I've been a long-time reader of the forum and have learned the basics of pool chemistry.. You guys are the greatest! My pool is really sparkling.
I'm embarrassed to say, though, I still have a pool guy servicing the pool, but I'm hoping to take over the job from him. I didn't get off to an auspicious start, however. While I'm pretty decent at the chemistry, this was my first foray into things hardware.
I noticed the pump strainer basket was full and decided to empty it out. I did all the required steps to clean the pump basket per the manual. Once the pump was back on, the filter PSI rose to around 33 or 34. It had been 29. This was the first worrisome sign.
The next sign was that the water level in the pot housing was about an inch lower than usual.
A third thing was that little air bubbles were going into the pool, finally disappearing after many hours.
My diagnosis: air in the system.
I tried opening/cleaning the pump pot a second time, this time checking the O-ring and lubing it with silicone lubrication. I turned the pump back on and the same thing -- PSI in the 30s, lower water in the pot and a small amount of tiny bubbles in the pool.
I should note that before turning the pump back on, each time, I opened the air relef valve on the filter and waited till water gushed out. Is it possible there was still air mixed in with the water and I just didn't see it? Some articles say to let the water become a steady stream of water before closing the valve again. I thought that's what I did but maybe I should have let the water gush out some more.
Can I try bleeding air again from the valve while the pump/filter is operating? Or is that something one does only after re-starting the pump?
As you can see, plenty of questions. The high PSI in particular concerns me. The pool guy will come in a few days and I'll leave him a note to fix things, but I'm wondering where I went wrong.
Thanks for reading,
Ted
- Pentair WhisperFlo pump
- Hayward DE filter
I'm embarrassed to say, though, I still have a pool guy servicing the pool, but I'm hoping to take over the job from him. I didn't get off to an auspicious start, however. While I'm pretty decent at the chemistry, this was my first foray into things hardware.
I noticed the pump strainer basket was full and decided to empty it out. I did all the required steps to clean the pump basket per the manual. Once the pump was back on, the filter PSI rose to around 33 or 34. It had been 29. This was the first worrisome sign.
The next sign was that the water level in the pot housing was about an inch lower than usual.
A third thing was that little air bubbles were going into the pool, finally disappearing after many hours.
My diagnosis: air in the system.
I tried opening/cleaning the pump pot a second time, this time checking the O-ring and lubing it with silicone lubrication. I turned the pump back on and the same thing -- PSI in the 30s, lower water in the pot and a small amount of tiny bubbles in the pool.
I should note that before turning the pump back on, each time, I opened the air relef valve on the filter and waited till water gushed out. Is it possible there was still air mixed in with the water and I just didn't see it? Some articles say to let the water become a steady stream of water before closing the valve again. I thought that's what I did but maybe I should have let the water gush out some more.
Can I try bleeding air again from the valve while the pump/filter is operating? Or is that something one does only after re-starting the pump?
As you can see, plenty of questions. The high PSI in particular concerns me. The pool guy will come in a few days and I'll leave him a note to fix things, but I'm wondering where I went wrong.
Thanks for reading,
Ted
- Pentair WhisperFlo pump
- Hayward DE filter