Filter pump has gotten very loud and flow is slowing

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twoolley

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Jun 20, 2011
91
I have a spillover spa that slowed to barely a trickle yesterday and my Polaris 360 wouldn't move at all. I took apart the Pentair filter and cleaned all 4 cartridges today and the flow greatly increased but my Polaris still isn't working correctly.

During the summer, the Polaris had good flow, worked great, and the spillover was very active. Now, the Polaris is giving me a lot of problems and the spillover has slowed. Tonight it's about half of what it usually is (and I just cleaned the filter cartridges!).

There is a diverting valve that can direct additional water to the Polaris 360 and if I turn that Jandy valve to send more water to the Polaris the loud whining lessens and the Polaris starts working. But then the spillover is a trickle.

What is going on here? Is my pump dying? Are the cartridges bad?
 
If your psi is 2 and you have a functioning gauge, then you have a blockage on the suction side of the pump.

Somewhere between the skimmers and the pump, something is restricting the flow. Could be a valve in the wrong position or it could be something that got sucked into the skimmer.

Does your gauge drop to zero when you turn off the pump? You normal psi should be probably somewhere around 10-18 (although it could be more or less) but 2 is not adequate.
 
Yes it drops to zero. The gauge is new and working correctly.

I currently have it set to draw from both skimmers and 2 floor suctions. If one or more of them is clogged would the loud noise be the pump straining to pull additional water from the other lines?
 
What do you see in the strainer? I'm betting lots of air and churning.

The mechanic's rule of thumb is the last thing you worked on is the first thing that breaks. Have you opened the strainer recently? It might not be sealed right. Did you vacuum right before this started? There's probably a wad of leaves caught in an elbow somewhere.

After you double check the valve positions, open the strainer and try backflushing the suction lines with a garden hose. A drain king would be best, but sealing it up with a rag may also help you build enough pressure. As long as you're in the strainer, reach up with your fingers and see if the impeller is full of soggy leaves or something. Kill the pump with the circuit breaker - don't trust the timer!
 
I just had to clean the impeller of our intelliflo pump a few weeks ago for exactly the same problem. Some grass clippings and other fine material had made it thru the skimmer basket and into the impeller, clogging it up.

Took all of forty five minutes to get it done, and this was my first time to disassemble a pump. Found a video on YouTube that gave a good overview of the process and the tools needed. Good luck!
 
I've removed the strainer basket a few times and that's not it. I reached into the impeller and there's debris in there that is going to have to come out. Feels like quit a bit. I am going to check Youtube today to see how to open up that pump.

Thanks for all your help, I'll keep updating as I continue my adventure.

-Tom
 

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Took apart the motor and found no debris inside. The pool's flow is now so bad that it's turning a cloudy green/blue and there's nothing I can do about it. I called the home warranty guys out today because after I put the pump back together it's barely flowing at all.

The home warranty will fix pump problems but not clogs or leaks. The company to check for leaks is coming out this week and so is the one to check for clogs.
 
It really doesn't sound like a pump problem. It sounds as though you have a suction side blockage. The pump is trying to do its job but some obstruction is impeding flow to the pump.
 
twoolley said:
Yeah there has to be something blocking the skimmers or main drain. I haven't had any luck unblocking it myself though.
Click to expand...

If you have a home warranty, that would be a good thing to use it for.
 
twoolley said:
The pool's flow is now so bad that it's turning a cloudy green/blue and there's nothing I can do about it.
Click to expand...
That is due to lack of chlorine and you can add liquid chlorine manually.

Have you tried to back flush the suction line? Put a hose into the suction line that comes into the pump basket. Wrap it with a rag to seal and turn on the water. See if anything comes out of the skimmer.
 
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