New to Pools - Question Regarding Pump

[Dirk]

Cleaning a filter is not a trivial thing. There's a potential danger to it. Take a picture of the hardware that secures the filter's band: the spring and washer(s) and nut. It's easy to get those wrong. When you reassemble the filter, be sure to clean the o-ring, lube it properly (we have a how to on that), and seat the filter top and o-ring and band correctly. Tighten it fully (and then double-check it looks like it did when you snapped that picture).

If you do all that carefully, you'll be fine. But if the filter or band are not seated correctly, it's possible for the pressure of your system to blow the top right off the filter. My pool guy tells a story that when that once happened to him, the top flew entirely over the roof! More importantly, you could brain yourself if you're in the way when that happens. Just go slow, be careful, pay attention to what you're doing.

If that all sounds to daunting, you could always hire a pool pro to clean your filter for you, and watch how he does it. Then maybe try it yourself the next time...

 

[rkyee]

Thanks again Dirk. I've cleaned the pump basket, and now need to move onto the filter. I'll read the guides around the Forum as reference. Appreciate your help again!

 

[rkyee]

Just wanted to circle back that all the guidance was extremely appreciated, and was able to change the filter with a tutorial and a couple of videos. Pool is looking much cleaner.... now onto another question... how do you typically keep your spa clean? I've noticed alot of dirt on the bottom of the spa, how does that typically get cleaned? (Sorry this is probably a silly question)

 

[JamesW]

Just wanted to circle back that all the guidance was extremely appreciated, and was able to change the filter with a tutorial and a couple of videos. Pool is looking much cleaner.

Glad we could help.

Hopefully the filter cleaning wasn't too horrible.

That filter probably had a lot of fiberglass threads that got everywhere, which is uncomfortable if it gets on your skin.

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[mknauss]

how do you typically keep your spa clean?

Vac it out. I drop my robot in it for a few minutes.

 

[rkyee]

Okay perfect! I will have to add a couple of hoses, but I think that would work awesome. Thanks for the tips!

 

[mknauss]

Robots do not have hoses so I assume you will use a manual vac tied to your suction line.

 

[rkyee]

Well I may have made a big error in judgement - I thought you were referring to the vacuum, so I put that in the spa... and maybe chaos ensued. It just sucked up more water and the spa level went down (which has now returned) - would this be normal?

 

[mknauss]

If it is a suction vac, yes. You are pulling water out of the spa and not replacing it. Once you returned to normal spillover it will fill back up .

If you would fill out your signature that information really helps us help you.

 

[rkyee]

You clean your filter based on how often it needs it. Here's how you monitor that. Once you get it clean and put back together, clean all your baskets again and then run the pump and observe the pressure reading of the gauge on top of the filter. Write it down somewhere. Note which speed your pump is on when you record your "clean filter pressure reading." (It will be different for each speed.) Periodically, when the pump is running at the same speed, you check your filter gauge. When it hits 25% higher than your clean filter pressure reading, it's time to clean the filter.

25% is a general guide. If your vac is sensitive to your plumbing's flow, indicated by your filter pressure, you may need to clean your filter more often. This is one of the many things you'll get to know as you learn your pool. No two are alike...

Back again... the filter pressure is back to the pre-cleaning levels, less than a month later. Is this normal? Just curious if I should be anticipating this frequency, or if I should hire a pro to give it a go

I did add a couple of items including a skimmer basket, which was after terrible winds / debris that landed in the pool. I cleaned out the pump again, which had lots of leaves in the basket.

 

[mknauss]

Is this normal?

Not unless you have a very small filter (please fill out your signature so we know what equipment you have) or you have algae.

 

[Dirk]

We really do need a comprehensive list of your setup in your signature. Something like mine would be great.

Leaves in your skimmer basket need to be cleaned out regularly. Every day if they are filling the basket that fast.

Leaves in your pump basket are either getting past your skimmer basket somehow, or are being sucked up by a suction-side cleaner (so we need to know if you have one of those). That basket, too, needs to be cleaned out as often as necessary.

A fine-mesh skimmer net can be added to the skimmer basket to help eliminate the size of things that can make it to your filter. But that will collect even more things in your skimmer basket, which is fine, but it means monitoring and cleaning your skimmer basket even more often.

Personally, I would NOT put a net on my pump basket. Too risky it might get sucked into the pump's impeller.

There are leaf catchers that can be added to suction-side vacuum hoses that can trap leaves there, instead of in your pump basket and filter.

And, of course, you could try covering your pool and trapping leaves on the cover. But then you have to figure out how to get them off the cover before they end up in the water anyway.

Maybe you need to rethink the types or size of trees around your pool.

And as Marty mentioned, perhaps your filter is undersized for your pool (or the amount of crud it collects).

So there are a few ways to combat this problem. Let's start with what equipment you have, and go from there. Maybe also post some pics of your pool and its surrounding foliage.