Junk in my solar pump basket

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D

dkoop

0
Jul 3, 2011
22
The problem is that there is a LOT of leaf debris getting into the boster pump basket in the basement. Being that it is after the filter and 2 other baskets, I can't figure out how it is getting there and it is showing up week after week and a lot of it. It did not used to have this problem.

The system is as follows. Dual pumps and Filters (DE Bottom Valve) they combine underground somewhere. An off shoot of the return goes to the basement where there is a pump that pumps it up to a solar panel array. The array is pretty old and is the kind that is made up of actual panels that have a glass enclosure. (I'll get a pic on thursday). After getting pumped to the roof it then comes back to the basement where it goes out to be recombined.

I was not there when it was installed so I'm not 100% sure where or how everything is getting combined.


Any ideas?

Danny
 
Are you saying the solar is offline of the filter system and is drawing directly from the pool?

Or

Do you think there may be a pressure relief connection that allows for the filters to be by-passed if the solar pump is on when the filter pumps are not, or vise versa? If so it probably has a check valve in it that may be stuck. Because if the booster pump was on and the pool filters weren't then it would create great negative pressure.

I've never seen this or heard of this here or other places but it may make sense. What do you think?
 
I have seen this before, but only with the cleaner pump (Polaris booster). What would happen is, for some reason, filter pump shut off and no interlock for the booster, or the filter pump looses prime, or the filter got so dirty that the flow decreased to a point where the booster, instead of drawing its water from the filter, it would begin to draw it's water through the returns in the pool (least resistance).

Can your solar pump run without the filter pump on? I assume that the solar pump is controlled thru the solar thermostat.
 
Yes it can run with out the filter pumps being on. It is on a seperate thermostat controller as described.

So I need to make sure that the pumps stay coordinated first, then check the filters for issues.

I have been having another issue with my filters that I'm not sure is related but my DE is ending up in the pool when I clean them and I can't figure out why.

Any other Ideas or things I can do to Diagnose?

Thanks PC I think this is the right track.

Danny
 
The filters are a pair of Pentair SMBW 72's (bottom manifold). I remove the the grids invidually from housing, Clean, Re-insert, then put the DE in through the skimmer. That is the only way I know. Is there a better way?

I am still wondering if there might be a bypass line and a stuck backflow valvue for the solar pump, incase the main pumps are not on. this would prevent the solar pump from having to suck water supply all the way through the main pumps that were off and also the filters then to push it up and out. (see crude Diagram).

This would explain a lot of my problems, but I do not know enough about complex systems to know if this is something that might be done.

Thanks

Danny
 

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