Pressure too low.

[thilbert]

OK, I've been working on my pool for the last couple weeks in anticipation of the summer season.

I started out by cleaning the grids in my D.E. Filter (I actually had to replace two of them).

I then did all the normal stuff like adding enough bleach to shock and keep it at that level all the while filtering it.

When I added D.E. to the pool for the first time after cleaning it, my pressure was 10 PSI and on subsequent back washes after adding D.E. the pressure remained the same.

Until last night. We had some pretty bad wind and it was blowing all kinds of gunk into the pool. I was cleaning the skimmer baskets about every 15 minutes because the pump was cavitating.

Now this morning, I disover that my pressures (with clean D.E.) are at about 3 PSI. There are no debris in either skimmer nor in the hair basket. What could be causing the low pressures?

I might add that I just backwashed again and refilled with D.E. and my pressure are still very low.

[duraleigh]

Hi,

I would almost be certain you have some blockage somewhere on the suction side of your system. Do you have any check valves on the suction side?
Do you have any type of restriction that could capture that gunk somewhere between the skimmer and the pump?.....that's almost surely where the problem lies. The pump (impellor)itself could be clogged but I doubt that unless your pump basket was removed for a period of time with the pump running.

Dave S.

[thilbert]

Nah, no restrictions / check valves. I suspect that some gunk did get caught up in the impeller. I'll disassemble the pump tomorrow and check.

We have post oak trees that have produce a flower http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/biohires/q/hqust--flinflor32263.JPG that is about 2 inches long. Last night we had some wicked wind which stripped our trees of these a deposited them into the pool.

I barely managed to keep up with emptying the strainers (alternating) so I didn't shut down the pump while dumping the strainer basket.

I think that was a big mistake as I think I allowed a number of those flowers through and they are definitely small enough to get through the filter on the pump.