The return flow is very low in my in-ground pool

I have an in-ground pool and have been learning this for the past 10 years. Over the past 2 or 4 weeks, the return flow is very low.

I have a Hayward pump, a Hayward cartridge filter, and no heater.

When I fist noticed, I didn't think it was my filter because I had cleaned it 2 weeks prior. But I took a chance and cleaned it again, and sure enough, the flow picked up again.

At a normal flow, the gage on the filter as 15 psi. When I started having this problem, the psi was at 25. I cleaned the filter and it back to 15 psi. But ever since, it's been at 25 psi, and even if I clean the filter, it never goes down to 15 psi.

I also changed the seal over the skimmer backet of the pump. I see no leakage of water arounf the pool equipment. The skimmer backet of the pool is empty. The pump seem to be running just fine.

This morning I threw in my sweeper that's connecting to the skimmer basket of the pool, but it doesn't seem to be sucking.

The filter is barely 1 year old.

Anything else I should be looking at?

I'm not a cart filter user, so I'm sure others will chime in here with other ideas, but is it possible that the pleats in your filter have collapsed together, in effect making one thick cartridge to pass water through? There are other threads on cartridge failures, which you can search using the google link in my sig (although until your registration is upgraded, you'll have to log out to be able to read the results) that have been posted this season, including some with pics to illustrate what I'm thinking....

there are apparently some Chinese-made filters out there that are not holding up as well as they should be, and it seems like that might be one cause for increased pressure.

By the way, welcome to the forum!


Janet

Leave the cartridge out, and try it. If it's OK with no cartridge, replace the cartridge. If it's NOT OK, with no cartridge, you pretty much know the problem is not the filter.