filter on/off questions

[amieelynne]

OK, so...the pool is up and running--not only that but it's full!! of course, this means I have more silly questions I turned the filter off tonight, and was shocked when my skimmer tranformed into 'ole faithful--spitting up water like I never knew possible, if the cap hadn't been secured on I'm sure I would have been retrieving it from my neighbors yard!! is that normal to have water spit back through the skimmer when you shut the filter off? should I have closed the ball valves before shutting it down? also, I have a cartridge filter...do I need to be releasing the air from it everytime I turn it back on? the 1 page (yes, one page, guess they couldn't spare the paper) instruction manual spends more time on installation than running directions so I'm totally lost

 

[JasonLion]

No, that is not normal. I suspect that you have a leak in the plumbing that is letting the water from the filter run back out the skimmer.

A filter should only occasionally have air in it. When you startup for the season there will be air and over weeks some air bubbles may accumulate in the filter, but there shouldn't be any significant amount of air in the filter in normal operation. Again this points at a leak in the plumbing.

 

[amieelynne]

thanks for the info, I had the pool installers out today and they claimed I was having problems because the water level was more than 2 in above the bottom of the skimmer. my water was just above the little line on my pool light, so it wasn't that high at all...I think it was a line of malarky. I found a number for the pump co in CA so I'll try to give them a ring tomorrow. I find it hard to believe that having too much water in a pool would cause air in the pump as long as it was primed properly, and I find it hard to believe that a water level of 1/2 way up the skimmer or a hair above is too much water. I didn't find any leaks in the plumbing, I figure if I don't see water coming out that means no air getting in...right?

No, that is not normal. I suspect that you have a leak in the plumbing that is letting the water from the filter run back out the skimmer.

A filter should only occasionally have air in it. When you startup for the season there will be air and over weeks some air bubbles may accumulate in the filter, but there shouldn't be any significant amount of air in the filter in normal operation. Again this points at a leak in the plumbing.

 

[JasonLion]

Having the water level high is not a problem as long as it is below the very top of the skimmer opening. Even if the water went above the top of the skimmer opening that would never cause the problem you described. Having the water be very low in the skimmer could cause problems similar to the one you describe. When the water is too low in the skimmer a vortex can form which draws air in.

Not seeing water coming out is a good sign but it doesn't prove anything. If there is a leak between the skimmer and the pump it would tend to draw air in and very little water would come out.

Have you let all of the air out of the filter? There should be a bleed valve on top of the filter that you can open while the pump is running to let all the air out. As soon as water starts coming out you close it again. If there was a lot of air in the filter it could become pressurized and possibly do what you describe when the pump is turned off.

 

[JohnT]

Usually when the skimmer spits like that, it's because of air trapped after the pump that has been compressed by the pump, and expands when the pump shuts off.

 

[amieelynne]

thanks for the suggestions...it seems that the installer neglected to tighten down everything there is a yellow screw on the side of the pump---it was not tight enough and was letting air in...had nothing to do with having too much water in the pool. a bit peeved that the installers didn't even catch that on their 2nd trip out here, but at least it's fixed now. water is up to top of basket on pump and appears to be holding