Bestway 58486 - Higher Pressure then manual says

[sanechoice]

Hi All,

Reaching out to see if anyone can offer some advice with filter pressure.

I have a Bestway 58486 Sand Filter which is running fine but always runs at higher PSI than the manual states. Manual says it should run less than 8 PSI in normal operation, and clean at 9 PSI. However, ours always runs at a starting point of 9-10 PSI - regardless of long backwashes/rinses, it never goes below. Conversely, when we are in CIRCULATE mode (and bypass the filter media) then the pressure is indeed very low and flows fast. So something is causing higher pressure when traversing through the filter media.

I am not sure how much of a problem this extra pressure is, and what you think the problem could be? Could the sand itself be an issue (even though it's No.20 Silica) or do you think one of the laterals is blocked, broken etc? I certainly cannot see any others issues throughout the system.

Really looking forward to hearing people's views. Being new to Sand Filters, it leaves you with an uneasy feeling!

Thanks,
Brad

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

What pump do you have? What HP?

What HP pump does Bestway recommend?

Filter PSI is proportional to pump flow and HP. You probably have a higher HP pump then Bestway expected when they wrote their manual.

9-10 PSI filter pressure is not a problem. We recommend you clean the filter when pressure rises 25% over clean pressure. For you that would be 12-13 PSI.

 

[sanechoice]

Hi Allen,

Thanks for responding. Appreciate the advice.

1. The Pump is a Bestway Sand Filter model 58486 / 3000 G/ph / 2220 System Flow. (See here for details)
2. The manual does not state HP, but it is 500W so I think that equates to 0.75 HP? (I can also confirm that it does run at +/- 500W).
3. Maximum operating pressure (although I am sure that would be well into the RED!) is stated at 23 PSI.
4. This is a pump and filter set that comes as one package - both made by Bestway.

Bestway manuals are not very informative and trying to find wattage and HP is a tough ordeal!

One thing I was thinking was whether my sand could be contributing to higher PSI. I have just noticed the manual says 0.45 to 0.85 size, but my sand is 0.40 to 0.80 in size. Would this smaller media cause more pressure? If so, maybe it needs to be replaced?

Thanks,
Brad

 

[ajw22]

There is not a material difference in the sand size with what you have.

I think your setup is fine.

 

[sanechoice]

Thanks for your help. Appreciated.