All sorts of issues - Where to start?

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JimmyMan123

Active member
Aug 20, 2019
39
Houston, TX
I bought a home a few months ago that has a 30K Gallon Pool (I think its 30k!) which is pretty green

The O-ring on the pump strainer lid was all rotted out, so I swapped it and then DE Filter grids had holes in them. So I bought a new set of filters and thew some DE down the skimmer.

The issue I have no is that the pump still never fully primes, I can always see air in it. And if I am running it through the filter, the pressure goes up to 30 or 35 and there is even less water in the pump.

On the Hayward DE Filter there is a pressure valve at the top, and after letting the air out and closing it completely it will still often make sounds like air is entering, and water will spray out slowly. This sometimes stops after a few hours. There is constantly bubbles coming out of the return jets

I have attached some pictures of the equipment. The pool also needs resurfacing, and it seems I am always finding bits of plaster in the skimmer

Should I attempt to get things clean with the current equipment, or just cut my losses and get an entire new filter assembly with a cartridge? I don't want to pour money into this DE filter and still have issues. I also want to get a new pump, but I am not too sure which to get

My only way of controlling the pump is one of those dial type timers where I can set a single on time, and a single off time. If I get a new pump, are all the controls on the pump itself?

See pictures below. Any help is appreciated!

https://imgur.com/a/pS2hhfy
 
Jimmy, welcome to TFP.

Where are you located? I can't find "H!wePL46odL6cZV%*7WsLX77wGX@$qfqnpgHhX#jVyLiXc*HjM " which is in your location on your profile.

Take a step back and let's look at your problems.

Pump losing prime is usually caused by a suction side air leak. A new pump will have the same problem if you don't find the air leak. Read...

www.troublefreepool.com

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Your water likely has algae in it. Any filter will quickly clog up with algae laden water. A DE filter clogs up the quickest because it is captures down to 2-6 microns. Read...

www.troublefreepool.com

Maintenance and Cleaning of Pool Filters

Maintaining your swimming pool filter system is important. Learn how to clean and maintain your pool filter at low cost & enjoy a Trouble Free Pool.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

DE Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

You need to get a handle on your water chemistry. What test kit do you have? Read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
 
Uh Oh, I guess ill fix that! I'm In Houston, TX

I did try looking for the leak, but I could never find anything. The pump looks like its from 2012 and the plumbing doesn't look great. I would love to take my sawzall to it and just re-do it all! Ill go out again tonight and try and find something. I guess that should really be priority one

Does anyone have any suggestions for a cartridge filter? to replace the top valve on this would be $80 at least, I would much rather just get a whole new unit to be honest. How does the Hayward C17502 stack up?
 
Get the largest cartridge filter that fits your budget. The C17502 looks small at 175 sq ft compared to a SwimClear C4030 425 sq ft filter.

SwimClear Multi-Element | Filters | In Ground Pool Filters - Hayward Pool Products

For both new pool and aftermarket installations. SwimClear filters provide the most energy efficient flow with no backwashing to save up to 2,500 gallons of water per year.
www.hayward-pool.com www.hayward-pool.com
 
Hi Jimmy,
that C17502 is pretty small. A much larger filter would serve your 30K pool a LOT better.
Something in the 320 sq ft range, or larger.


Regarding that air leak, like AJ said, its on the suction side.

You said you swapped out the pump lid O ring, - But did you lubricate that puppy up real well? If not, that is most likely the source of the air leak. You should lube any O ring on any of the equipment that has it every time you open it up.

A sure fire way to find that air leak is with shaving cream. The sort that puffs up big and white right outta the can. Spray the shaving cream around to pump lid, where the pipe going into the pump and any other connections on the suction side.

If there is a leak, the shaving cream will get sucked in, there will be no mistake about it when you find the leak.

You can use water hose the same way with a steady soft stream of water out of the hose.

Also check the water level in the pool. If its too low, the skimmer will get a big vortex in it and let air into the suction side pipe at the skimmer.
 
I just calculated it and I think its actually a 20K pool. Will I still need a filter so large? The guide on the C17502 said up to 30K Gallons

Shaving foam sounds like a good idea, ill have to pick up a can. I just hope the leak isn't somewhere underground! I did not lube it up, so maybe thats the problem. Ill have to track down some lube. Can any household items be used to lube it up? 10w30?... :unsure:

I tried the water hose and I couldn't tell what was going on, it never did fill up. Pool level is good currently

Just bought more chlorine and 5lbs of CYA, im sure it has 0 CYA in right now
 
Hi Jimmy
the smaller the filter, the more often you will have to clean it. Thats the main reason i made that comment. All filters also have recommended Flow Rate. Smaller filter means the less water you can pass through them in a given amount of time . Its usally in Gallons Per Minute (GPM) With a large filter you generally don't have to worry about flow rate.

If the cleaning cycle doesnt bother you and and you want to consider the 175, just make sure it can handle the Flow Rate of the Pump you are using. That means looking up the Pump Curve and comparing your pump flow rate to that of the filter.
 
Dont use any petroleum based lubricants. It will eat up the O rings. Use Silocone based lubes on them. If you dont have anything, you might try lubing the O ring up real well with some dish washing liquid.

JimmyMan123 said:
I did not lube it up, so maybe thats the problem. Ill have to track down some lube. Can any household items be used to lube it up? 10w30?... :unsure:
Click to expand...
 

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I currently have a 1.5HP Challenger pump which is hooked up to a double pole 30a breaker, and its all sorts of wrong

The flexible conduit isn't attached properly to the pool pump, and there is no drip loop. It then goes around 1/2in under the soil to the garage were it goes into a rotary style timer, from there it goes over into a 50 year old FPE fuse box, where its connected to super old (Copper, thankfully) cables with yellow wire nuts which are clearly too small. It looks like its joining up 12/2 to #8 CU wire coming out the wall.

I am going to completely re-do this. What is the best configuration? I have attached a diagram of the locations of everything currently

If I replace the pool pump eventually, will it have its own control box and timer built in, or will I still need a time on the wall?

Does anyone know if this pump can be hooked up with 12/3, or does it not have a dedicated neutral? I can tell you right now that it is not hooked up with a neutral, I just have two hots and then it goes back to ground

I was thinking of ripping all the electrical out, sticking a junction box with a switch so I can cut the power to the pump if needed, from there go into hard conduit under the soil to the pool pump area, where there will be another junction box. This should allow me to make any configuration changes without connecting directly to the wire in the conduit, so if it has to be cut and stripped again for re-termination it shouldn't get shorter and shorter
 

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I live in Houston TX, and I have a 20K Gallon in ground pool. I have made a few threads about all the issues I have and getting the pump and filter replaced.

Instead of messing around trying to get it clean with old equipment, is it possible to just drain it and wait a few months, and start fresh? I have read you can simply get a pump from HF and go nuts, but then other people warn that if you drain all the water, the pool will rise up from the ground

Any ideas? I really just want to deal with other things on my new (old) home, other than messing around with old pool equipment
 
Not smart to drain and leave a plaster pool empty.
A high ground water level will lift a drained pool like a boat.
A drained plaster pool may develop cracks over time.
I sympathize with your situation as I too bought an old home and old pool, but it is most important to not go backwards and create more work and expense.
Stabilize your pool system now, get your home livable and ready for winter. Your pool will allow you more flexibility as the temps drop in TX.
 
JimmyMan123 said:
I live in Houston TX, and I have a 20K Gallon in ground pool. I have made a few threads about all the issues I have and getting the pump and filter replaced.

Instead of messing around trying to get it clean with old equipment, is it possible to just drain it and wait a few months, and start fresh? I have read you can simply get a pump from HF and go nuts, but then other people warn that if you drain all the water, the pool will rise up from the ground

Any ideas? I really just want to deal with other things on my new (old) home, other than messing around with old pool equipment
Click to expand...

Better to leave water in the pool, let it become a green swamp, and ignore it until you have time to deal with it.

Or gets the basics of your pump and filter running and add liquid chlorine daily to the pool to keep it from getting too swampy and ignore it until you have time to deal with it.

Letting an empty plaster pool sit empty is not a good plan. Especially in Texas sun. Especially if it is old plaster unless you intend to re-plaster it when you start it back up. If you do empty it then open the hydrostatic drain or drill some holes in the bottom to release any underground water pressure.
 
You can also do a water exchange without decreasing the water level very much. Do not let the water level get down below 2 feet from normal level and have it at least a foot deep in the shallow end for reasons Oly mentioned above. You can get a sump pump from Lowes to pump water from the shallow end while you have a hose (or two) running full blast into the deepest part of the pool (hose down in the water). The colder water from the hose will sit in the deep end while the warmer old water will rise to get pumped out. You should have your pool pump off during this process and temporarily shut off the sump pump if the water level starts getting too low.

Anyway, there are some threads on here about water exchanges in order to keep up the water level since you asked the question. If you are just dealing with a green swamp and have no great reason for a water exchange like high CYA, I would go through the SLAM process now because it is going to teach you so much about maintaining a pool. You will learn about the chemistry and what not to do for the future. Also, doing a water exchange is still going to leave you with a dirty/green pool, just not as bad, so you will have to SLAM/filter anyway.
 
AndyTN said:
You can also do a water exchange without decreasing the water level very much. Do not let the water level get down below 2 feet from normal level and have it at least a foot deep in the shallow end for reasons Oly mentioned above. You can get a sump pump from Lowes to pump water from the shallow end while you have a hose (or two) running full blast into the deepest part of the pool (hose down in the water). The colder water from the hose will sit in the deep end while the warmer old water will rise to get pumped out. You should have your pool pump off during this process and temporarily shut off the sump pump if the water level starts getting too low.

Anyway, there are some threads on here about water exchanges in order to keep up the water level since you asked the question. If you are just dealing with a green swamp and have no great reason for a water exchange like high CYA, I would go through the SLAM process now because it is going to teach you so much about maintaining a pool. You will learn about the chemistry and what not to do for the future. Also, doing a water exchange is still going to leave you with a dirty/green pool, just not as bad, so you will have to SLAM/filter anyway.
Click to expand...

Water Exchange Process
 
Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get a new pump and filter

Can anyone suggest a pump? There are so many darn filters and pumps out there its pretty hard to filter down which one I need. It looks like a few of them limit the warranty down to 90 days if self installed, is this standard, seems crazy!
 
JimmyMan123 said:
Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get a new pump and filter

Can anyone suggest a pump? There are so many darn filters and pumps out there its pretty hard to filter down which one I need. It looks like a few of them limit the warranty down to 90 days if self installed, is this standard, seems crazy!
Click to expand...


Look at the Pureline pumps from

Pool Pumps - INYOPools.com

Upgrade your pool with top-quality pumps from Hayward, Pentair, and PureLine at InyoPools.com. Find the perfect pool pump from our wide selection.
www.inyopools.com www.inyopools.com
 

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