Gritting teeth ... should I worry about my equipment?

[tempestuous]

I'm a brand-new pool owner. I've been spending the past few weeks educating myself, in no small part by reading owner's manuals. I have a ~12,000-gallon pool with a Hayward S244S sand filter and a 2-HP Hayward Super Pump.

Today, my wife thought it would be a great idea to mess with the plumbing without having a clue how anything worked. I was absent at the time. She was trying to block off our automatic cleaner, but ended up adjusting a valve so that it blocked ALL flow from the sand filter. After hearing "noises", she came and got me.

I immediately opened the valve, of course. I did not take the time to note the pressure reading on the filter, and I'm not sure I even want to know what it was. The valve was closed for about 5 minutes, I'm guessing.

Nothing is obviously amiss... But I'm the neurotic type, and I'm still in the "Wow, this cost a fortune!" phase. What are the chances that my plumbing and/or equipment suffered damage as a result of this?

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

The danger is that you might have caused the pump to overheat. If it was actually 5 minutes, there shouldn't be any problem at all. It often takes half an hour or more before damage is likely. Basically if you don't see any leaks around the pump or filter you should be fine.

 

[tempestuous]

I did consider that at the time (maybe I'm not a total idiot!). And so, I put my hands on the pump immediately after correcting the valve setting, to see how hot it was. It was definitely warm, but it's always warm when operating, so I guess it wasn't overheating.

I thought the main concern would be over-pressurization of the sand filter...

Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

A pool pump will not generate enough pressure to be a problem. The filter is designed for up to 50psi and the pump will not likely generate over 30-40psi.

 

[tempestuous]

Great. Thank you. You've made me feel better.

I had also emailed Hayward for their advice. Just in case someone else has the same concern as me at some point, I'll share Hayward's reply, which was:

Look for any leaks around the pump. If the pump is leaking don't use the pump until the shaft seal assembly has been replaced. If it's not leaking no need to worry.

I love a happy ending.