Help! Problem with new filter after backwash

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gregch

gregch

Silver Supporter
Apr 26, 2014
130
Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
So not only did the oddball installer guy not fit the pressure gauge to our new Triton TR60 filter (per my previous thread), but I don't think he backwashed it initially either (and a fair amount of debris was evidently in the pipes and went into the filter) and now (a week after the install) I've tried to do a backwash and have a bunch of problems.

Firstly the filter has drained of water quite a bit, not sure if that's normal? But more importantly now it's back on Filtration (following 8 mins backwash and 1 min rinse), it just isn't refilling with water; even after about 20 mins.

The pump basket is full of water with no air in there. The air bleed in the top of the filter, if I open it little, it seems like there's a lot of pressure/air wants to release.

Do i need to release that air/depressurise, or if I run it longer willnit eventually come good? The old filter didn't have a manual air bleed and although it would drop water level a bit during backwash, it came good (full of water) very quickly afterwards.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, or maybe whether the shady installer guy has done something shady that means it's not working as it should?

I've attached a photo of the general setup.
 

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gregch said:
So not only did the oddball installer guy not fit the pressure gauge to our new Triton TR60 filter (per my previous thread), but I don't think he backwashed it initially either (and a fair amount of debris was evidently in the pipes and went into the filter) and now (a week after the install) I've tried to do a backwash and have a bunch of problems.

Firstly the filter has drained of water quite a bit, not sure if that's normal? But more importantly now it's back on Filtration (following 8 mins backwash and 1 min rinse), it just isn't refilling with water; even after about 20 mins.

The pump basket is full of water with no air in there. The air bleed in the top of the filter, if I open it little, it seems like there's a lot of pressure/air wants to release.

Do i need to release that air/depressurise, or if I run it longer willnit eventually come good? The old filter didn't have a manual air bleed and although it would drop water level a bit during backwash, it came good (full of water) very quickly afterwards.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, or maybe whether the shady installer guy has done something shady that means it's not working as it should?

I've attached a photo of the general setup.
Click to expand...
you need to bleed all that air out the top of the bleed valve
 
Thanks folks. Haven't fitted them yet (as you spotted!), but I do now have all the right parts - the supplier of the equipment was as awesome as the installer was terrible, and has sent me the complete set of missing parts. I haven't fitted them yet because I don't want to mess anything up, and because right now I'd prefer to get back to how it was (working properly, albeit incomplete) before I change anything - in other words I guess fix one thing at a time!

ALSO the photo I shared is from soon after it was installed, the bit of air at the top in the photo was easily bled out using the screw thing on top, and when switched on, everything was completely free of air within a few seconds... until I decided to do a backwash. Now the water in the filter doesn't even reach the bottom of the clear dome, water just sprays out of the holes into the dome like an ornamental fountain but it never* fills. (I'll attempt to attach a photo and/or video).

*have left it for 20 mins plus and no change.

I'll try bleeding the air again and see if it makes a difference - just a bit nervous about breaking the new stuff!
 

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gregch said:
Thanks folks. Haven't fitted them yet (as you spotted!), but I do now have all the right parts - the supplier of the equipment was as awesome as the installer was terrible, and has sent me the complete set of missing parts. I haven't fitted them yet because I don't want to mess anything up, and because right now I'd prefer to get back to how it was (working properly, albeit incomplete) before I change anything - in other words I guess fix one thing at a time!

ALSO the photo I shared is from soon after it was installed, the bit of air at the top in the photo was easily bled out using the screw thing on top, and when switched on, everything was completely free of air within a few seconds... until I decided to do a backwash. Now the water in the filter doesn't even reach the bottom of the clear dome, water just sprays out of the holes into the dome like an ornamental fountain but it never* fills. (I'll attempt to attach a photo and/or video).

*have left it for 20 mins plus and no change.

I'll try bleeding the air again and see if it makes a difference - just a bit nervous about breaking the new stuff!
Click to expand...
You need to bleed the air out while the pump is running.
 
Adding just a little to what Bperry said, open the pressure release valve to allow the air in the filter to escape easily and then close it quickly when it spits water.

I have a feeling that won't fix your problem completely but it will hopefully get your system primed and running. Let us know if opening that valve allowed the filter to fill with water.
 
Thanks guys. Unfortunately opening the bleed valve seems to make little difference - air comes out for sure but seemingly for ever, and the water level in the filter still never reaches the plastic circle with holes in it, water just sprays through those holes like a fountain but the water level doesn't seem to rise.

Maybe I just need to leave the bleed open until it stops hissing air out... but so far have left it doing that for quite a while and no change!

The pump primes immediately, and there's absolutely no air at all in the pump basket chamber after 1 or 2 seconds. The pump is quiet and seems to be running happily. Just can't get the filter to refill.
 

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gregch said:
Thanks guys. Unfortunately opening the bleed valve seems to make little difference - air comes out for sure but seemingly for ever, and the water level in the filter still never reaches the plastic circle with holes in it, water just sprays through those holes like a fountain but the water level doesn't seem to rise.

Maybe I just need to leave the bleed open until it stops hissing air out... but so far have left it doing that for quite a while and no change!

The pump primes immediately, and there's absolutely no air at all in the pump basket chamber after 1 or 2 seconds. The pump is quiet and seems to be running happily. Just can't get the filter to refill.
Click to expand...
Are you sure the multiport valve is set on “filter” and not stuck in between or on something else? It can take several minutes for all the air to bleed out especially if the filter was drained a decent amount.
 
Bperry said:
Are you sure the multiport valve is set on “filter” and not stuck in between or on something else? It can take several minutes for all the air to bleed out especially if the filter was drained a decent amount.
Click to expand...

The multiport is set on "filter" - but funny you should ask because I did wonder about whether some crud had got in there or something and it wasn't quite seated right. I thought about stepping through the "backwash" > "rinse" positions again to see it that sorted it but there seems so little water in the filter already I'm really worried about breaking stuff!

I feel like an absolute idiot - for the past few years I've been running our pool with no problem, I've replaced a spider gasket on the old multiport, numerous pipework repairs, everything running just fine and I really thought I knew what I was doing. This new filter installation has really knocked me back - the guy kept coming out with stuff about how dangerous the pressure in filters is but we didn't need a pressure gauge, etc - and now I really think I don't know what I'm doing.

I've been recommended a different pool guy and maybe I should just call him. But I've one of those people that likes to understand how stuff works, what's gone wrong and how to fix it myself if need be. This is driving me mad because I can't see it should be as impossible as it seems to fix this!
 
There should be an internal air relief.

It looks like that is not installed correctly.

There should be a 3/8” tube with a screen on top that should be visible in the dome.

Pentair TR50 | TR60 Filter Air Relief Tube - 150040

8 150035 Strainer air relief, 3/8 in. 4

4 Used on filters manufactured after 11-1-99




4601-0035-dimphoto.jpg

4600-0040-dim.jpg
 
It should purge the air, so it is either not working or you are getting a lot of air introduced.

If no air in the pump, then the internal air relief is not working correctly.
 
JamesW said:
It should purge the air, so it is either not working or you are getting a lot of air introduced.

If no air in the pump, then the internal air relief is not working correctly.
Click to expand...
Ah, thanks, i wonder if it isn't fitted right - or maybe got dislodged or blocked up during that backwash?

Sadly might be time to call someone that knows what they're doing. Bit out of my depth here!
 

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