Skimmer Basket Help!!!

[Mical718]

So i recently purchased a new skimmer basket. Its a hayward identical to the one that was in there when new. I do have a variable speed pump and always run it at 2800rpm for 10 hours a day.

So heres the issue... for the last two weeks with the new basket i check it to empty it of debris and its constantly flipped upside down in the skimmer. All the debris then gets over to the basket in the pump. I just cant figure out why this new Hayward basket wont stay down before my pump ends up ruined.

 

[mknauss]

When the pump shuts down, is water flowing back to the skimmer? Is air building up in the pump basket and/or the filter?

Why do you run your VS pump so fast? Most pools need no more than 1200 rpm to efficiently skim. Yours may vary, but I doubt you need near full speed like you are running.

 

[Mical718]

When the pump shuts down, is water flowing back to the skimmer? Is air building up in the pump basket and/or the filter?

Why do you run your VS pump so fast? Most pools need no more than 1200 rpm to i efficiently skim. Yours may vary, but I doubt you need near full speed like you are running.

How do I determine if water is flowing back when it shuts down? As for air in filter i will open and purge it this evening to check. And i do not think any air is in pump basket.

As for the vs speed i do not know why i run it so high. I just always felt like on lower speeds there wasnt enough suction to skim thoroughly.

 

[mknauss]

When you get home, shut down the pump and see what happens. The only way I know for that basket to flip is water rushing back to the skimmer when the pump shuts down.

If water is flowing over the skimmer weir door, you are skimming. Try lowering your pump rpm to 1500 and see if the pool stays skimmed.

 

[PoolGate]

My basket is weighted at the bottom. Did the previous basket also flip over?

 

[rowiac]

This doesn't address the root cause of your problem, but you can put a rock in the basket to weigh it down. Just make sure the rock is larger than the holes in the bottom of the skimmer in case it drops in. When I put a hair net on my basket, it floats, so I use a rock to keep it in place.

 

[sktn77a]

If the weight in the bottom of the basket doesn't work, try running at a lower speed (you don't need 2800rpm for 10 hours). I'd run it at a lower speed anyway. Why the new basket does this and the old one doesn't is anybody's guess. Maybe a very slight difference in size (within tolerance) could have caused the old one to stick in position.

 

[Mical718]

Bled air out of top of filter this morning and lowered pump to 1700. My pool slide is on a 3 way jandy with the returns so 1500rpm was too little of water for thhe slide. We shall see how it goes now. Thanks fellas.

 

[Mical718]

So bleeding the filter did not work. I checked the pump lid and there is quite the air bubbles in there. Three big ones up against the clear lid and i seen some smaller ones. Gasket looks to be a little smashed thin any more. 4 years old now. So i jst ordered a new oring to try that for the pump lid.

 

[rowiac]

Also try some Aladdin Magic Lube on the o-ring to lube and help seal it. Make sure the sealing surfaces are very clean and free of debris bits. If that doesn't work, you may have a hairline crack in the clear lid or small leaks in the suction side plumbing.

 

[duraleigh]

mknauss has you diagnosed. You have a suction side leak that is sucking air into your filter, pressurizing it. When the pump is turned off, the pressurized air in the filter pushed water backwards out the filter, through the pump and back to the pool, flipping your basket.

Confirm this by letting your pump run for a few hours (it may take a while to get pressurized) and then having someone shut off the pump while you observe the skimmer......that's when it should flip.

Solutions?

1. A rock

2. Fix the suction side leak

Why is it tied to the new basket? Dunno unless the new basket is lighter or you did some plumbing work around the same time you put in the new basket and inadvertently created the suction leak.

 

[Mical718]

mknauss has you diagnosed. You have a suction side leak that is sucking air into your filter, pressurizing it. When the pump is turned off, the pressurized air in the filter pushed water backwards out the filter, through the pump and back to the pool, flipping your basket.

Confirm this by letting your pump run for a few hours (it may take a while to get pressurized) and then having someone shut off the pump while you observe the skimmer......that's when it should flip.

Solutions?

1. A rock

2. Fix the suction side leak

Why is it tied to the new basket? Dunno unless the new basket is lighter or you did some plumbing work around the same time you put in the new basket and inadvertently created the suction leak.

No plumbing work has been done and it is all only 4 years old. The only thing done at all since this has started was removing lid to clean out pump basket. So hopefully it is an issue with the lid oring.