Newbie Q: filter cleaning & manual vacuuming

[venticoffee]

Thank you TFP. At times, I got lazy a bit but my pool is in its best shape ever. I would like to make it better with your help.

I've had very fine sediments that I could not get rid of using polaris pressure side vacuum. I tried a finer net but still same thing. I get fine dust sediments on my steps. When I brush my pool, these particles make my pool cloudy.

So got a hose and a manual vacuum head and started to vacuum. I can see that fine dust are gone as my vacuum head passes then I realize that my filter is not working. I had no idea it wasn't working. I saw a dust cloud forming in front of one of return lines as I was vacuuming.

I read somewhere that air bubbles in the system will reduce filter performance. So I decided to take a closer look.

When pump is running, I can use the air release nob on top of my filter to release air for 20 seconds before water comes out. I can close it and within a minute, I can do this again and again releasing air for 20 seconds at a time.

Air is entering and I needed to figure out. At first, I thought the problem was water fall (its value) but then when I shut that off, I still had problem. Next I stop the pump and saw air entering thru rubber seal on top of the pump.



I am going to fix this by changing the rubber o-ring. Please let me know if I need to do something else. Yeah! I figured out on my own. Well, the truth is that I read somewhere in the forum that I should check the pump seal. Thanks TFP again.

Anyway, I was doing so good that I decide to clean the filter as well. I don't know when the filter was last cleaned so it's probably a good idea.

I took the bolt off the filter but I can't get the top to come off. Are these really tight? I don't want to force it especially when it looks like the filter is not anchored to the ground.

Here is a picture of the bolt I took off but the thing that wraps around the filter won't move at all.



And also, this is the picture of bottom of filter. What is this for? Looks to be a drainage of some kind.


Thanks for your help.

 

[JasonLion]

Tap lightly around the whole circumference of the retaining ring with a hammer, just to vibrate it a little. Usually that will loosen it up.

 

[Voodoo_Pool]

Do you have the owner's manual? If not, you should GOOGLE for it. Read the manual with respect to cleaning. Also, if your Hayward filter is anything like my Hayward DE filter, then you need a torque wrench to make sure that you put it back together properly. Just my recommendation. Good luck!

 

[duraleigh]

That was nice investigative work replacing your O-ring. That's the most commonplace point for an air leak but it may not fix it entirely. You may have to snoop around a little more on the suction side of your system to get all the air out but I'll bet you got the biggest one.

A rubber mallet may help you loosing that metal band.

 

[Bama Rambler]

As for the black plug on the bottom. It's just what you suspect it is, a drain plug. Once you get the top off you can remove it to drain the water from the body.

 

[venticoffee]

Hmmm. I am puzzled by what's happening.

I did what JasonLion and other had recommended and was able to remove the cover. I spent about hour and half and a lot of water to clean the four cartridges. I cleaned them pretty good taking my time. Anyway, after I install it back and tighten the pump seal another 1/16 of a turn (without replacing o-ring yet), my pressure shot up to 17 psi. Before I clean the cartridges, it was around 5 psi.

I am trying to make sense of all this and I am not sure. I thought that pressure as low (5 psi) because there were leaks in the system and air is entering. Is this correct assumption?

Two things are happening that’s confusing me.

If I was able to seal the air leaks in the pump with another 1/16 of a turn, then I am not sure why I can still let air out of cartridge filter with air release value.

If there are still leaks in the system (b/c I can still let air out of cartridge filter with air release value), then why is my pressure so high at 17 psi.

I am going to change the o-ring on pump seal later today, but what else can I check? Thanks again.

 

[Bama Rambler]

You could have lessened the leaking enough to make the pump more efficient and therefore the pressure (& flow through the filter) would be greater.

Once you change the o-ring, check to see if there is still air getting into the pump basket.

 

[venticoffee]

You could have lessened the leaking enough to make the pump more efficient and therefore the pressure (& flow through the filter) would be greater.

Once you change the o-ring, check to see if there is still air getting into the pump basket.

But then how do you explain air in the cartridge filter. I can bleed air from in for about 20 seconds then water comes out. After I close the air release, I can wait 10 mins and I can bleed air out again. While my pressure is still at 17 psi.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Notice that I didn't say you stopped the air leak, I said you may have lessened it enough to make the pump work better. You may also have actually put the filter back together correctly where it may not have been originally. That would increase your head pressure.