How do you know what the psi should be?

[tlbb]

My pool is 16 x 38 fiberglass, 3.5 to 6.5 deep. (I don't know the size of the pipes.) The psi has been at 20-22 since opening. I thought it was at 12 last summer but can't really remember. The gauge goes to zero when off so I don't think it's a bad gauge.

Is 20 psi too high? If it is, what does that mean?

Thanks.

tlbb

 

[Guest]

what kind of filter do you have?

 

[mas985]

Assuming you can trust the guage and it is higher than normal, a dirty filter is usually the cause. Have you backwashed (DE & Sand) or cleaned (Cartridge) the filter recently?

Also, a guage can be still bad even though it goes to zero when the pump is off. Given that you are in freeze country, you might want to check the guage too.

 

[reindeerboy]

I have a sand filter and the psi is 20. Has always been that way. Talked to a pool mechanic and it depends on a bunch of things including your filter size. Its not unusual for sand filters he said to consistantly have that when you only have a couple returns in the pool. I am not a pool mechanic by no means, but I have talked to numerous people about it and have had the pool 2 years with no problems.

I plan to change my sand/laterals next year and then we will see what happens after that.

Thought I would chime in to let you know that its not unusual.

 

[tlbb]

Thanks for the responses. I have a sand filter (duh, should have mentioned that). I have three returns. One on the deep end near the bottom, on in the middle of the pool and one in the shallow end.

The last backwash was about 3 weeks ago and it did not change the pressure at all. The water has been really clear and my numbers have been great. This filter pressure is the only thing that's been bothering me.

I also noticed that our filter and pump have sunk about one inch since last season. The guy who installed our pool set the equipment (heater, filter, pump) on two concrete squares that were placed on a pile of gravel on a slight slope. The heater is on one and the filter and pump on the other. Should I be worried about this? How could I shore it up?

tlbb

 

[mas985]

Backwash one more time and see if the pressure drops. If not and you are sure that the pressure was 12 PSI last year, then I would guess it to be a bad pressure guage. You can always get a new one and if it reads the same, then return it.