Why aren't my jets pumping correctly?

[Smashed Ixnay]

Information:

- Pool is 16x32. 4''ish up front and 8' in deep end
- Hayward c1200 filter
- Hayward SP3400VSP

My pool does circulate water, but it doesn't seem to have enough pressure to make the jets throw water as hard as it should. As a result I can't run my pool cleaner b/c it doesn't have enough suction to go around the pool. I have tried using the drain king hose attachment that blows pressure down the skimmer line and unclogs it. I today, just bought a new seal to go around the leaf basket (and lubricated it). My old seal wasn't bad, but I figured I'd give it a try. When using the drain king I have also run it backwards from the leaf basket to blow back to where you hook up a skimmer line. I was told by a rep at pinch a penny to use something to check the pipe coming out of the ground to the pool pump. I ended up using shaving cream to see if I could see air blowing out, but didn't notice anything.

I will say when my pump is running 3250rpm (or any rpm for that matter), that I can not get the basket to fill up with water to the top. At most it will probably only fill up to about where the water is coming from the skimmer line, so it has about 2"+- that is filled with air. It does not matter if I just have the skimmer line running or have the skimmer line and main line running together.


I filled my pool up last Sunday b/c it seemed like it was losing water. I been noticing over the days it has gotten lower. Checking it today I noticed it is 1 1/4" lower from where I had it last week, so I assume it's a leak. I don't think it is evaporating b/c it hasn't been that hot in central FL to lose that much water this quick. Because I have a feeling that it is leaking somewhere I tried the spot it leaked last year (steps), but couldn't find anything. I sprayed some dye around the light, jets, steps, and skimmer line area to see if I could find anything, but had no luck. I sprayed a bunch of dye around the skimmer line area where you plug the hose up to b/c I wanted to see if any would get sucked down, but I didn't notice any. Tomorrow I plan on going in the pool and spraying a bunch of dye around the main drain to see if I notice any dye getting sucked in.


I'm guess a leak in the main or drain line could cause me to lose pressure, and for me not be able to find the possible leak.


Do you guys have any other ideas what could be causing my jets not to blow correctly? I've checked the psi on the filter and it reads about 28psi.


Thanks.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I suspect that you might have more than one problem. The first thing that caught my eye was your filter pressure was 28 psi. Although that might be normal for you, it seems very high to me.. I would think it would be in the 10 to 15 psi range. The gage on the filter really should be called a "Resistance to flow" gage rather than a pressure gage. The higher the pressure it reads, the harder it is for your pump to push water through it, and the less flow that will return to the pool.

When was the last time you cleaned your filter? What is your normal filter pressure just after the filter has been cleaned?

Jim R.

 

[Smashed Ixnay]

I suspect that you might have more than one problem. The first thing that caught my eye was your filter pressure was 28 psi. Although that might be normal for you, it seems very high to me.. I would think it would be in the 10 to 15 psi range. The gage on the filter really should be called a "Resistance to flow" gage rather than a pressure gage. The higher the pressure it reads, the harder it is for your pump to push water through it, and the less flow that will return to the pool.

When was the last time you cleaned your filter? What is your normal filter pressure just after the filter has been cleaned?

Jim R.

Let me clean it again today and I will report back a little later. Last time I cleaned it was about a month ago. I'm sure it's due for a cleaning b/c the pool has had pollen and leaves in it. I guess that is something I need to do more often.