Tips & Tricks
Assembly & Re-Assembly:- When recommissioning your pool after winterisation or service there is a saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. If assembling any pipework unions, valves etc in fact any O-ring making a water seal it is well worth cleaning and applying a light smear of water pressure grease or similar to the seal surface. A bit around the screw threads can also help. Plumba Grease
When tightening the grease will allow the O-ring to have a bit a slip and seat correctly. A bit of grease on the threads will also help from the point of view of tightening, a correctly fitting union with both faces parallel should only need to be hand tightened, jumping up and down on the joint with plumbers pipe grips should be avoided at all costs.
Poorly aligned union joints must be avoided as pipework under extreme stress has been known to crack. Joints might well seal with the aid of the plumbers grips but be a flood waiting to happen. The suction(front) and discharge(top) ports on pumps have also been know to crack when their own union joints have been misaligned and placed under stress they were never designed to endure.
Filter O-rings:- Going with the “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” theme when assembling and reassembling O-ring and joint surfaces on sand filters it is always wise to ensure no glass or sand media whatsoever is contaminating any seal surface. Damage can be caused in the form of tiny cuts needing seals to be replaced. Inspect the seal, clean with a bit of soapy water to remove old grease, clean the mating surfaces and apply a light smear of grease before final connection.
Back Pressure to high:- A major cause of back pressure being to high can be down to an air leak on the suction side of the pump. Air can be drawn in and pushed through the pipework system and collect within the filter itself severely reducing water flow. If you have an above ground pump and filter system and in some severe cases with below water line installations it can actually cause the pump to lose prime and cause damage if not found in time. Another symptom is a noticeable loss of pressure at the pool jets. A good sign you pump and filter are working correctly is after the initial switch on there should be no bubbles or air seen through the pump leaf filter lid. It should always run with 100% water.
Air and bubbles seen in the pump leaf filter:- Bubbles in the pump filter basket is caused by air being drawn in on the suction side of the pump. When the pump is running this defect will suck air in not blow water out as the pipework is under negative pressure. If your pool is a flooded system ie a below the waterline pump, a leak of this nature can occasionally be seen as water drips when the pump is off but nothing when running. Above the waterline systems are a little more tricky as water will most likely drain back when the pump is off. All seals from the front (suction port) of the pump and pump lid must be checked and resealed. If the fault persists all the pipework from the pump back to the pool, through any valve seals must also be checked. The air is often pumped into the filter where it can cause and air-lock enough to reduce the flow by 95% damaging equipment if not found soon.