no suction when vacuuming to waste

Algae problems in swimming pool water.
Green (cloudy) water or slimy pool walls.
Black algae. Mustard algae. Pink or white pool mold.
sydneyfnp

no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 19:39

I have a major algae problem and know I need to vacuum to waste. Vacuum works fine when I hook it up while the sand filter is set to "filter" but once I change it to "waste" the suction disappears. Do I need to be re-routine something or turning something else on/off? Help!


Backglass
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Re: no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby Backglass » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 19:45

sydneyfnp wrote:I have a major algae problem and know I need to vacuum to waste. Vacuum works fine when I hook it up while the sand filter is set to "filter" but once I change it to "waste" the suction disappears. Do I need to be re-routine something or turning something else on/off? Help!


Have you ever removed or disassembled your multi-port valve? Has the waste function worked correctly in the past? What, if anything, is attached to your waste port?
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sydneyfnp

problems vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 19:56

I have never taken any of it apart. We just moved into this house last fall, and have never owned a pool before. i know for certain this pool already has some issues - it was "parked" (filled in) in the past and the main drain is now full of cement and does not function. However, I also know the peple we bought the house from did manage to keep it looking just fine and used it a lot. I could ask the previous owner, but they only lived here a yr, so don't know if he ever had to use the "waste" function. -Sydney
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Re: problems vacuuming to waste

Postby Backglass » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 20:13

sydneyfnp wrote:I have never taken any of it apart. We just moved into this house last fall, and have never owned a pool before. i know for certain this pool already has some issues - it was "parked" (filled in) in the past and the main drain is now full of cement and does not function. However, I also know the peple we bought the house from did manage to keep it looking just fine and used it a lot. I could ask the previous owner, but they only lived here a yr, so don't know if he ever had to use the "waste" function. -Sydney


On the valve itself there should be three ports. One labeled "Pump", one labeled "Waste" and one labeled "Return". Is anything connected to the "Waste" port like a blue backwash hose or is the port hard plumbed with PVC pipe? I am trying to determine if the problem is in the port or further down the line.

The reason I asked if you had removed it is that sometimes people take them apart to replace the spider gasket, and don't re-assemble them correctly, causing them to do very odd things like backwash into the pool, etc. :P
===============================

I'm no expert...just a long time pool owner. The real experts are at www . troublefreepool . com



Download Bleachcalc free at troublefreepool . com /files/BleachCalc262.exe and start saving money on chemicals.
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mr_clean
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no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby mr_clean » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 20:19

from what I can tell from reading your post your main drain which would send water to backwash area does not work, but can you backwash? If you can, then vacuum pool and then backwash until water looks clear unless you can not see it above ground then run 3 to 4 mins.
sydneyfnp

no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 20:23

No extraneous attachments - just hard-plumbed w/ PVC pipe. -Sydney
sydneyfnp

no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Thu 16 Aug, 2007 20:27

I have the black lagoon out there, and from what I'm reading in order to get rid of that much guck you need to be bypassing the filter. I have vacuumed it the usual way (which does work) but when I do after only a few minutes the jet returning water into the pool begins shooting out all the crap I just vacuumed out. VERY frustrating! -Sydney
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no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby Backglass » Fri 17 Aug, 2007 09:55

sydneyfnp wrote:No extraneous attachments - just hard-plumbed w/ PVC pipe. -Sydney


Mr. Clean, she has loads of gunk and would rather not clog her filter every five minutes...hence her request to vacuum to waste.

You do bring up a good point however...Sydney, are you able to backwash at all?

If so, this is very strange because the only difference between waste & Backwash is one goes through the filter backwards (bottom up) and one bypasses the filter altogether, but both use the waste port. If not, you have a clogged waste line or a valve somewhere that is closed.

The waste setting is one of the simplest on your valve because it simply redirects the water from the input port (pump) directly to the waste port with no restrictions and as a result should have MORE suction than any other setting!
===============================

I'm no expert...just a long time pool owner. The real experts are at www . troublefreepool . com



Download Bleachcalc free at troublefreepool . com /files/BleachCalc262.exe and start saving money on chemicals.
sydneyfnp

no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Fri 17 Aug, 2007 12:52

I BELIEVE the backwash works. There are 2 different settings for backwash and waste. When I turn it to backwash I can see water movement through the trap where the basket sits to collect crud (there is no basket in the skimmer - the pool is very old - so it goes through this one next to the pump). Guess I haven't looked at the water flow in there with it set to waste. So it should look the same, eh?
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no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby Backglass » Fri 17 Aug, 2007 13:02

sydneyfnp wrote:I BELIEVE the backwash works. There are 2 different settings for backwash and waste. When I turn it to backwash I can see water movement through the trap where the basket sits to collect crud (there is no basket in the skimmer - the pool is very old - so it goes through this one next to the pump). Guess I haven't looked at the water flow in there with it set to waste. So it should look the same, eh?


Most importantly...where is that waste pipe going? (where is the other end?)

To a ditch? Storm drain? Back yard? Street?

I am curious to know if water is coming OUT of the waste pipe during backwash.
===============================

I'm no expert...just a long time pool owner. The real experts are at www . troublefreepool . com



Download Bleachcalc free at troublefreepool . com /files/BleachCalc262.exe and start saving money on chemicals.
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mr_clean
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no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby mr_clean » Fri 17 Aug, 2007 14:04

normally when backwashing that water does not return to the pool. "NORMALLY"


So if the backwash unit is working and sending water elsewhere you can vacuum when backwashing to get algae gunk off the bottom of pool.

This will also take water from the pool so you would have to be filling pool at the same time so you do not go below skimmer and run dry.
sydneyfnp

no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby sydneyfnp » Fri 17 Aug, 2007 17:38

EUREKA!! The lightbulb in my pea brain finally went on. I needed to open the stopcock on the PVC pipe labeled "backwash" to get the "waste" function to work. And it does - beautifully! (I just didn't put A & B together there.)

To answer your question, the pipe just goes back down into the ground, so i can only assume it goes into some underground waste pipe.

Thank you gentlemen for your kind assistance!!
Guest

Re: no suction when vacuuming to waste

Postby Guest » Thu 27 Nov, 2008 15:50

There is no sction on my pool. The engine is working but nothing is happening on the suction process]

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