Pool Pump vs Jacaranda Debris

[Citroënbender]

I was called out to a failed pool pump yesterday, I have never owned a pool or had anything to do with them besides swimming in one. It was my (apparent) reputation for getting stuff going which saw me there.

The pump impeller seemed to have got wedged by jacaranda twigs, I pulled it apart and cleaned out, it ran quietly thereafter and continues to operate per its timer. The 1070W motor seemed weak (not much reactive torque) when I dry ran it loose on the ground to test - is this normal? It had a large internal cap in the circuit.

Stopping debris getting that far, would be ideal. The “Kreepy Krauly” type cleaner only has a metal basket that looks like a coarse sieve, and it’s not physically attached. I’d think there could - or should - be a textile filter placed in the line before the pump as a way to stop the debris getting this far.

I figured there have to be a few pool gurus here, hoping for some pointers. Can go back during the week and get more pictures if required.

[Charliewool]

Should be a strainer basket in the pump bowl.. This stops the larger stuff, stones twigs etc

[Citroënbender]

Yes, there’s a plastic strainer basket in the chamber before the pump intake, it’s pretty coarse though - too many of the skinny, fibrous twigs off jacaranda leaves sail through.

[five 7]

You can put a pool sock in the strainer bucket at end of pool were crawler hose attachs. Catchs all debris you just need to check regularly because they can block up and blow bottom out of basket.

[five 7]

You can pick up cheap Ortizo brand pumps at Bunnings, which is what I'll buy next time ours expires.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by five 7

You can put a pool sock in the strainer bucket at end of pool were crawler hose attachs. Catchs all debris you just need to check regularly because they can block up and blow bottom out of basket.

I’ll try for pictures this week. The owner manually cleans the strainers but there’s no filter sock, and it seems odd how loosely the baskets fit.

[LG17]

Pool socks are the go but as five 7 says they need constant checking and cleaning.

[slowsnake]

My brother used his wife's old panty hose, cut both feet off and got two out of one, it worked but you have to be vigilant or they will block up easy!

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

My brother used his wife's old panty hose, cut both feet off and got two out of one, it worked but you have to be vigilant or they will block up easy!

Your brother cut his wife's feet off.
couldn't resist.

[tbro4123]

Used these for years in different properties, both had big gum trees in nearby paddocks, and every leaf that fell off where heard to scream "in the Brown's pool yeh!!!"

https://search.poolandspawarehouse.c.../Leaf-Strainer

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by tbro4123

Used these for years in different properties, both had big gum trees in nearby paddocks, and every leaf that fell off where heard to scream "in the Brown's pool yeh!!!"

https://search.poolandspawarehouse.c.../Leaf-Strainer

And silly me was thinking how much fun it is cleaning your pool, beer in one hand fishing pole with net in the other, floating around on an air mattress!

I have never owned a pool, just go to mates places or family and use theirs, but did go on strike once for a diving board for the pool in the NT!

Boss's knew we needed a long weekend, and I was encouraged to take the men out, saves going "troppo" which by the way is a real medical issue, not some fanciful poetic sounding Banjo Patterson poem,,it's real and it can be permanent, PTSD they reckon, from heat and flies!

And we dident have a pool!...lol...

[arm79]

Just curious how the cleaner connects in this pool. Typically its either a plate is clipped in over the strainer and suction port in the skimmer box and the cleaner hose connects to this plate and runs out the flappy door or it has a separate vacuum port somewhere in the pool wall.

It sounds like the former to me????

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

it seems odd how loosely the baskets fit.

If your talking about the basket in the skimmer box, it shouldn't fit too loosely. I only have experience with Onga brand pool stuff (it seems to be the most common around here) and the baskets fit in nice and tight, they actually lock into place, and hole size of the basket isn't what I'd call course. Nothing like what you find in the pump baskets. Very little gets through our basket.

The one in pump doesn't need to sit in tight and its a very sloppy fit.



I suppose its possible the original basket has gone missing or broken and has been replaced by some random brand aftermarket unit.

As tbro4123 said, a leaf catcher/canister is a good idea. Provides good first line of protection. Zodiac (as in the link) and Onga make some good options. I think, but 100% not sure, that as cool as the Zodiac one looks it requires special hose fittings either end to connect it. It why I didn't buy it and went for a simple Onga one.

https://poolandspawarehouse.com.au/p...-canister.html

Standard hoses slip on either end and they are easy to open and clean.

We have palms, eucalypts, pine and wattle trees all around us, plus all the other random trees and grass and this thing catches everything. Very rarely does it let anything through.



Filter socks sound like a good idea, but from a practical perspective they are a nightmare. By design they catch literally everything and require constant maintenance. If you don't keep on top of cleaning them they can easily clog up to a point where water cant get through them and you cause problems for the pump.

If that much crap has gone past the baskets then make sure the owner is on top of cleaning the pool filter itself. Whether it be a sand or cartridge filter, if the inlet side gets too clogged up it will raise the pressure and damage the filter and pump.

If its a sand filter, they look like a giant 9kg gas bottle with a lever for flow direction on the top, then make sure it gets a good backwash. Before you do find where the filter outlet is and make sure its suitable to dump a couple thousand litres of water, which is what it might take to clean.

On a side note, I almost got attacked by these b@stards when taking those pics.



One or both of them live under the slab surrounding the pool. The are usually quite friendly, but I didn't see them when I walked up... And they appeared quite angry this time. I think it was a case of coitus interruptus!

This is a pic from earlier this year when it appears they were having a lovers quarrel.

[tbro4123]

Slowsnake, spose you've heard the old saying about women and racecars/raceboats or boats in general?

Had all of the above, used, abused and moved them on but still have SWMBO after 41 years, but a swimming pool is just as expensive as any other "luxury".

I now get someone in to clean and maintain my (actually hers and kids) pool and equipment and it cost more than the XR8 yearly.


Terry aka Tbro

[arm79]

Originally Posted by tbro4123

I now get someone in to clean and maintain my (actually hers and kids) pool and equipment and it cost more than the XR8 yearly.

Our pool barely gets used. I think I've been in it maybe 10 times since I moved here. Dad has been using it more regularly for his version of water aerobics since he got a knee replacement earlier this year.

When I first moved here I saw Mum and Dad were paying through the nose to maintain this water hole that no one used. Around $1000 a year for the pool guy alone. I decided how to learn to look after it myself, try save them money.

Got a cover to stop the evaporation, which meant chemical usage and chlorinator levels are kept to a minimum. Even then it still costs around $300 to $400 a year to maintain. $180 to $200 of that is electricity costs and the rest is water and chemicals. Gets closer to the $400 mark if there has been a hiccup that causes an algae problem.

It would scare me to think what it costs if we used the pool regularly like yourselves and had it maintained externally.

[.:4:.]

When i had a pool, the pump/ filter setup went inlet pvc to pump, pvc to cartridge then pvc back to pool. So the basket in the pump would catch the big stuff, then pump to the filter for the small stuff. Relatebly my pool was also under a jacaranda. The only reason i can think of as to why the pump was before the cartridge filter is if you drained the filter it would be then full of air and water pumps dont pump air so i reckon if it was done in the opposite orientation so filter first, the pump would need to be primed manually with a hose or something every time the filter was drained and cleaned, even though filter pre pump makes more sense from a filtration standpoint.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

The only reason i can think of as to why the pump was before the cartridge filter is if you drained the filter it would be then full of air and water pumps dont pump air so i reckon if it was done in the opposite orientation so filter first, the pump would need to be primed manually with a hose or something every time the filter was drained and cleaned

Our pump is roughly 2ft above and 11m from the other end of the suction pipe in the skimmer box.

It will take somewhere between 30 and 90 sec to get water flowing through the pump. The X factor is how much water remains in the pump, outlet pipe and filter above it. Remembering 2 mins is about as long as you'd want to run the pump without water.

If there is no water in the pump or above it, it wont suck water from the pool at all. It needs to be partially primed.

If you put the pump on the other side of the filter I don't know if it would at all be possible to suck water through a cartridge filter, whether it was full of water or not. Definitely wouldn't be able to suck through a sand filter. You'd be asking alot of the pump to suck through filter media.