30 PSI no matter what

[Natebw]

Hello, relatively new pool owner. All has been going like clockwork until my father in law mentioned that my pool filter gauge was at 30 psi and I should clean the filter. I told him that to the best of my knowledge it has been at 30 psi since I bought the house and I thought it was normal.

Anyway, I did clean the filter (it was very dirty) - 30 psi I took the filter out - 30 psi. I checked all the inflow and outflow valves in various combinations - all 30 psi. I turned off the solar - 30 psi.

I did research and found out that it could be that our 1.5 HP pump is too strong for the system. I went to Pinch a Penny and they said maybe the gauge itself is bad, since it should NOT be the same with a very dirty filter and with NO filter.

I am not sure how worried to be since it has been 30 psi for over 6 months and I am just finding out about it. At the same time, I want to know what is going on....

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[woodyp]

Does the gauge go to zero when the pump is off?

 

[Natebw]

Yes. It goes to zero. When the pump goes on, the gauge immediately goes to around 15 psi, then within 30 seconds gets to 30 psi.

 

[blakeusa]

Gauge is suspect.. how old is it? Is it in full sun. There inexpensive and easy to replace.
At least you would know if the pressure is correct or not.

 

[Natebw]

Blake, thanks.

That will be my first line of attack.

I should add that except for that gauge reading everything runs, looks, works fine. That is why I haven't thought of anything as abnormal until my father in law mentioned it.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, Do I need to get a guage specific to the Sta Rite Posi Flo II? Are they all interchangeable? Are there a few standard thread sizes?

Like, this one?

Thanks!

 

[PoolGate]

They are all interchangeable as long as they fit in the hole. And btw my cartridge filter reads just about the same dirty or clean. It rarely goes up or down during normal operation even with really dirty cartridges. Sits around 20psi.

 

[tstex]

poolgate, why does the gauge read the same psi whether filters are clean or dirty? Seem like more dirt and the pressure/resistance would be greater, thus the reading. do the gauges themselves need to be cleaned out so they'll read more accurately. There's no rocket science in gauges; either they work or they do not.

 

[PoolGate]

poolgate, why does the gauge read the same psi whether filters are clean or dirty? Seem like more dirt and the pressure/resistance would be greater, thus the reading. do the gauges themselves need to be cleaned out so they'll read more accurately. There's no rocket science in gauges; either they work or they do not.

For mine, my cartridges (4) have a lot of surface area. I suspect if I let them go long enough I would see a pressure increase. So in essence, they are not dirty enough to significantly increase the pressure.

 

[cfherrman]

When the filter catches something the water takes a different path through the filter. That's why there is a bunch of pleates

 

[mas985]

Yes. It goes to zero. When the pump goes on, the gauge immediately goes to around 15 psi, then within 30 seconds gets to 30 psi.

Do you have a check valve after the filter? If so, is it the kind where you cannot see the internals? Sometimes they can fail and cause periodic high pressure.

 

[Mtpisgah]

My gauge was stuck at 60 white the pump on or off, so I replaced it last week. Now it only hits about 3psi when on. That seems very low compared to what I see posted here.