High PSI

[Pantshandshake]

Good evening, pool folk. First time posting, this forum came highly recommended.

Here's my problem:
We opened our pool this past Saturday. Gave it a good shocking, waited a day, and started to clean the accumulated winter nonsense.

After vacuuming for a while, my father in law noticed there was no suction. Opened up the filter, they were pretty gunked. Cleaned them, everything was hunky dory.

Monday, and I notice my PSI is around 25. Generally, we sit in the mid teens. Also, and I don't know the name, but the basket in the pump housing was about four fifths full of water with air in the top, instead of full of water. I opened the filter, cleaned them again, everything was fine.

Repeat yesterday.

Today, same issue, but the filters are clean. Shutting valves on various returns doesn't seem to change anything. I've got no leaks that I can find above the ground.

Anyone have any ideas? If needed, I'll post the make/model of all the parts.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Most of that sounds like a fairly typical spring opening experience. The filter tends to get clogged up quickly for a while after opening, until it catches up with the extra debris in the water from over the winter.

The part that is unusual is today's description. Could you describe more about what happened today? Did the filter pressure go up just as it did yesterday, or is it mostly the air in the pump basket that was unusual about today?

 

[Pantshandshake]

Ah, pump basket. Learning already.

Anyway, the pressure and pump basket are the same as previous days. The only difference is the filters not being clogged. I haven't been around to say if the pressure and air are gradual or not.

I should also mention this the third year we've had the pool, and this is the first time I've noticed this.

 

[duraleigh]

+1 what JasonLion said.

but the basket in the pump housing was about four fifths full of water with air in the top,

Often that can be a clog in the skimmer as well as the pump basket. Are you keeping your skimmers clean?

 

[Pantshandshake]

When this first presented, the water level was too high for the skimmers to do anything. Since then, they've been cleaned.

 

[tcjack]

what type filter do you have and how can you tell its clean?

A sand filter will build up to 20/25 psi when it needs backwashing. If it is a sand filter you need to do a backwash.

 

[jblizzle]

A sand filter will build up to 20/25 psi when it needs backwashing.

I think you either do not know or misunderstand our recommendation.

The filter should be cleaned when the pressure goes up 20-25% ABOVE the clean pressure.

The clean pressure varies for every pool depending on pump and filter sizes, plumbing, etc.