New pool owner and need help identifying piping

[Palombaro]

Hi, after browsing the forums it seems best to submit a pic of the piping with your question. I'm trying to ID the piping, just left a pool store and they were of no help. Showed them the picture and he said "I've never seen a setup like that before" and moved on to another customer. Thanks in advance for any help!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jdu8i9fQo2k/T24pPza-3NI/AAAAAAAABzw/akyjaJ4CMCU/s800/poolpipingnumbered.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sN1s2c4t9CM/T24pQQdiLaI/AAAAAAAABz4/EyRIMoj6P8A/s800/poolfilter.jpg

1. Pool came with a Jandy vac, the filter & housing is missing. Where does this go?

2 & 3. Help please. I know they are pump intakes but why a valve on one and not the other? My skimmer has a small suction (not enough to make a whirlpool in the basket), I removed the main drain covers (on the bottom) and there was no suction in either.

4-7 are the jets. I have 2 shut now in this pic because I'm having a flow problem and trying to troubleshoot.
8. Help please.

My jet output has decreased since I've had the house (a couple of months). I think it might be the filter because I switched the valve to the Jandy pipe (1) and there was a lot of water coming out.

Thanks again everyone.

[PoolDoc]

Have you opened your filter?

I don't know if it's a cartridge or DE filter . . . but if it's cartridge, you need to clean it, and if it's DE, you need to check it (and probably clean it!)

Do you know how to clean a cartridge? (Whatever you do, do NOT acid clean it BEFORE you clean it with detergent! But, you may not need detergent.)

[mas985]

Some of this may be guesses so keep that in mind.

1) This is on the pressure side of the pump so it may have been a pressure side cleaner.

2&3) One is from the skimmer and the other main drain. My guess is the main drain has the valve but it could either one.

8. That looks to be the filter backwash line. What type of filter is it? It may just need to be backwashed.

[Palombaro]

Thanks for the help!

I'm going to open it up and see what kind of filter I have.

[mas985]

If it has a backwash valve, it is probably DE and if not, cartridge although some DE filters don't have backwash valves either but it is rare. I take it you never cleaned the filter?

[Palombaro]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I haven't done anything but skim and brush the pool. We just bought the house.

Here's a pic of the filter......just a little dirty, huh.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PorqCAs9ba4/T3EDELmGiWI/AAAAAAAAB0M/M4gKv2_eg2g/s640/filterdirty.jpg

[PoolDoc]

That's a DE filter -- dirty, but otherwise looking OK, and not overloaded with DE powder.

It's a PacFac / Pentair Pool FNS DE filter. Here's the Pentair brochure
http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/fnsplusDS.pdf
and instruction manual
http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/FNSPlusOM.pdf
which you will want to read. You'll also need to find out which model you have -- that will put a limit on what the maximum flow and pump size should be.

Be careful with the grids -- they are dacron sail cloth over a fragile plastic grid -- and the grids get more fragile over time. The grid assemblies are usually not cheap, though I haven't looked up costs on that unit.

And, when you re-assemble the filter, be CAREFUL to clean both the tank O-ring *and* the groove under the O-ring. Dirt there will often cause a slow leak, and can damage the ring (also usually not cheap). Also, be careful not to stretch the O-ring . . . or it will be too big to get back into the groove. (No fun to be had there!)

[Palombaro]

Thanks for the the pdfs Ben. They are going to help a lot! I'm glad to hear that it's salvagable. I'll definitely take my time so I don't damage the grids, I still have over a month before the water temp will come down so there's no rush.