Water under pump

Benkg43

Well-known member
Mar 2, 2021
76
Richmond,TX
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I'm experiencing a lack of pressure in my new pool. The symptoms are lack of pressure in return jets + lack of water getting to chiller. The chiller intake actuator is 100% opened. It didn't use to be, but I've had to open it fully to get enough water in there for chiller operation. The return jets are distributing unevenly. Some have decent pressure and some have VERY little. Lastly, the pool pump has water beneath it. It's not standing water, but I always see saturated water in the concrete slab beneath the pump. I'm not sure if that indicates a leak in the pump which may explain the lack of pressure? There are some small bubbles in the pump when it's operating.

Any thoughts?
 
Water on the pad and poor water flow might be two separate issues. To address both items, can you post a full set of water test results and also post a pic or two of your equipment pad so we can see your set-up?
Will absolutely do that after work! As for water test results you are talking about the water chemistry, yes?
 
That equipment looks brand new. Still under warranty? Maybe later post a closer pic of the area where you suspect the water is leaking.
Yep, brand new (~2 months) and definitely under warranty. The concrete underneath the entire left-most pump is always saturated. A bit hard to tell in these pics though since it rained yesterday. I have no clue where exactly it would be leaking from the pump -- see/hear no dripping of any kind. I'll take a closer pic after work -- the area should be dried up by then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Texas Splash
results from today attached. BTW, the pool company came out and cleaned out the filters and the pressure seems to have returned to normal, which in turns is allowing for my chiller's wand to spin faster due to more water flowing into it. I'm a bit baffled as I spent 45 mins the week prior, cleaning out my filters to see if that was the issue. Clearly there's something to cleaning out filters that I don't understand!
 

Attachments

  • image0 (13).jpeg
    image0 (13).jpeg
    501.5 KB · Views: 7
the pool company came out and cleaned out the filters and the pressure seems to have returned to normal,
Don't be surprised if it slows down again soon. That's a classic sign of algae - too much organic matter in the water. While we at TFP never place a lot of faith on store testing, even that report shows the FC too low when you reference the FC/CYA Levels. Remember pool stores use a one-stop generic range of recommended levels without regards to pool type, chlorination methods, and other factors. TFP has the most up-to-date recommendation levels. You should use a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit to run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Also always go back to our Pool Care Basics for more info.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Don't be surprised if it slows down again soon. That's a classic sign of algae - too much organic matter in the water. While we at TFP never place a lot of faith on store testing, even that report shows the FC too low when you reference the FC/CYA Levels. Remember pool stores use a one-stop generic range of recommended levels without regards to pool type, chlorination methods, and other factors. TFP has the most up-to-date recommendation levels. You should use a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit to run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Also always go back to our Pool Care Basics for more info.

Taylor K2005 Swimming Pool Chlorine Bromine Alkalinity Hardness pH DP Test Kit -- this is the test kit I bought. I'm assuming that will suffice? I'll browse TFP to find the most recent recommended levels. I assumed the levels referenced by the store were good -- guess not!

 
It seems the pool place doesn't measure CYA unless I'm missing something. The pool kit I bought (Taylor K2005) doesn't seem to measure CYA either. Am I missing something or do I just have the wrong kit?
 
Don't be surprised if it slows down again soon. That's a classic sign of algae - too much organic matter in the water. While we at TFP never place a lot of faith on store testing, even that report shows the FC too low when you reference the FC/CYA Levels. Remember pool stores use a one-stop generic range of recommended levels without regards to pool type, chlorination methods, and other factors. TFP has the most up-to-date recommendation levels. You should use a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit to run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Also always go back to our Pool Care Basics for more info.
It also looks like you are using chlorine tabs for chlorination. Over time, this will cause your CYA level to get too high. High CYA means you need much more chlorine to maintain or shock your pool. Tabs are fine for vacation or short periods, but trying to use them as your only source of chlorination will lead to tears.

Personally, I would not add any stabilizer, and just let the Tri-Chlor tabs increase it (if we are to believe the pool store's test results). After a week or three, I'd switch to using liquid chlorine instead of tabs. Keep the tabs for vacation, they store just fine. Yes, you have to add it daily (or sometimes get away with every other day), but I wish someone had told me this the first year I owned the pool, rather than learning it hard way after 5 or 6 years.

My chlorine tab experience: Pool runs fine until ~mid-August (usually during the worst heatwave of the summer), then it turns green. and it takes multiple expensive shock treatments (shock it - still green - shock it again - still green - shock it again with 2x shock - now it's cloudy and doesn't clear - shock it again - still cloudy - oh, too much calcium hardness, replace some water - 2 weeks later, the pool is back in action, my wallet is much lighter and my kids are complaining because it's almost time to back to school). The pool store recommends the water exchange because the shock increased the hardness too high, but the reality is the stabilizer was too high, and there's no reason to use powdered shock vs liquid.

My only other question is why is your PH so high with Chlorine tabs. Tabs produce acid which lowers PH and you usually have to add stuff to lower PH. Do you have a water feature (aeriation will raise PH)?

I realize none of this has anything to do with the leaking pump. Look closely at the pump and see what areas are wet and which are not. The pump basket has a drain plug that could be leaking, or its possible water is seeping out if the cover is not completely sealed. Alternatively, there might be a bad plumbing connection with the pump. If the cement is wet, there is a drip somewhere, but it might be slow enough that it is hard to see.
 
It also looks like you are using chlorine tabs for chlorination. Over time, this will cause your CYA level to get too high. High CYA means you need much more chlorine to maintain or shock your pool. Tabs are fine for vacation or short periods, but trying to use them as your only source of chlorination will lead to tears.

Personally, I would not add any stabilizer, and just let the Tri-Chlor tabs increase it (if we are to believe the pool store's test results). After a week or three, I'd switch to using liquid chlorine instead of tabs. Keep the tabs for vacation, they store just fine. Yes, you have to add it daily (or sometimes get away with every other day), but I wish someone had told me this the first year I owned the pool, rather than learning it hard way after 5 or 6 years.

My chlorine tab experience: Pool runs fine until ~mid-August (usually during the worst heatwave of the summer), then it turns green. and it takes multiple expensive shock treatments (shock it - still green - shock it again - still green - shock it again with 2x shock - now it's cloudy and doesn't clear - shock it again - still cloudy - oh, too much calcium hardness, replace some water - 2 weeks later, the pool is back in action, my wallet is much lighter and my kids are complaining because it's almost time to back to school). The pool store recommends the water exchange because the shock increased the hardness too high, but the reality is the stabilizer was too high, and there's no reason to use powdered shock vs liquid.

My only other question is why is your PH so high with Chlorine tabs. Tabs produce acid which lowers PH and you usually have to add stuff to lower PH. Do you have a water feature (aeriation will raise PH)?

I realize none of this has anything to do with the leaking pump. Look closely at the pump and see what areas are wet and which are not. The pump basket has a drain plug that could be leaking, or its possible water is seeping out if the cover is not completely sealed. Alternatively, there might be a bad plumbing connection with the pump. If the cement is wet, there is a drip somewhere, but it might be slow enough that it is hard to see.
Stupid question time! #1, you mentioned Tri-Chlor tabs to increase the CYA. What is a tri-chlor tab?? #2, you referenced switching to liquid chlorine as the right way to go. Is this (https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Chlor...6617032&sprefix=liquid+chlorine,aps,87&sr=8-5) what you mean? If so, this seems more expensive than chlorine tabs but I don't know that for sure because I'm not sure how much of the liquid chlorine I would add daily. In other words, how long does a $20 bottle of liquid chlorine last? #3, is liquid chlorine the same thing as shock? It says "pool shock" on the link I pasted, so that's super confusing to somebody new to all of this stuff! #4, why would the pool turn green due to using chlorine tabs? I know we're not in mid-August yet BUT it is SUPER hot out there -- no green pool yet. Fill me in here please, and THANK YOU.

I'm not doing any aeration. I have a water feature but don't use it often. As for the leaky pump, I'm going to pay more attn to the source of the water this weekend and see if I can pinpoint it.
 
No problem, we all have to start somewhere.

Tri-Chlor is your typical chlorine tablet.

That link is exactly what I'm talking about with respect to liquid chlorine. Yes, it's generally sold as bleach or shock. Either will do, but be careful with bleach because Clorox (for example) sells some versions with laundry enhancers that you don't want in your pool. Usually, the shock in my area is 10-12.5% chlorine. Household bleach is 3-4%. This just means you have to add 3-4x more. I buy the 12.5% shock so I don't have too many bottles to deal with, and it costs about $4-5 / bottle which lasts about 2 days in my pool. $20/gallon is INSANELY overpriced. I recently bought cases of 4 gallons for $18. I spend $80/month on chlorine.

When I used tabs, I'd buy big bucket in the spring, and it would cost ~$250-ish, but it was going up each year. From the news, it was very expensive and hard to find last year because one of the 2 factories that made it had a fire. However, I'd also spend multiple $100s on shock.

When using tabs, my pool would turn green in August, not because of the heat, but because of the high CYA (cyanuric acid, aka stabilizer) levels. The tabs generate chlorine and CYA. The chlorine gets used up reacting with organic matter (i.e. sterilizing your pool) or gases off (chlorine is a gas in its natural state), but the CYA never leaves. No one, except TFP, tells you that you need to add more chlorine as your CYA level increases to get the same level of sterilization. Therefore, if you keep the chlorine level around 5ppm like the pool store says, your pool turns green because the stabilizer (CYA) is not allowing the 5ppm chlorine to do its work. Or you turn up your chlorinator to raise your chlorine level, but this continues to raise the CYA. You can read more about the chlorine/cya relationship in the "pool school" area of this site.

The tabs also create acid which lowers the PH of your pool so you need to has PH increaser stuff. Liquid chlorine is PH neutral. Most find their PH goes up over time so they add muriatic acid to lower it. You can buy this at home depot, etc for $6/gallon which lasts about 2-3 months. Again, all of this is covered in "pool school"
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.