You'll get there. Seems like alot of stumbling blocks, but it will be worth it when you get everything going.
Pool opening problems
- Thread starter Tyus4
- Start date
Ok, so pump came in today and hooked it up. It involved putting a new electrical outlet in as well. Anywayz...turned it on and it actually worked... Now with the knob on filter and ball valve open...i can look through the filter pump and it doesn't seem to be flowing that well. I would say it almost looked like a garden hose flowing. Is this normal? Also, is there suppose to be water coming out the outlet in the pool because there was nothing. Suppose to be vacuum at the skimmer? Also, the gauge on the side of the tank was on 10 when the pump was on. The gauge is so old and foggy..all i can see is its on 10. Any help would be great. Thanks
So it seems that the only time it seems to pump right , is when i fill up the pump filter with water before startup. Once i turn it on it seems to work fine for a couple seconds and then it sucks up the water in the filter area and thats it
Make sure all the valves are open and that any plugs in the return have been removed. Also, make sure your filter is set on filter before you turn the pump on.
Mine will do that on initial start up. Like zea3 said, make sure all plugs are out if there are any, & valves open. Even with water high enough, it seems to take a while to get all the air pushed out of the lines & filter. It will start flowing into the pump basket slowly at first, then gradually more & more & finally gushes in & eventually fills up the pump basket. The only other thing that might cause that is a huge suction leak between the skimmer & pump causing it to draw air. But with the pump shut off, most times a water leak will expose itself then.
oh, one more thing. Usually on startup, I set my valve to the backwash setting. That gets the crud out of the filter that sat over winter, & not possibly send it back to the pool, via the filter setting. It also seems to pull the water from the skimmer & fill the pump basket faster also, as there is much less backpressure on that setting.
There are no plugs left in..and there is only one ball valve to open up. The water comes outlet fine for the first couple seconds when the filter pump is full..but then it sucks up the water and dies off. Ill try the backwash setting and see if it helps. Thanks
For the first few days while shocking & getting balances right, I run mine 24/7. I'm gone during the day so I let it run all day, & then off at night, or vice versa, just depending what I feel like or if I'm putting chlorine or chems in, then definately have the pump running. Glad to hear it's up & running for you!
Your pressure may run different with the underground lines (I like your setup), but with a clean filter, my running pressure usually is around 10-12. As things filter out, your pressure gauge will rise. At about 18-20#, I can feel the return flow is really slow. Then it's time to backwash. Keep a close eye on yours the first few hours & days & backwash when necessary. It might be pretty frequent the first few hours.
I noticed you said your pressure gauge was foggy, hard to read? I'd replace it. Should be $10 or under. If you don't have a pool store close, a farm supply store that handles sprayer parts has the same gauge also.
thanks for the info....so I should be backwashing frequently with these first couple of days?
Also, how long does it take for the water to register new chemicals that were added to the water with the filter running?
You should allow 30-60 minutes with the pump running before testing the water again. The exception is adding CYA, which can take up to a week to register on a test after it has been added.
As far as backwashing, there's no set interval other than to keep an eye on the gauge and also feel the return flow into the pool, especially if you cant read your guage. When it feels like theres not much flow compared to when just after you backwash, then it's time. You'll be amazed at the dirty, green, rusty water that comes out when you backwash.
I backwash till the water clears up, then turn it to rinse for about 15 seconds, then back to filter. Be sure to shut off the pump before moving the lever to each position.
I've been up and running for like 24 hours now and its gone from dark green to light foggy green so I guess its working. Found 6 dead frogs in the skimmer this morning so I guess they don't like chemicals too much
Sounds like your on your way. Yeh, I bet the frogs are wondering whats going on!! They'll have to find a new home to survive. As far as chemicals, do you have a handle on what you need to add, & testing? I did alot of reading on here last year (very good people here) & finally made the switch to liquid chlorine, mostly 6% Dollar General Bleach. I started out the year 3 weeks ago buying 12 182oz jugs & just added the last of the 7th, & have five left. A 4lb jug of stabilizer at Wallly World to get my CYA where it needed to be, & some muratic acid to get my high TA (340) fill water in check. That's all I've put in my pool. It's been very economical compared to the pucks & all the bs the pool stores tell you you need. I also bought the TF100 testkit last year. It's great & needed for testing the higher levels of chlorine needed when cleaning up a real mess like I started with last year.