newbie with pool... pressure problem.

[lange]

just bought a house. First pool.
It has an old Jacuzzi FM... must be 25 years-old. But every pool guy tell me it's as good as a new machine.

I'm also not very good with all the terms for the machinery I have so forgive me.

Sometimes when I vacuum... especially if the vacuum meets some resistance like when it sucks real well at the bottom of the pool, it will stop working. No more sucking action... no more jet in the pool. Then I unplug the vacuum from the skimmer (I have one skimmer and one jet in the inground pool) and after a minute or so, everything starts again.

Now, that wasn't to bad but I bought a barracuda. When I plug it in the skimmer, it will work for max 15 seconds before it stops sucking and before the jet stops.

Also, when I vacuum, a lot of bubbles come out the jet.

I thought about air infiltration. I changed the rubber ring thing inside what must be called the pump... the small engine near my filter. Although the original ring was cracked, the new one didn't help.

thanks for any help you might have

[lange]

Anyone has a clue???

[Bleach=Chlorine?]

just bought a house. First pool.
Sometimes when I vacuum... especially if the vacuum meets some resistance like when it sucks real well at the bottom of the pool, it will stop working. No more sucking action... no more jet in the pool. Then I unplug the vacuum from the skimmer (I have one skimmer and one jet in the inground pool) and after a minute or so, everything starts again.

Now, that wasn't to bad but I bought a barracuda. When I plug it in the skimmer, it will work for max 15 seconds before it stops sucking and before the jet stops.

Also, when I vacuum, a lot of bubbles come out the jet.


You are probably losing prime on the pump because it can not draw enough water. To figure anything out we would need additional info (Motor HP, Age of Equip, distance to pool, uphill/downhill, valve settings - 100% skimmer or 50/50% skimmer/drain). Thanks

[lange]

You are probably losing prime on the pump because it can not draw enough water. To figure anything out we would need additional info (Motor HP, Age of Equip, distance to pool, uphill/downhill, valve settings - 100% skimmer or 50/50% skimmer/drain). Thanks

I tried to get as much info as I can. 1 Hp motor. Must be 25yo. 15 feet from pool. Ground level... very level not uphill.

The filter is a jacuzzi 20fm spec B
THe pump is a jacuzzi IL-s/B
Mod: 1103022423
rpm: 3450
Date code: L83

Also, the drain in the bottom of the pool is not working. The last home owner told me that. And I have only one jet working, the one nearest to the drain at the bottom of pool isn't. Are they connected those two?

So hope the extra info can help someone help me. Thanks a lot

[JohnT]

If your drain isn't working, when flow to the skimmer stops while vacuuming you will lose prime.

[lange]

If your drain isn't working, when flow to the skimmer stops while vacuuming you will lose prime.


So what you are saying is my problem comes from the drain not working?
If my drain at the bottom of pool is not working... what might be broken???

[PoolFool123]

Sounds like the hose on your manual vac might be leaking air into the system which is causing the pump to lose prime. Any air, even for a fraction of a second, that gets into the stream of water going to the pump can cause the pump to lose prime. You always want to avoid this, when possible, because the water cools the pump and it can overheat when sucking air or trying to regain prime. When you are connecting the Barracuda, you're probably letting air into the suction side from the cleaner and the hose. This interruption in water flow will be enough for the pump to lose prime. I always hook everything up to the hose, be it the manual or automatic vac, sink the vac and THEN hook the hose up to the skimmer. Sometimes I'll even sink the hose segments to get them full of water. Anyway, always try to avoid getting air into the system. I know you are getting air in because you say you see bubbles coming out the jets.

To check the hose for air leaks, pick each segment up out of the water while hooked to the skimmer and listen for a hissing sound. Most of the time, if a hose is going to suck air, it'll do it at the hose joints. If you hear the hissing noise, replace both segments. I've gotten a lot of cheapie hoses that don't mate up well.

[JohnT]

So what you are saying is my problem comes from the drain not working?
If my drain at the bottom of pool is not working... what might be broken???

Could have a leak in the line and they plugged it. Could be the type that routes through the skimmer and they didn't take out the plug in the skimmer when opening the pool. Could have a bad valve. Could be clogged. Could be that the pool loses prime if you open the valve to the drain suddenly (which is not uncommon) making them believe it didn't work.

[lange]

I always sink the barracuda and the hoses and fill them up... I know this part is okay... but I'll look for small holes in hose.

When I saw all the bubbles coming out the jet, I thought of the pump. So I changed the rubber in the cap that we can take off on top.
The old rubber was cracked. But even with a new one, nothing changed.

But will look for the hose... but I don't feel very optimist about this option. Will give comebacks tomorrow. thanks

[Bleach=Chlorine?]

It sounds like the current setup is struggling to work as it is. When you vacum manually or with an auto cleaner you are putting extra strain on the equipment. Can you post pics of your equipment setup and pool? I am curious how they determined those lines are bad and if they capped them or what. Also, your motor is probably only putting out 1/2 - 3/4 HP at 25 yrs so that extra strain from the vacums is causing problems. With no main drain and only one return jet working it may be time to call in a pro to diagnose your problems but it will prob be expensive to replace/fix those lines and replace the pump. Your best bet may be finding a reasonable robotic cleaner since it does not run off your pump equipment and has such high quality filtration it could help supplement your current filtering. If you can, post the pics. Thanks

[lange]

It sounds like the current setup is struggling to work as it is. When you vacum manually or with an auto cleaner you are putting extra strain on the equipment. Can you post pics of your equipment setup and pool? I am curious how they determined those lines are bad and if they capped them or what. Also, your motor is probably only putting out 1/2 - 3/4 HP at 25 yrs so that extra strain from the vacums is causing problems. With no main drain and only one return jet working it may be time to call in a pro to diagnose your problems but it will prob be expensive to replace/fix those lines and replace the pump. Your best bet may be finding a reasonable robotic cleaner since it does not run off your pump equipment and has such high quality filtration it could help supplement your current filtering. If you can, post the pics. Thanks


Thanks a lot for all your help, today it's raining so tomorrow, will try to post pics