So here is my story: (Sorry it's so long) 
My BF & I moved into a nightmare of a house, with major structural, electrical, septic problems. Along with an in ground pool, that has sat with nasty rainwater and leaves, for "a few years." It also has popped. We do not know if or when the pool was winterized. They had plexiglass glued over the skimmer & light openings. Also, had those rubber stoppers in the 2 returns & one on the floor of the pool. The pool had one huge crack that went from one side to the other. We got a $10,000 repair estimate, for the crack. Which was given over the phone. They didn't even bother to come out. Came to TFP and found a great link on how to fix it. http://www.planethill.com/house/pool/pool.htm
Once we'd patched, primed & painted, we had the water delivered. During the water being added to the pool, the floor cracked, and by day 3 we'd lost approx. 5,000 gal. of water. Went to the pool store & bought a special epoxy that was for underwater repair. Problem solved, except for the very ugly white patch. We replaced the water and it's about halfway up the skimmer opening.
So, stupid me, after all of that drama, I decided to change the sand in the filter. Not possible. It was a solid chunk, like cement & could not be removed. So purchased a new filter. Installed it & feeling very proud of ourselves, fired up the pump. Which gave a death rattle, blew a huge black cloud of gunk from the bottom of the pool & then died. Bought a new pump today, installed it and there's something wrong.
Backwashing seemed fine, as did the rinse & waste. But nothing really happens on filter. Recirculate has the water going out the backwash hose, don't even know if that is good or bad.
So after tons of reading, on TFP and experimenting with various solutions I give up & am begging for help.
The PSI is fluctuating between 0 & about 8. It's actually like a heart beat, it's pulsating. There is no suction at all in the skimmers. No water coming out of the returns.
I am assuming this is the main drain, it's at the bottom of the pool, has bubbles coming out.
There is water coming into the pump, but I don't know from where. And there is water going down the return pipe, also don't know where that water is entering the pool. The water level has not dropped, so I don't think there is any leaking underground.
What we have tried:
*Snaking the 2 skimmers. ~ Nothing
*Pressure washer hose in skimmer, which resulted in more black clouds of gunk coming out of the opposite skimmer.
*Pressure washer hose in both the intake & return pipes, that connect to pump / filter. ~ Nothing
*Used a baking soda/vinegar solution as a drain cleaner in the return pipe. ~ Nothing, where did this solution go?
Am planning on buying the Drain King tomorrow, and giving it a try.
At the bottom of the pool is a small hole, that has a black rubber stopper, with a wing nut. I think this needs to be removed. The BF is afraid to remove it. He thinks this is like pulling the plug in the bathtub & all the water will drain out, before he can get the plug back in.
As you can see, we need help! I'm at my wits end. Anybody have any ideas?
My BF & I moved into a nightmare of a house, with major structural, electrical, septic problems. Along with an in ground pool, that has sat with nasty rainwater and leaves, for "a few years." It also has popped. We do not know if or when the pool was winterized. They had plexiglass glued over the skimmer & light openings. Also, had those rubber stoppers in the 2 returns & one on the floor of the pool. The pool had one huge crack that went from one side to the other. We got a $10,000 repair estimate, for the crack. Which was given over the phone. They didn't even bother to come out. Came to TFP and found a great link on how to fix it. http://www.planethill.com/house/pool/pool.htm
Once we'd patched, primed & painted, we had the water delivered. During the water being added to the pool, the floor cracked, and by day 3 we'd lost approx. 5,000 gal. of water. Went to the pool store & bought a special epoxy that was for underwater repair. Problem solved, except for the very ugly white patch. We replaced the water and it's about halfway up the skimmer opening.
So, stupid me, after all of that drama, I decided to change the sand in the filter. Not possible. It was a solid chunk, like cement & could not be removed. So purchased a new filter. Installed it & feeling very proud of ourselves, fired up the pump. Which gave a death rattle, blew a huge black cloud of gunk from the bottom of the pool & then died. Bought a new pump today, installed it and there's something wrong.
Backwashing seemed fine, as did the rinse & waste. But nothing really happens on filter. Recirculate has the water going out the backwash hose, don't even know if that is good or bad.
So after tons of reading, on TFP and experimenting with various solutions I give up & am begging for help.
The PSI is fluctuating between 0 & about 8. It's actually like a heart beat, it's pulsating. There is no suction at all in the skimmers. No water coming out of the returns.
I am assuming this is the main drain, it's at the bottom of the pool, has bubbles coming out.
There is water coming into the pump, but I don't know from where. And there is water going down the return pipe, also don't know where that water is entering the pool. The water level has not dropped, so I don't think there is any leaking underground.
What we have tried:
*Snaking the 2 skimmers. ~ Nothing
*Pressure washer hose in skimmer, which resulted in more black clouds of gunk coming out of the opposite skimmer.
*Pressure washer hose in both the intake & return pipes, that connect to pump / filter. ~ Nothing
*Used a baking soda/vinegar solution as a drain cleaner in the return pipe. ~ Nothing, where did this solution go?
Am planning on buying the Drain King tomorrow, and giving it a try.
At the bottom of the pool is a small hole, that has a black rubber stopper, with a wing nut. I think this needs to be removed. The BF is afraid to remove it. He thinks this is like pulling the plug in the bathtub & all the water will drain out, before he can get the plug back in.
As you can see, we need help! I'm at my wits end.
Anybody have any ideas?
Sorry there's so many. I tried to get more in the pix, but then it was too hard to see what was going on.
