Jacuzzi JCF425 Cartridge Filter System Cleaning Problem

Jun 18, 2018
78
Lake Almanor, CA
Brand new out of the box Filter System was installed last week along with brand new Jacuzzi pump. [Important to note: both were installed by a plumber who had never installed a pool pump system. In the area where I live [remote mountain town in Northern California] there is no certified pool service that will come this far to do pool maintenance. I do everything myself beyond installation.] The filter system replaced a very similar filter so I am very familiar with the cleaning, O-Ring lubing, air-release, water draining stuff.] When the plumber installed the filter system, he did NOT take about the tank assembly. I did question him about whether we should inspect the O-Ring and it was his belief that it came factory-direct with the O-Ring in place. Everything started up fine. Got prime, had great intake and output at the pool. Several days later, I get suspicious because the water does not seem much cleaner. There was no rise in PSI...it was still zero. The pool was not terribly filthy. I had netted and run my pool sweep before start-up and got it very clean from debris. The winter cover does a great job of keeping stuff out. But I still wondered why the clarity wasn't getting better. Shocked the pool, too.
I began to wonder about the O-Ring. Here's where my problem begins. I turned off the pump and took apart the Filter System. No O-Ring! At first I thought it was a separate part so I inspected the packing box. Nothing. I called Leslie's since I'd purchased it from them. They had an O-Ring in stock at my local store. Two Hours AWAY! Guy on the phone said before you hop in your truck, see if it slipped into the tank. The O-Ring had slipped into the tank! So as I have done many, many times before, I reseated the O-Ring after lubing with a silicone based lube and gave the cartridges a quick spray [they had some gunk in the bases] and replaced them seating them in the base manifold and putting the top manifold in place. Little squirter tube was positioned correctly in the middle. So far so good. I've done this alot with my old filter so I wasn't worried. LOL
I lifted the filter lid into place and it just didn't seem to sit nicely on the drum. Kind of floated. Was something preventing it from firmly sitting on the lower drum? Took it off and, whoops, the O-Ring had jumped back into the tank! Put it back on and started over. Lid still not fitting. Oh well, it probably will come together with the Filter clamp and spring barrel. Or so I thought.
I struggled for two days to get the top to clamp to the bottom. Meanwhile the O-Ring slipped countless times thus I had to stop and reseat the thing countless times. The clamp would not bring the top flange down to the bottom flange. The clamp kept falling off because I could not press down on the lid to get the flanges closer together. When I say two days, I took a lot of breaks. It was super frustrating as this was a fairly easy task with my old filter system.
I called Jacuzzi to see if they had advice. They said to seat the O-Ring and leave it for a couple of days to see if it would tighten up. Meanwhile, the temperatures are in the high80s and 90s and I'm worried about not running the pump.
I do as they suggested and go back into the pool shed to start over. Couldn't do it. Almost gave myself heatstroke.
I finally groveled and called my young electrician neighbor figuring my hands aren't strong enough to bring the ends of the clamp together to get the spring barrel on.
Poor guy. I nearly killed him. Took us 45 minutes to finally get it done [after the O-Ring popping off multiple times].
Is there an easier way? Anyone have one of these beasts? Please tell me there is something wrong and that I can fix it and not do this everytime I need to clean the filters? Thanks.
 

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This sounds like a design or manufacturing flaw in the Jacuzzi filter. The fact that the Leslie's guy correctly guessed that the o ring fell in indicates it may be a common (i.e., design) problem.

I have a Pentair cartridge filter and the o ring has never fallen into the tank. It sits nicely in its channel as I put the lid on. Can you maybe exchange the Jacuzzi for a Pentair? Getting the clamp fastened is still the hardest part and definitely easier with 2 people.

OBTW, looking at your photo, the clamp is not fully tightened because I can see space between the coils.
 
This sounds like a design or manufacturing flaw in the Jacuzzi filter. The fact that the Leslie's guy correctly guessed that the o ring fell in indicates it may be a common (i.e., design) problem.

I have a Pentair cartridge filter and the o ring has never fallen into the tank. It sits nicely in its channel as I put the lid on. Can you maybe exchange the Jacuzzi for a Pentair? Getting the clamp fastened is still the hardest part and definitely easier with 2 people.

OBTW, looking at your photo, the clamp is not fully tightened because I can see space between the coils.
Yes, I know the clamp isn't tight enough. We couldn't do it! I wonder if an exchange is in order. I appreciate you validating the fact that this is a two person job [or at least made easier]. Like I said, with my old one I could do it. It was hard. But I managed.
 
Brand new out of the box Filter System was installed last week along with brand new Jacuzzi pump. [Important to note: both were installed by a plumber who had never installed a pool pump system. In the area where I live [remote mountain town in Northern California] there is no certified pool service that will come this far to do pool maintenance. I do everything myself beyond installation.] The filter system replaced a very similar filter so I am very familiar with the cleaning, O-Ring lubing, air-release, water draining stuff.] When the plumber installed the filter system, he did NOT take about the tank assembly. I did question him about whether we should inspect the O-Ring and it was his belief that it came factory-direct with the O-Ring in place. Everything started up fine. Got prime, had great intake and output at the pool. Several days later, I get suspicious because the water does not seem much cleaner. There was no rise in PSI...it was still zero. The pool was not terribly filthy. I had netted and run my pool sweep before start-up and got it very clean from debris. The winter cover does a great job of keeping stuff out. But I still wondered why the clarity wasn't getting better. Shocked the pool, too.
I began to wonder about the O-Ring. Here's where my problem begins. I turned off the pump and took apart the Filter System. No O-Ring! At first I thought it was a separate part so I inspected the packing box. Nothing. I called Leslie's since I'd purchased it from them. They had an O-Ring in stock at my local store. Two Hours AWAY! Guy on the phone said before you hop in your truck, see if it slipped into the tank. The O-Ring had slipped into the tank! So as I have done many, many times before, I reseated the O-Ring after lubing with a silicone based lube and gave the cartridges a quick spray [they had some gunk in the bases] and replaced them seating them in the base manifold and putting the top manifold in place. Little squirter tube was positioned correctly in the middle. So far so good. I've done this alot with my old filter so I wasn't worried. LOL
I lifted the filter lid into place and it just didn't seem to sit nicely on the drum. Kind of floated. Was something preventing it from firmly sitting on the lower drum? Took it off and, whoops, the O-Ring had jumped back into the tank! Put it back on and started over. Lid still not fitting. Oh well, it probably will come together with the Filter clamp and spring barrel. Or so I thought.
I struggled for two days to get the top to clamp to the bottom. Meanwhile the O-Ring slipped countless times thus I had to stop and reseat the thing countless times. The clamp would not bring the top flange down to the bottom flange. The clamp kept falling off because I could not press down on the lid to get the flanges closer together. When I say two days, I took a lot of breaks. It was super frustrating as this was a fairly easy task with my old filter system.
I called Jacuzzi to see if they had advice. They said to seat the O-Ring and leave it for a couple of days to see if it would tighten up. Meanwhile, the temperatures are in the high80s and 90s and I'm worried about not running the pump.
I do as they suggested and go back into the pool shed to start over. Couldn't do it. Almost gave myself heatstroke.
I finally groveled and called my young electrician neighbor figuring my hands aren't strong enough to bring the ends of the clamp together to get the spring barrel on.
Poor guy. I nearly killed him. Took us 45 minutes to finally get it done [after the O-Ring popping off multiple times].
Is there an easier way? Anyone have one of these beasts? Please tell me there is something wrong and that I can fix it and not do this everytime I need to clean the filters? Thanks.
Which O ring are you speaking about? The tank O ring has zero to do with filtration. It should have been a large leak, however.
Tank O rings sometime need to "settle" into the shape of the tank, usually they are slightly small when new and will pop out of the groove that should seal the top and bottom. On a warm day, I will give one of those tank O rings a tight stretch until I feel it very slightly "give," relax into a slightly larger diameter. Has worked every time.
 
I'm talking about the O-Ring that I presume seals the filtration drum and produces pressure to insure maximum filtration. I'd love to hear that my theory is wrong because then I won't worry about it so much. There are no leaks even with the metal band not fully tightened. What IS the purpose of an air tight seal on the filtration drum? Sorry for dumb question.
 
I'm talking about the O-Ring that I presume seals the filtration drum and produces pressure to insure maximum filtration. I'd love to hear that my theory is wrong because then I won't worry about it so much. There are no leaks even with the metal band not fully tightened. What IS the purpose of an air tight seal on the filtration drum? Sorry for dumb question.
Air tight?
We go for water tight. Otherwise the pump will empty the pool until it no longer gets water as the filter leaks it out.
Not properly tightening the clamp is like not properly tightening the wheels on a car. It may work for a while, but you don't want to bet your life on that.
If there are instructions, and a spring, on the clamp, they should be followed. If not, tighten until the coils touch. Done.
If the clamp is not tightened properly it can result in damage to the filter if it releases when the pressure in the tank increases. It can also result in a tank that blows apart if there is ever a suction leak that allows air to enter the tank faster than the internal air relief can get rid of it. Both of those damages can be to people, so following instructions is the only way to deal with pool equipment safely.
 
Well now I'm properly scared. Because this morning I went out to the pump room and had the shock of my life: the PSI on the Filter Drum is nearly 20. Meaning, well, that I've done something to increase the pressure. But now I cannot open the drum to clean the filters and attend to it. Because it is impossible for me to do it alone. And I have no help to do so for several weeks. I cannot believe this is happening. Should I just turn the whole pump off and wait for help? If you've read my initial post and really understand that I have absolutely nobody to help [neighbor just left on vacation] until my son comes up end of June, I'm in a pickle. Getting old is just awful. Thank you for your patience. And advice.
 
UPDATE: I turned off the pump. Took a deep breath. Cup of coffee. Walked dog. Came back and turned it back on. No huge spike in pressure. Yet. I'm reading the horror stories of what can happen. But would I have seen an immediate spike if the whole thing was going to explode. Was that reading I saw this morning a fluke? I think I'm going to have a green pool and I'd rather have that than a blown off head. It's so frustrating to be in this position.
 
Yes, I know the clamp isn't tight enough. We couldn't do it!
You can do it with the proper tool. You need a large ratcheting socket wrench and the proper sized socket. Mine is 7/8" (and maybe they all are). This will provide you enough leverage to fully tighten the clamp.
wrench.jpg
 
Well now I'm properly scared. Because this morning I went out to the pump room and had the shock of my life: the PSI on the Filter Drum is nearly 20.
Is your pressure gauge one of those liquid-filled ones with the little plug on top? Those can read incorrectly until the plug is removed and reinserted, equalizing the pressure inside the gauge itself.
 

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You can do it with the proper tool. You need a large ratcheting socket wrench and the proper sized socket. Mine is 7/8" (and maybe they all are). This will provide you enough leverage to fully tighten the clamp.
View attachment 582738
Exactly what we used. A very strong and strapping young man helped me and he could not get the ends to meet. Even he was stumped.
 
Exactly what we used. A very strong and strapping young man helped me and he could not get the ends to meet. Even he was stumped.
Looking at your photo again, I suspect you have not properly reassembled the clamp assembly.

It appears that both washers are on the right side, next to the nut, or else one is missing. I see no washer to the left of the coil and one of them should be there. Here is what mine looks like.

spring.jpg
 
I think it's time to give up on this filter and get a different one. You can't get it assembled correctly and it causes you literal and figurative pain to work on. You will probably delay cleaning it because it's such a pain to reassemble.

That's a pretty good sized filter, but you might even consider a larger one to obtain longer service intervals. Or consider hiring someone to clean it periodically. I see you're out in the boondocks, but there are pool stores in Chico that might consider taking on such a job.
 
If you know someone in Chico who would come this far, let me know. I've not been to find anyone in the seven years I've been here. However, I think you may be right about getting another filter. Note, this is brand new so maybe it's just a lemon. I'm going to check with Leslie's to see about getting a new and maybe different one. Someone suggested a Pentair? Thanks so much and if you're ever at Lake Almanor, come over for an hour or two of sweat, frustration and mosquitoes. It's a blast!
 
I think you may be right about getting another filter. Note, this is brand new so maybe it's just a lemon. I'm going to check with Leslie's to see about getting a new and maybe different one. Someone suggested a Pentair?
A pressure vessel that you can't properly assemble is a scary thing. I doubt this is a one-off lemon because the Leslie's guy knew about the o-ring falling in issue.

I suggested Pentair because I've had their Clean & Clear Plus cartridge filters for 12 years without any problems. But they do have a couple of drawbacks.
  • The drain plug is notoriously difficult to get off and back on without damaging either the plug or the drain hole threads. I never remove mine and use a shop vac to remove any dirt at the bottom of the tank.
  • I have the CCP520, their biggest. The actual cartridges are large, unwieldy, and heavy when wet. If you have trouble with large heavy things, the CCP420 will be easier to handle and it's the same size as the Jacuzzi you should return.
Good luck! I hope you'll come back and relate a happy ending!
 
Well now I'm properly scared. Because this morning I went out to the pump room and had the shock of my life: the PSI on the Filter Drum is nearly 20. Meaning, well, that I've done something to increase the pressure. But now I cannot open the drum to clean the filters and attend to it. Because it is impossible for me to do it alone. And I have no help to do so for several weeks. I cannot believe this is happening. Should I just turn the whole pump off and wait for help? If you've read my initial post and really understand that I have absolutely nobody to help [neighbor just left on vacation] until my son comes up end of June, I'm in a pickle. Getting old is just awful. Thank you for your patience. And advice.
At what speed of the filter-pump was that pressure? It may seem like a lot, but really isn't. The tanks are rated at 50PSI and can actually handle more, but the pump is unlikely ever to get it that high unless there is a blockage somewhere after the filter.
 
The pump is running at 1725RPM. I actually turned it back on after my initial hysterical post. And, lo and behold, the pressure went right back down to 3. Where it has stayed. I'm now running the pump 24/7. I'm also in communication with the manufacturer. Oddly, the brand is Jacuzzi but it is not manufactured by Jacuzzi: it's built by Waterways. They are taking notes and asking for photos, receipts. The Leslies warranty [where I purchased it] has expired, of course. The pool may be a tad cleaner. There shouldn't be very much gunk in the filters. I've been obsessed with cleaning, brushing, netting and really all that should be gunking it up is a bit of pollen. I'm stymied. Brand new filter. I'll see what the manufacturer will do.
 
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