Pumps & Filters
Circulation and filtration reference material: how the system moves water, and what its readings are telling you.
Guides in Pumps & Filters
- How Long Should You Run Your Pool Pump?Pool owners often hear 'eight hours a day' or 'one turnover per day.' Those shortcuts ignore flow rate, pump speed, pool size, filter condition, salt-cell production, heater requirements, debris load, and climate. A better method is to start with an efficient schedule and adjust based on actual water quality and equipment performance.
- Why Is My Pool Pump Losing Prime?Priming problems are circulation problems. Hayward identifies suction-side air leaks, line obstructions, and impeller problems among common reasons a pump will not fill with water. The safest homeowner checks are external and hydraulic. Electrical or internal motor work should be left to qualified service personnel.
- Sand vs Cartridge vs DE Pool Filters: Which One Fits Your Pool?All three filter types can maintain clear water when properly sized and maintained. The decision is less about finding a universally 'best' filter and more about choosing the maintenance style that fits the owner and the hydraulic system.
- How Often Should You Clean a Pool Filter? Use Pressure, Not Just the CalendarA new or freshly cleaned filter should have a documented starting pressure at the normal pump setting. That number is more useful than someone else's 'normal PSI.' As debris loads the filter, resistance usually rises and flow can fall. Different filters and variable-speed settings can produce very different baseline pressures.
- When Should You Replace a Pool Filter Cartridge?A cartridge that is dirty does not automatically need replacement. Cartridge filters are designed to be removed and cleaned. Replacement becomes reasonable when the element is damaged or when proper cleaning no longer restores acceptable pressure and flow.
- Variable-Speed vs Single-Speed Pool Pumps: What Changes for the Owner?For a replacement purchase, variable-speed is usually the category worth evaluating rather than simply duplicating an old single-speed pump. It lets the pool run routine filtration at lower speeds when the hydraulic system allows it. Current federal efficiency standards also shape which new pool pumps and replacement motors are sold in the United States.
- How to Choose a Variable-Speed Pool PumpStart with the existing system rather than the pump catalog. Know the plumbing size, current pump, filter limits, connected heater or salt system, spa or water-feature needs, voltage, and the flow the system actually requires. Then choose a pump whose performance range covers those operating points without forcing the system beyond equipment limits.
- Pool Timer vs Smart Pump Controller: What Do You Actually Need?If your only goal is to stop an older pump from running continuously, a timer may be enough. If you are installing a modern variable-speed pump, check the pump's built-in scheduler before buying another controller. A broader automation system makes sense when multiple pieces of pool equipment need to coordinate.
- What Size Pool Pump Do I Need? Start With Flow, Not HorsepowerDo not choose a pump from pool gallons alone. Pool volume can help estimate a desired turnover flow, but real pump sizing also requires system resistance, plumbing size, filter limits, heater or sanitizer requirements, spa and water-feature demands, and the pump's performance curve.
- Why Is My Pool Filter Pressure High?Start with the filter's normal clean pressure, not an arbitrary PSI from another pool. If pressure has risen while return flow has weakened, the filter may be dirty. If pressure is high immediately after cleaning or startup, inspect the return side and pump setup. Jandy's current cartridge-filter troubleshooting guidance lists a dirty filter, a partially closed return valve, a small pool or spa eyeball fitting, and an oversized pump among causes of high pressure on startup.
- Why Is My Pool Filter Pressure Low?Low filter pressure is most useful when paired with a flow symptom. If the gauge is lower than the system's normal clean baseline and the return jets are weak, check whether enough water is reaching and moving through the pump. Jandy's current filter troubleshooting guidance lists pump-basket debris, suction-side air leaks, suction or return restrictions, low pool water, loss of prime, blocked impeller vanes, and low pump speed or low voltage among causes of low water flow.
- Why Are There Air Bubbles Coming From My Pool Returns?Persistent air in the return flow often means air is getting into the circulation system before or at the pump. Start with the simplest suction-side checks: pool water level, skimmer behavior, the pump-lid seal and O-ring seat, accessible suction unions, and whether the pump basket stays fully primed. Jandy's current pump troubleshooting guidance specifically points to low water or air entering suction plumbing, debris around the pump-lid O-ring seat, and suction-side union seals when bubbles are present in the pump basket.
- Why Won't My Pool Pump Start?Start outside the pump. Confirm that the pump is actually being commanded to run, check the breaker or disconnect without opening energized equipment, and read any controller or pump fault message. Jandy's current variable-speed pump troubleshooting lists loss of high-voltage power, low-voltage control wiring, pump-address settings, and active fault conditions among reasons a pump may not start. Those electrical and control causes are model-specific, so the homeowner diagnostic boundary is identifying the symptom and message, not opening the drive or rewiring the pump.
- Why Does My Pool Pump Keep Shutting Off?First determine whether the shutdown is scheduled or protective. Check the pump or automation schedule and record any fault message. Jandy's current single-speed pump troubleshooting says a pump that gets hot and shuts off periodically needs adequate air circulation around the motor and qualified electrical checks for loose connections and operating voltage. Variable-speed pumps can also report model-specific fault conditions. Do not keep resetting a pump that repeatedly trips or overheats.
- Why Isn't My Pool Pump Basket Filling With Water?A pump basket that will not fill with a solid column of water usually deserves suction-side and priming checks first. Verify pool water level and skimmer draw, clean the skimmer and pump baskets, confirm normal suction-valve positions, inspect the pump-lid O-ring and accessible suction unions, and follow the pump's priming instructions. Jandy identifies low water, suction-side air, basket debris, a pump that is not primed, and suction restrictions among low-flow causes.
- Why Are My Pool Return Jets Weak?Treat weak return jets as a system-flow symptom. Compare the pump speed with normal operation, clean skimmer and pump baskets, check the filter and its pressure trend, verify water level and prime, look for suction-side air, confirm valve positions, and consider plumbing or impeller restrictions if flow remains weak. Jandy's current filter troubleshooting lists each of those branches among common causes of low water flow.
- Why Is My Pool Filter Leaking?Shut the pump off before diagnosing a filter leak and relieve all filter pressure exactly as the filter manual directs. Pentair says that if water leaks from the filter's joined body sections after restart, the pump should be shut off immediately. Once the system is fully depressurized and the gauge is at zero, identify the leak location. O-rings, gauges, valves, drain fittings, air-relief components, plumbing joints, and tank/clamp problems require different parts and different safety decisions.
- Why Is My Pool Pump Leaking Water?Find the exact leak location before buying parts. A leak at the pump lid or suction unions can involve an O-ring or sealing surface. Jandy's current PlusHP support says water leaking between the motor and pump body is caused by a damaged or failed mechanical seal. That is different from a suction-side air leak and usually requires model-specific pump disassembly or qualified service.