No pressure from filter

[masons99]

PLEASE HELP!!! I have an 18,000 gallon above ground pool that came with the house we bought almost 3 years ago. The pool has a Hayward DE filter. The motor was replaced last summer. After I pump the filter about 10 times, and turn on the motor the flow in and out is great. However it only last about 10 minutes. Eventually over time (an hour or so) I have very little flow into and out of the filter. The pressure gauge says I have between 10-15 psi. I have cleaned the filter too. I think I cleaned the impeller to but not sure if I did it right. Nothing seems to be working. So frustrated. Hope someone out there has some magic to help me out
Thanks!
Sean

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello Sean and welcome to TFP! You may have more than one thing going on, so we'll probably ask you a few questions as well. When you say "I pump the filter about 10 times", what process or reason are you referring to exactly? Once you start the pump (motor), I'm thinking that is all you should have to do to move water. Does your filter have a vertical plunger valve control that requires a "bump" from time to time? If so, that's a different process I believe. Now great flow at first followed by terrible flow shortly thereafter certainly points to restriction in the filter. That might be either from algae (even if you don't see it) or the grids clogged from a season of filtering or perhaps too much DE (which is why I asked about the bumping). If it was the impeller, I would thing your flow would be impeded the whole time.

One more question, how are you testing your water? Can you post a set of water results?

So let's see what you come-back with and we'll go from there. Also, please try to update your profile signature for us with all of your equipment. You can even upload a pic of your equipment if you would like. Nice to have you with us.

 

[masons99]

Thank you for your response. Not sure if I use the correct wording when I I said "I pump the filter about 10 times" The above pictures are of the system. The lever on top of the filter is what I meant by "pumping it" to get the pressure up. However the gauge is always sitting at around 20-22. So that's not the issue. I cleaned the filter out 2 days ago. Had a ton of algae in it. All over the fingers in there. Put it all back together with new DE. I don't believe the DE is the issue. Maybe I should put less in there?
Up until earlier this week my pool was green. 2 days ago a light green. Now it's blue but cloudy. I put in Green to Clean yesterday followed by 4 pounds of shock over the course of 12 hours. The last time the pool was tested was yesterday but we had to get this algae out of the way first.
All my chlorine levels are low
Calcium Hardness was a little low
No Cyanuric Acid
My Alkalinity, PH, Copper, Iron is fine
Phosphates were high.
Hope this all helps

 

[Texas Splash]

That helps a lot! Well, I'll simply break this down in quick statement for your to read and hopefully adjust to:
- Green to Clean generally causes more problems that it's worth to include ammonia in the water; stay away from anything other than regular bleach for now
- You had algae and I am willing to bet you still do, you just can't see it in its present stage; you need to "SLAM" (link below)
- Phosphates are a pool store way of selling you products you don't need. The only thing you do need right now is the proper test kit so YOU are 100% in charge of your water. It's not hard at all, so don't be intimidated. We recommended either the TF-100 (link below) or Taylor K-2006C. I think the TF-100 is a better value and it comes with Taylor products. Make sure to also get the Speed Stir.
- No CYA means no protection from the sun and may be because of the Green to Clean that was added before

So what to do now? Test kit HAS to be #1. Then post a full set of results for us. We'll give you a couple simple steps to follow then you'll start a "SLAM", so you can read that in advance. In the meantime, please update your signature with all of your pool info. You can also add about 1/2 gallon of regular bleach to the water each evening. It won't fix everything, but it may help slow the growth of what's going on. Be patient right now. Don't try to fix anything without one of those test kits. Only with your own accurate numbers can we really help you. Let us know if you have any more questions.

 

[bobodaclown]

Hello Masons99,
Just a couple questions to help clarify. When the pump is off, does the gauge return to 0?

Liquid Bleach/Chlorine kills algae, filter catches the dead algae, pump circulates water. As filter catches dead algae, pressure goes up, filter needs to be flushed to get rid of dead algae to catch more dead algae. Pools have a daily chlorine usage, whether they're used or not. Right now, you need to kill the algae. You'll use lots of bleach. It's a good think. Using one of the recommend test kits give you the information needed to effectively kill the algae and enjoy your pool.

The proper test kit is an investment in your pool, making it easier down the road to fully enjoy your pool.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[masons99]

Thanks for all the information. Really appreciate it. I have taken the filter apart and cleaned the fingers. I have also backwashed it. And I am getting the same results with my pressure coming out of the filter. When the pump is off the gauge goes down to 0.

 

[zea3]

Your filter is working fine. DE is very efficient at catching fine debris. The downside is when you have a green algae filled pool the DE filter will clog up very quickly. You will probably need to break down and clean the filter several times a day until the pool is almost clear. I used to have a DE filter and they are great until you have an algae bloom, then the constant cleaning and recharging is a pain!

 

[DarrelB]

Sounds like a diaphragm is leaking or flex tube is damaged. Call the manufacturer to help you trouble shoot, at this point all that is happening is guess work now.
Here is a manual for one I think is yours, in case you did not have it. Look at the trouble shooting section, and also the How To section. Perflex | Filters | In Ground Pool Filters - Hayward Pool Products