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pool repair

Jul 09
Love7

How To Fix 7 Common Pool Pump Issues

By Pool Repair

Having a pool pump go bad can be a big pain and inconvenience for a homeowner. The loud noise can bother neighbors and keep you up at night, especially if your pump happens to be located near your bedroom window.  Here are 7 common pool pump issues and how to fix them:

1. The Pool Pump Is Making a Loud Screeching Noise or Sounds Like It’s Full of Rocks

Screeching or gargling noise can be frustrating for pool owners and surrounding neighbors. If your pool pump sounds like it’s running with rocks inside the pump basket, it might be starved for water. This can be attributed to a couple of different things. First, check your suction lines. If too many of them are closed off, the pump will struggle to get water and become noisy. Next, check your skimmers. If they are clogged, remove any debris and re-assemble. If all else fails, your pump could be too powerful for your pool. If this is the case, you’ll want to downgrade to a pump with less power to avoid future problems.

If your pool pump is causing a screeching noise, it could be caused by worn bearings. You can change the bearings out, but many pool owners opt to switch out the older motor for a new one.

2. The Pool Pump Is Leaking Water

In most cases, a leak underneath a pool pump is caused by a pressure-side leak. This is easily combated by inspecting the impeller housing o-ring, shaft seal and replacing any worn, cracked o-rings or seals. Before taking apart your pool pump, we recommend purchasing a go-kit. It is relatively inexpensive and will have all the necessary parts to replace your worn o-rings and seals.

3. The Pool Pump Basket Does Not Fill With Water

If your pump basket does not fill with water, you’ll have to prime the pump. The good new is it’s pretty straight forward, just follow the steps below:

  1. Disconnect any power to the pump and move the diverter valve so that the main drain side is turned to off.
  2. Relieve any existing pressure by turning the air relief valve counter clockwise on your pool filter until the pressure reads zero on the pool filter gauge.
  3. Remove the pump lid and clean any debris from the pump basket, then fill it with water using a garden hose. Once done, replace the pump lid and set the pool return to open on the diverter valve so water can return to the pool.
  4. Turn the power back on and check to see that the water flow has returned to the strainer box.
  5. Wait until the water starts to come out of the relief valve, then close it. After about 1 minute, water should be flowing freely inside the strainer box (top of pump).
  6. If water is not flowing freely in the strainer box, return to step one and repeat.
  7. Switch the diverter valve back to half way between the skimmer and main drain. If the pump is still not primed, check the impeller for debris and filter pressure for anything 10psi above the clean reading for your pool filter.

4. The Pool Pump Is Making a Humming Noise and Will Not Start

If your pool pump will not start and you hear a humming noise, check you impeller for any debris. If debris starts to build, it can block the impeller and disable the pool pump. To check the impeller, turn the power off to the pump and remove the screws in the middle of the pump body. Once the screws have been removed, pull the assembly out of the housing and remove the gasket away from the impeller, remove any debris and re-assemble.

5. The Pool Pump Is Sucking In Air

To operate properly, pool pumps must be air tight. If there is a leak, the pool pump will suck in air and become problematic. The first thing you’ll want to check is the pump lid. If not on properly, the pump will suck in air and the pump will not be able to prime. If that does not solve the problem you’ll want to check where the pipe enters the pump, the valve stem on any of the suction valves, the plumbing on the suction side of the pump (before the impeller), o-rings and gaskets. Look for cracks, leaks, loose or old fittings and replace or repair if needed. If you still can’t find a leak, spray some shaving cream on to the areas listed above. The leak will draw the shaving cream in and leave a dimple.

6. The Pool Pump Motor Is Not Working or Turning Off While Running

If your pump is not starting, you’ll want to check a couple of things. First, check to see if the pump is getting power and check your timer to make sure the pump is on. If the pump is on and you are hearing a humming noise, it could be a bad capacitor. The capacitor is what starts the pump by giving it a jolt of electricity. No jolt, no start. You can replace the capacitor, but it is best done by a professional. The capacitor can still store power so be careful if replacing. If your pump is old, consider replacing the motor instead.

If your pump does turn on, but loses power, it could be overheating. Try running the pump during the night to avoid overheating. If this does not work, check the bottom vents of the motor to make sure there is nothing inhibiting the fan. If the problem persists, you’ll have to replace the pool motor or pool pump.

7. The Flow Rate of the Pool Pump is Low

If the flow rate of the pump has dropped, you will want to make sure there is nothing blocking the flow of the pump or filter. Check your filter gauge first. If you are above 10psi over the clean reading specified by the manufacturer, you’ll want to clean the filter to reduce the pressure and reset the flow back to the pool pump.

Next, check your pump basket and impeller for debris that would be blocking water flow. To remove the impeller, turn the power off to the pump and remove the screws in the middle of the pump body. Once the screws have been removed, pull the assembly out of the housing and remove the gasket away from the impeller, remove any debris and re-assemble.

Replacing pool pumps or worn out motors is just one of our specialties at 1st Call Jupiter Pools. We service Hayward, Pentair, Jandy as well as others. If your pump is having an issue, we’ll be glad to help you get it replaced fast so you can get back to enjoying your pool.  At 1st Call Jupiter Pools we provide pool repair services to Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island and the surrounding areas of South Florida.  Give us a call 561-207-8600 and get an estimate for swimming pool  repair services.

Jul 05
Love5

Swimming Pool Lights to Enhance Your Luxury Swimming Pool Experience

By Pool Lights

The selection of swimming pool lights available today gives homeowners a wide-range of pool lighting design to enhance their luxury swimming pool experience. No longer used solely for functionality and safety, swimming pool lights now offer an unlimited array of decorative pool lighting possibilities to help you create the perfect outdoor tropical oasis for your home.

LED Pool Lights

One of the more popular swimming pool lights options, LED pool lights offer homeowners a more energy efficient lighting option than incandescent pool lights. LED lights are more expensive when it comes to upfront costs. But over the long run, they save money by lowering operational costs.

When it comes to custom lighting design for your pool, LED pool lights create rich, vibrant colors and beautiful light shows underwater. LED lamps cover all colors of the color spectrum are durable and long-lasting. The design options with LED swimming pool lights and their cost-savings benefits make these lights an excellent choice for a new pool or when renovating your swimming pool.

Fiber Optic Pool Lights

Fiber optics have a number of advantages as a light source. When it comes to swimming pool lights, fiber optic pool lights are safe for underwater lighting and the pool lights also do not get hot. Flexibility of design is a big advantage of fiber optic swimming pool lights.

One popular fiber optic pool lighting design is to run side glow fibers along the perimeter of the pool creating an effect that resembles neon lighting. You can also use “end glow”; fiber optic swimming pool lights, which are often shorter and brighter than side glow fibers, for underwater lighting and to create bright spots of light. And if your luxury swimming pool has water features like fountains or waterfalls, lighting designs with fiber optics will illuminate these features with beautiful effects.

Solar Pool Lights

Solar pool lights for pools are the most energy-efficient of the three swimming pool lights mentioned in this blog post. You must consider, however, that these lights will not illuminate as the sun goes down if they do not get enough sunlight during the day. For that reason, solar pool lights are an excellent choice for decorative accents, but not a good choice for your sole option of pool illumination for functionality or safety.

As we mentioned, adding solar lights to accent your custom pool lighting design is an excellent choice for these pool lights. They come in all colors, a wide-range of shapes and can be used both in and out of the pool. Some of the favorite solar swimming pool lights are ones which float in the pool. At night, these floating pool lights will enhance any custom luxury swimming pool lighting design.

Remember, as many of your pool lights will be underwater, it is important to consider your pool lighting design while creating your overall custom swimming pool design. Once you have your swimming pool and pool deck designed, you can always add other swimming pool lights as accents to enhance the ambiance of your backyard oasis.

Want to learn more about your pool lighting options?  At 1st Call Jupiter Pools we provide pool services to Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island and the surrounding areas of South Florida.  Give us a call 561-207-8600 and get an estimate for swimming pool upgrades or pool repair services.

Jan 30
Love4
Pool Services Hobe Sound

What Amount of Evaporation is Normal in a Florida Swimming Pool?

By Pool Leaks

A common question among Florida swimming pool owners is, “How much evaporation is normal?” Knowing this will help you determine whether your decreasing pool water level is a result of evaporation or a leak.

An uncovered swimming pool may lose about a quarter-inch of water a day. This is the general average for pool water evaporation. A covered pool will probably lose less on a daily basis if the cover is used at night. Pool water evaporation is minimal in a hot tub spa or pool that is always covered when not in use.

There are other factors that determine pool water evaporation during the Florida summer and winter.

  • Sun and air temperature
  • Humidity
  • Wind velocity
  • Rain and rare hail storms

People travel or move to Florida because the weather is generally mild and pleasantly warm. But this state is in the hurricane belt. The intense humidity and heavy winds that come with tropical storms also affect evaporation.

Stormy Weather

Pools should be tightly covered when a tropical storm is predicted. This protects the pool from debris and prevents excessive evaporation and flooding. Diving boards, waterslides, and other accessories should be removed if possible when the pool is in the projected hurricane path.

High winds can cause higher evaporation in dry weather. Your pool may lose more water to evaporation during windy weather when the humidity drops. Conversely, pool water evaporation may be less during high humidity.

Sun and the Wind

Summer weather in Florida is capricious. It is based on Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico conditions. Drenching rains can be followed by hot, dry weather after a storm system moves through.

Intense sunlight will lead to evaporation. Chlorine and other chemicals will also evaporate. Stabilizers help to prevent excessive chlorine evaporation in hot weather.

A pool that remains uncovered for 24 hours or more will lose a quarter-inch of water during hot, dry weather. Heat rises as the air cools at night. A good cover will hold in the heat and the moisture at night.

Drought conditions in Florida make refilling a pool expensive. A 14’x28′ pool will lose about 60 gallons of water a day due to evaporation. A 20’x40′ pool will lose about 125 gallons to evaporation. This can cost an additional $30 or more per month. This is the time to turn off decorative water features such as circulating waterfalls and fountains. You probably don’t need the heater since heat rises and results in faster evaporation.

Yards with windbreaks such as high fences or hedges may lose less water to evaporation from the wind. But sunlight and warmth will still cause water loss.

Always Look for Leaks

If your pool is losing more than one-quarter inch of water on hot days, check for leaks. Do not blame all of the water loss on evaporation. Check fittings and drains. Look for puddles of water around the pool deck. This is an indication of a plumbing leak.

1st Call Jupiter Pools is your pool is losing more than a quarter-inch a day on average to pool water evaporation. This is a sign that a problem is more serious than just the weather. We will find and repair the leak immediately, often with minimal disruption to the yard or deck. We serve Palm Beach and Martin County Florida.

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