Hello
First time on here. Hello everyone!
I've just converted (tried to) my in ground magiline cartridge pool to a more standard set up with a pool house, pump and sand filter.
It didn't go smoothly. Happy to expand on that if useful....
Anyway the new pump I have (a polish clone of a Hayward super pump) seems not to prime properly. The inlet is about 30cm above the water line. There is a non-return valve in line. It's a 63cm suction line.
The pump is 1.5hp. and the sand filter is sized to match. Pool is just under 100m3. There are two main returns plumbed with 50cm lines. A third is a jet with a 50cm line and the last is a 25mm line passing through a booster for a Polaris 280.
Whatever the scenario, with pump at full speed and the prefilter filled with water, I end up with the bucket only half to two thirds full.
If, after ensuring all air has escaped, I turn down the speed, by the next day the bucket will be filled only under the inlet. There will be precious little flow. And lots of air in the sight glass area of the chlorinator.
I have done and redone the joints on the suction lines. Sprayed with foam and no dimpling. When I say redone, I've junked the whole line and rebuilt it. Twice. There is no leak there.
The pump itself seems ok. I've taken it to bits and regreased and seated the joints. The prefilter I've cleaned and regreased most days. The exhaust port for the pump likewise.
The pump manual says it's good for 8ft of self priming. It's got 30ish cm to cope with and fails.
The suction lines come from (perhaps) the main drain and a large side port in the pool. This floods a reservoir about 1m deep and 75cm diameter. There's a hole in the bottom which is attached to the suction like. I can't see what's going on with the plumbing there as it's under concrete and the constructor isn't forthcoming with plans. I have not been successful at threading an endoscope either. It's not impossible that it's blocked but not likely either.
I'm really not sure about the main drain. There's no feeling of suction but I can't see what else it would be connected to.
But just in case this causes confusion, the skimmers are not not not connected to the suction line. They work via Bernoulli effect caused by the return jets. It's a rubbish system.
Going back to the pump:. Is the thing junk? Or am I missing a trick?
Looking forward to your collective wisdom.
Thanks in advance
Justin
First time on here. Hello everyone!
I've just converted (tried to) my in ground magiline cartridge pool to a more standard set up with a pool house, pump and sand filter.
It didn't go smoothly. Happy to expand on that if useful....
Anyway the new pump I have (a polish clone of a Hayward super pump) seems not to prime properly. The inlet is about 30cm above the water line. There is a non-return valve in line. It's a 63cm suction line.
The pump is 1.5hp. and the sand filter is sized to match. Pool is just under 100m3. There are two main returns plumbed with 50cm lines. A third is a jet with a 50cm line and the last is a 25mm line passing through a booster for a Polaris 280.
Whatever the scenario, with pump at full speed and the prefilter filled with water, I end up with the bucket only half to two thirds full.
If, after ensuring all air has escaped, I turn down the speed, by the next day the bucket will be filled only under the inlet. There will be precious little flow. And lots of air in the sight glass area of the chlorinator.
I have done and redone the joints on the suction lines. Sprayed with foam and no dimpling. When I say redone, I've junked the whole line and rebuilt it. Twice. There is no leak there.
The pump itself seems ok. I've taken it to bits and regreased and seated the joints. The prefilter I've cleaned and regreased most days. The exhaust port for the pump likewise.
The pump manual says it's good for 8ft of self priming. It's got 30ish cm to cope with and fails.
The suction lines come from (perhaps) the main drain and a large side port in the pool. This floods a reservoir about 1m deep and 75cm diameter. There's a hole in the bottom which is attached to the suction like. I can't see what's going on with the plumbing there as it's under concrete and the constructor isn't forthcoming with plans. I have not been successful at threading an endoscope either. It's not impossible that it's blocked but not likely either.
I'm really not sure about the main drain. There's no feeling of suction but I can't see what else it would be connected to.
But just in case this causes confusion, the skimmers are not not not connected to the suction line. They work via Bernoulli effect caused by the return jets. It's a rubbish system.
Going back to the pump:. Is the thing junk? Or am I missing a trick?
Looking forward to your collective wisdom.
Thanks in advance
Justin