Need help with Pump

[ttricci29]

Hello,
We have had an above ground intex 14x42 pool for a few years and have never had a problem until now. I purchased a salt water system and attached it to our original pool pump which has worked for 5 years. The pump died last week. With one of our pool purchases from a couple of years ago, I found a 637r pump in our shed that we never needed to set up until now. The new pump has a smaller hose requirement of 1 1/4 inch whereas the existing hose is 1 1/2 inches wide. The adapters are not sold anywhere except on line so unfortunately algae built up until we were able to reconnect everything. The pool is shocked and levels are normal, however it is taking a week and the pool is still yellow-green. I thought that maybe the filter was clogged with algae and so when I went to change the filter in the pump, I noticed it was only 1/3 wet with hardly any algae!! I followed the instructions on releasing air from the pump by unscrewing the valve and waiting for the water to come through. then restarted the pump. A day later, I checked the filter and it still is only 1/3 wet. Not sure what is happening. Their does not appear t be a leak anywhere. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Texas Splash]

With all the description about your pump and filter, you haven't said anything about the "pump basket" itself. The basket with the clear lid? Is there air in that as well? By any chance have you already tried this page: Pool School - Suction Side Air Leaks If air is getting into your system from the "suction side", you won't necessarily have a leak. Air can get in, but water cannot get out. Seems odd this happened only after changing out the pump, so I would use the tips on this link to see if that helps you find the problem.

 

[ttricci29]

it is an above ground pool. I am not sure what pump basket you are referring to. there is the skimmer basket with the blue ring..

 

[Texas Splash]

Sorry it took me so long to get back with you. I've been out in the heat. Uhg. Okay, the 637r pump you are using is (I believe) one of the smaller Intex pumps. They are the very basic line of pumps used in the kits. When I spoke earlier, I assumed you had a "separate" pump, pumps basket, and skimmer as in a larger set-up. But I think what you have is that small gray/white pump and then the smaller "hanging" skimmer basket that just drapes over the side of the pool is that correct? I had one of those at one time.

If that's true, then it would seem that there is an air gap or leak somewhere between your hanging basket and the pump itself. I can't imagine the change of hose that you did (just a 1/4" difference) would be the cause of your problem. Your last reply was this morning. Are you still having the same troubles?

 

[ttricci29]

That is correct. I do have the pump that came with the pool. It is exactly as you have said- the skimmer hangs off the side. I did look at the link that you sent regarding air leak. I did see a small amount of tiny bubbles around the blue ring. I left the house for a few hours and returned to find that my pump was off and the outlet was triggered. I am not sure what happened. I unplugged yet again and opened the air valve to release the air. I changed out the blue ring because I had an extra one anyway. I also felt along the hose from the bottom of the skimmer to the pool outlet and did not feel any vacuum feeling that would indicate a leak. The outside of the pool was also dry. there wasn't any air in the hose- it was filled with water. This is driving me crazy and is very disappointing. We just spent $100.00 on shock supplies and still can't get into the pool

 

[Texas Splash]

Okay, so we have two issues to resolve: water flow to/through the pump and cloudy/green water. For the pump and its water flow, I found this simple video on the pump(s) and connections: Intex Filter Pump Troubleshooting Guide - YouTube. Let me know if this helps you in any way. If I remember correctly, the Intex set-up from the over-hanging skimmer to the pump is relatively simply, but you did recently add the saltwater system. Can you tell us what the name/model of that system is? Also, any chance you could post a pic of your set-up and that pump/saltwater system area?

Here were a couple discussions about troubleshooting your pump:
Diagnose Intex pump issue and filter question?.
Intex Krystal Clear Model 637R Filter Pump Troubleshooting?
Maybe one of these might help

As for the green water, you will need to follow our Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain page. But to do it you will need the pump to be running 24/7. I'm not positive, but I believe those small Intex pumps may not be designed to run that long, so you may need to confirm on the owners manual.

So let's see if the info above helps you at all. I'll be watching for an update.