DE in pool and other pump issues

[Mike Hunt]

Have had a pool for 20 years and this year i have a problem i can't seem to conquer. These may be separate issues but here goes:

1- DE in pool. I replaced 4 of the 7 or 8 filter cartridges, 3 of which had obvious holes/tears in them but the DE is still making its way back into the pool. I cannot see any holes in the cartrdges not replaced. Using my polaris to vacumn the DE escapes the bag making the water cloudy so i tried to vacumn manually which creates second problem.

2- i close my main drain and skimmer furthest from pump and try to vacumn using skimmer closest to pump. i quickly lose suction as the pump loses its prime. When i remove vacumn pump primes up again which brings me to the third issue.

3- in the past my pump would operate at about 12-14 PSI and i would backwash at 18-20 never had issues. THis year my pump starts at around 20 and will increase to 25 psi until i backwash and then it goes back to 20 PSI. When the pump is running there are definitely air bubbles you can see in the pump basket, this was not the case in previous years. I loosen the pressure valve and air escapes for maybe up to 40 seconds before water shoots out of the valve but even then there is still air the pump basket window.

HOw can i tell where air is getting into the system and also how the DE is entering the pool?

 

[Scoop]

Have had a pool for 20 years and this year i have a problem i can't seem to conquer. These may be separate issues but here goes:

1- DE in pool. I replaced 4 of the 7 or 8 filter cartridges, 3 of which had obvious holes/tears in them but the DE is still making its way back into the pool. I cannot see any holes in the cartrdges not replaced. Using my polaris to vacumn the DE escapes the bag making the water cloudy so i tried to vacumn manually which creates second problem.

I don't have any ideas with the pump issues but here's one possibility regarding the D.E. issue:

If you have a Pentair Grid assembly, there's an Air Bleed Tube with a screen cap that, if the screen is damaged, or missing, this allows D.E. to return back into the pool from the filter. Here's a picture of the top Pentair Manifold includng the Air Bleed Tube:

I ran across this problem last summer when I ordered a spare D.E. Grid assembly. The newer models come with this Air Bleed Tube. My previous (many years old version) top Grid Manifold didn't have this part. So I installed the new Grid Assembly into my filter tank without the tube installed

I couldn't understand how D.E. was getting into my pool. I found the problem a short time afterward.

[edit] Regarding your pump pressure issue, if your "clean" PSI is starting out at 20 (after a Backwash and re-load of D.E.), that may indicate a flow restriction in your D.E. Filter, possibly caused by calcium (or other blockage) in your Grids.

If you recently replaced some of the Grids due to tears, I'm thinking that this is probably not the cause of your high starting PSI readings but it's possible that the Grids are restricting your flow.

 

[Richard320]

That sounds like a reasonable explanation for problem one.

Losing prime only with the vacuum hose hooked up sounds like a hole in the vacuum hose.

Air getting into the tank points to a suction side air leak. I'll recycle my usual response. You might also try using the search box for suction side air leaks.

[center:wzdrrdvz]Round up the usual suspects: low water level, stuck weir in the skimmer, loose drain plugs on the
pump, poor seal on the pump strainer basket, and leaks at the fittings, especially any couplings.
[youtube:wzdrrdvz]vtSmfws0_To[/youtube:wzdrrdvz][/center:wzdrrdvz]

 

[Mike Hunt]

thanks for the reply, my Hayward filter grid assembly does not have that air bleed tube though.

 

[Scoop]

thanks for the reply, my Hayward filter grid assembly does not have that air bleed tube though.

It was a long shot.

 

[Mike Hunt]

That sounds like a reasonable explanation for problem one.

Losing prime only with the vacuum hose hooked up sounds like a hole in the vacuum hose.

Air getting into the tank points to a suction side air leak. I'll recycle my usual response. You might also try using the search box for suction side air leaks.

[center:176xj8sx]Round up the usual suspects: low water level, stuck weir in the skimmer, loose drain plugs on the
pump, poor seal on the pump strainer basket, and leaks at the fittings, especially any couplings.
[youtube:176xj8sx]vtSmfws0_To[/youtube:176xj8sx][/center:176xj8sx]

water level and weir are fine, i will check the other items especially the seal on the pump strainer basket.

regarding the vacumn hose, when i attached it to the skimmer i could immediately hear air being sucked in. Probably a problem at that end of the hose. What if i connected that end of the hose to the vacumn and the other end to the skimmer would that work?