Moved into home and neglected pool... help?

[loimprevisto]

Hello folks,

I recently moved into a new house and this is my first time owning a pool. After we moved in it seemed like we were going from crisis to crisis and the pool was neglected for about 3 months. This site has been a great resource for learning about pool care, and I think I have a good understand of what I need to do to clean and shock it. What I could use some help with is understanding the operation and maintenance of my pump and filter. I was under the impression that there should be some sort of valve installed between the pool and the pump's filter basket so I could open the filter without the pool draining, but nothing is apparent. This is what it looks like:

Here are pictures of the pump/filter:

I suspect that the pump is clogged, since when I turned it on it only hummed for a few seconds then stopped. Can anyone give me pointers on how to take take care of this? Do I need to physically block the filter hose/return hose? If so is there a recommended way of doing it?

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! Quite a mess you have there. Below are some things I would check right away before attempting to power-on your pump anymore:
- Disconnect power to the pump. Remove the pump strainer basket (clear) lid and remove all debris. While open, reach inside and try to feel the impeller to ensure it's not clogged/blocked and can spin freely.
- Consider disconnecting the suction hose from the pool skimmer to the filter and flush it out to ensure it's not clogged.
- Clean pool side skimmer well
- Consider doing a through filter sand "deep cleaning" as outlined on the TFP Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter page.
- Manually rake/brush and remove as much physical debris from the pool as possible. You want only water in the pool and no twigs, leaves, etc that have the potential to clog your lines or make water sanitation take that much longer.

From there, reconnect power and do a quick test of the pump. See if it can suck water. If it works fine, consider placing your filter on drain to waste during some initial vacuuming to remove heavy junk. Make sure to watch your water level though as it may drop fast. Then use your TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit to validate pH, CYA, and FC so you can begin a TFP "SLAM" (link below) to clean that water. You MUST have one of those test kits though. So once you validate the equipment is clear and can circulate water, follow the SLAM page very carefully and it will work.

Hope that helps.

 

[madwil]

Remember not to try to change 7wAy valv position with pump on

 

[Texas Splash]

I was under the impression that there should be some sort of valve installed between the pool and the pump's filter basket so I could open the filter without the pool draining,

To make sure I've addressed this item ..... not always. Many owners will cut into their return suction line and install a simple ball valve or something of that nature which allows them to close-off water flow when working on the pump which is below the waterline. Having the pump low is great for priming, not so much for maintenance - unless you have a way to close-off flow. ha. So if your concern is simply to block water from flowing back to the pump, you could simply plug the return line. Perhaps stuff a tennis ball into the skimmer hole opening or use some other locally obtained rubber plug to temporarily block water flow. That way when you do open the pump strainer basket (with no shut-off valve) water won't keep flowing towards the pump. Hope that helps.