I posted last week about struggling to get a good suction at my skimmers. I originally attributed it with junking up the filter with a phosphate remover, however, even after clearing that out, I still lose suction after about a half hour of use. Very frustrating because I need to get a good vacuum in! I’m hoping to resolve this with a little DIY without involving my pool guy.
My two concerns are the low suction with a high pressure reading. When the system initially starts up, pressure is about 23 psi, and then it slowly creeps up and levels around 29. That's when I see my skimmers are basically useless.
I’m thinking (with my pretty limited knowledge) I may have two problems going on since I can’t find any articles or posts about the two being related. Usually it’s the opposite relationship, no?
Here’s what I’ve done so far
- backwash, remove and rinse filter
- recharged with DE
- lubricate o ring at pump
- checked impeller and pump for obstructions
My observation
- slight drip on suction side while system is both on and off. Looks to be around the Hayward Cyclolac ball valve. I’ve attempted to tighten this but to no avail. Should I try lubricating this? Glue? Or is that a waste of time?
The pool guy explained that would be impossible because only air leaks can occur on the suction side while on, and it shouldn’t be contributing to this problem. He hasn’t seen the problem himself because when the system starts up, it primes and runs perfect (wish he would stick around for a bit and watch!) I also considered that a grid could be damaged, but I think I can rule that out. Pool guy had the thing disassembled and cleaned and I assume (hopefully) he would have caught that.
I can provide photos or more info about my equipment if necessary. Thanks!
My two concerns are the low suction with a high pressure reading. When the system initially starts up, pressure is about 23 psi, and then it slowly creeps up and levels around 29. That's when I see my skimmers are basically useless.
I’m thinking (with my pretty limited knowledge) I may have two problems going on since I can’t find any articles or posts about the two being related. Usually it’s the opposite relationship, no?
Here’s what I’ve done so far
- backwash, remove and rinse filter
- recharged with DE
- lubricate o ring at pump
- checked impeller and pump for obstructions
My observation
- slight drip on suction side while system is both on and off. Looks to be around the Hayward Cyclolac ball valve. I’ve attempted to tighten this but to no avail. Should I try lubricating this? Glue? Or is that a waste of time?
The pool guy explained that would be impossible because only air leaks can occur on the suction side while on, and it shouldn’t be contributing to this problem. He hasn’t seen the problem himself because when the system starts up, it primes and runs perfect (wish he would stick around for a bit and watch!) I also considered that a grid could be damaged, but I think I can rule that out. Pool guy had the thing disassembled and cleaned and I assume (hopefully) he would have caught that.
I can provide photos or more info about my equipment if necessary. Thanks!