New in ground pool - Hayward pump making lots of noise and high pressure

[stephenson]

Hi All,

Don't know if they are related - visiting a friend in SC with new house, new pool, etc.

Bit of a backup in getting the pool folks out - not sure it has ever actually ever operated.

Hayward pump making lots of noise - sounds like from the impeller section. Standard plumbing. Pump and gear about 50' from the pool with about 6' head from main drain and 2-3' from skimmers ... spa main drain head is probably level with pump.

I made sure the filter was clean (single, large paper cartridge), washed all the new pool aggregate sand and mortar out. Seems to prime a bit slow given the limited head, but the filter tank pressure starts at 22 psi with both spa and pool returns open, and 27 psi with just the spa returns open. This seems a bit high with new, clear filter?

Pump mesh container clean, and fills up normally - takes awhile, but fills - pump noise never goes away as one would expect.

Thoughts?

 

[mas985]

If you are sure the sound is coming from the impeller area, something might be stuck in the impeller or a bad impeller ring. Given the pressure you are seeing, I would not expect cavitation.

Do know if the pressure was always that high? Do you have an equipment list, pipe sizes, etc.

 

[stephenson]

Everything piped in 2" ... no blockages in filter basket or filter itself ... medium size pool with 6' deep and 3' shallow - about 12 x 20 kidney shaped. Only three return in the entire pool (my last pool at six, but was much bigger pool so my frame of reference may be off) ... they all were pumping. Three more in the spa and they were pumping, as well ..

I don't know if the pressure and the pump noise are related - taking a stab in the dark without opening the pump impeller section up.

 

[tstex]

what is the model of the pump ???

 

[stephenson]

Can't get to it right now ... Century sticker ... new ... pump housing has Hayward marking.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Gotta check the impeller probably some type of masonry sucked up in there or even busted or tweaked impeller up. With 2" puping shouldn't be that high. Are all valves definitely wide open? Feeling water at returna doesn't mean its freeflowing something is restricting somewhere

 

[stephenson]

Suction side open main drain, skimmer and spa - pressure side all open, as well. I took the heater out of the circuit, jic.

 

[stephenson]

She got a guy to drop by (don't know him, don't know his work, etc) ...we discussed. Both think there is junk in the impeller section of the pump - I didn't have time to pull it apart, but he will be doing so in a couple of days.. Both think the pool weirdly piped, but can't do too much about some of that now without major deconstruction. He was convinced the skimmer piping needed to be cleaned several feet down - I convinced him to wait until the impeller was repaired as I had already pressurized the system (with the howling pump) from the skimmer and was getting good return flow.

The electrical panel for the pool equipment also is a bit weird - one double breaker controls BOTH the pump and the heater. One double breaker controls the air pump for the hot tub. Shouldn't the box have a separate breaker (single or double) for each piece of equipment?

My previous pool had a single large pump and motor for the pool and spa. Could run both or one with the single pump through the Jandy control system. I also had a separate pump to power the Polaris cleaner device. Heater was size and set up to support either pool or spa. She has a single pump (1.25 hp) to support the pool and spa, but no control system, yet. She does not have a separate output like mine to support the cleaner.

Perhaps a new thread would be better? She can afford to have the above ground piping run however - and, installation of whatever control panel is appropriate given her circumstances. I recommended a wifi'd pad she can put in the house to control the panel (no wiring was done prior to construction to allow hardwired panel) to control everything. Should she have a separate pump for the hot tub to allow her to run it 365 and be able to shut off the main pump? Thoughts on best way to pipe, and more reliable control panel that operates via wifi would be appreciated!

She'll be getting three bids and I can then discuss further with her - but, an independent view is always helpful!

Thanks!