Noisy pool pump after filter clean

[Sschneider10]

Hey all - been lurking here for a little bit but finally running into an interesting problem that I am hoping to get some advice. I have tried the search function but can't really find a post specific to my issue. I recently got my first pool after purchasing a house a month ago. I decided today to open up the filter housing to determine if it needed cleaning as I didn't get any indication from the previous owner the last time it was done and the PSI was starting to creep up on the gauge. Got it off, cleaned it up, reassembled the housing, turned the pump back on and it is now operating at a much louder pitch than it used to operate at. Double checked seals and I can't visibly see water coming out of the filter. I do not see any air coming from any of the returns. When I turn the valve to pressure side, the noise goes back to the level it was at prior to cleaning. Additionally, if I run the water through the filter but turn off the floor return just leaving the return jets on, the noise goes back to the level it was at prior to cleaning. It is only operating at a very noisy level if I am running the filter through both the return jets and floor return. A couple other things that might be helpful:

- I have two suction side plumbing pipes going into the pump. Noise level stays noisy even if I turn one or the other off.
- The pump/filter is on a concrete pad that I doubt shifted in 30 minutes.
- Water level is high so don't anticipate this being a running dry problem.
- Pool pump is about a year old. Had a pool company inspect it upon purchase of the house and they mentioned it looked like it was in good shape.

Could this somehow be a result of the way I put my filter back together? I don't think it had been cleaned in a while so it was a pain to get off and get back on. It is just weird to me that if it is a result of the way I put my filter back together why it wouldn't show any leaking or be noisy whether the floor return was on or not. Any advice or additional things I could check out would be helpful! Thank you in advanced for the help.

 

[HermanTX]

When I turn the valve to pressure side, the noise goes back to the level it was at prior to cleaning.

Hi fellow Houstonian. I am not sure what you mean by this statement.
After you cleaned the filter and reassemble, did you bleed air pressure from the top valve under the gauge? This ensures you have all water in the filter.
What was the before and after cleaning pressure on your filter so we have some indication of pressure change?
What valves do you have in your plumbing? Maybe a picture would help as well.
You have a single speed pump (WhisperFlo) and a cartridge filter. Do you have a heater?
What are the 2 suction pipes? A main drain and skimmer (s)? Assume you do not have a spa?
Is your returns just the 2 pipes - return jets in pool and other is the IFCS?

 

[Sschneider10]

Hey Herman -

Thanks for the response. What I meant by that statement was I have a three way jandy valve coming out of the pump. When I turn off the side with the filter, it only allows water to go out the pressure side. When I do this, the noise level is back to normal. Hopefully this helps clarify. For your other questions:
- I did bleed the air pressure from the top valve. I kept the top valve open until water came spewing out and then shut it. I had looked up some YouTube videos on how to disassemble/clean the filter so followed those instructions.
- Pressure before was around 7 PSI and pressure after is now 3 PSI.
- I can send a picture in the morning when it is light out but I have 3, 3-way jandy valves. One coming in from the suction, one after the pump going to filter & pressure side, and one coming out of the filter going into the floor return & return jets.
- I do not have a heater and yes it is a single speed WhisperFlo.
- My 2 suction pipes are 1 skimmer and 1 main drain each. I have 2 skimmers and 4 in-floor drains. For the in-floor drains, 2 are on the suction side, 1 is a return and 1 seemingly does nothing right now. Assuming this one was added in for a possible water feature later on. I could be off on the dual main drain thing as it has been too cold for me to get in and actually feel if 2 are working when suction is on. But I do know that the 2 skimmers operate on different suction pipes. I do not have a spa.
- My return is 2 pipes connected by a 3 way jandy valve to the filter. One side is the return jets and one side is the floor return. I will say that the pipe that runs the return jets do have a Zodiac DuoClear with a saltwater cell in it. However, seems like previous owners stopped using it as a saltwater pool a long time ago because there was a chlorine tablet floater in it and CYA is super high right now (something I will deal with soon). It was a rental property for a very long time and I assume the company they hired to maintain the pool just started throwing trichlor tablets in weekly and let the CYA run up. I have since switched to liquid chlorine in the meantime until I explore the Zodiac a little more. I am off topic now though .

Hopefully I got all the lingo correct here as I am still very green on the pools.

Thanks!

 

[HermanTX]

All of this is very helpful and I can provide feedback on various points.

Pressure before was around 7 PSI and pressure after is now 3 PSI.

This decrease is positive as you removed any debris on the cartridge filter thus that appears fine. I am a little confused that your pressure is so low. People with variable speed pumps can achieve very low pressures in the filter but I would have thought that with a single speed pump your "normal" pressure would have been higher like 10psi or so. Just my thought and let that not be a concern right now. Your system set up is somewhat different so operating at 3-5psi may be normal for your set up. Was this how it was when you first moved in?

My 2 suction pipes are 1 skimmer and 1 main drain each. I have 2 skimmers and 4 in-floor drains. For the in-floor drains, 2 are on the suction side, 1 is a return and 1 seemingly does nothing right now. Assuming this one was added in for a possible water feature later on. I could be off on the dual main drain thing as it has been too cold for me to get in and actually feel if 2 are working when suction is on. But I do know that the 2 skimmers operate on different suction pipes. I do not have a spa.

If suction is just 2 pipes then 1 is the main drain and the other is skimmer as you noted. The main drain is set up as 2 drains on the bottom of the pool This prevents entrapment. The 2 drains go to 1 pipe and that pipe leads to the suction by the pad. You will unlikely be able to feel the suction by hand. You can test by either put a wet paper towel near it and watch it be drawn on top of the drain, or push some small debris close to it and see if they move into it. It is most likely working - just understand that 2 drain heads is really 1 drain and it is very hard to feel the suction by touch.

I can't really give you a explanation on the other 2 drains. You state one is a return. Not sure why that is but every pool is different. Maybe a picture of your drains will help. Be interesting to see how close to one another these 4 drains are. FYI, a water feature suction can be on a side wall of a pool because you want to reduce debris entering it.

You have a contradiction in your skimmer set up. First you mention only 2 suction lines in which 1 is skimmer. This implies that the 2 skimmers are connected in series (1 common pipe) back to the pad. Then you state that the 2 skimmers operate on different suction pipes. This would imply you would have 3 suction lines at the pump - 1 for each skimmer and 1 for main drain. A picture of your pump and suction lines would help.

My return is 2 pipes connected by a 3 way jandy valve to the filter. One side is the return jets and one side is the floor return. I will say that the pipe that runs the return jets do have a Zodiac DuoClear with a saltwater cell in it. However, seems like previous owners stopped using it as a saltwater pool a long time ago because there was a chlorine tablet floater in it and CYA is super high right now (something I will deal with soon). It was a rental property for a very long time and I assume the company they hired to maintain the pool just started throwing trichlor tablets in weekly and let the CYA run up. I have since switched to liquid chlorine in the meantime until I explore the Zodiac a little more. I am off topic now though

This all makes sense and does justify that the "other drain" in the bottom of the pool is truly a return. It could be that the 4th one is as well but possibly blocked. Agree, lets get the pump issue resolved before getting into the Zodiac DuoClear.

So per your original post - the pump whines when

It is only operating at a very noisy level if I am running the filter through both the return jets and floor return.

This leads me to believe that something with the filter that we are overlooking. Just to confirm, if you bypass the filter and go to both the return jets and floor return the pump is at normal noise level?? Does the sound of the pump only change when you switch from the bypass to the filter?

FYI - did you get a home warranty from the seller when you purchased your home? Did it include pool equipment? Keep that in mind if you need to call out any service tech for any issue that needs repairs.