Filter Gushing Water

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L

lrkey

0
Jul 27, 2014
57
Ponca City, OK
I am new to the pool ownership world. We just bought a home with an inground pool in Ponca City, Ok. The pool is 28x14 approximately 12,000 gallons. The pool is green and crawling with algae. The filter is a Pentair FNS Plus 36 D E.

30 seconds after I turned on the pump, water started gushing out of the filter. I immediately shut off the filter. I have not touched the pool or filter since. I don't have a clue where to begin.
HELP!!!!
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! Where on the filter did water start to gush out? I could be the plug was removed at the bottom of the filter. It would be help us trouble-shoot your filter if you could post a picture of the problem.
 
I am not sure what a filter lid is ..... but I am starting to suspect you might be mixing up terms because a filter can not be turned on and off, it just filters the water. The pump / motor is what is turned on.

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you in the future.
 
I apologize for my ignorance and lack of knowledge when it comes to pools, this is my first experience with owning one. I will make sure I read the pool school portion of this site as well and put as much information as I can in the signature element (not sure exactly where that is on this site, but I will figure it out).

As for the problem at hand. I should have been more descriptive. Approximately 30 seconds after I turn on the pump, water begins to gush out of the area of the filter that appears to be the place where someone could unscrew a binding of some sort and possibly lift the top of the filter housing off (or open the housing). I am guessing that is where the filter itself is located. I have taken a photo of the water gushing out of the filter housing , along where the binding I mentioned above is located. Hope this picture will give you some sort of idea of what I am experiencing. I did not have a video camera handy at the time, so the photo is the best that I can provide at the moment. Pentair FNS Plus 36.jpg
 
No worries, we will get you straightened out ;)

The band on your filter is not tight at all. In fact potentially unsafe as the top could blow off. You need to tighten that nut, alternating with tapping around the band with a rubber mallet. That spring should be compressed.
 
Thanks for the feed back. Really appreciate it. I will get working on that band and hopefully that will solve the filter issue. The maybe I can move on to that nasty looking algae infested pool (what a mess that is). BTW jblizzle - Just an FYI - My wife grew up in Tucson and attended Sunnyside High School. I just found the Tucson connection interesting. :)
 
BTW, on my filter which has a similar band, I am supposed to tighten the nut until the bolt sticks out about 1/8" ... but mine is a Hayward, so not sure what Pentair recommends.

Also, since it is mostly off. I would suggest you take the band off and open up the filter to clean and inspect it. This might offer a little help on cleaning it: DE Filter Cleaning Tutorial
 
Quick question. If we decide to empty the pool and scrub it real good, cover it and refill it next spring. Will the frigid winters we experience in Oklahoma, cause any long term effects to the pool? Also, Does the pump need to be working in order to empty the pool?
 

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Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you in the future.

Usually it is not a good idea to fully drain and leave an in ground pool empty. If your ground water level is high, the pool could float out of the ground. And I am not sure what the freezing ground may do to it.
 
OK, we have decided to try to work through this. I just hope I don't mess the thing up so bad it will cost a fortune to repair. :) I have added my pool Details to my signature as requested. Let me know if I missed anything. I will probably be bombarding this site with all sorts of questions, you all will probably think I am a lost cause. :) Anyway, thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate the patience. So, Here goes. I am really scared about tackling that filter, because I truly do not know a flip about what I am getting into or how to do it, without messing something up. I am really nervous about this process. Stay tuned folks, this could get very interesting. :) I just made a correction to my signature. I added that it is a DE Filter.
 
If you want to get this pool up and running, you should take some time and click through links in my signature. Read up on pool school. Order a test kit (best money you'll spend on the pool). Avoid the pool store. Stock up on a dozen gallons of bleach for the upcoming SLAM process to clear your water.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum :wave:

+1 , what he said except I'd likely go for two dozen gallons. A green pool will eat a lot of chlorine. Here is a tool to compare cost of bleach. Because they come in different size bottles and different strengths it's hard to figure out what is a good deal. This will compare the cost of the actual bleach in the bottle. http://poncatechsquad.com/Dan/Chlorine/
You don't want to get scented or splashless, they can cause problems and foam. If it's "concentrated", it's just a stronger concentration in a smaller bottle and it's OK.

Here is a manual for Pentair DE filters and on page 3 there are instructions on that clamp/band installation. http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/FNSPlusOM.pdf

When in doubt there is always you tube. Ton of stuff on pools there to help you out. Between youtubes show and tell and us we should be able to walk you through anything you're in doubt about.
 
+1 to kiss4afrog's comments about youtube. You can learn ANYTHING from youtube. (I think there are even tips on brain surgery and rocket science). Just watch several different ones and you will see them encounter various different problems. Cleaning that filter and changing the DE is not that difficult. You can do it!!
Good Luck and you will be enjoying your sparkling pool in no time!!
 
Yes you could buy Clorox. However you are simply looking for plain old Bleach. You can get the "store" brand but NOT the splashless or scented kind. It comes in various strengths. 6%, 8,25% and most Box store Lumber yards (Lowes/Home Depot) have the 10%. Some Pool stores carry the 12.5%. The higher the strength you buy the less you have to lug.
 
Just laundry bleach, Clorox, Walmart Great Value, ... You can also get liquid pool shock which is just bleach but usually stronger 12.5%
Some hardware stores or pool stores carry it in bulk and they refill your container. Usually it's cheaper to buy that way and you also don't have all the plastic bottles to recycle.
 

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A couple of quick questions.

1. After I take a part the filter and clean it, then turn it on, do I need to add the DE into that algae infested pool (thru the skimmer), before I add the bleach?

2. Will the Algae in the pool make the DE clog up the filter?
 
Yes you have to add the DE through the skimmer.

Yes the algae is going to clog the filter quickly, the downside of efficient DE filters. Backwash when the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure.

If you have recirculate function, you could use that until the algae is dead.
 

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