Low cleaner suction

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Oceansol

Oceansol

Well-known member
May 26, 2015
186
Oceanside, California
My jandy mx8 elite hasn't been cleaning like I'd like, so after inspection i needed a new A side gearbox, treads, and the little scrubber thingies. I changed the all out, but now there's not enough suction to run it well, and it barely moves.
My filter PSI is about 18-19, and i notice that the pump basket isnt completely filled, but almost.

What is the problem?
 
Oceansol said:
What is the problem?
Click to expand...
One possibility is the filter is full (dirty) and needs to be cleaned. I would start with a good rinsing of the cart filter(s). If that doesn't work, post back and let us know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oceansol and Jimrahbe
Oceansol said:
My jandy mx8 elite hasn't been cleaning like I'd like, so after inspection i needed a new A side gearbox, treads, and the little scrubber thingies. I changed the all out, but now there's not enough suction to run it well, and it barely moves.
My filter PSI is about 18-19, and i notice that the pump basket isnt completely filled, but almost.

What is the problem?
Click to expand...
Remove the cartridge (or just one if you have a multi-cartridge filter), re-assemble the filter and try the system. Won't hurt anything to run it that way for a short time. If the cleaner works as expected the problem is with the filter. New cartridge(s) time?
 
1poolman1 said:
Remove the cartridge (or just one if you have a multi-cartridge filter), re-assemble the filter and try the system. Won't hurt anything to run it that way for a short time. If the cleaner works as expected the problem is with the filter. New cartridge(s) time?
Click to expand...
How long do cartridges last? Mine are original since 2007... they look to be in great shape, but maybe its not something that you can tell visually??
 
Oceansol said:
How long do cartridges last? Mine are original since 2007... they look to be in great shape, but maybe its not something that you can tell visually??
Click to expand...
They can last several years if no products were added to the water like a floc or clarifier. Still, over time oils and lotions from swimmers could inhibit water flow a bit. You could try a thorough soaking in a TSP-water solution. If you don't have TSP, then a good dishwasher detergent can be used. You might hear of some people doing an acid soak, but never do that unless you are absolutely sure the pleats are clean otherwise you can fuse the oils to the paper carts rendering them useless.

This could all be fruitless though if you do as poolman suggested with no improvement. If your cleaner suction and water flow do not improve with the cartridges removed, cleaning them won't resolve the issue. So do that cart removal test first to confirm.
 
If you do need to do a good filter cleaning, refer to the link below for more details.

Re: How to clean a cartridge filter

Re: How to clean a cartridge filter After 7 years, I've replaced my 4 cartridges in my filter (I could have gone longer, but the straps were starting to break and I figured I had a good run with these cartridges). The replacement cartridges for my Jandy CL340 were from Unicel® and they had...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oceansol
Oceansol said:
I cleaned the filters, buttoned it back up, turned on the pump and its back running and moving around like normal.

Then i turned on solar, and it stopped.

I've got 10 PSI with solar off, and 17 PSI with solar on. What's going on?
Click to expand...
A +/- 16 ft. increase in head reduces flow and the performance of a suction cleaner. Need to increase pump speed when the solar is operating. Some systems can handle a suction cleaner and solar at the same time, some can't.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oceansol

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Oceansol said:
I cleaned the filters, buttoned it back up, turned on the pump and its back running and moving around like normal.

Then i turned on solar, and it stopped.

I've got 10 PSI with solar off, and 17 PSI with solar on. What's going on?
Click to expand...
Sixteen-year-old cartridges are probably the issue. At a certain point they just won't let water through them regardless of how clean they seem. By removing one cartridge and seeing that the cleaner worked points to the filter as the issue. Has the pressure always gone from 10 to 17 when the solar came on? Did the system always start at 10 at your current rpm?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oceansol
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply