I'm at my wits end. I have a two year old install, and the pump is losing flow or has very low flow (pump basket emptying). It might run for a few days or it might happen in a few hours. The only way I can maintain flow is to up the RPM's (variable speed Hayward) to around 3000 RPM...Even at 2200 RPM, it will lose prime. And again, i've modified the schedule to run 24/7 to isolate the issue and it is still doing the same, so it's not a matter of losing prime during idle period. The particulars:
Hayward multispeed Pump - 2 years old
Sand filter - running 10 PSI during normal operation
Two main drains (valve wide open) and one skimmer (valve wide Open). I usually proportion the main drain down, but to isolate this problem, I have them both opened
Return valve wide open
Flow - Main, Skimmer tee after valves into pump inlet...pump through SWG then through Sand Filter through return
What I've done:
Increased speed of pump
Run 24/7
Make sure baskets, skimmer are clean
Made sure Pump Impeller was clean
Greased basket seal - have new one on order
Water level is not decreasing so not likely a leak
No air leaks at fittings on suction side best I can tell
I don't see air in the returns in the pool
Each time I find this condition, the pump is running, there's little flow through the basket. As soon as I press speed 4 (3200 RPM), the pump reprimes and I have flow again.
So my questions:
1) Would a bad basket seal cause this problem? I have a new one on order, but less than 2 years old, the seal looks fine and rubbery
2) Is it possible the impeller is damaged?
3) Anything else I should be looking at? Maybe something in the sand filter, but I'm not seeing any pressure spikes like a plugged return. Going to order a new pressure indicator just to be sure.
Hayward multispeed Pump - 2 years old
Sand filter - running 10 PSI during normal operation
Two main drains (valve wide open) and one skimmer (valve wide Open). I usually proportion the main drain down, but to isolate this problem, I have them both opened
Return valve wide open
Flow - Main, Skimmer tee after valves into pump inlet...pump through SWG then through Sand Filter through return
What I've done:
Increased speed of pump
Run 24/7
Make sure baskets, skimmer are clean
Made sure Pump Impeller was clean
Greased basket seal - have new one on order
Water level is not decreasing so not likely a leak
No air leaks at fittings on suction side best I can tell
I don't see air in the returns in the pool
Each time I find this condition, the pump is running, there's little flow through the basket. As soon as I press speed 4 (3200 RPM), the pump reprimes and I have flow again.
So my questions:
1) Would a bad basket seal cause this problem? I have a new one on order, but less than 2 years old, the seal looks fine and rubbery
2) Is it possible the impeller is damaged?
3) Anything else I should be looking at? Maybe something in the sand filter, but I'm not seeing any pressure spikes like a plugged return. Going to order a new pressure indicator just to be sure.