70s built pool plumbing and leaking issues

[PixieDust]

Purchased a house with a pool about a year ago and this is my first pool season. The pool pump failed shortly after purchase and as a total novice, I thought the bigger, more powerful, the better. Now as I am learning more, I’ve come to realize that this may not have been the best choice and may have been overkill. The pool was built in the 70s, 30,000 gallon + spa, 2 skimmers. The spa originally had separate equipment (pump, heater and filter) and it’s own skimmer, but it had not been in service (sold “as-is”) and had leaks in the skimmer. For this season my pool service/maintenance guy re-plumbed the spa to bypass the spa skimmer and share filtration and heating with pool. Currently the water is returned to the spa via the jet lines (only lines that didn’t have rapid water loss) and waterfall over into the pool. The pool plumbing also seems to need future repairs, there is some water loss when the system is running and I think there is an air leak. I would like to start planning for repairing/renovating the plumbing system in the future and was hoping to get some feedback on things I should consider before I reach out to contractors for quotes. When/why would a pool need 2.7HP? Would it be better to replace with a smaller pump, or could I use the current one and add more functions (i.e. not need booster pump for cleaner, add water features)? Thank you!

 

[mas985]

Welcome to the forum!

A VS pump is never too powerful unless you always run it at full speed. By definition, a VS pump is variable so it will work with any pool and at any "power".

Also, with VS pumps, there are advantages in having a larger pump. Less noise at the same flow rates and less chance of clogging up.

The key with a VS pump is to run on low RPM most if not all the time.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PD,

What you have is a Variable Horse Power pump.. You just use the HP you need for a particular pool function..

What speeds are you running now, for how long, and why do you run each speed?

Just as a reference... I run my 3 HP IntelliFlo at about 1200 RPM most of the time.. This allows me to run the pump 24/7 for less than $20 bucks a month. At that speed my skimmers work and and my saltwater chlorine generator is happy making chlorine. I don't have a heater and assume you do.. If so, your minimum speed will be a little higher..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PixieDust]

PD,

What you have is a Variable Horse Power pump.. You just use the HP you need for a particular pool function..

What speeds are you running now, for how long, and why do you run each speed?

Just as a reference... I run my 3 HP IntelliFlo at about 1200 RPM most of the time.. This allows me to run the pump 24/7 for less than $20 bucks a month. At that speed my skimmers work and and my saltwater chlorine generator is happy making chlorine. I don't have a heater and assume you do.. If so, your minimum speed will be a little higher..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks Jim for info!
I’ve been running mine about 18 hours a day. 2000 RPM during the daytime and 2800 RPM at night. 2000 RPM is the lowest setting I have been able to set it so that the heater (gas) doesn’t have low flow. At the lower RPM setting my pump looses prime and restarts it self several times. Not sure where the air is coming from and some days it’s worse than others, but when the pump re-starts there are a lot of bubbles coming from the return lines (like a jacuzzi). At the higher RPM the pump is better at keeping prime, but I can still see tons of tiny bubbles in the pump basket and by morning there is always an air pocket under the lid. I also lose about an inch of water per day . This season I’ve been limping along, but I foresee many repairs will be needed in the future to have everything functioning properly.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PD,

It sounds like you have a couple of problems.. I suspect a suction side air leak is causing your bubbles and priming issues.. A leak in a suction side pipe could allow air to get into the system when the pump is running and for water to leak out when the pump was not running.. Something that you need to fix when possible.

I suggest that you measure the water level and then shut the pump off overnight and then remeasure the water level in the morning and see how much water (If any) that you have lost.

I use a simple free paint stirring stick. Standing on the deck, I slide it in front of the coping and down against the bottom of the skimmer tile. When you pull it out it will leave a water mark on the stick.. Mark it with a pen or pencil and repeat the same test the next morning. It is a pretty accurate way to tell how much water is lost overnight with the pump off. I use this same method to tell when it is time to add water to my pool.. I have a stick that I have pre-marked with 1/4" lines...

Most pools use 1/4" or less of water per day, so an inch is a lot.

If the leak happens when the pump is off, you should shut the pump off and let the water drop until it stops.. Most leaks are not in the pipes, but rather at the Skimmer, or the light.

Skimmer leaks are pretty common.

If you do shut the pump off, you should add Liquid chlorine to keep your FC up so you won't get algae.. Just using the pool brush for a couple of days will keep the water circulating..

Show us a couple of pics of your equipment pad and maybe one of our members might be able to spot something...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PixieDust]

Here are some pictures. I have small strip of electrical tape on the waterline tile that I have been using to gauge the water loss. Thank you for the stirring stick tip, this will definitely be more accurate.

The water loss rate is the fastest when I also circulate the spa. The pump returns water through the massage jet lines (these were the least leaky) and overflows into pool. The spa doesn’t lose water when standing, but the pool loses water with or without equipment running. I think it loses some water through an old non-functioning pool light.
Definitely in need a repairs and updates.