Filter, Pump, or Barracuda problem?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
D

dlmtechnology

0
Jun 6, 2011
48
New Berlin, WI
This is the third year of living in our new home that came with this AGP, and this year appears to be something special as I'm not sure what to do.

This is also the first year that I discovered TFP.com and have been successfully saving money using bleach instead of pool store products.

So lets start with some things from years past.

1. The house I moved into came with the pool, and a Barracuda 1500, no manuals on how to operate. The pool has 3 cartridges (1 in the filter and two extras).

2. In years past the pressure gauge would read anywhere between 10 - 15 on all three filters

3. In years past the barracuda when in use would make a loud flapping noise to the point that it would echo in my backyard when it was on.

4. Last year the pool store told me to clean my cartridge filter I should use "Kleen-IT" from Bio Guard.

5. The pool hardly sucked air from the skimmer when the water level was at the 2nd screw level.

Things from this year

1. The pressure gauge reads roughly 12 - 15 on all three filters
2. My barracuda does still makes a noise, but its not very loud, does not echo in the yard anymore (even my neighbor was wondering if something is ok because she didn't year it anymore). The barracuda also sometimes seems to stop.

3. The hose from the skimmer to the pump at times seems to crush in on it self, I've replaced it when a spare hose I have laying around but it seems to happen anytime I hook up the barracuda or the manual pool vac.

4. I'm sucking air left and right from my skimmer, even when the water level is a tad too high. (I was wondering if the lack of a flapper on my skimmer could be a problem, It broke off last year and I haven't been able to find a replacement part.

5. the smallest amount of debris that gets sucked in the strainer basket that covers just the whole (does not fill up the entire basket) causes the hose to collapse

6. This year the pool store told me it was a 2 part process to clean my cartridge filter, first needing strip-kwik THEN Kleen-IT, so I did that this year for pool start up

7. Since reading this site, I've had my cartridges in a garbage can soaking with dishwashing detergent to clean them, rinsed them throughly afterwards and then followed the acid bath (no bubbles whatsoever)

8. I've tried removing the cartridge and just "circulating" the water the gauge reads 15 with no filter, and when I attache the barracuda it drops to about 10-12

Things I'm now concerned about.

1. After researching online the manual for the barracuda I seem to actually be missing some parts (once I read the book I vaguely remember the parts from when I was a kid with the parents pool) Said parts are roughly $100 almost better to just buy a new barracuda. I think the new one was about $124.

2. I'm wondering if the filter cartridges are bad (one is a unicel the other 2 seem to be hayward, and all seem to be losing some their bindings) Cheapest replacement I've found from a local store seems to be $108.95 for a CX1750RE

3. Financially this year has not been the best, hence how I found this site and started doing bleach so I'm afraid of buying a new cartridge and finding out the problem is the barracuda or vice versa

Does anyone have any thoughts on what my problems might be and possible solutions?
 
1. Don't trust gauges, they normally die every season even if you remove them and put them in storage for the winter.
2. Hose collapsing means that the pump is pulling water fine, BUT that the delivery of water is being obstructed at the skimmer side of the hose or the hose itself is too weak to support the amount of negative pressure created by water being sucked through it.
3. if the barracuda stops, it is normally attributed to too little water flow since that is how it works, normally, cleaning the filter will remedy that situation.
4. A weak or older NON tiger flex hose could cause all sorts of issues since it may no longer be able to support the normal negative pressure created suction side....it almost sounds like this is the majority of your problem, I bet the hose even "half collapses" to the beat of the Barracuda as it moves along - this would drastically take away from your Barracuda's ability to do it's job since the suction pulses are being buffered/absorbed in the faulty hose thus robbing the barracuda of crucial power.

First, replace all suction side hoses (anything between skimmer and pump) with tigerflex hose - tigerflex will not collapse. Cheap plastic hose is useless DO NOT BUY IT!
If you have an obstruction between the vacuum connection at the skimmer and barracuda, it COULD stop the barracuda AND collapse your skimmer to pump hose, carefully check EVERYTHING, although I still think it's the suction side hose that is giving you grief.

My thought is the second piece of hose you had and are now using was giving the previous owner the same issues your current hose is giving you now, so they replaced it but kept the piece around for an emergency should the new hose spring a leak.
 
matt4x4 said:
My thought is the second piece of hose you had and are now using was giving the previous owner the same issues your current hose is giving you now, so they replaced it but kept the piece around for an emergency should the new hose spring a leak.
Click to expand...

The spare hose I was using was actually new two years ago when we got talked into buying the Pool Frog, seeing that I found it cheaper to go without a frog this year I never hooked it up.

I did notice last night that my skimmer basket seems to be breaking, it looks like its being "sucked down" the hole to the point that the legs on it cracked, I'm betting this might be the obstruction from the skimmer, especially when the area surrounding the hole gets clogged with debris.

Unfortunately the store right around the block was out of replacement strainers so I'm waiting for them to get one in, they did say it should be in later today. Apparently the store owner told me that the new basket wont have these "feet" that my current basket has. I also asked her about Tigerflex hoses as I've never heard of them, she said she didn't carry them but has heard of them. She instead is recommending I go with a flexible PVC hose that I can get cut to any size and they generally use on in-ground pools. I looked at it, and its seems a whole lot harder to crush, but I'm sure is going to be a whole lot more expensive and overkill for my needs. Who knows, tomorrow I have off of work and will play with the pool....heat index of 109 tomorrow!

Thanks for the help!
 
Well yesterday after replacing my skimmer hose with the Flexible PVC as well as a new skimmer basket I think I'm coming to the conclusion that replacing the filter cartridge is going to be the next step because I checked all the hoses for the barracuda and there seems to be no obstructions yet it still seems to stop at random times and besides, its been three years since I've moved in, I don't really know how old these cartridges are so hopefully they will get me through this season and I can get a good deal on an end of the season sale or something.
 
Doesn't make sense that plugged filter cartriges would make the hose from the skimmer to the pump collapse, that can ONLY happen if the restriction is before the pump/hose, a restriction AFTER the pump (like in your filter) may stop the vacuum but would NEVER collapse the hose leading to the pump.
Have you inspected your barracuda internally for obstructions?
 
I took the thing apart and I don't see anything out of the ordinary, the diaphragm has what seems to be the start of a tear in it, perhaps thats why it stops, but I don't see anything obstructing the flow of water.

I guess with this tear and the missing parts to the barracuda a new vac looks to be in my future anyways!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply