PSI rate seems low

[cody21]

I don't normally monitor our PSI rate on on Pentair (2-cart) Filter. I note it from time to time and I think it used to run around 12-15 PSI under normal operation. The other day I looked at it and it was around 8 PSI. Definitely below 10. When I activate the Solar water & the divertor is on full, it jumps to around 13-14. Having the Polaris Vac cleaner running doesn't seem to make much of a difference - Off or On. The strainer basket is clear. I removed and cleaned/replaced the 2 Cart Filters. No difference.

So my questions are:

- Is 8 PSI suggesting a problem in the system?
- Is Low pressure better than say HIGH pressure (18-20 psi)?
- If considered LOW, what can cause this? And specifically, how to Diagnose the issue?

TIA

 

[Jimrahbe]

Cody,

The filter pressure by itself does not tell us much..

As an example... My normal filter pressure is about 1 lb... This is because I have a large Cartridge filter and run my pump at only 1200 rpm. This is plenty to turn on my salt cell and skim my pool.

The filter gauge really measures how hard it is to push water through the filter.. Low is always better, as long as there is good water flow..

Do you have good flow back to your pool or not? Does the water coming out of a pool return feel strong or weak?

Low filter pressure and low flow would be a problem. In general this would mean the pump is not moving enough water. For this issue, the first place to look would be a clogged pump impeller.

I assume you have a single speed pump.. If not, what speed is the pump running?

Did you do something that would effect your filter pressure?? Like replacing the pool eyeballs with a different size eyeball? Replacing your cartridges? Replacing the whole filter or ??? Changes in the pool plumbing?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[cody21]

Cody,

The filter pressure by itself does not tell us much..

As an example... My normal filter pressure is about 1 lb... This is because I have a large Cartridge filter and run my pump at only 1200 rpm. This is plenty to turn on my salt cell and skim my pool.

The filter gauge really measures how hard it is to push water through the filter.. Low is always better, as long as there is good water flow..

Do you have good flow back to your pool or not? Does the water coming out of a pool return feel strong or weak?

Low filter pressure and low flow would be a problem. In general this would mean the pump is not moving enough water. For this issue, the first place to look would be a clogged pump impeller.

I assume you have a single speed pump.. If not, what speed is the pump running?

Did you do something that would effect your filter pressure?? Like replacing the pool eyeballs with a different size eyeball? Replacing your cartridges? Replacing the whole filter or ??? Changes in the pool plumbing?

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks for the fast response Jim. This is a Single Speed pump ... Actually, we replaced it about 9 months ago with the exact same Single Speed pump (1.5 HP). That has been the only change to the system. The flow back into the pool feels normal. So maybe it's good that the pressure is low but flow is normal. Thanks again.