pool filter starts strong then flow tapers off over time

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M

mjustison

0
Aug 7, 2017
30
Burbank, CA
Hello!

So my wife and I just bought a home with a pool and I know next to nothing about how to maintain them but I know enough about them to know there's something off with the filter flow.
I've shock the pool last night since there was absolutely no chlorine and when I checked this morning it didn't look like anything had really circulated. The flow from the outlet was very weak to nonexistent.
I've cleaned out the cartridge filter a few times since we had an algae problem (mostly cleared up now) but it feels like i have to clean the thing almost daily.
When I start the pump up the gauge does not bounce to any 'starting' pressure. It just slowing creeps up and maintains about 1 bar. This pressure seems correct as far as I can tell but the suction from the skimmer does not feel very strong at all.
I'm not sure if I have an air leak or if there was a good way to tell. I broke the pressure release valve this weekend but thankfully my plumbing skills are better than my pool maintenance skills and that seems to fixed now. (no water leaks at all for over 24 hours).
I just cleaned the filter again this morning again and it started off relatively strong but I know I'll check it this afternoon and it'll be weak again.
At this point I'm just creating chemical soup. Can anyone recommend a course of action?

Best,
-Mark
 
I was going to head over there this afternoon to see how the flow is. I'll take some photos.
Things I do know:
The pool is above ground, roughly 7200gal. No Heater.
Pump is 'Splapool' model 72729
Filter is a Pooline Cartidge filter. I want to say it's model 11511 or 11512 (It's not well listed on the label)
 
The pump is pretty much this:
Doheny's Above Gound Pool Pumps For Sale | Doheny's Pool Supplies Fast
The filter is probably this one:
5 Aluminum Back - Stainless Steel Bristles

I wasn't able to get photos yet. But there's an on-off valve to from the skimmer to the pump and another from filter to return.

One thing that I'm not sure about is how much the filter cartridge will affect suction. I've been hosing the thing off nearly every day and while that seems to make some difference initially it will eventually go back to having very little return flow. I'm just wondering if I replaced the filter that would fix all the issues.
I did notice a bit of a hiss from the barn-job repair on the pressure relief valve. I'm not sure how much that would affect the vacuum and there were flow issues even before I broke that valve.
 
Your problem is that the filter is working as it should.

You're killing some algae, which clogs the filter, but you're not killing all of it. What's left recovers and creates more. Then you kill most of it but not all, clogging the filter again. Repeat indefinitely.

The solution is to kill it all. We call the process the SLAM Process -- Shock Level And Maintain. You've been missing the Maintain part. Hopefully, you haven't been chlorinating with pucks and shocking with dichlor, or your CYA level may be so high that no reasonable amount of chlorine will be able to raise the FC level high enough.

If the pool isn't green, you're ahead of most of the people whose threads I have saved. Check some out. The newest ones are last. Recovering my old inspirational links
 
The filter should be on the outfeed of your pump, so if the relief valve was loose, you'd see water spraying from it. It should be pressurized, so water would flow out, not air flowing in. When you clean your filter, is it green or brown? And before you turn off your pump to clean the filter, whats your filter's PSI at then?
 
The filter psi never seems to waver from around 15-17 PSI. If it were clogged wouldn't the PSI be higher?
When I first started clearing the algae the filter would be green. Lately it's pretty clear but I'm sure there is buildup.
I wasn't really cleaning up after the algae kill-off. I certainly haven't vacuumed and I brushed infrequently. That right there is likely part of the problem. SLAMing is going to be my next step. I'll just keep cleaning that filter till everything is clear.
 
Definitely follow the SLAM procedure Richard posted, and brush the pool to help circulate the chlorine. You might try running the pump with the filter cartridge out to see if it runs steady then. I suspect it still won't. Check from the inlet to the filter and make sure nothing is clogging the pipes.
 
Hello again,

So changing the filter has definitely helped my water flow. It's nearly as strong as if I didn't have a filter in at all.
I've been regularly shocking the pool in the evening with the filter running constantly. 1-2lbs per evening depending. The trouble is that the chlorine level never seems to go up. I have a basic Leslies Pool testing kit and it always seems to register 0 no matter how much chlorine I add.
Having looked over the the SLAMing details, I'm wondering if my CYA is too high. I'm not even sure how to test for that. I certainly haven't been adding conditioner. In fact I just started adding it yesterday in a rather small dose. It's been very hot and sunny here. I'm guessing I'm just evaporating a lot of the chlorine. But still, is it possible for 1-2lb to just evaporate that quickly?

Thanks!
-Mark
 
You will continue to be frustrated and spend lots of unneeded time and money unless you get a proper test kit to manage your water chemistry.

Please purchase a proper test kit - TF100 or Taylor K2006C.

You have not done a SLAM, you cannot with the testing you are doing. You will go in circles until you change your process.

Please fill out a signature -- see Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post
 

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