Intex 56671EG 2,650-Gallon Sand: Start up question

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M

Musmin2415

0
Oct 15, 2012
58
Southern KS
Here's a 'softball' of a question: Is there something I need to do in order to 'prime' my sand filter pump every time I start it up? The reason I ask is because it seems to take a significant amount of time to start suctioning/cycling the water through each time I power it up. Most of the time I end up removing the clear plastic lid (on the pump intake basket) in order to get it to fill up a bit faster and to start pumping. Is this normal??? I have a feeling if I never "helped it along" it would just continue to run, but not cycle. Again, once it gets going, it's golden! This is only it's 2nd season of use (and the 1st season it barely ran at all) so I believe it's still in great condition.

Any feedback would be much appreciated!!

Thanks!
 
PridgNYC said:
We'll need to know a little bit more about how you have it hooked up to answer that question. The intex pump and filter are self priming as long as they are below the level of the water.
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Here's a couple of pics of how it's hooked up. Again, there's once in a great while where I'll start it and the cycle starts immediately. But more often than not, it takes quite a long time for the water to really start kickin through the filter. ("Kickin'" is a technical term)image.jpgimage.jpg
 
I experienced the same thing with my new 2800GPH sand filter pump. Seems after it runs the filter basket loses a lot of it's water. Doesn't seem to occur every time. But when it does it takes awhile for the basket to fill with water again. As it fills, the water flow increases gradually.
 
When you pull the clear plastic top off of the pump basket does water immediately stark gushing out of the basket area and pouring everywhere and spray as you quickly try to get the lid back on? If it does then I cant explain your problem.
One area I would check is the suction side, on the inside of the Intex pool. unscrew the hose adapter off of the outlet and check the grid. That grid is infamous for getting really gunked over with leaves and debris.
 
I always manually bleed as much air from the system as I can prior to an initial startup. By unscrewing the cap and even tilting my SWG and working that air pocket out of the return. It clears the little bit of air left pretty quickly. I don't get any other significant air in the system during normal cycling unless I do something to cause it.
 
I agree with ranger rick.

Also I am wondering if perhaps there is a problem with your suction side new-style Intex valve. It there is the typical obstruction (or just a problem with the valve in general) that may be causing the safety relief to suck in air. That's been mentioned alot regarding these valves.

First check for the grid blockage ric mentioned. Then put the clear cap onto the nipple next to the open/close knob on the valve. See if that helps.
 

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Did you check to see if there was any restriction causing it to pull air thru the valve?

It looks like they may unscrew. You could switch the two if that's the case. I used to put tape over mine when I vacuumed, til I realized there was supposed to be caps and found them in the box I saved. Or maybe silicon?

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jcp said:
Did you check to see if there was any restriction causing it to pull air thru the valve?

It looks like they may unscrew. You could switch the two if that's the case. I used to put tape over mine when I vacuumed, til I realized there was supposed to be caps and found them in the box I saved. Or maybe silicon?
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By knob I assumed you meant relief valve, disregard if you meant another part.
 
jcp said:
I meant switch the one from your suction side to the return side. It looks they may just unscrew, but I don't know.
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Yes, they just unscrew. I'm not sure what switching the caps would do. They're both new valves so probably function the same. At the moment I placed a piece of saran wrap under the cap and screwed it back on. That seems to be working for now. Not sure if it'll leak but we'll see.
 
I didn't think it was, at least as a test. Most anything that will plug it up should be fine.

Removing your valve is ok if you don't mind losing the ability to shut off water so that you can maintain the pump/filter or stop a partial drain due to a split/cracked/hole in your hose. Those new valves allegedly have better flow than the plunger-style valves it replaced.
 
crimsondr said:
Yes, they just unscrew. I'm not sure what switching the caps would do. They're both new valves so probably function the same. At the moment I placed a piece of saran wrap under the cap and screwed it back on. That seems to be working for now. Not sure if it'll leak but we'll see.
Click to expand...

If the root cause of the problem is a defective relief valve, and you have another new relief valve 5 feet away, it seems logical to try the other relief valve if they are easily interchangeable. I would think the odds of having two defective relief valves would be low. If the one currently on the suction side is defective it wouldn't matter on the return side.

I don't think the relief valve should be allowing air in under normal correct operation.
 
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