Hi everyone, I got my Intex 3000 sand filter pump from yesterday. I set it up put sand, back washed, rinsed and then run it in filter mode. The pressure gauge needle is on the yellow zone but not too far from the green zone. I did a search here and it seems like this is pretty common issue. I don't have air in the pump and the water flowing out of outtake is pretty strong. So I didn't worry about. This morning, I plugged in my Aquabug. I did some search on impact of vacuums on the sand filter pressure and what I have seen is that the pressure will likely go up. But when I plugged in my vacuum and flipped the pump on, the pressure gauge went to the green zone. After 2 hours of vacuuming, I disconnected the Aquabug. I flipped the pump switch on, and the pressure gauge is back to the yellow zone like before. So I probably misunderstood what I read about vacuum increasing pressure or something weird was going on. Does anybody have the same experience as me or have some thoughts about this behavior?
Baffled by intex sand filter behavior
- Thread starter norwei
- Start date
on most sand filters the pressure gauge is between the pump and the filter and measures the force to push water through the filter
by using your suction cleaner you are placing a resistance before the pump
so the pump has less pressure
the gauge reads lower after pump before filter
by using your suction cleaner you are placing a resistance before the pump
so the pump has less pressure
the gauge reads lower after pump before filter
Thanks for the explanation aussieta. I did two rounds of backwash and rinse this morning. The gauge stays in the same yellow zone. So I guess I won't worry about it and just monitor for 25% increase to backwash again.
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f3justusc
Well-known member
I have the Intex 2650 sand filter connected to a Hayward Power-Flo Matrix pump. When I run the pump or/and the vacuum (Pentair Lil Shark Kreepy Krauly), my pressure is right on the green/yellow line. When the filter is dirt, the pressure gauge goes to mid yellow. This seems to be standard so I do not concern myself with it. When I run my solar, I throttle my diverter valve so I the pressure is about 2-3 psi into the yellow zone. I have had this filter for about two years with no problems so I think it is working as designed.
thanks f3justusc..this really helped me calm my nerves
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My gauge rarely moves properly. I monitor the flow on the return. When it has less force, I backwash. Once in a while, the gauge with go up slightly, like when I added DE. But if the pump turns off, it seems like it goes back to the original spot when you turn it back on.
f3justusc
Well-known member
PAGirl, when you take the gauge off, does water come shooting out? Perhaps, there is something plugging the hole to the gauge or it needs to be replaced.
I never took it off. It never really seemed to function all that well. I know I probably should replace it, but I have learned how they filter behaves, and haven't had any problems.
Same here. My gauge was smashed out of the box, so I just backwash when I notice the return pressure getting low, maybe every couple of weeks. This is my 2nd Intex sand filter, so I was already familiar with how they work. The gauge on the first one did work, but it was of dubious usefulness. I ended up mostly winging it with that one too. If one were to replace the Intex gauge with one of real quality, it might be worth paying attention to. But the stock one? Meh.
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I'm glad I saw this thread. I was just going to ask the same question about the gauge. Mine stays just insde the yellow no matter how much i back wash. I've wasted a lot of water.