Low flow

[tasgmv]

Hello, we are a new pool owner and I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions but I'll start off with this one
We have about a 16,000 gallon pool. Two bubblers and 1 water fountain. Do those water features count as a pool return? I have good flow when I run my pump at about 2200 for either of the water features but when I put both on I don't have good pressure out of the water fall. When I turn the pool return valve open I lose all flow in the water fall if the bubbles are also going.

Should I be able to have all three open a little? Should the pool return valve always be open and if so how much?

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

Depending on the pump you have and your plumbing set up you may not have the ability to run everything at once.

Tell us more about the equipment you have..

Show us several pics of your equipment pad..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[tasgmv]

 

[HermanTX]

Agree with @Jimrahbe
Water flow takes the path of least resistance. Bubblers and some water falls have narrow openings that create backpressure so flow goes more to the open ended pool returns.
If your water fountain and 2 bubblers are on individual lines or have dedicated valves to control flow there may be a way to run all at same time but there are so many variables such as pipe length, pipe size, pump type, etc. High pump speeds help to a certain extent.
Photos of your return valves would help

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

Please look at both sides of the pump and see if you can find what HP the motor is.. What specific pump is that?

In general, I want to know if it is a 1.5 HP or 3 HP pump..

It appears that you have a heat pump.. They have a lot of resistance to water flow.. It also appears that you have a heater by-pass that is in the off position.. If you turn the by-pass on, you will take the heater out of the water flow, and that might help..

Normal operation would be to run with the pool return full open and all the water features shut off.. Then speed up the pump and use your water features when you are using the pool.

Not sure what type of waterfall you have, but if it is a sheer, they take a lot of water.

None of this is magic.. You only have X amount of water coming out of your pump... when it has to go to 4 places that reduces the flow to each line. And, as Herman pointed out, most of the flow will take the path of least resistance.

2200 rpm is pretty slow, if you want everything to run at the same time.. Have you tried to increase your pump speed??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[tasgmv]

Thanks. Right now we don't have the heater turned on. We won't turn that on until first week of April. Last year which was our first summer with it I had the pump faster 3450 and then have it slower during the months we don't use it.

I'll turn the water features off and have return on full when we aren't using it and then speed it up when we want a water feature.

As for the heater. Are you saying if I turned the heater on now it would not heat the pool or does that bypass mean something else?

 

[tasgmv]

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

The by-pass either sends water through the heater, or it by-passes the heater.. Even when the heater is off, if the water passes through the heater, it means you will have to run the pump faster to get the same flow as when the water by-passes the heater..

Obviously, when you want to use the heater, the by-pass must be off.

To turn on the by pass, turn the by-pass valve 180 degrees, so the handle point towards the filter.

You never did tell me about the pump. If you don't know, show us more pics of just the pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.