Is there anyone else who has trouble cleaning out the leaves in the pump basket? Now that it’s fall I have a significant amount of leaves that make it into my pump basket. The basket is almost completely full while the pump is running however, when I turn off the pump so that I can unscrew the lid and empty it all the leaves get sucked back into the plumbing. I’ve tried closing the valve as soon I turn off the pump or open the lid but that just makes a mess. Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening? Is anyone else running into this problem? Thanks for in advance for your suggestions.
Trouble cleaning out the pump basket.
- Thread starter In2b8er
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,367
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Do you have baskets in your skimmers?
The skimmer baskets should be capturing the leaves so that it never gets into your pump basket.
Show us pictures of your pool, skimmers, and pump.
The skimmer baskets should be capturing the leaves so that it never gets into your pump basket.
Show us pictures of your pool, skimmers, and pump.
Are these being pulled in through the main drain? Does the skimmer get full too? There isn't much more you can do to avoid the leaves. To avoid the movement back into the pipes you could try opening the filter vent and letting air in though that might already suck them to the pipes, too. In that case there isn't much you could do except for putting a check valve in the suction side to keep the water in the equipment.
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The skimmer basket has a hole in it that and the main drain is how the leaves get into the pump basket. That’s not the issue the issue is that i can’t clean it out because every time I stop the pump the water and leaves rush back down the pipes and out of the pump basket. It never really did that before or at least it wasn’t as bad. Now it’s almost impossible to clean out the pump basket because of that. I also just want to know if that’s normal.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,171
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Use hairnets in the simmer baskets. Get a stone larger than the pipe in the skimmer, and put it in the hairnet after you put hairnet over the skimmer basket, to hold down the hairnet. Eliminates leaves in the pump.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,818
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If the skimmer basket has a hole in it, replace the skimmer basket. A skimmer basket with a hole is allowing leves and other debris pass thruto the pump basket.
Use hair nets (about$10 per 100 on Amazon) in the skimmer basket to catch the bulk of the leaves and smaller debris.
Chances are if lots of leaves are sinking and getting pulled in by the main drain, either you aren't running the pump long enough or aren't running the pump when the bulk of the leaves are falling.
For the most part, water shouldn't backflow fast enough to force leaves back into the suction piping. There may be somewhere on the pressure side (after the pump) that is letting air into the system when the pump shuts off.
And if you are getting that many leaves in the pump basket, you aren't cleaning out the pump basket often enough.
Use hair nets (about$10 per 100 on Amazon) in the skimmer basket to catch the bulk of the leaves and smaller debris.
Chances are if lots of leaves are sinking and getting pulled in by the main drain, either you aren't running the pump long enough or aren't running the pump when the bulk of the leaves are falling.
For the most part, water shouldn't backflow fast enough to force leaves back into the suction piping. There may be somewhere on the pressure side (after the pump) that is letting air into the system when the pump shuts off.
And if you are getting that many leaves in the pump basket, you aren't cleaning out the pump basket often enough.
These hairnets don’t dissolve or breakdown? How often do you replace them? I have these at work I’ll definitely try this. Thank you.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,171
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Nope.
Depends. When there are lots of leaves, daily, or if it is mostly just leaves, I reach in and pull out all the leaves, and leave the hairnet alone. When there is lots of pollen, maybe every couple days. Without leaves and a solar cover, maybe once a week.
Since I started using them, I have not had to clean my pump basket.
They are just disposable so when they are too much trouble to clean you throw it away.