Hi All, I had my pool installed last Sept and got a few weeks out of it before closing it for the year. We just opened it and the basket doesn’t seem to be filling on the pump unless I run it on high (3400rpm) for some time. The lines are 2” and the pump is sitting about 30’ from the pool, it is also higher than the pool, I’d say around 6’ higher. The water level at 2600 is just above the intake and seems to stay there at any speed unless priming. I’m having issue with this as the heater says low flow unless close to 3000rpms and even then the basket isn’t full. Shouldn’t this basket be full once primed no matter the rpm? I do have a back flow valve before the pump so as not to lose all the water in the lines when/if the pump is off. Any thoughts? Is it ok that the basket isn’t filling?
Hayward Vs900 basket not filling
- Thread starter ABolton
- Start date
Welcome! 
It's normal for the basket to look low on low speeds. So long as it fills up when you go to high and the filter doesn't have a bunch of air trapped in it, there's no suction-side leak.
Remember that the pressure switch is after the filter, so if you have a dirty filter, the combination of low speed and plugged filter could be enough to trip the low pressure safety switch.
It's normal for the basket to look low on low speeds. So long as it fills up when you go to high and the filter doesn't have a bunch of air trapped in it, there's no suction-side leak.
Remember that the pressure switch is after the filter, so if you have a dirty filter, the combination of low speed and plugged filter could be enough to trip the low pressure safety switch.
Thanks for the reply. What should the psi read on my filter? At 2900rpm it’s reading about 15psi and it wasn’t enough to trip the flow valve. Last year we could run at 2700 and heat without issue. We backwash it weekly.
A,
You backwash "weekly"? If you have to backwash that often, something is wrong. I have a couple of pools with DE filters that go six months between cleanings.. I don't backwash any more...
The fact that you have to run faster to close the heater's pressure switch is an indication of a dirty filter. Sounds to me like you have a chemical issue and algae in your water, even if you can't see it yet.
Thanks,
Jim R.
You backwash "weekly"? If you have to backwash that often, something is wrong. I have a couple of pools with DE filters that go six months between cleanings.. I don't backwash any more...
The fact that you have to run faster to close the heater's pressure switch is an indication of a dirty filter. Sounds to me like you have a chemical issue and algae in your water, even if you can't see it yet.
Thanks,
Jim R.
Your VS pump might have a few bubbles at the top when running at less than 1500 RPM, but above that the basket should fill right to the top with only a few small bubbles, if any at all.. In a well operating system you do not need a check valve in front of the pump. Water will not run back into the pool unless you have an air leak somewhere.
The first place to check is the O-Ring under the pump lid. Make sure it is in good shape and coated with pool lube.
Jim R.
The first place to check is the O-Ring under the pump lid. Make sure it is in good shape and coated with pool lube.
Jim R.