Well like others I recently bought a house and it came with a pool. Wasn't something I was really looking for but I am going to give it a shot and we will see what the work/cost vs pleasure balance is. Pool is basically a lap pool about 12' wide and almost 100' long. Have haward DE60 filter. Pool has issues, to say the least , has a few cracks we think as its losing water quicker than we think evap is causing, the pool has no skimmers, which i have solved by connecting a couple of Intex about ground hang on types connected to the suction lines. Pool was a mess when we moved in and have finally got it cleaned, algae out and got it balanced. Only issue dealing with now is normal pressure is about 20-25 but after about 3 days pressure is up to 35 and getting very weak suction and circulation. I backwash for about 2 mins and all is okay again for a couple days and then need to repeat.
Hey all from Fort Worth Texas
- Thread starter morgan1757
- Start date
Welcome to the forum. 
It sounds like your filter is doing what it is supposed to (collecting debris) but then getting clogged up, resulting in lost flow and need to backwash.
All perfectly normal except you are getting too much debris too fast and your pressures are too high.
This normally is a chemistry issue and not filtration. Can you post a complete set of test results?
Have you taken the top off your sand filter and inspected it?
Is your water clear?
Since you have two somewhat separate issues, I would try to solve the high pressure issue first and then the chemistry issue but you can do it either way.
It sounds like your filter is doing what it is supposed to (collecting debris) but then getting clogged up, resulting in lost flow and need to backwash.
All perfectly normal except you are getting too much debris too fast and your pressures are too high.
This normally is a chemistry issue and not filtration. Can you post a complete set of test results?
Have you taken the top off your sand filter and inspected it?
Is your water clear?
Since you have two somewhat separate issues, I would try to solve the high pressure issue first and then the chemistry issue but you can do it either way.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,790
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Welcome to the forum.
It sounds like your filter is doing what it is supposed to (collecting debris) but then getting clogged up, resulting in lost flow and need to backwash.
All perfectly normal except you are getting too much debris too fast and your pressures are too high.
This normally is a chemistry issue and not filtration. Can you post a complete set of test results?
Have you taken the top off your sand filter and inspected it?
Is your water clear?
Since you have two somewhat separate issues, I would try to solve the high pressure issue first and then the chemistry issue but you can do it either way.
Thanks for the reply so quickly! I forgot to add, I did when cleaning everything tear down the filter and and do a total cleaning, I pulled the filters back out again about a month later and other than what "seemed" normal to me of debris it seemed ok, no MAJOR buildup so I left it intact sprayed it all off and rinsed it and put it all back together. It seemed ok for about 2 weeks and then began the every three four days pressure rise. I have hesitated to keep adding DE every time I backwash it as I am afraid of getting it to clogged up, and that could be one of the issues.
Chemicals seem ok, Chlorine, PH, Alkali are all good and have been having it tested at a pool place and akk seemed ok. Very clear water, sometimes has gotten a little cloudy with all the rain but not to big a deal to get rebalanced.
What would cause the high pressure? Right after the total clean it was about 18-20PSI but seemed to settle at about 22-25 but is at 35 in no time and the skimmers will show no movements and the supply jets while I can feel them are weak.
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks TS, hope you weathered the floods ok! I was In San Marcos the day after .... what a mess! Nice our lakes are finally back full tho!
Welcome to TFP!
Although rain does not normally impact pool water chemistry, the unusually high amount of rain we had in May (wettest May ever in DFW & 3rd wettest month of all time in DFW - 16"+ inches officially and considerably more in other areas), you probably had an abnormally high amount of runoff - both from the ground as well as whatever was washed out of the atmosphere. The filter is, in all likelihood, doing its job of filtering all this stuff out that is normally not in your pool to begin with. Now that we have had one dry week, I would see if your filter pressure returns to normal after the next backwash. If it doesn't, then something else is going on - post back if that happens.
Although rain does not normally impact pool water chemistry, the unusually high amount of rain we had in May (wettest May ever in DFW & 3rd wettest month of all time in DFW - 16"+ inches officially and considerably more in other areas), you probably had an abnormally high amount of runoff - both from the ground as well as whatever was washed out of the atmosphere. The filter is, in all likelihood, doing its job of filtering all this stuff out that is normally not in your pool to begin with. Now that we have had one dry week, I would see if your filter pressure returns to normal after the next backwash. If it doesn't, then something else is going on - post back if that happens.