What's a pool pump?

[Dwiessner]

Hi all,

This is my first pool, and I'm totally overwhelmed by all this equipment. I don't know much about it. I know that the salt cell is new as the old one was broken when I bought the house. I know the old pool guy removed the solar controller thermostat from the pipe, so I can only run the heater on test (things like this are why he's the old pool guy and not the current pool guy), which is OK for now I guess. I also know the vacuum is new since I bought it on amazon a few months ago. The rest, I'm clueless what they are or how to care for them. Here are some pictures of my equipment (I hope, haha).



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The vacuum is a kreepy crawly sand shark. It got great amazon reviews and does a pretty great job. I just let it run, pretty much whenever the pump is running

 

[gwegan]

That looks like a Waterway single speed pump. Your power co will subsidize a replacement for that if you get a VS or you can just get a 2 speed. Either way you will drastically cut your power bill.

That looks like some kind of Jandy cartridge filter but I'm not sure. Whats the model number? Have you looked inside and cleaned it yet?

And finally a simple timer.

 

[Jimrahbe]

D,

Looking at your pictures..

1. The first pic shows the pump which is attached to the pump motor. The pump (which has the plastic lid) sucks water from the pool and sends it through your filter and salt cell and back to the pool. The motor is what makes the pump, well, "pump"..

2. Pic two is of your filter. I suspect it is a cartridge filter, but I can't tell for sure.

3. Pic 3 with all the green lights is the salt cell.

4. Pic 4 is your timer, which turns on the pump and the salt cell.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Dwiessner]

Thanks! So I found a skimmer basket in the pump. I opened it and it was full of nasty. Including a pair of underwear (not ours, so been there since who knows when). Totally gross. I cleaned the basket and replaced it.

So the filter is a first choice cartridge filter. Anyone know how I change or clean the cartridge? It looks like the whole top comes off if I loosen this band that goes around it. Does that sound right?

Also, it appears that when the solar heater is on, the water bypasses the filter. Does that sound normal?

Thanks again!

 

[Richard320]

The pump is this one: Waterway Champion 56-Frame Pump Parts - INYOPools.com

Looks like the filter is this: https://firstchoicepool.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CrystalWaterCartridgeFilter_OM.pdf which is a Waterway Crystal. At least, the part numbers on the one match the part numbers on the other. The directions for disassembly for cleaning are in there.

 

[JamesW]

It looks like the filter pressure is super high. If it is, you need to clean the cartridge as soon as possible.

 

[zea3]

The link Richard320 posted about the filter has instructions for how to clean the cartridges. You should have some valves that control the flow of water to the pump and filter. Turn the pump off by setting the tab on the timer to off. Turn the valve to the pump off. Then follow the instructions in the filter manual to clean the cartridges.

 

[Dwiessner]

Rad! Thanks everyone. I'll jump in tomorrow and try cleaning the filters and check the pressure.

 

[JamesW]

Also, turn off power at the breaker to be safe. Timers have a way of turning on when least expected.

Also, open the air relief and remove the drain plug before removing the band clamp.

 

[Dwiessner]

Hi!

So I took out the 4 cartridges. They were nasty green and covered in hair and algae. I sprayed them off and they are pretty white now.

The pressure before the cleaning was 30 psi. After cleaning, it's still 30 psi. Is that ok?

 

[AimeeH]

Hi!

So I took out the 4 cartridges. They were nasty green and covered in hair and algae. I sprayed them off and they are pretty white now.

The pressure before the cleaning was 30 psi. After cleaning, it's still 30 psi. Is that ok?

You could have a bad pressure gauge. Did it go to 0 when the pump is off? A gauge is an easy inexpensive fix. There is a good one at tftestkits.net. I have bad luck with gauges so I keep a spare on hand.

 

[woodyp]

Thanks! So I found a skimmer basket in the pump

Skimmer baskets are the one in your......well...pool skimmers! That one is called a pump basket.

The pressure before the cleaning was 30 psi. After cleaning, it's still 30 psi. Is that ok?

Open the water valve back?

 

[Dwiessner]

You could have a bad pressure gauge. Did it go to 0 when the pump is off? A gauge is an easy inexpensive fix. There is a good one at tftestkits.net. I have bad luck with gauges so I keep a spare on hand.

It goes back to zero when it's off. When I bled the pressure valve on top of the filter, water shot about 10 feet. My pool has jacuzzi like jets, a water feature, and has to pump water to the roof for the solar heater. Is 30 psi appropriate for that?

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Skimmer baskets are the one in your......well...pool skimmers! That one is called a pump basket.


Open the water valve back?

I believe everything is open, but there is a labyrinth of pipes back there. But water shoots out of the filter when I open the air valve on the pressure guage on top, the water feature is on and working, and the water coming out of the water feature is 5 degrees warmer than the pool, so it must be hitting the solar panels on the roof.