The granules is what I mean. I would not put them directly into the skimmer, nor in a sock then into the skimmer. I recommend you put them in a sock, then hang the sock somehow in front of a return. On mine I rigged up a rope across the pool tied to chairs, then the sock to the rope. Putting it in the skimmer was not a good thing for me, and would be even worse for you since you'll be backflushing.
Proud new owner of an above-ground SWAMP
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Oh! Sorry, I definitely understand that you meant in front of the return, not in the skimmer. Okay, we will get that set up shortly. Thanks again for your help - I am learning a lot here!
Oh, and here's a pic of the snot bubbles we're getting. This one is on the larger size. These appear after we scrub the bottom and dump in chlorine.
Oh, and here's a pic of the snot bubbles we're getting. This one is on the larger size. These appear after we scrub the bottom and dump in chlorine.
I know we have told you a lot of stuff, but I will add one more which you probably already know. When you backwash to waste you are lowering the water level in the pool and need to replace it. You should have the water high enough that the strainer basket remains full while the pump is running. Since you do not have an air relief valve on the filter you may have to release the trapped air through the pump basket lid. Cut off the pump, closed the valve between the skimmer and the pump and slowly open the pump basket lid to let air pressure out. If you need to add water to the basket to fill it and hand tighten the lid turn on the pump and open the valve between the skimmer and the pump. You may have to do this several times until you no longer see a bubble in the basket.
When you vacuum try not to let any air into the system. The more of the gunk you can vacuum to waste the faster your pool will clear. Good luck.
When you vacuum try not to let any air into the system. The more of the gunk you can vacuum to waste the faster your pool will clear. Good luck.
Txmat said:
I usually keep my water level at about the middle of the skimmer. There are actually 3 screws on both sides of it so the center screws mark the middle perfectly.
Perhaps she could take a picture of the water level at the skimmer opening to the pool?
I am definitely adding water to the pool as we vacuum. The water level is actually a tad higher than the center screw. At all times, water is covering the skimmer basket. 
As far as the water level inside the pump goes - how do you get the water to fill it completely? I am thinking that is where my problem lies. We can easily fill it to the top of the pump basket, but then there is this clear dome on the cover that we try and try to get the water to fill up completely and it isn't happening. When you say fill, that's what you are referring to, right?
We just vacuumed and got a ton of black dirty water to come up, and more leaves. This time they tended to be concentrated around the edges. We kept vacuuming til the water was completely black & cloudy and couldn't see ANYTHING else. It feels like an unending battle, but we will keep going. I think maybe total we filled up two skimmer baskets with leaves, and then nothing. Each time we vacuum, we feel like it is accomplishing something and we got them all, but obviously not.
The pump is worse now, after vacuuming. Clearly it has air in the system. As soon as we turn it on, it cycles and then empties. I am thinking it is because we have so far been unsuccessful at filling it completely with water. Is there some kind of trick involved? I feel like we must be missing something obvious here.
We have the sock full of CYA all ready to go, but I dare not hang it up yet, as we can't keep the pump running longer for a minute and it loses prime. We have GOT to conquer this tonight.
Help me guys! I don't want another night with the filter shut off completely.
Edited to add - Wait! My husband and I were just talking. We've never actually ADDED water to the pump basket. We just let it refill with the pool water. Are you saying actually pour water in there separately, and then close it, and then open the valve and that will then fill the dome? This could be the thing that we're missing and proves us stupid! Oh, I hope so! :lol:
As far as the water level inside the pump goes - how do you get the water to fill it completely? I am thinking that is where my problem lies. We can easily fill it to the top of the pump basket, but then there is this clear dome on the cover that we try and try to get the water to fill up completely and it isn't happening. When you say fill, that's what you are referring to, right?
We just vacuumed and got a ton of black dirty water to come up, and more leaves. This time they tended to be concentrated around the edges. We kept vacuuming til the water was completely black & cloudy and couldn't see ANYTHING else. It feels like an unending battle, but we will keep going. I think maybe total we filled up two skimmer baskets with leaves, and then nothing. Each time we vacuum, we feel like it is accomplishing something and we got them all, but obviously not.
The pump is worse now, after vacuuming. Clearly it has air in the system. As soon as we turn it on, it cycles and then empties. I am thinking it is because we have so far been unsuccessful at filling it completely with water. Is there some kind of trick involved? I feel like we must be missing something obvious here.
We have the sock full of CYA all ready to go, but I dare not hang it up yet, as we can't keep the pump running longer for a minute and it loses prime. We have GOT to conquer this tonight.
Help me guys! I don't want another night with the filter shut off completely.
Edited to add - Wait! My husband and I were just talking. We've never actually ADDED water to the pump basket. We just let it refill with the pool water. Are you saying actually pour water in there separately, and then close it, and then open the valve and that will then fill the dome? This could be the thing that we're missing and proves us stupid! Oh, I hope so! :lol:
Larry, I believe the air relief valve may be the multi-port valve itself. When we push it all the way down, as if we wanted to change functions, there is a noticeable release of air. ?? I'm no expert though!
If the multi-port is mounted directly on top of the filter, then air will automatically come out the pipe when the pump starts and there is no need to manually vent the filter.
You're getting a clog somewhere. Your filter doesn't have an air relief valve because (presumably) everything is below the water line and will fill and expel all the air naturally.
When the water comes out of the return, does it have bubbles in it? If not, no air in system.
Water can cover the skimmer basket, but does it cover with the pump running? If there is not enough water covering the basket, the pump pulls all the water out of the skimmer and loses prime more quickly than the water can flow in from the pool. It sounds like there is enough water from your description.
By any chance are your hoses collapsing and choking off the flow of water? That might explain the backpressure popping your strainer baskets too.
When the water comes out of the return, does it have bubbles in it? If not, no air in system.
Water can cover the skimmer basket, but does it cover with the pump running? If there is not enough water covering the basket, the pump pulls all the water out of the skimmer and loses prime more quickly than the water can flow in from the pool. It sounds like there is enough water from your description.
By any chance are your hoses collapsing and choking off the flow of water? That might explain the backpressure popping your strainer baskets too.
You are filling to the top of the pump strainer pot and then putting the lid on. Once you turn on the pump on it should pull in enough water to fill the lid of the pump strainer pot. Look in the skimmer next time you turn the pump on and see if there is a whirlpool or waterfall type effect in the skimmer while the pump is running. If you see either of these conditions then you need to add more water to the pool. A waterfall or whirlpool in your skimmer will draw air into the system. The water should be moving but the surface should be relatively flat in the skimmer.
Also look at the hoses connecting the pool to the pump and filter. They should be round and open with no creases or pinched areas, and the connections should be good and snug. The backwash hose is not an issue, so don't worry if it is creased or pinched unless you are backwashing and no water comes out.
If all these things look o.k., then try adding some silicone pool lube to the o-ring on the pump strainer pot lid. Use a generous amount and rub it on the o-ring. It will help form a good seal between the pump and the lid. It only costs a few bucks and is available at most pool stores. Do not use vasoline or grease, it will cause the o-ring to deteriorate.
Also look at the hoses connecting the pool to the pump and filter. They should be round and open with no creases or pinched areas, and the connections should be good and snug. The backwash hose is not an issue, so don't worry if it is creased or pinched unless you are backwashing and no water comes out.
If all these things look o.k., then try adding some silicone pool lube to the o-ring on the pump strainer pot lid. Use a generous amount and rub it on the o-ring. It will help form a good seal between the pump and the lid. It only costs a few bucks and is available at most pool stores. Do not use vasoline or grease, it will cause the o-ring to deteriorate.
Yes, the skimmer is covered with water when the pump is running. The surface is moving but flat into it.
We are filling it to the top. The pump is NOT pulling in enough water to fill the lid.
The hoses all look okay to me. They are fat and round.
If this info doesn't help - I am going to attempt to take some video with my digital camera. The light is fading fast though. It might take me a bit to get it up here.
Yes I do mean to put water into the basket and fill until it is overflowing and then put the lid back on. So here is the procedure I am recommending you try. Turn the pump off. Close the valve that is between the pump and the skimmer. Open the lid of the basket. Fill the basket with water from the hose or a bucket. Make sure the O ring is in place and close the lid on the basket. When you look into the basket through the lid it should be full or almost completely full of water. Then open the valve between the pump and the skimmer. Turn on the pump. If the pump drains down and an air bubble appears, repeat the process. You may have to do this several times to get all the air out. Any air in the filter should be forced out through the returns to the pool. I would not push the handle down on the Multiport while the pump is running. Pushing the handle down unlocks the Multiport and changing positions while the pump is running can damage the Multiport or the spider gasket inside. From your last post it your pool has enough water. If following the procedure I outlined does not get the pump primed then I would look for a restriction in the hose between the skimmer and the pump or a leak in that hose or connection that lets air in. Since the prime problem started afte the first ill fated attempt to vacuum perhaps something got stuck in that hose. You might want to see if there is a way you can take it loose and inspect it without all the water running out. Zea is correct about lubing the O Ring on the pump basket lid. If you don't have any lube for pool o rings in your shed it would not hurt to pick up a tube at the Pool Store and lube the O ring. The lube is not too expensive and you will only use a little and the tube will last you for years.
Okay, I have the video created and saved, I just need to get it uploaded. That will take a little bit. I hope it is informative and helpful. I tried to show everything.
Larry, I think I am still missing something basic. When we open the lid to the pump, are you talking the entire round black assembly, or just the plastic clear dome? I don't see any way to open the dome - we turn the entire assembly. Because we do that, there is no place to put any more water - I ran out, excited that we might be on to something, but it was not to be.
I don't see any O-ring. I know what one should look like. Maybe it is in the plastic clear dome lid? The one I don't see how to open.
Give me a second here and I'll have the video up.
Edited to add - we don't push down on the multi-valve port thingy when the pump is on. We push down and move it if needed, then set it before the pump starts.
Larry, I think I am still missing something basic. When we open the lid to the pump, are you talking the entire round black assembly, or just the plastic clear dome? I don't see any way to open the dome - we turn the entire assembly. Because we do that, there is no place to put any more water - I ran out, excited that we might be on to something, but it was not to be.
I don't see any O-ring. I know what one should look like. Maybe it is in the plastic clear dome lid? The one I don't see how to open.
Give me a second here and I'll have the video up.
Edited to add - we don't push down on the multi-valve port thingy when the pump is on. We push down and move it if needed, then set it before the pump starts.
If I understand you, you are removing the whole basket. You do not want to do that. Just take the lid off. Some lids screw on and have little protrusions that you can gently hit with a hammer to get it to start turning. Others have hold down screws that you have to loosen. That lid comes off and under it is the O ring. Then you can fill the basket and put the lid back on.
Ugh, 10 more minutes to go before the video is uploaded. Stupid Frontier DSL.
We're not removing the pump basket at all. I wish I could be more clear; I don't have the terminology to explain fully. Sorry about that. I think the video will be much more helpful then any words I write here. However, we have 10 minutes to wait.
So...we're unscrewing the entire round black protrusion - where you look down into the pump. There's a clear dome on top of it. We're not touching the dome, we're unscrewing the whole surrounding casing. If we do this with the pump valve closed and the multi-port valve still set to filter, the pump fills with water and overflows while we are unscrewing. We have to set the multi-port valve to "closed" in order to reset the round pump casing back down. When we do this, the water is already filled over the top of the pump basket. However, once the surrounding casing is screwed back into place, there is a visible empty section inside the pump, in the clear plastic dome where you look in.
So, is there a way to open the clear plastic dome part, to fill it more completely? Is that what you are trying to tell me to do?
I'm sorry I am so dense!
We're not removing the pump basket at all. I wish I could be more clear; I don't have the terminology to explain fully. Sorry about that. I think the video will be much more helpful then any words I write here. However, we have 10 minutes to wait.
So...we're unscrewing the entire round black protrusion - where you look down into the pump. There's a clear dome on top of it. We're not touching the dome, we're unscrewing the whole surrounding casing. If we do this with the pump valve closed and the multi-port valve still set to filter, the pump fills with water and overflows while we are unscrewing. We have to set the multi-port valve to "closed" in order to reset the round pump casing back down. When we do this, the water is already filled over the top of the pump basket. However, once the surrounding casing is screwed back into place, there is a visible empty section inside the pump, in the clear plastic dome where you look in.
So, is there a way to open the clear plastic dome part, to fill it more completely? Is that what you are trying to tell me to do?
I'm sorry I am so dense!
[youtube:2682q6bp]w3YCVHUCdsQ[/youtube:2682q6bp]
There we go! You can tell by my voice that I am not a native-born Northern girl.
There we go! You can tell by my voice that I am not a native-born Northern girl.
That looks to me like you are getting air in the pump basket. When I start my pump, it immediately fills the pump basket dome with water, yours never filled up, and in fact got worse as you went on, as you could see. I am guessing your pump basket lid is not sealed, or something on the suction side is letting air in.
The FILTER lid isn't sealed? Am I understanding you right? Or did you mean the pump lid?
The pump lid is seriously tight - so tight that I can't open it.
Edited - ah, looks like you changed that as I was posting, or I suddenly went full-blown derp.
It does feel as if it is sealing as we turn it shut.
The pump lid is seriously tight - so tight that I can't open it.
Edited - ah, looks like you changed that as I was posting, or I suddenly went full-blown derp.
It does feel as if it is sealing as we turn it shut.
Not the filter, the basket housing at the pump. The one your husband removed because it was too tight. I have to use pool lube (sticky as heck silicone) to keep mine sealed. There should be an o-ring in the lid too, does yours have one? You shouldn't have to over-tighten it, it should seal.
Yes, there is a gasket, set into the pump lid. It doesn't look worn or loose. My husband is busy taking apart the hose between the skimmer and the pump basket. The logical thought is if we are dealing with a clog, it would be here. Also, the fact that I first attempted to vacuum without the skimmer basket in place makes this a contender as a culprit.