Multiple issues - what can I fix / diagnose and what do I have to co tact warranty / pool professional

[emilton]

I have owned a pool for around half a year now and firstly had to deal with a leak in my sheer descent that led me to digging up and removing the entire thing. This lead me to learning a lot more about how pools operate to save me time and money in the future. After running the filter correctly and getting the pool looking perfect, it then went downhill and further issues came to pasture.

1 - the manual air bleed on my filter seems to now let air out when fully tightened. It leaks air and then will start to drip very slowly with water. Assume this is an air leak and I need to repair this valve?

2 - pool will backwash correctly and water will go through filter and out. However after backwashing and put into rinse and then filter the pool does not prime and emits a loud noise constantly. It never used to do this and would prime, not I can’t get it there. Is this a pump issue, skimmer issue, line issue - I don’t know what to trouble shoot. Water level is good at middle of skimmer and not leaking.

3 - before the filter started doing this I had an issue where I would have pump on filter and would lose pressure in jets within 10 mins, especially on the future from equipment jets on far side of the pool. Why is this? Is my pump not strong enough or is there other potential issues with the filter?

4 - the filter. After a while when the pool was clear (it’s now green as I can’t filter and have had a few storms) I would see the DE I put in the skimmer OR the dirt from the filter come back out and into the pool. Just looked like silt coming back in and I believe this is why when I shocked the pool didn’t turn completely clear. What does this mean with my filter? I backwashed, out in DE and repeated numerous time to clean but same issues with dirt and jet pressure. One common issue I saw was that it could be a crack in the top manifold? Thought and anything I can do to diagnose here?

Thanks for any help with above and happy to answer any questions or do any diagnosis / fixes myself. After buying this house and spending thousands on a leak I didn’t know about, I would like to save as much money and actually enjoy my pool rather than just spend money on it!

 

[Texas Splash]

Sounds like you may have more than one issue here, so let's go over your questions:
1 - Yes, the air bleed valve will need to be replaced. Not only do you see water spitting out, but I'm sure it lets air "in" when the pump is off. A fairly simple DIY issue.
2 - Loss of prime is usually a suction side (before the pump) air leak issue - like a crack in a straw preventing you from drinking. You need to look very closely at all valves/connections before the pump for an air leak. Also make sure the O-ring under the clear pump lid has a good amount of pool silicone on it.
3 & 4 - Sound like these are related to algae. Algae will clog-up a DE filter quickly and restrict water flow. To kill and remove algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process. During the SLAM, you can go to "recirculate" periodically to allow water movement during the elevated chlorine process and minimize backwashes. But you must follow that SLAM Process page carefully.

Take a look at those links and let us know if you have any questions.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[emilton]

Sounds like you may have more than one issue here, so let's go over your questions:
1 - Yes, the air bleed valve will need to be replaced. Not only do you see water spitting out, but I'm sure it lets air "in" when the pump is off. A fairly simple DIY issue.
2 - Loss of prime is usually a suction side (before the pump) air leak issue - like a crack in a straw preventing you from drinking. You need to look very closely at all valves/connections before the pump for an air leak. Also make sure the O-ring under the clear pump lid has a good amount of pool silicone on it.
3 & 4 - Sound like these are related to algae. Algae will clog-up a DE filter quickly and restrict water flow. To kill and remove algae, you need to follow the SLAM Process. During the SLAM, you can go to "recirculate" periodically to allow water movement during the elevated chlorine process and minimize backwashes. But you must follow that SLAM Process page carefully.

Take a look at those links and let us know if you have any questions.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks for the reply.

1 - I will work to replace this, likely covered by the home warranty that I got when purchasing house, so will research here and get replaced. Could this air/water leak be contributing to other issues or completely separate? Not sure what this issue actually does to the whole ecosystem?

2 - I need to lube up the O-ring for sure, its not got any on when I looked last night. I will purchase some and do this shutting it tight. If this is the issue should it prime pretty quickly after I switch the pump on filter? How long is too long making a loud noise but not priming?

3/4 - I had never actually heard of SLAM but makes sense to me. Assume for this to work I need to get my filter running correctly and cant do anything to the green before this and just have to leave?

Also is the reason a pool would lose pressure on jets only algae related to filter or could their be other issues with the pump / filter that I should look at. As said it is high pressure on 50% of the jets coming out on one end of the pool, but v weak on others. Probably worth doing the SLAM and then looking at this issue when the pool is clean right? I'm just thinking if the issue persists when the pool is on filter it will stop filtering if on for 24 hours and make the SLAM process redundant?

Hope this all makes sense and thanks again!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

The leaking air relief valve could be causing a few of your problems. Ideally, the pressure side of the plumbing should hold pressure when the pump is off. The leaky valve is allowing your filter to drain down and taking DE with it. This would explain why you're seeing DE in the pool. After the filter drains down and you restart your pump, you'll hear lots of air noise at the pad and lots of bubbles at the returns as the filter fills with water and pushes out the air.

As mentioned, you may have multiple issues, but repairing the air relief valve may take care of a couple.

It looks like there are a few parts that could be leaking. It looks like there is an o-ring under the base of the air relief valve assembly (where the gauge is attached), the o-ring under the air relief valve, or the air relief valve itself may be leaking. Also check where the gauge connects to the assembly.

Here is a parts diagram that may help. I'm guessing the problem is the air relief valve itself.

 

[emilton]

This is likely some of the issue as I did see bubbles out of the return when turning the filter on. I will work to fix this issue first and then go from there.

I was also getting a high PSI of like 30 but no pressure in the jets? This was after backwashing and when the water was clear. Psi remained high.

 

[Texas Splash]

Algae is probably the case for your water pressure increase and loss of return jet force. The SLAM Process works very well when performed in its entirety. A leaky pressure gauge would either spit water while running, or let air into the system when turned off at which point you might hear water shuffling around in the pipes as it moves.

 

[crusemm]

Also, While you cannot complete a SLAM until you have the filter working, you can slow down the growth of algae by adding liquid chlorine daily. This will not clear up the green pool, but will hopefully make it shorter and easier.

 

[emilton]

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely get the manual air bleed fixed ASAP.
For now as I have had a pump that hasn’t worked for a few weeks and a storm, my pool has gone a darker shade of green.
Do I sit and wait for pump to work again OR pour a ton of liquid chlorine in for now. I just don’t want to spend money on chemicals and then have it all for no gain?

 

[Texas Splash]

Do I sit and wait for pump to work again OR pour a ton of liquid chlorine in for now.

With no good way to circulate water and filter, you're really kind of stuck. Any chlorine you add now would have to be brushed around manually and won't resolve the issue. You're in a tough spot I'm afraid.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

The little pressure side leak on the filter won't prevent you from running the pump. On start-up you'd need to bleed the air out of the filter each time.

You DO need to keep the pump basket full water. If you can sort out the suction side leak, you might be okay to run the pump. Did you check the the pump lid o-ring. Also check water level and make sure the weir door is floating free.