damage resulting from check valve installed backwards

Hi there,

Long time reader but first time poster. Sorry for the long preamble, question is at the end…

We just had our 20’ x 40’ in-ground vinyl liner pool refurbished by (what I thought was) one of the more reputable companies in our area (Ottawa Ontario Canada). New liner, new lines, new skimmer, new returns, pool lights added, new deck, the works.

Last year, before the refurbishment, I replaced an old single speed pump and sand filter with the 3H Pentair variable speed pump and the big (520) cartridge filter. We kept the older but still working well Pentair MasterTemp 250 heater. The system ran great. The skimmer collected lots of debris daily, the water was clear and no issues with pool chemistry, consistent and I think relatively low chlorine use (we use liquid chlorine), strong water pressure from the returns, no issues at all.

The liner was old and faded and the backyard was getting a landscaping makeover so refurbishing the pool was a no brainer.

Unfortunately the pool company did a terrible job with the entire project. The coping track isn’t flush with the top of the pool wall in several spots and some rocks under the liner, but more to the point for this thread is that during the re-plumbing they installed the check valve at the pool heater outlet backwards :( ie after the heater the water had nowhere to go.

The setup is pretty straightforward - skimmer to pump with 2” flex hose, then 2” schedule 40 from the pump to filter inlet, 2” flex from filter outlet to heater inlet, check valve (installed backwards) at heater outlet, then 1-1/2” flex to T-fitting, then 1-1/2” flex to the two returns.

When the system was started the first time, the pump went through the priming phase at 3000 rpm, filled the filter (air pressure gauge was open), and held for a few seconds before the connection at the filter inlet blew apart.

On the second attempt the system went through the primming phase and filled the filter but started leaking badly at the same filter inlet. A few attempts at (over) tightening the joint at the filter inlet did not resolve the leak. At this point the pool ”pro“ started to blame the fitting before disassembling the joint only to discover that he had forgotten the o-ring. Once the o-ring was installed the system was again started and again the same joint at the filter inlet blew apart after a few seconds.

On the third attempt after gluing a new fitting the system was again started and this time held for a bit longer - long enough for me to check that no water was coming from one of the returns - before the pump was shut off. It was getting late in the evening and I then started to ask some basic troubleshooting questions before the pool guy realized that he had in-fact installed the check valve at the heater outlet backwards.

So my question is, how likely was any of the equipment damaged from being pressurized from this dead-head situation? Fortunately none of the buried pipes would have been affected, but I’m concerned about the filter, the heater, pump, the check-valve, and also the pump itself.

Thanks in advance,

Hello!

My name is Chris. I work for a company based out of Ohio. I handle all the automation and low voltage wiring. This place has helped me with quite a few issues that even Hayward has not caught onto yet. One of the main reasons I have joined is to share my knowledge of Omni issues with communicating with heaters . This has been the worst part. Everything else has been smooth.
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Pool Builder said shallow end has to be 3’? in vinyl pool!

Our pool builder just dropped a bomb on us and told us that our shallow end can’t be deeper than 3’ due to the construction requirements. This was news to us and feels like it came out of left field since we had consistently told him we were still deciding what depths we wanted. When we asked for 4’ in the shallow, he said “we can try to get creative but deeper than 3’ in the shallow end is hard in a vinyl pool.”

Is this accurate?! This has us really spinning. 3’ is way too shallow.

Hello I’m Nate from DFW area

Hello everyone. Been reading threads from time to time and got lots of useful info but finally joined because I have a question I needed some clarity on.

I was trying to figure out why my pentair challenger pump wasn’t working. I figured out it was a capacitor. Got it changed but I had separated the housing and pump in my process to figure out the issue. Was leaking when I put back together so I got a new housing oring. Even after new oring still drips at bottom and I have tried to reseat it so many times. Have a buddy (works on pools for a living) that’s going to come by in the next week to take a look.
And now when the pump turns off prime is lost and won’t come back when pump turns back on unless I add water to pump basket.

I changed out lid basket oring but hasn’t fixed issue. I am assuming the drip leak between housing and pump is why water leaves pump basket but wanted to get a sure answer that can cause the issue and isn’t something else. Assuming that’s been the only change I have to think that’s the issue.

Broken Multi Port Valve.

On my multy port valve, the valve stem on the Key/Stem is broken, which means I do not lift the key off the gasket when changing positions.
My pool service store do not repair the valve, in fact the suggested replacing the entire filter unit at +/- U$3000 equivalent. I would like i simpler repair, ie changing the valve head assembly or key/stem assembly.
The problem is, I don't know which model valve (belive it is Hayward) and cannot locate a product number.
Any suggestion on how to resolve my problem, would be greatly appreciated.
I have attached pictures of the MPV as installed.

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Help with Intellichlor connection

Hey everyone,

I’m facing an issue with my Intellichlor60 salt water generator for my pool, and I’m hoping to get some guidance from the community. Here’s the problem:

I’ve noticed that both the cell light or/cold water light and the booster light, don’t turn on. After examining the connections, I noticed that two of them appear to be burnt. Now, I’m unsure about the necessary steps to resolve this issue. Do I need to change the SCG board, replace the cable, or just the connector?

I would greatly appreciate any insights or experiences you have had with similar situations. I have attached some photos as well

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Salt cell gone bad

So, for The last month I have been troubleshooting on my salt sytem. System is saying low salt, despite having the appropriate amount of salt per manufacture. I have cleaned the cell with acid and other troubleshooting methods.
Currently the salt cell is not producing any chlorine despite my salt levels being at the recommended 3800 ppm. The system is a Jacuzzi J-SS40 Salt system And it is only 2 years old.
It is no longer being made and the contact number connects me to a Leslie‘s pool supply. The current price to replace just the salt cell itself is $600 on the Leslie website.
I can get a whole new salt system from my local pool store installed for about $2500 with a warrantee and service protection. Currently trying to decide what would be my best option. Do you guys have any’s in solutions? Currently I was thinking about just treating it like an old fashion chlorine pool for the rest of the summer and just getting the new system installed this fall/winter. I am just afraid to spend $600 and still have problems with this cell/system, which isn’t even being made or serviced anymore.
How would I go about transitioning to an old-school chlorine type system until next spring.
Any solutions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Does The Pentair Intelliflo VSF 3.0 HP Have An Auto Shutoff Feature

I've seen this question asked before but not about this pump and no definitive answer.

I was wondering if this pump loses prime, will it eventually shut off to prevent damage.

The manual says this under Priming Features - Loss Of Prime :
Default: Enabled
This feature allows the pump to recognize unanticipated low-flow or no-flow situations​
while running a program.​
For example, the pump will pause for one (1) minute after detecting that it has lost​
its prime unexpectedly. After this pause the pump will attempt to prime, and if prime​
is successful it will continue programmed operation. If priming is not successful the​
pump will continue attempting to prime, per normal priming operation, until a prime is​
achieved or priming error occurs and is displayed.​

Notice it doesn't say anything about what happens if it can't ever prime.

But then it says under Priming Features - Max Priming Duration:
Default: 11 minutes
The maximum priming time can be set from 1 - 30 minutes. This setting is the amount​
of time the pump will try to prime before it gives a priming error. If this occurs, fill the​
pump basket with water and restart the pump.​

"Restart the pump" implies that the pump has shut down. But again nowhere does it state explicitly that if the pump loses prime and cannot regain it after the set time, the pump will shut down and you will have to fix the problem and restart it. That phrase might mean if it can't prime you need to shut off the pump yourself, clear the obstruction and restart the pump.

The reason I ask is I'm having to install a Paramount MV Fuse which is a Safety Vacuum Relief System on my debris canister to make the pool VGB compliant.
Since I have in-floor jets that cause the pressure to fluctuate when it moves between zones, I worry that it will trigger the SVRS which in turn opens the canister to air.
If this happens while I'm away I don't want the pump running dry until I discover the problem.

Intex sx1500 only works in neutral

We have a intex 1500 pump/sandfilter.. it only works in neutral neutral position. We've changed the sand this year and that didn't help. The pump is 1 season old. We recently changed to filter balls.. still no improvement. Our pool is only a 10x16x3.5... the filter has been disassembled and cleaned twice this year and new O rings installed. Does anyone have any idea what the problem would be? Thank you...

Leak from pump lid and air in returns

Hey all- I am getting water leaking out from my pump basket lid and am also getting an unusual amount of air in my returns (there’s also a good amount of air bubbles in all returns on start up). I replaced the lid with all new parts including o-ring and silicone lube but that did not fix it. Any ideas what could be causing it and how to fix? Not sure if the pump lid and air bubbles are related bc I am also seeing some air in the suction side check valve just before the pump.

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Jandy JXi 200n Blower not turning on - Running out of troubleshooting steps

Hello everyone, first off this forum is a massive resource of information. I was hoping one of the vets here can help me down the right path.

Here is where I am at. Advanced in technical-inclination (at least I think so)

Natural Gas Jandy JXi 200n, about 6 years old now. I bought the house last year it performed flawlessly all year. This year would not turn on, gave me check ignition steps fault. As a newb with pool equipment I started with the ignitor, found the porcelain was cracked and it tested as open circuit. Replaced that, and still nothing (I handled it very carefully and did not touch the element with my fingers).

Noticed the power distribution board has burn marks on the "chip" in the middle and the socket. I made a wiring diagram for 220v and just soldered jumpers on the board in the same fashion as the chip (used 12awg, which is even bigger than that is in the unit), still nothing.

Started reading just about everything here and continued on....

Now I run through the entirety of the troubleshooting steps in the Jandy graphic, all sensors test 24v to ground, 24v is being supplied to the W terminal on the Fenwal. I check F2 and theres nothing. F1 has 110v, F2 nothing. Fenwal is displaying airflow fault. The blower has not kicked on one time during this entire process.

I jump f1 and f2 to test the blower, it powers up great and runs fine. I check for 24v on both sides of the pressure switch and the normally open contacts are closing fine. When I run the unit with the blower jumped I never get any heat out of the exhaust.

I feel the unit is not igniting. Both of my gas shutoffs are open.

What is the next troubleshooting step? Could my ignitor still be bad (yes) and I'm not getting ignition? How can I verify the gas valve is opening?

Dolphin CC Plus vs Active 20/30 vs Proteous DX4

Hey all,

I called Marina, and they quoted me $899 out the door for the Active 20 and $1099 for the Active 30, which comes with a Caddy ($150 value) and has WiFi (Which I don't care about, but for an extra $50, it's worth it IMO). The Active cleaners come with a 2-year warranty, and my CC has the benefit of an extra 1 year on top of the 2 years.

Now to the internet-sold cleaners: CC Plus and the DX4 are available on Amazon, and both, to the best of my knowledge, come with a 2-year warranty.

My question is, are the Active 20/30 cleaners better than the other two sold by Amazon? Is there a real benefit to buying from Marina versus online? I mainly ask this for the warranty piece; if my cleaner breaks, do I have to ship it to Marina to get it repaired? And what about the ones from Amazon? How do warranty claims work in case of failure?

Appreciate you all.

Hi , I’m Rob and I live in San Diego- CA, Rancho Bernardo.

Hi , I’m Rob and I live in San Diego- CA, Rancho Bernardo. I have 22,000 GL. in ground vinyl pool with a DE 36 sqf. Prezzo Triton Nautilus filter. Lately I keep cleaning filter grids but after couple of days the pressure raise again over 20 psi. Somebody has suggestions?
Also I have to replace filter clamp, I’m looking even for a used one.
Thanks

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Seepage on galvanized wall

My pool is 12-13 years old and is 15x30, I think it was Buster Crabbe model (Store out of business). I saw a little rust spot on the side and when I touched it there is like seepage. We had lots of rain but I am a little concerned. I am talking just a drop. The liner was an upgraded little thicker liner that is beaded. Just not sure how the galvanized could be permeated like that unless it had been corroding between liner and wall for a while. I am not losing water. At least I wasn’t until I touched the spot. Lol
Should I try leak test or hire someone. The spot is low on wall?

Diagram with Pc Board Schematic of R0458100 Power Distribution Circuit Used in Jandy LXi 400 Heater and Others

Has anyone drawn out the circuits of the R0458100 Power Distribution Circuit Board? In other words the schematic of the pcb and voltage change boards? While simple to wire to and from the connectors, it would be useful to see how this assembly actual routes the power.

No current problem but just replaced the inducer motor which also blew the relay, pc board lands in the Fenwal Ignition Control.537D1FBB-04DF-4C9B-935A-E589A755DA55.jpeg75176726-4651-4AE6-A34F-CA227D82023C.jpeg

Putting our AGP up tomorrow- had some quick questions :)

Hi, we are putting our pool up tomorrow and I wanted to ask a few questions since this is my first ever pool and I am a bit nervous. lol

We have an 18x52 round Intex pool with Krystal Clear Sand filter and a SX2100 pump. I am not too sure on how much water this holds...it says to fill up to 46inch. I think it might be around 7K gallons?

I bought the following for the pool: Liquid Chlorine, Borax, Baking Soda, CYA (conditioner enhancer granolas) and a TF-100 test kit.

1. When we fill the pool, do we need to run the filter for a while before testing the water?
2. After testing the water and adding chemicals, do we need to wait 24 hours before testing again?
3. How long do you normally run the pump?
4. The liquid chlorine I bought is from Leslies and the brand is Blue Whale. It says it's shock chlorinator and has the following ingredients : Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%, Other ingredients 87.5% Is this ok to use as Liquid Chlorine or should I just use bleach? lol

Thank you in advance for any assistance/advice!

Fizzing bubbles in pool splashing

Still getting fizzy bubbles after splashing and or jumping in. Water ia crystal clear. Any ideas on how to get rid of the fizz??
Pools levels
Ph 7.5
FC 4
Cc 0
CH 250
TA 70
CYA 60
Tds 1100
See video of the fizz in action here.
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Hello, I have the exact same thing as your video, in my scenario my wife and I miscommunicated and we both put in an algicide so basically a double douse, that was 4 days ago and we still have that, any thoughts or solutions you found ?

Filter