HELP- Intex 1600 Sand filter and NO suction

[shawnpepera]

I just upgraded our 1 year Intex 18x48 pool from the standard filter to the Saltwater system and a separate 1600g/h Sand filter. I got everything hooked up today and I have essentially NO suction. Even when I was backwashing it was a trickle. HELP.... what am I doing wrong. I switched out the plungers hoping that would do it and nada. I looked through everything piece by piece. I have the saltwater system in line but it is not running yet as we just put the salt into the pool this afternoon.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

There must be something blocking the water flow somewhere. I'd try disconnecting the hose from the pump (on the skimmer side of the pump) and see how much water comes through just on gravity alone. You should get a fairly strong flow, unless the hose is blocked somehow. That will tell you which thing to try next.

 

[shawnpepera]

I have disconnected it and its a VERY fast rush.... so its not blocked there.... its brand new.... REALLY considering trading it out.... we're talking a trickle of water... so no clue?????

 

[Jamison04]

Have you loosened the lid on the pump basket to fill up the chamber with pool water and then tightened it back up before you turn the pump on? It has to be primed before you will get any suction.

 

[shawnpepera]

The catch basket yes.... not the sand part.... does that need done as well???

 

[Jamison04]

You should add water to the sand filter to at least cover the sand before securing the multiport on top. And have you back washed the filter before trying to actually run it in filter mode? You'd be surprised how filthy new filter sand really is. Nevermind I just read you did try to backwash. And are you sure no sand got in the center tube and down into the laterals when you filled it with sand? Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to cover all the options that might cause your issue.

 

[shawnpepera]

A tablespoon of sand did get into the center tube.... would that cause this problem?????? Im gonna start from zero again today..... this is so painful. I just want it to WORK!

 

[shawnpepera]

I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS!!!! No worries!!! I am just at a standstill here.

 

[Jamison04]

I don't think a small amount of sand would really hurt? It almost sounds like you've got air in the system somewhere that isnt getting purged out. Did you make any headway on it today?

 

[shawnpepera]

I did!!! Sorry, was so excited I forgot to post. I loosened up the black band in the 6 way valve.. It bubbled and I restarted and wala!!! Not the impressive suction I'd hoped for, but good. Hubby and I decided to trade up for the 2650 unit after this (we have the 18x48 pool) and that will be here tomorrow. Would you say that we decided correctly?? I'm starting to read all of these threads and am just so impressed!!! This site is awesome!!! I am adding the stabilizer tomorrow but I didn't know about the muraric acid and that stuff. I'm going to have to stop at the pool store for more sand tomorrow so I will see if they have one of those great test kits I'm reading about! Keep you posted!!

 

[shawnpepera]

Any other reccomendations for swg setup?? We dissolves the salt yesterday ( did 120#) and ran the swg for 2 hours today. Figured I would test tomorrow when I add the stabilizer.

 

[Jamison04]

That's awesome that you got it going. The 1600 version is ok but the 2650 will move more water. The pool store may or may not have a decent test kit. All the one around here only carry strips of regent refills but not the whole kit. The kits you can order off this site are WAY better than the strips and well worth the money! Even just a 6-way kit from walmart will be better than nothing for the time being until you get a decent kit. You need to add bleach if you havent already to get the chlorine level up into range. The swg will only maintain the level, not increase it a lot. It's kind of trial and error to get the right amount of run time of your swg. It will change with the water temp, bather load, and debris that finds its way into the pool. Use the Pool Calculator here http://www.poolcalculator.com/ to determine how much bleach and stabilizer to add. Also the stabilizer (cya) won't register right away in the test. It usually takes several days to a week before it will test accurately.

 

[IrishRose87]

I am new to sand pumps & we got ours last yr with pool & there is barely any suction , bugs float by .
Not sure what the problem is I spend 2-3 hours with a screen to clean top & bottom , VERY FRUSTRATED with this any help would be APPRECIATED
Please and thank you

 

[kellyfair]

I am new to sand pumps & we got ours last yr with pool & there is barely any suction , bugs float by .
Not sure what the problem is I spend 2-3 hours with a screen to clean top & bottom , VERY FRUSTRATED with this any help would be APPRECIATED
Please and thank you

Hi, IrishRose. Can you put all of your equipment and description of your pool in your signature so we can better assist you? You might want to post your own thread in this forum as well, to get answers about your own situation.