vacuum loses suction quickly

Adding chemicals, vacuuming, backwashing,
brushing, filter care, filter cleaning, replacing
worn or broken pool parts
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mr_clean
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Postby mr_clean » Sat 18 Aug, 2007 13:29

If you have a suction air leak you will have air bubbles in return lines all the time. So either way vacuuming or not after a few mins bubbles should be gone.

If you do have air bubbles only when vacuuming by new one

if you have air bubbles all the time it can be alot of things
pool water level, you start sucking air
leaky skimmer
pipes from skimmer to pump
o-ring for pump basket
worped pump basket lid from over-heating do to low water level
look at pipe comming from top of pump is it dripping water? you can cut and clean, put on new pipe dope and glue/cement back together

lets say no air bubbles

look for debri in your impeller:
turnoff pump-moter and remove basket. then take your finger or small screw driver and go to small hole at bottom and turn impeller. if it seems very hard to turn something is stuck in there and you can have problems and need to take apart a clean.

your filter:
The pool systems that come with above ground pools are not as strong as inground pool equipment.

Try cleaning your filter and inspecting all parts sometimes you will be suprised what you find in them


jimjimracing
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Postby jimjimracing » Tue 21 Aug, 2007 00:01

hi. everyone.
i am new here. first post.

search the net and found here.

my pump... works very strong without going thru the filter sys.
the filter seems blocked.. it start with 15PSI.. then 5-10 mins later. it built up to 80-90 pSI.. and i can see the body of the filter expand a bit too.

plenty of water in the pump basket..

is it hard to change the O rings and does it necessary to change the filter?..

[img]http://members.optusnet.com.au/ifleung/pool/poolfilter.JPG
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[/img]http://members.optusnet.com.au/ifleung/pool/poolpump1.JPG[img]

[/img]http://members.optusnet.com.au/ifleung/pool/poolpump2.JPG[img]
[/img]http://members.optusnet.com.au/ifleung/pool/poolpumpcontrol.JPG[img]



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mr_clean
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Postby mr_clean » Tue 21 Aug, 2007 09:19

no matter what type of filter if you see it expand with pressure rising clean it or open it up and inspect it.

if you have trouble with o-ring filter go to pool store get some magic lube/grease and lube it up alot. always make sure it fits snug if not it's harder to put on but possible with lube.

for filter frustration do to cleaning alot must be cartridge as sand & DE can backwash.

make sure to soak cartridge in good cleaner, just follow instruction on bottle.

as for new by quality cartridge & when cleaning do above
jimjimracing
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Postby jimjimracing » Tue 28 Aug, 2007 05:27

thanks mr. Clean.

i went to pool shop got some degrease power.. and soak the cartidge in warm water for few hours. scrubbed and jet cleaned.

put back and it do a great job. before the suction only last 5-10 mins.
after the clean... it last about 3 hours...

then the problem comes back again.

by the way.,, i put some grease in the valve... makes it much easy to turn.

is it good to disassemble the cartidge to just clean the cloth?? some area cannot be really scrubbed..
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mr_clean
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Postby mr_clean » Tue 28 Aug, 2007 20:23

If you cleaned the filter good and the problem comes back the cartridge could need to be replaced. How old is it? If it was not cleaned correctly over the years a new one may be needed. I assume this problem did not happen before?
Curt
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Why waste time?

Postby Curt » Wed 29 Aug, 2007 20:32

You's guys need a robotic pool cleaner. throw it in the water and plug it in.

You may NEVER have to use the vacuum equipment again. Doesn't get any better than that.
Kelley67

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Kelley67 » Wed 24 Jun, 2009 14:10

I lose suction when using vaccuum and Kreepy Krauly. Really frustrated. 8 ft deep end still has algae cause we can't get it completely done> I will try a new o-ring on basket, seems like it spits water out when you turn on filter!! Thanks!
Denali
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Vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Denali » Wed 24 Jun, 2009 14:13

Kelley67 wrote:I lose suction when using vaccuum and Kreepy Krauly. Really frustrated. 8 ft deep end still has algae cause we can't get it completely done> I will try a new o-ring on basket, seems like it spits water out when you turn on filter!! Thanks!


Hi,

If water is spitting out at the pump when you shut it off then you do want to check/replace the oring there. If you pick up a new oring then also pick up a lube to use on it. There are other areas to look for suction leaks but it sounds like you have already found it.

Good luck.
Guest

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Guest » Sat 05 Jun, 2010 14:59

I HAVE THEM SAME PROBLEM...AFTER A MINUTE OR SO I LOOSE SUCTION . WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM
Please help. I am desperate

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Please help. I am desperate » Wed 10 Nov, 2010 11:38

I need advice please. I have the same problem with my pool. Good suction when I backwash and when I connect my poolcleaner, the pool cleaner works well. That last however for only about 1 hour, then there is about no more suction, and the pool cleaner stands still. What I have notice is that when the pool cleaner is disconnected the basket at the pump is running full of water, like it is suppose to do. When I connect the pool cleaner however, the basket runs empty, and about all suction is gone. Please, I need advice what to do to correct the problem.
Ideal homes

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Ideal homes » Tue 19 Apr, 2011 17:43

I have the same problem great suction for about 10 minutes then the barracuda just stops and the pressure in the filter is high which means it has to be cleaned. The problem is I just cleaned the filter with no DE for more suction. If I back flush the system it works for about 10 more minutes. I have proper water level in the pool, no air leaks no obstructions as far as I can see and yet no suction after about 10 minutes. If everyone is having the same problem you would think someone would know something about it. I haven't read any good answers here yet. Somebody please HELP us all out with some good info.
Thanks in advance Jim C.
Poolio

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby Poolio » Thu 21 Apr, 2011 23:10

Ideal homes wrote:The problem is I just cleaned the filter with no DE for more suction. If I back flush the system it works for about 10 more minutes.


I don't understand this. do you mean that you backwashed the filter and then didn't add more DE?
billy5865

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby billy5865 » Sun 29 May, 2011 13:20

Kenny wrote:When I'm vacuuming my above ground pool, I start with real good suction power. Within 2 or 3 minutes, I have lost all suction. I backwash the filter, but the backwashed water isn't very dirty. I start vacuuming again and have real good suction for another 2 or 3 minutes, but again, I lose sucking power. I backwash again, and again I have good sucking power for a couple of minutes. I have not had this problem in past years.
Do I have a problem with my pump or filter?
Thanks,
Kenny
shelyn

vacuum loses suction quickly

Postby shelyn » Tue 07 Jun, 2011 20:42

Same thing happening to us. Air pressure at optimum, hook up vacuum works for less than five minutes then nothing. No holes in the hose. Pressure spikes and no air return into the pool. Backwash, works again for a few minutes and same problem returns. We have a sand filter so we replaced all the sand thinking that might help but nothing. Hoping someone can assist.
SPMG
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Vacuum suction

Postby SPMG » Wed 08 Jun, 2011 10:25

StarterPoolUser wrote:Thanks, Backglass. I don't notice a difference when I backwash or rinse. I'm basically just doing that (backwash/rinse) to throw off the pump and get it started again (similar to rebooting a computer!). It seems to work, so that's what I do each time.

I've taken apart the entire vacuum and found no leaks/issues with it ( I have a DirtDevil pool vacuum for above ground pools).

I haven't thgought of checking the fittings around the pump -- honestly, I'm afraid to mess with any of those connections since I'm not sure what to do if I mess things up.

When the installers came to install the pool last summer, all they left me with was one sheet of paper with very vague drawings and instructions. I thought I would have gotten a "users manual" or something! lol

Do you, by any chance, know if something like that exists for real novice pool owners like myself?

I appreciate the help and any feedback you can continue to provide. Enjoy your weekend!


Hello everyone (this is a popular subject, isn't it?)

First check for calcification on the pool surfaces.
If your pool walls are calcified then so also is the sand in the filter.
Filter and pool-surface calcification are caused by high pH - 8.6 or above at some point in the pools history.
read about the importance of pH here -


Filter calcification causes the sand to turn to stone and this typically happens from the outside in; as it does so the number of channels through the sand becomes reduced. Next what happens is the filter has just a few open spaces inside it (that are filled with loose sand that is capable of filtering) and all the rest is rocks!
Open the filter and check the sand - it should feel like soft sugar and be completely free of lumps.

The visible symptoms of filter calcification are: -
A very short time of operation before a backwash is needed,
Not much dirt being flushed out during a backwash,
High filter pressure.


The solution is to change the sand and get the pH correct asap.
Learn how to do this here -

Also try setting the selector valve to 'circulate' and then vacuuming the pool. This is best done with a clean pool or you'll make the water cloudy.

If you can continue to vacuum the pool with the valve set to 'circulation' then it is 100% certain that the problem lies within the filter.

Good luck with your pool.

SPMG

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