pool pressure

[PhantomAndy]

I'm assuming that if you changed from Baq, to Cl that you changed your sand. If not - you need to. . .

I agree - it sounds like you are losing prime or getting air in your pump somewhere.

Could the impeller be damaged? Check that as well.

[dixiecowgirl]

I did not change my sand......how can i check the impellar

[dixiecowgirl]

the container with the clear lid is always filled with water no air

[dixiecowgirl]

when i backwash the water is cloudy then clear, when i rinse it is kinda green. The pool is cloudy but you can easily see the bottom. thought this info might help.

[KurtV]

I did not change my sand......how can i check the propeller

With this additional information, I'd put my money on an incomplete Baqua conversion (and maybe a bad guage as well).

As Andy said, you do need to change your sand. Your sand is probably full of goop from the Baquacil that backwashing can't remove. That would explain why you're not seeing much pressure drop after backwashing but you are getting better return flow for a short time. Basically, the goop in the sand has made your filter super good at removing everything from your water which is quickly plugging up the filter. The only piece that doesn't seem to fit my theory puzzle is that your not seeing any further rise in pressure as the filter gets more and more clogged. That's why I still think you may have a bad guage (heck, it could be gunked up with Baqua-goop as well).

As for checking for air in the system, there should be a small valve on the pressure guage. Open that and see if you get a significant amount of air coming ouit before any water comes out. If you get water right away, you pobably don't have any suction side leaks.

[dixiecowgirl]

i will change my sand this week end. i could not find a valve on the pressure gauge it is now at 18.this is an above ground pool..i dont know if that matters

[Jack T.]

What're the odds?

Just bought a house, with a 30' oval AG pool. I have *zero* experience with pools, so I have been scouring this site for days.

I'm having exactly (well, almost) the same problem Dixie is having. . .Pressure gauge at 20lbs, backwash clean water, no drop in pressure. I'm 98% certain the pool has always been a chlorine pool, since there was old chlorine stuff in the shed.

The only difference in our problems is that my pool has good output pressure as long as the vac isn't hooked up (ezVac). The vac will run really well for awhile (10 minutes), then just quit working. Left the pump running all night (for the first time) and output pressure was still really good this morning. . .

So. . .all that to say that I'll be watching this thread with great interest. . .hoping ya'll get Dixie fixed up. . .so I can do the same thing to try to fix mine!

[matt4x4]

This may be a dumb question, but are you guys checking both strainers? Could be the one in the pump is hopelessly clogged!
Also, when running a vac that connects to the skimmer and uses the suction to drive it, sometimes it helps to remove the strainer in the skimmer to stop it all from sucking in air through the excess gaps that are then there, this can stop the vac from working quickly.

Another problem I see frequently is that people are not backwashing long enough, usually it takes 20+ seconds before you will see dirt coming out.

Another issue when sucking in air can sometimes be that the pump lid didn't get tightened enough or the seal is pinched - you will suck in air that way and lose prime.

When you're trying to clean up dead algae - backwashing frequently is common, I tend to have to backwash about 10 times during the cleaning process if I had to kill a bloom before it's back to normal. (also a 30 foot pool)

[duraleigh]

Hi, Jack,

Welcome!! It would probably be wise to start your own thread and describe your condition (including the things you've eliminated) under a new title. That'll get you more attention and keep this thread from getting confusing.