How to unclog a line???

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UtSulumSuusOwn

UtSulumSuusOwn

0
Apr 25, 2018
15
Lawton, OK
So, over the past two plus days I have scoured the internet and this forum, with not fully finding the answer(s) I need.
Opening the pool for the "season" and it appears that the line between my skimmer and pump has a clog in it. Got the water up; plugs installed; outlets placed; all the normal stuff. Somewhere in the process of recirculating and filtering, I notice the water in the pump lid is not moving/flowing at all. After checking all the various setting on my multi-port, I find no suction on any setting.

I have now tried a drainjet attachment from both the skimmer side and pump side of this line. Water pressure is LOW when the hose is placed on the skimmer side, and seems to fill the pump before i can get from the skimmer to the pump...but appears to be stronger flow this way. I also purchased a new pipe snake in hopes that i could somehow get past the 90 degree bends...no luck. Everything I have read and now experienced with this line says there is a clog... what are my options at this point?

I have called the company that we have close the pool for the Winter, and are on their list, but this being the "busy time" I have no guarantee of when they will get to me, and would rather spend my money on other stuff besides paying them to probably only pulse some air through the line and tell me it is clogged and then want to charge me for more work.

Thanks in advance...

In case my Sig. doesn't place, and the information is needed...inground, kidney shaped pool form 1974; second season for us with this house/pool; Pentair Triton II sand filter; Hayward & Century pump.
 
ut,

Welcome to TFP.. a great place to find the answers to all your "Impacted Plumbing" questions... ;)

Sorry, but when you say... " have now tried a drainjet attachment from both the skimmer side and pump side of this line. Water pressure is LOW when the hose is placed on the skimmer side, and seems to fill the pump before i can get from the skimmer to the pump...but appears to be stronger flow this way."... I have no idea what you mean...

Please try to rephrase it so that I can understand it better...

"Water pressure is low when hose is placed on the skimmer side.." What water pressure???

"...seems to fill the pump before i can get from the skimmer to the pump..." Is that not what you want it to do?? That does not sound like a clog to me???

"...but appears to be stronger flow this way..." Stronger flow of what and which way???

I'm sure it makes perfect sense to you, but in my case I don't have the whole picture, so it is harder for me to understand what is happening..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I will see what I can clarify...

DrainJet device placed on the end of a garden hose.
Then DrainJet into pump side of line, and hose turned on. I check the flow of water coming into the skimmer, and the pressure coming into the skimmer seems too low for what comes out of the DrainJet. I checked the DrainJet and there was no water leaking around it, so it is doing its job. After giving this a go for several minutes, and times, I decided to give the pump another try. Still no suction. I went back-and-forth between DrainJet and trying the pump, to no avail.

Since that wasn't working, I made an attempt with the DrainJet from the skimmer side. The hose bib is 30-40 yards from the pool, and long before I made the walk from spigot, to skimmer, to pump, the pump basket was overflowing with water from the hose. To me the flow this direction seemed to be at a higher rate than from the other direction;but, this may strictly be due to being able to watch it overflow the basket.

In hopes that this dislodged something, I repeated the steps from the pump side again...with no luck. Stick my hand down in the skimmer and the flow is still low. As a last ditch effort, I closed up the pump, full of water, and tried the pump one last time. Nada. At this point I started pulling my hair out, and waited for pizza. My luck, there is a pecan stuck in there somewhere, as unfortunately for us there is one that hangs slightly over the pool and we have to constantly pull them from the pool throughout the certain times of year.. As summer started to wind down last year the suction seemed to be lagging to me, but figured worse case the company that we have close it would blow anything out of the line in their processes...my luck that crew half-assed things and didn't blow out the lines.

I will try and get some pics up later...
 
To me the flow this direction seemed to be at a higher rate than from the other direction
Click to expand...
You would think that would be a good thing right? Better flow to the pump? But perhaps still impeded you think? You haven't mentioned it, so I'm assuming there is no check valve before the pump correct? I have one, but not every pool does, but figured I'd ask.

Going back to the pump/motor itself (just in case), if you were to fill the basket full of water and replace the lid, does that basket full of water get sucked-in right away? It should, followed by air if the suction line is indeed clogged. If the water in the basket doesn't get pulled-in, I might start looking more at the pump/motor itself. With power off, check the impeller for easy spinning rotation and that nothing got tangled around it.
 
UtSulumSuusOwn said:
So, over the past two plus days I have scoured the internet and this forum, with not fully finding the answer(s) I need.
Opening the pool for the "season" and it appears that the line between my skimmer and pump has a clog in it. Got the water up; plugs installed; outlets placed; all the normal stuff. Somewhere in the process of recirculating and filtering, I notice the water in the pump lid is not moving/flowing at all. After checking all the various setting on my multi-port, I find no suction on any setting.
Click to expand...

Hello and Welcome to TFP!!

You are the lucky recipient of my "stupid question of the day". My wife says that I'm allowed to have one per day and you get it.

What makes you think the water isn't flowing through the pump? Have you placed your hand in front of the return or opened the valve on the filter to confirm no water flow/pressure? It's worth asking the obvious question that sometimes gets overlooked.

The reason I ask is that there have been more than a couple occasions that I thought my pump wasn't working, only to find that in reality the water was very clear and the pump basket was full (no air) and it looked dry.

Your garden hose showed that it isn't a complete blockage and more than a trickle can get through from skimmer to pump.
 
UT,

Thanks for the clarification... What you did makes perfect sense to me now... :p

I suspect that the flow when running water from the pump to the skimmer just looks slow because it has to come up through the pool water in the skimmer... The fact that the water flows from the skimmer and quickly fills up the pump basket, tells me that your line is not clogged or at least not fully clogged...

When you run the pump what does the filter pressure gage read???

I would also like to know the answer to Dave's "Stupid Question"... ??

Have you tried the multiport in the recirculate or backwash position??

Thanks again for posting,

Jim R.
 
To add to the "stupid question", since the line between the skimmer and pump obviously is allowing at least some flow through, what makes you sure it's a restriction/clog on the intake side rather than the output side? Also, a picture of your equipment pad plumbing might help others to diagnose and help give you troubleshooting ideas/advice.
 

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Okay...Going to just work my way down the responses the best that I can...
Also, making an attempt to attach the pad pic...please excuse the mess as full clean-up has been put to a halt in the attempt to rectify the flow issues. Also, nobody seem to know what the device is that is between the pump assembly and the filter...the only thing my wife and I guess is that there was once a "feature" installed somewhere...it still runs, but can't determine what happens once the motor comes on...
Pool Pad pic - 001.jpg

Texas Splash:
There is no check valve that I am aware of.
As for the basket...it is full of water. When I turn the pump on, basically nothing happens to the water in there. The motor is running, but nothing happens. I have stuck my fingers in the impeller and can't feel any obstructions, and this is why I have come to the conclusion of a line blockage. That and the lack of flow with the DrainJet...

Teald024 & Jimrahbe:
When the pump is turned on, there is no movement of water in the basket whatsoever. I have opened the "bleeder valve" at the top of my filter and can feel/hear a small flow of air but no water, so the filter isn't filling. Also, the little sight gauge is dry regardless of where the multiport is set. When i check the jets in the pool there is no flow of water back into the pool.
As for the filter pressure - ZERO, regardless of the setting on the multiport - backwash, recirculate, filter...

duraleigh:
As stated above, I have only checked the impeller via the pump basket. Can I further check this if i pull the motor off? If I go this route, will I need to purchase a new seal/o-ring for this attachment?
 
UT,

My thoughts.... If the pump was running and no water was coming in, then the basket would quickly empty and the pump would be running dry... If the water had no place to go, the water would be churning or foaming or something that you should see...

It sounds like the pump is not running, but obviously, you would notice that.... :p To me that means the impeller is not turning.

I see no choice but to remove the whole motor/impeller assy..

I have never done this... well I did once, but it was many years ago and I've forgotten how... so can't answer your question about the seal...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
nobody seem to know what the device is that is between the pump assembly and the filter.
Click to expand...
Based on that smaller PVC line coming from it, maybe a dedicated pump for a vacuum (suction or pressure)? Is there a vacuum port somewhere on the side wall of your pool?

When the pump is turned on, there is no movement of water in the basket whatsoever.
Click to expand...
That's not right. At a minimum, the standing water you poured in the basket should get sucked-out by the pump. I'm starting to wonder if there's not a more underlying problem with the pump itself. I bet if you took a spare PVC line from the intake of the pump basket and dropped it straight into the pool (bypassing the current suction line), you would see the same thing. That pump basket water should move if the pump is operating properly. You mentioned having the pool closed by a company last winter. Was the pump left outside this whole time?
 
Jimrahbe said:
UT,

My thoughts.... If the pump was running and no water was coming in, then the basket would quickly empty and the pump would be running dry... If the water had no place to go, the water would be churning or foaming or something that you should see...

It sounds like the pump is not running, but obviously, you would notice that.... :p To me that means the impeller is not turning.

I see no choice but to remove the whole motor/impeller assy..

I have never done this... well I did once, but it was many years ago and I've forgotten how... so can't answer your question about the seal...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Alright...looks like I will be removing the motor this afternoon/evening, after work. If the seal appears to be in good shape, I will just leave it as is for the time...just apply some lube and go. I will check back here beforehand, just in case anyone has any other feedback... I appreciate all the help thus far everyone!

- - - Updated - - -

Texas Splash said:
Based on that smaller PVC line coming from it, maybe a dedicated pump for a vacuum (suction or pressure)? Is there a vacuum port somewhere on the side wall of your pool?

That's not right. At a minimum, the standing water you poured in the basket should get sucked-out by the pump. I'm starting to wonder if there's not a more underlying problem with the pump itself. I bet if you took a spare PVC line from the intake of the pump basket and dropped it straight into the pool (bypassing the current suction line), you would see the same thing. That pump basket water should move if the pump is operating properly. You mentioned having the pool closed by a company last winter. Was the pump left outside this whole time?
Click to expand...

Everything has always been uncovered and exposed to the elements year-round. Next winter do we need to consider covering things up? We are in a part of Oklahoma that does not see harsh winters. The previous owners did not leave anything but excess chemicals when they left...didn't even leave the cover they had for the pool! Since we saw and made our initial offer on the house during "closed season" I can attest to them not having the equipment covered during at least part of their ownership. I can not verify the age of the pump, either, so it may just be at the end of it's life sapn.
 
The past winter was more brutal than most for many areas. We saw that here on the forum. Those who are accustom to those kind of winters usually disconnect their pump and take it to the garage or someplace protected from the elements. At the very least they might cover everything with a tarp or something. Due to the unknown history of the pool and equipment, it's certainly possible the heart of your problem is the motor (or associate parts within, i.e. impeller damaged or unthreaded/loose). A little more testing and research on your end should prove if that's the case.
 
UtSulumSuusOwn said:
Okay...Going to just work my way down the responses the best that I can...
Also, making an attempt to attach the pad pic...please excuse the mess as full clean-up has been put to a halt in the attempt to rectify the flow issues. Also, nobody seem to know what the device is that is between the pump assembly and the filter...the only thing my wife and I guess is that there was once a "feature" installed somewhere...it still runs, but can't determine what happens once the motor comes on...
View attachment 75691


- nothing will happen when you turn it on, except quickly burn it out. It is not connected or fed water by your system anymore.

- when you prime the filter pump, does water sit above the pump housing suction port?
Click to expand...
 
I still have the hose dragged all the way out to the pump, so I have been using the hose to fill the basket until everything overflows, and then shutting the lid. My daughter was helping me just now, and flipping the switch for me, and the following happens..

  • Set to "filter".
  • Lid placed on overflowing basket, and locked down.
  • Pump "on".
  • Water rushes through basket, and then trickle from skimmer side.
  • Pump "off".
  • The water comes back into basket, from filter side (because there's nothing coming from the skimmer side).
To my untrained eye, it's as if the water is being pushed through the pump towards the filter, but stopping there.
 

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