pool not pulling as well on recirculate

Ajaxx

0
May 20, 2018
3
Alcoa, TN
I am having issues with my pool. It just does not want to clear up, despite the pool chemistry being perfect. I am thinking it’s a water circulation problem, because it doesn’t seem like the return jets are as strong as they were, and the floating chlorinator keeps getting stuck in various corners. Today I put it on recirculate, hoping to get more flow while I put in shock. It pulls LESS on recirculate than on filter! And it got air in the basket, then would fill up, then air again. It finally stopped doing that, but the suction/return problem remained. I had already greased every junction I could find as it originally kept getting air in the filter basket. Is it in the control valve maybe? Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!
 
Hi, and thanks for your quick reply! The flapper is not stuck. The pool is full. Any other ideas? And it doesn’t lose prime and stops sucking, just gets some air in it, water goes down about a third of the way in the filter basket, then refills. And as I’ve stated, this stopped happening after a few times. But the suction into the skimmer basket is still less than when on filter.
 
Last edited:
When on filter, there is the standard pulling effect, sheeting over the weir. On recirculate it’s the same but not as pronounced bc it’s not pulling as strongly. No air is coming in through the skimmer. The water level is higher than we usually have it, but still below the top of the skimmer inlet, so you can still see the water movement. The problem is the difference on filter vs recirculate, where it should be, and always has been, reversed. Recirculate has always pulled with more power bc it bypasses the filter. Now it’s the opposite and it’s pulling better when going through the filter.
I am going to take apart the control valve and replace the gasket, see if that is the issue, I.e. it’s not sealing when in recirculate position? I hope our pump’s not dying.
 
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.