Your pump and filter are the heart of your pool. The pump pulls water from the skimmers and main drain, pushes it through the filter to trap debris, and sends clean water back through the returns. Keep both healthy and everything else gets easier.
Pump care
- Empty the pump basket weekly, or more often when leaves are falling. A full basket starves the pump of water.
- Check the lid O-ring. A cracked or dry O-ring lets air in, which shows up as bubbles in the pump basket.
- Listen. Grinding, screeching or a loud hum can mean worn bearings or a failing motor.
- Look for leaks around the pump seal and unions. Water dripping under the motor should be fixed quickly before it damages the motor.
- Run time: most pools should turn the water over at least once a day. Variable speed pumps can run longer at low speed and use less energy.
Filter care by type
Sand filters: backwash when pressure rises about 8–10 psi above the clean reading. The sand itself usually needs replacing every five to six years, when it begins to lose its grit.
Cartridge filters: remove and hose down the cartridges when pressure rises. Soak them in a filter cleaner periodically, and replace them when the pleats are damaged or no longer come clean.
D.E. filters: backwash, then replenish the diatomaceous earth through the skimmer. Clean the grids thoroughly at least once a season.
Warning signs to call a technician
- The pump won’t prime, or loses prime repeatedly
- Filter pressure is unusually high or low
- Sand or D.E. is blowing back into the pool
- The motor trips the breaker or feels very hot
- Persistent leaks at the equipment pad
We can help
Poolmaster services and installs pumps and filters of all makes and models, offers yearly overhauls and tune-ups, and handles sand changes, cartridge cleaning and D.E. service. See filter service and equipment service.
Pump or filter acting up? Request a quote or call 416-449-1450.
