No pressure coming out of pump.

[Joni]

Hello everyone. So I am very new to the whole pool world. I have a Summer Escapes 12' x 30 in. deep Metal Frame Pool Set with SkimmerPlus 600 Filter Pump with GFCI. My main issue at the moment is that my pump has very little pressure when I place the skimmer basket into it. If I pull the skimmer basket out where the water from the pool is going straight into my filter it has very good water pressure going back into my pool but soon as you put that skimmer back in it goes back to very little pressure. I have made sure that the skimmer is not clogged which is not the case. My husband thinks that by NOT using the skimmer the filter is not doing any good? My concern with not using the skimmer is that this will wear my filter out to fast won't it? I have also been taking my filter out and cleaning it often as well. Any suggestions on what I should do? Is my pump just junk? Not hooked up right maybe? Blah!!! Thanks for taking the time to read .

 

[singingpond]

Yes, the pumps that come with these pools are pretty junky, to use a technical term ��. I had a 600 gph pump on our first pool (1000 gal. Summer Escapes), and that was an anemic little thing.

The pump is underpowered, and the filters are WAY too small for the water volume. In the short term, better to get some circulation, even if you have to go without the skimmer. The filter will still pull dirt out of the water. Cleaning it fairly often is a good idea. For skimming you can use a net once a day, or as needed before going into the pool.

You may want to think about getting a more competent pump at some point. And keep your chlorine up - you don't want to clean up after algae with the pump you have.

 

[Joni]

That was exactly my thinking on the issue. You get what you pay for I do believe. Okay so it is best then probably to go ahead and let it circulate even if its not really doing anything? Good to know. What type of pump would you suggest for this size pool?

 

[singingpond]

The pump and filter are definitely still doing something without the skimmer - the water is being circulated and filtered, which is very important. You're just missing the skimming function (pulling junk off the surface of the water). You can do skimming manually, for the time being. The other thing you'll probably be unable to do with the little pump is vacuum (get settled junk off the bottom). For this function I used to set up a siphon (hose running over the side to a lower spot in the yard; ask for more details if this is unclear) with a vacuum head, and then vacuum quickly to minimize water loss.

I'll post again later about bigger pump/filters, and others will probably chime in; typing is a little slow from mobile device ��.