Very little flow from jets

[beachhouse]

Hi all,

I opened my pool three days ago, after four weeks of "soft-opening" when I ran the pump 2 hrs/day with the cover on.
When I opened the pool, the water was not perfect, but it was in decent shape (at least it was blue, and not green )

The problem is that I am getting a very weak flow from both jets.
This is causing a circulation problem, and the water is getting cloudier every day, even running the pump 24 hrs/day (I am SLAMing right now).

I cleaned the filter cartridges to make sure the filters were not clogged, but that didn't make a difference.
I also checked the skimmers, and besides some dirt, I don't see any major problems.
If I put my hand on the skimmer hole, the suction is very weak.

What else can I do to troubleshoot the low-flow problem?

 

[HermanTX]

Is the pump basket full of water? If so, then the issue is downstream of the pump. When you turn off the pump and remove the pump basket, have you try to feel if there is any leaves or debris caught in the impeller? Low flow is usually something preventing the impeller to rotate freely, a dirty filter or a partially closed valve downstream of the pump.

 

[beachhouse]

Is the pump basket full of water? If so, then the issue is downstream of the pump. When you turn off the pump and remove the pump basket, have you try to feel if there is any leaves or debris caught in the impeller? Low flow is usually something preventing the impeller to rotate freely, a dirty filter or a partially closed valve downstream of the pump.

Yes, the pump basket is full of water, as far as I can see.
I don't have any valves in my plumbing, so that can't be the problem.
I will check the impeller tomorrow first thing in the morning.

 

[Newdude]

Pop the carts and run without them to rule them out if the impeller is good.

And Yay it's still (kinda) blue.

The equipment pad pic in your history has the old filter with the MPV. Got a new pic ?

 

[PoolStored]

I will check the impeller tomorrow first thing in the morning.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...use the service disconnect, or the breaker to remove power to the pump before you do this.

 

[beachhouse]

I actually realized there is an air bubble inside the pump basket, and I occasionally see air bubbles from the jets.
Would that be caused by an air leak?

@Newdude Here is a picture of the equipment. The MPV was removed when the sand filter was replaced by a cartridge filter.


Since I reinstalled the pump myself (it was disconnected for the winter), I am wondering if I didn't reconnect the pump properly.
Here is the reading from the filter, in case it's useful:

 

[Newdude]

If you can't find anything wrong with the impeller/pump, pull the cartridge and rule that out. Then pull the empty filter itself and see if the discharge from the pump is wild to prove it to the suction or return side. A couple seconds will be enough. It's either a fire hydrant like blast from the pump or it's not.

 

[beachhouse]

If you can't find anything wrong with the impeller/pump, pull the cartridge and rule that out. Then pull the empty filter itself and see if the discharge from the pump is wild to prove it to the suction or return side. A couple seconds will be enough. It's either a fire hydrant like blast from the pump or it's not.

The impeller was free.

As soon as I pulled the cartridges out of the filter, I got normal flow from the skimmers.
I cleaned the cartridges again, this time with an electric pressure washer at the lowest speed, and the problem is now solved.
It looks like my hose nozzle was not strong enough.
Thanks @Newdude for the hint!

The overarching problem is that a lot of debris accumulates at the bottom of the pool during the winter (especially at the deeper end), and it's hard to remove all the debris without using a pool vacuum.
And unfortunately, I can't use a pool vacuum because I don't have a waste valve :-(

Thank you all again for the support!

 

[Newdude]

The overarching problem is that a lot of debris accumulates at the bottom of the pool during the winter (especially at the deeper end), and it's hard to remove all the debris without using a pool vacuum

No biggie. Suck it through the filter and them clean the carts whether the PSI says to or not. I never 'needed to', but cleaned the opening crud off anyway, then did it again some weeks later when the springtime crud stopped falling.