Strong flow, but filter at zero pressure; air bubbles in pump basket window ...

[geempool]

Hello! I am opening the pool for its 2nd ever season, and i think i am doing something incorrectly with the filter/pump. (My equipment specs are in my signature, salt water system NOT installed yet, so just sand filter and pump.) The filter stay outside all winter drained and opened, and the pump came inside and spend the winter in the basement.

To get started this year, i hooked everything up, closed the filter drain, primed the pump and put the filter on "backwash". I turned on the pump, and that went fine.

Then:
I unplugged the pump, and put the filter on "filter."

I now have great suction and flow, but there are tiny bubbles in the outflow visible on the surface of the pool, and the filter pressure has never once budged off zero, and the pump basket window has bubbles too. The filter gradualy looses its water level, and then the view glass ends up empty, until i do another backwash to fill everything back up.

At one point the breaker tripped, but has stayed on since being reset.

Am i skipping something important? Do i perhaps have a leak, either water or air -- and does anything i've said indicate where it would likely be? Or do i (also?) have a broken pressure gauge? I don't see an air relief valve, and read in another thread that not all haywards have them, so it must be something else.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Jimrahbe]

G,

I suggest that you take the gauge out and briefly turn the pump on. You could have a bad gauge, or it could be the port to the gauge is plugged.

If you have good strong flow that is all that is important. I thought the glass bubble showed water flow when in the backwash or waste mode, not the filter mode.

If the gauge is bad, I suggest that you buy a 30 lb. gauge, much easier to read.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[HermanTX]

I now have great suction and flow, but there are tiny bubbles in the outflow visible on the surface of the pool, and the filter pressure has never once budged off zero, and the pump basket window has bubbles too. The filter gradualy looses its water level, and then the view glass ends up empty, until i do another backwash to fill everything back up.

That sight glass only fills with water when you set the multiport valve to backwash or waste. The purpose is to see when the water clears. I backwash by setting to backwash, run pump for 1 min, turn off pump, set to rinse, run for 30 secs and repeat again. Your first backwash should show dirty water and then the second should start to clear up. Once you go back to filter mode - that sight glass will empty on its own.

POst a picture of all the wording on your multiport valve as each mfg. is a little different.

Some bubbles is expected at start. Do you have a relief valve at the top of your filter to bleed the air out after backwashing? Post a better picture of your guage and how it is connected to the filter.

With regard to ZERO presure you may have a bad gauge or a blocked port that gauge is threaded into.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

This is a good sign that the gauge is bad. The needle actually spun around to the other side of the stop.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mike,

Way to eagle eye the problem..

Jim R.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

This is a good replacement. Same one Tftestkits.net carries, but not in bottom mount configuration.

https://www.amazon.com/Oil-Filled-Pressure-Gauge-Connection/dp/B006VCGSX4?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=AG3HM2L81RV9O&th=1

 

[geempool]

G,

I suggest that you take the gauge out and briefly turn the pump on. You could have a bad gauge, or it could be the port to the gauge is plugged.

If you have good strong flow that is all that is important. I thought the glass bubble showed water flow when in the backwash or waste mode, not the filter mode.

If the gauge is bad, I suggest that you buy a 30 lb. gauge, much easier to read.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks, it is broken and i will get a 30lb gauge, that is a good suggestion. I will bring it inside this winter too.

I think last year (my first year), the glass bubble just always had water in it, so i thought that was pretty normal, and i just watch the backwash discharge from the hose to see when it was clear, since it seemed more accurate.
Thanks for your help!

 

[geempool]

This is a good sign that the gauge is bad. The needle actually spun around to the other side of the stop.

View attachment 432359

Thanks! I never would have noticed that! I am ordering a new one .

 

[geempool]

This is a good replacement. Same one Tftestkits.net carries, but not in bottom mount configuration.

https://www.amazon.com/Oil-Filled-Pressure-Gauge-Connection/dp/B006VCGSX4?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=AG3HM2L81RV9O&th=1

Thanks for the recommendation! This looks great!