same old dirt

[CarlD]

You live in the NYC and wonder about stuff falling in your pool???? Hey! I was just in a shop off Madison Ave yesterday and the owner's been worried about BRICKS falling through his roof from a 17 story chimney next door that collapsed! (took out half his shop, too!). Now THAT is falling stuff!

Look, we mods aren't perfect but we've helped lots and lots of people. Janet wanted to ascertain if there was something going on in your water you weren't aware of but instead you assumed she hadn't read it. Not nice....So let's lose the NY 'tude, and start again, OK? It's also our SOP to get a baseline before we can assess.

You've gotten some excellent advice. We are all 99.99% sure your pump is total overkill--and the source of your problem. When it comes to pumps and filters, a filter's capacity must ALWAYS exceed the pump's output or it won't work well or even damage your filter.

With that tiny a pool (nothing wrong with tiny) I would strongly recommend that you go no higher than a 1/2 hp pump MAX--1/3 would be better. I'm guessing you don't have a 220v feed for the pump, but if you do, a small 220 pump might run cooler. Any pump in that size range working correctly with your filter will turn over your water in just a few hours, too. Personally, I think a 1 hp 2spd, 220 pump, while a GREAT pump, (I have one for 20,000 gal) is a waste of money if you will only use it on low speed--and you cannot use it on high with a 12' pool. I would just go for a smaller pump.

Plus, you have Con Ed, reputed to be the most expensive electric in the nation--so savings there should be significant (grew up with Con Ed--Never believed "Con" stood for "Consolidated") No matter.

I'd bet dollars to bagels you'll need a new cartridge AFTER you replace the pump because it's filter paper has probably been damaged. I'm guessing a cart is preferable because of the tight space meaning there's no good way to backwash.

Consider what we've said.

BTW, size of pool is only relevant to us with regard to equipment and chemicals. It's just sizes and amounts--nothing but numbers. I've always said that on a hot day, sitting in a floating lounge, with a cool drink, listening to your favorite music or a Mets/Yankees game (best is an interleague game), you won't care if it's 3000 gallons or 30,000 gallons!

I'm just across the river in New Jersey so I'm familiar with the area and the issues here.

[mja351]

i dont have 220v in the yard and between the central ac and the pool my con ed bill is 320 and thats for may, june july and august are coming , lol and thankfully no bricks falling here
thanks for help. one more question though how long to run this oversized pump for this tiny pool?

[CarlD]

I don't know. but if you know the GPM of the pump you can get a rough estimate. I'm guessing you have around 3,300 gallons (assuming 4' deep).

With that, and, for example Hayward's SMALLEST above ground pump (1/2 hp--120volt) you could turn over your pool in as little as 1 hour! Worst case scenario it could take 3 1/2 hours. Considering turnover in a large of 8 hours is consider normal, that's pretty darn good.

So that's where you can start.

[PBLsQuad450]

Hey MJA,
I am also a local. About 10 miles as the crow flies across the bay in NJ. I run a 1hp pump on a 33,000 gallon IG pool. Just replaced my 11 year old Hayward pump motor. That job was hot and heavy, literally. Anyway, you could be pulling it in and blowing it through, over and over. Wait 'till you deal with dead algae with a sand filter. PITA! Easy enough to fix though. Just vac to waste next time. Even with only a few minutes you will be able to get the dirt out and skip the filter altogether. If it re-apears, it is not a pump motor filter ratio issue it is just a "this is what is in the air here" issue. I get that a lot early season and dry weather. Later, for no explainable reason it stops? But the other stuff starts up, helicopters, Wisteria pods, you name it. The folks here are a resource you should appreciate completely, and I do not over-state this. Been care-taker of a pool, on and off for a combined 3 decades. Until PF I still thought pool stores had a use other than parts.

[polyvue]

The advice provided regarding pump size for your ~3400 gallon pool is very good. I would also like to suggest that a 40 sq ft cartridge filter is somewhat small -- not unusual when purchasing standard equipment for a small above-ground pool. If you have opportunity and desire to upgrade your cartridge filter, look for one that is in the neighborhood of 100 sq ft; that's a better match for your gallons/area and you'll find that you don't have to clean it as often. Of course, just replacing the filter media (cartridge) may help with your problem.