hlwimmer

Hello! We had a new pool installed by a builder which... sometimes is prompt in responses. I've asked him, but his answer is: "I'll let Jandy know..." The Jandy JXi heater was put into service in Sept 2018 -- so it's about 6mos old. When the pool was "tested" everything seemed OK and it didn't make this noise... now it's quite noisy. Link to video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnjv9a8bygvwyzy/pump-noise.m4v?dl=0 Thanks for any insight you can lend

Hello: We've gotten the pool built and up/running thanks to help from a lot of folks — including folks on this board... thanks again. We're about to build a pricey deck around the pool and in doing so, have discovered the pool is 3/4in off level side to side. It's something that you can notice while in the water and we certainly don't want to build a sloped deck. The pool is a very small (8x12x4 @ 2500gal) metal walled square pool. It presently has a vinyl liner which isn't terrible, but the liner doesn't fit well in the (square) corners. The best/easiest way to fix the level problem pre-deck is to remove the liner, level the track itself with blocking and shims and re-hang the liner. i could put foam (or wood, someone suggested) 45deg blocks in the corners to fill out the gaps where the liner gaps. this would proved a serviceable and somewhat straightforward fix. However, my dealer wants to charge me almost $1200 for the liner (a known, exorbitant markup -- the previous invoice shows it cost him $550). This got me thinking about other solutions, specifically tile — which I would be very happy with if I could get it to work (it would fit well with the space and style). I wouldn't mind the extra cost if it worked (was waterproof). I'm looking at ways to waterproof the pool as well as retrofit the returns and skimmer to accommodate. This is where you come in (hopefully): Idea #1 (From the CustomBuilding tech rep): Adhere CrackBuster membrane film to the metal walls. Tape and mortar the joints. Use RedGard to coat the floor and joints and hang tile. Idea #2: Affix 1/4in Hardiebacker to the walls with adhesive and a few screws making the entire surround cementitious. Coat the entire surround with RedGard or similar wet-applied membrane. Hang tile. Idea #3: Prep as above. Instead of Redgard, use Kerdi mortar-applied membrane. Hang Tile. Idea #4: Smilar to the above, but use Kerdiboard which has the Kerdi membrane pre-applied. (This is likely my favorite idea as the Kerdiboard would be slightly insulated and impervious to water altogether... However, the Kerdi is less "foolproof" than RedGard The biggest question would be how to retrofit the skimmer and 2 returns, but I'm sure there's a way using fittings for a gunite/concrete pool. So... Am I crazy? Thoughts, suggestions or warnings? Any alternate (likely more pool-specific) ideas? Any wisdom would be appreciated. You can see I'm very much in the mindset of "bath" more than "pool". Thanks. If you're interested, here's a picture of the shell: http://redneckmodern.typepad.com/redneckmodern/2012/08/new-.html#more

Hayward says warranty on parts only ... labor "would be at my expense". Worst. Warranty. Ever.

I've also updated the post with the receipt from Amazon... Hopefully Hayward will "do the right thing" and replace the part. Getting it out will be a PITA, but...

thanks, pool clown. "that's the armature"... pardon the newbie-ness, but i'm guessing you're saying the noise i'm experiencing is something internal with the motor. could you confirm? (thanks). the entire pump assembly is less than 6mos old (purchased in june and put into service in september) -- so if it's a hardware problem, i'd like to see if hayward would step up to replace the pump entirely.

Update: I tried to clean out the impeller, but either (1) it was clear or (2) I couldn't get to anything. Then I noticed that a dust seal was lose. I took a picture and video linked at the below blog post. http://redneckmodern.typepad.com/redneckmodern/2012/12/pool-pump-noise.html

thank you, legsonearth. i should note that i meant, in specific terms, could the temps be effecting the impeller -- not the pump itself (or motor) like many pumps, it's two parts: the pump motor and impeller housing -- the shaft between them is exposed. no water leaking whatsoever. the sound does sound like it's coming from the impeller housing, so i'm guessing this is the likely culprit (something stuck in there). however, it's worth noting that there is still quite a bit of flow happening and little/no cativation... however, the sound is similar to the dry pump start-up before you get to full flow. generally, the pump quiets down significantly once it achieves full flow. i'll try to feel around for clogs -- good call there. is there a way to investigate further without complete disassembly? i can fairly easily remove the pump, but would rather not disconnect the power if i don't have to. you can see the setup in the last picture here: http://redneckmodern.typepad.com/redneckmodern/2012/09/pool-pix.html thanks again. damn cedar tree.

hello: we're still a bit new to the pool-world and this is our first winter with our very small (3K gal) in-ground pool. pump = hayward power-flow2 (1/2HP, self-priming)... the pool is 1/2 in ground and the pump sits right at water level. we're in northern california and it never really freezes -- presently the water temps are cold (mid-40s), but it's been on the cold side the past week. the water has likely dropped 10deg in the past few days. today when the pump kicked on, i noticed it was making quite a bit more noise than usual (25% more?) -- sort of like if you had a small hole in the muffler of a car -- a vibration sound (not really grinding/squealing) that was loud enough to get me out of my chair to investigate. previously it was very, very quiet. everything seems to be running fine. the pump is in an enclosed closet, so it sees no weather (and is fairly warm being adjacent to the house and sharing space with the hot-water heater) and it's less than 6mos old (new install of pool). i cleaned out the pump filter basket -- it was not full, but had a small handful of cedar needles and small leaves not caught by the skimmer. i also hosed out the cartridge filter which also had a few needles/leaves and tan dust which washed away easily, so some small debris did make it past the skimmer and basket. i hooked it all back up and bled the air out and it was still noisy -- no real change. all connections are tight and the pump is securely fastened to the ground. what are the chances that the noise is simply due to the cooler water causing contraction in the pump mechanism? trouble with the leaves/needles that passed through? other thoughts? thanks for any wisdom you can lend.

I wanted to close out this thread for anyone who might have the same issue (odd as it is). The unit was indeed mis-labaled at the factory (confired by Hayward) -- it was a 11KW heater in a chassis (and box) labelled 5.5KW. As noted above and shown in the photos, the /only/ difference as confirmed by Hayward tech support is that the 11KW has 2 heater coils and the 5.5KW has one. In the 5.5KW model, the hole for the 2nd coil is plugged with a threaded stopper... In The Swim was kind enough to offer a refund/swap, but I've decided to keep the 11KW model and simply disconnect the 2nd coil and leave the other as an extra should the first one ever burn out. It was a 5min disconnection and something easy to get to, especially if you're already in there connecting power. The 5.5KW is running wonderfully on a 30A breaker and -- with the help of a cheap solar cover -- took the water to 85 deg (it's a small pool -- not a spa) easily. So, anyone shopping for these -- the price for the 11KW is often lower (greater supply?), so you might as well buy it and have the spare part if needed.

Interestingly enough, I did some digging today. Box is labelled 5.5KW. Chassis is labelled 5.5KW... open up the heater and there are TWO elements. The diagrams indicate that two elements are the 11KW model -- no wonder it's popping the GFCI. It seems the guts and chassis were mis-labelled... see pix: http://www.hlwimmer.com/hayward.jpg ...

thanks for the replies. i've a call into my electrician to sleuth it out (he's on vacation) and i've another heater on order just in case... unfortunately, i can finalize the inspections with a goofy heater, so it needs to get fixed -- plus the water is cold! ... as far as measuring and testing the breaker, i'll rely on the electrician to do that because it's under warranty. if it's a bad heater, we'll swap it out. the electrician did the calcs for the breaker and if it's undersized, he'd be on the hook for replacing it, too, hopefully.

Hello: We've recently installed a semi-in-ground pool and I'm looking at the skimmer and there's a port in the back -- presumably for overflow (or it could be). It's not popped out from the factory, but there's a 3/4in collar and it's at about the right height for such an overflow. Has anyone plumbed this? Success? Stories? With out pool being small and having no real way to otherwise automatically monitor levels, having this functional would be nice.

Hi: We just completed our spa/pool (a really small pool in actuality -- 2.5K gal) and all seems to be working well except the Hayward heater. It turns on; the light glows; it's hard to tell if it's heating, though; but within 5 minutes of start-up, it pops the GFCI. It doesn't pop immediately and if the breaker is reset, it will pop again in 1/2 the time of initial start-up (in about 3 minutes) and will do so consistently with each reset. The new subpanel pulled from main and 240V 30A GFCI circuit (the heater is the only thing on this circuit) was installed by a competent electrician (who is on vacation this week -- this the note here). The pump and salt chlorinator are on a separate 15A GFCI circuit in the same subpanel and are doing fine. Any idea as to what could be causing the GFCI to pop? Heater? Connections?

thanks again for the wisdom. re: backfill: limestone isn't as available in my area, but the crew brought over a few yards of crushed granite which should serve the purpose well for the immediate backfill. we will need to use /some/ dirt to fill in the ramp created by the bobcat, but the bulk of the backfill will be stone. if for some reason crushed granite would be a terrible idea, please let me know... too, because the are surrounding the pool will be under a wooden deck (and the earth beneath that covered in pea gravel, some settling won't be too troublesome. the piers for the deck will be sunk in solid. the existing sonotubes are resting son mechanically compacted DG with a ton of stabilizer mixed in... on top of undisturbed earth. the next few sonotubes/PVC will be sunk in a hole probably dug by an auger. you can see the rough post layout in the drawing in the blog post linked above. re: concrete: fortunately, the "beam" will be below the backfill, so any cracks -- as long as still somewhat secure -- will be fine. i think the beam is just to help lock everything in together and with a pool as small as mine, i'd wager even fencepost concrete would suffice, but we'll bring in a truck and some wheel barrows. re: sonotubes... thanks. they weren't that much ($6?) but i can see how a 4in tube might work well and use less concrete, too. might think about that for the remaining posts. thanks again... much appreciated.

thanks for the input. re: freezing: true, we almost never freeze (concord, CA: bit.ly/MAi7YG ). another bonus is that the pump and filter will be in an interior utility room shared by 2 other heat-producing devices (radiant heat boiler and hot-water heater) so the room stays quite warm in the winter... so 15% of the piping will be very-well protected. it'll also be a salt system which will drop the freeze point a slight bit... so, i'm not worried about freezing as much (and can winterize). i'm more worried about movement and potential for leakage. i do plan on horizontally supporting the longest bits with "legs", too, by using 2in Ts slipped around the 1.5in pipe with drop down legs to the solid DG... the backfill process might get "jiggly" and these could help stabilize things a bit. re: backfill: yes, there is an overdig and we're not yet to backfill. we'll be pouring a concrete collar for sure (required per instructions), but there was no mention of backfill material. we were going to use a good bit of the excess soil, but can put gravel/limestone closer to the walls themselves. what's the reason for this? drainage? we'll have a deck/platform around the pool, so we'll need to put the posts in something relatively solid. i have sonotubes down to the compacted DG most adjacent to the pool. the other posts will be 2-3 feet out. thanks again for you input... i hope to really get the project going today as soon as my laborers show up (literally momentarily).