Above ground pool but pump house was placed above the pool. I purchased an above ground pump/DE Filter system and it won’t prime.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Srbinette

Srbinette

0
May 26, 2015
72
Berlin, NH
Pool Size
24000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Pool came with the house and very old equipment. After years of struggling I decided to update, but I am realizing now that I should have purchased an inground system since the pump house is up on the deck instead of below the water level. Is there a way to make this work? Would an inground pump work? I have a Hayward EC50AC Perflex DE Filter and the PowerFlo Matrix 1.5 HP Pump. I could move the pump house to be at or just below water level. That would involve replumbing everything. Not sure what my best option. Maybe pool life is not for us. 😅
 
I used to have a Hayward Super Pump 1HP. Unfortunately we gave it away. I’m thinking that may have worked. 😞 So I guess I’m in the market for one now. What would you recommend?
 
Srbinette said:
Pool came with the house and very old equipment. After years of struggling I decided to update, but I am realizing now that I should have purchased an inground system since the pump house is up on the deck instead of below the water level. Is there a way to make this work? Would an inground pump work? I have a Hayward EC50AC Perflex DE Filter and the PowerFlo Matrix 1.5 HP Pump. I could move the pump house to be at or just below water level. That would involve replumbing everything. Not sure what my best option. Maybe pool life is not for us. 😅
Click to expand...
What is the plumbing? Is this an above ground pool, your signature indicates something different if so as well as a sand filter. Sometimes adding a check valve in the suction line will allow a pump like that to prime as it maintains water in the plumbing when the pump shuts off.
 
One reference says "Self-Priming".

The manual does say to locate below the water for best performance, but I think that you should be able to get it to prime.

1718726249393.png



hayward.com

PowerFlo Matrix High Efficiency 1.5 Total HP

The PowerFlo Matrix has been engineered as a uniquely superior above-ground pool pump. With a single push of a button, this truly versatile pump changes from a vertical to a horizontal discharge and back again. Its large profile and integrated styling mak
hayward.com hayward.com
 

Attachments

  • ISSP1591_RevH_ae35.pdf
    733.3 KB · Views: 0
  • PowerFlo_Matrix_Manual_Bilingual_604c.pdf
    2.1 MB · Views: 0
JamesW said:
One reference says "Self-Priming".

The manual does say to locate below the water for best performance, but I think that you should be able to get it to prime.

View attachment 586532



hayward.com

PowerFlo Matrix High Efficiency 1.5 Total HP

The PowerFlo Matrix has been engineered as a uniquely superior above-ground pool pump. With a single push of a button, this truly versatile pump changes from a vertical to a horizontal discharge and back again. Its large profile and integrated styling mak
hayward.com hayward.com
Click to expand...
Way before that pump came out the SP1500 series was "the" above ground pool pump to have. They were labeled "self priming" on the wet end, but would seldom do it reliably. They came with a flap-type check valve in the pot that kept water above the inlet port to help, but using them above water level was a gamble, but builders here loved to put them on waterfalls because of that flap (that was discontinued). They worked great as a portable pump for vacuuming to waste if you knew how to make them prime. The Matrix is just an updated version with a larger pot and different lid, same type motor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JamesW
As far as the question of above ground/inground. I honestly don’t know what you would call this pool. It came with the house and is probably as old as I am. Under the deck I can see the sides of the pool but in the deep end, the panels are buried at least half way in several feet of dirt. So not sure what you call that.

Anyway, we rerouted all of our plumbing to our shed which sits below the water level in our pool and tied in our filter and pump tonight. Definitely zero issues priming. Don’t even need a hose. The water just automatically feed into it now thanks to gravity. Installed a shut off valve in front of the pump so that I can open the cover to the pump and to backwash the DE when needed without making a giant mess. So far so good. My only issue (and it’s minor) is that the bottom drain seems to struggle and I get air bubbles. I’m guessing it’s a bit clogged up with leaves. I set it to pull from just the skimmer for the night and it’s running beautifully. I’ll have to vac the bottom drain tomorrow and see how it goes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1poolman1, JamesW and Newdude

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Srbinette said:
Do you know how long they typically last?
Click to expand...
Usually way longer than typical above grounds. The ones that can be partially buried are build with better materials.

Mine was 17 years old and it was like trying to take apart a tank. It laughed at me and my power tools all day. The parts in the ground came out dirty but otherwise brand new looking.

Screenshot_20240620_141926_Gallery.jpg

The above ground stuff had some mold and mildew but otherwise was also good as new.

Screenshot_20240620_142031_Gallery.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Srbinette
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply