Saturday, December 29, 2012
PUMP PROBLEMS
Pool Pump Problems
Pump Running But Not Pumping Water (or not enough flow)
One of the main pool pump problems I hear from customers is" the pump is running but it’s not pumping any water". This is because the pump is not "primed" or at least not primed fully. When the pump is primed, it means the water is flowing through the pump at top speed, creating suction and pressure. Here’s a few of the MAIN causes of a pump not being fully primed or primed at all:
1) The water level has dropped below the skimmer level and the pump is sucking air-or, if you have a weir flap in the skimmer it may get stuck in the closed or up position. (Also, if you have a skimmer basket with a round weir that bobs up and down inside, if the basket gets full of leaves it may get stuck in up position cutting off water flow).
2) Possibly the pump lid is not on tight or needs a new or cleaned/lubricated o-ring
3) If the pump has a closed face impeller , possibly debris has gotten past the pump basket (maybe broken basket?) and clogged impeller.....or, impeller shaft may be broken and the motor is spinning but NOT the impeller.
4) The plumbing going to your pump may be clogged
5) If you have a check valve on the inlet side of pump, part of it may have broken off and is blocking inlet
6) The inlet or outlet plumbing of pump has become loose, causing an air leak (often due to PVC pipe shrinking because pump ran dry and heated plumbing)
7) A diverter valve in front of pump is leaking air (through stem and/or cap o-rings)
8) The ceramic shaft seal is leaking water and/or air
9) Most pumps have a threaded plug before and after the impeller on the lower side (usually right side) of pump-these small plugs(about 1/4 inch) may come loose, letting in air.
10 )If you have just installed a new pump or motor or the pool was drained or any plumbing has been redone or for any reason air has gotten into your plumbing line you may need to force water through your plumbing from the skimmer to the pump to remove air....this can be done with a device called a "drain jet" (shown below) that is available from a hardware store....it can also be used in reverse FROM the pump TO the skimmer to fix problem #4 above!...AND possibly FROM skimmer TO pump while pump is off to find air leaks for problems #5,6,7,8 and 9 above!
11) If your pump has a problem catching prime AFTER cleaning the pump basket, try installing a swing check valve in front of pump.
12) If pump is 230 voltage, is it running on only 115 volts?
13) Dirty filter?
Drain jet which is a canvas "balloon" that attaches to water hose and forces water down pipe - below that is more common rubber version.
Pump Making Excessive Noise
1) Most often this is due to bearings in motor failing
2) Sometimes a blockage such as a filter backwash in the halfway position can cause excessive noise
3) Sometimes the motor endbells can wear out letting the bearings oscillate inside creating a rhythmic noise(more on this in motor section)
Capacitors shown below with microfarad value (uF) highlighted in orange. The smaller capacitor is for a 1 HP or smaller motor, the larger capacitor is for a 1.5-2 HP motor
Motor Stuck - Hums Then Trips Breaker or Just Shuts Off
1) Most likely a bad capacitor(shown above),which is located on the top of most motors under rounded cover and sometimes on the end of motor...it can be checked by an ohm meter - the correct reading would be a drop to zero followed by a slow rise in resistance. If you replace capacitor, the capacitor should be of the same value or at least within a few percent of value of microfarads (MFD or uF symbol on capacitor)
2) Stuck impeller usually due to debris caught in impeller, but can also be caused by calcium build up from leaking seal-to check, try turning motor shaft or impeller by hand with power off to see if impeller is stuck
Sometimes if you have an air leak somewhere in equipment, after pump shuts off the flow of water may reverse causing debris from filter to back up into the pump impeller. When the pump tries to start the following day, the motor cannot overcome the friction of debris to start. This may be a very slow process, perhaps hours after pump shuts off.
3) Motor has improper voltage or is simply old and start winding is burnt out
4) The bearings have seized
5) Also, a thermal overload switch will just shut off pump if it overheats.
Problems unique to two speed pumps
1) Pump starts in low speed but will not start in high speed or go to high speed - this can be caused by a capacitor which is partially damaged (it has enough power to start at low speed and perhaps even go to high speed with the inertia, but cannot start at high speed). After changing capacitor, try running pump at night when its cooler to get a longer capacitor life.
2) Pump starts in high speed but NOT in low speed...usually caused by obstruction (debris on/around/in impeller)- the pump does not have enough torque to overcome friction on low speed...clean out pump impeller and surrounding area, check for cracks in pump basket.
2-speed pumps should be started in high speed for a few minutes to catch prime and avoid the problem above...in fact most utility companies require some of two speed controller to be eligible for rebate programs, which offer automatic switching to low speed after catching prime.
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Friday, December 28, 2012
BLACK ALGAE
What are black algae?
A black algae is a thread-like growth on the rough surfaces of the swimming pool. Black algae will appear as dark black slippery spots on pool surfaces (walls and floor), and also forms a protective coating.
Black algae form a layered structure where the first layer (which chlorine may kill) protects under layers from further destruction. Black algae are similar to the black algae that are found on bathroom shower tiles and in silicone seams near the bath. This form of algae is very slow growing but very hardy. It is extremely chlorine resistant.
Some other articles I have read claim that black algae is very difficult to get rid of. In my experience, this is not true even with a severe break out. The only difficult part is making sure you brush all affected areas in the pool.
The process
I mentioned brushing. Before adding any chemicals, you will need to brush the entire pool (all black algae spots) with a STEEL bristle brush. Your nylon wall brush will not work since the black algae have a protective coating that needs to be brushed off and exposed.
Once the head of the all black algae have been brushed and exposed you will shock or super-chlorinate the pool using granular chlorine (Calcium hypo chloride). Make sure you raise the chlorine to at least 15ppm for 24 hours. See my other articles on shocking the pool.
After 24 hours the black algae should be completely gone. I recommend a quart of black algae algaecide as a precaution and for regular maintenance doses.
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Keeping your pool sparkling clean
Keeping your pool sparkling clean doesn't have to be as cumbersome as
you might think. All pools are different, and so are their maintenance
needs. However, they all share one commonality: The secret to pristine
pool health is regular, routine care. If you choose to handle common
problems like murky water or broken pumps on your own, make sure to
always consult manufacturers' manuals before fixing or using equipment.
No matter if you rely on a service company to take care of your pool,
you still need to do a few things on your own to ensure your pool stays
in good condition for years.
Pool Chemicals Explained
Pool Chemicals Explained
Pool chemicals fit into distinct categories each of which
performs a different function. Balancing chemicals, sanitizers, oxidizers,
algicides and miscellaneous agents when used correctly, provide the foundation
for clean sparkling pool water. The emergence of various pool chemical
treatment systems in our free marketplace however gives consumers a choice of
how they want to accomplish this task. Mixing components from different systems
though can be counterproductive, so understanding what to use and how it
affects your pool water is critical.
Types of Pool
Chemicals
Balancers
Balancing
chemicals adjust three of the natural properties of water to provide an
acceptable medium for all other chemicals to function properly. Municipal
drinking water used to fill swimming pools usually requires the addition of
these balancing chemicals in varying quantities. The alkalinity of pool water
must be between 80 and 120 ppm (parts per million). The Ph needs to be set
between 7.2 and 7.6 on the Ph scale that ranges from 1 to 14, with 7.0
considered neutral like the water in a fish tank. Calcium hardness must be
between 180 and 240 ppm to prevent either the corrosion of any metal that is
exposed to the water or the depositing of a scaly material on the pool wall.
Sanitizers
Once the water
is balanced, it is time to use a sanitizer. This is the first line of defense
against an onslaught of negatively charged particles in the pool, such as dirt,
pollen, body oils, suntan lotion and organic waste. Sanitizers penetrate the
outer membrane of organic particles and destroy them. They also bind themselves
to inorganic particles and render them ineffective on a molecular level. Both
scenarios however, leave the debris of the bound or destroyed cells in the
pool, which may appear as cloudy water.
Oxidizers
Oxidizers burn
up and remove the debris left by the sanitizer. Chlorine shock is a powerful
oxidizer that will raise the chlorine level in a pool from between a normal 1.5
to 3.0 ppm up to 9.0 ppm, which will burn a person's skin. Each manufacturer
places a label warning about re-entering the pool only after the level of
oxidizer has decreased to a safe level of under 3.0 ppm once again. Hydrogen
peroxide is a primary ingredient in other oxidizers, which also requires
careful handling due to its caustic nature.
Algicides
Algae can
bloom in a swimming pool overnight if the conditions are right, so most systems
include an algicide as part of their regular pool maintenance program.
Algicides come in various concentrations, engineered to combat the widest
variety of algae types that may affect the pool. Black algae, mustard algae and
something called pink slime are all stubborn variations of organisms that each
require an application of a specific product designed especially to neutralize
their one type.
Miscellaneous
Other pool
chemicals such as flocculent combine small particles together so their larger
size will trap them in the filter instead of simply passing them through it and
back into the pool. Metal binding chemicals are required if the pool's source
water has iron, copper or manganese. These metals if not neutralized will
become visible when chlorine mixes into the water, turning it brown, purple or
even black.
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