Jackchick with a baby pool but I'm trying to learn!

[Jackchick]

I am a new pool owner. Trying to do it right with the chemicals for my 12 x 30 intex. Things have been lovely till I thought it was mold. But, it's cloudy brownish with kindof dust balls that sit on the bottom of the pool like little islands and won't vacuum, just dissipates. 48 hours of balancing the chemicals and using yellow out it was lovely and clear, new filter, cleaned out the pump (Krystal Clear #603) and was set to go. Sat for 15 hours with no pump and looked even sparkler, then I Turned on pump came inside for a bit and there it was again!

Found out we've been running the pump with a closed not open valve and now I suspect I've killed the pump and it's making the water nasty. But I held a cup at the inlet and it was clear for 5 min. 4 hours today and 8 hours last week researching and now, I'm a crazy person. Why only when I run the pump does it appear!

I've searched threads but haven't found the puffy dirt or this is how to blow out your motor instructions. Since I have good flow and normal noise it doesn't seem likely to be motor related, but I can't graduate to a bigger pool until I master this one. It's my own personal video game where I'm stuck at beginner level and all the cool kids are on level 763!

Any pearls of wisdom appreciated. I'm using test strips, not the best but helps keep me in the right place, and according to aqua chem I'm in the OK zones! Everything says it's good, but visibly, the puffy brown is sitting on the bottom waiting to be stirred up and make it cloudy in there and gets worse when the pump is on.:uhh:

i have my tin cup out and my "please help, God Bless"
card board sign for anyone who might take pity!

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! We can certainly help you get back on-track. But there are a few things you will need to do as well. Things like:
- Based on the size of your pool (if it's 3,000 gal of less), you may fall into this category: Pool School - Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools it's a great page with good info
- You should also take a few moments to read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
- Finally, know what you should and should not be using in your water from this page: Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
- Important to know that the pump itself will never keep your water clean/clear - only proper water chemistry will do that.

So depending upon the size of your pool, you'll want the proper test kit: TFTestkits.net. Absolutely everything we do is based from test readings that comes from the proper kit.

It's not all that difficult really once you understand these few principles. We can help you along the way with any questions you have. But we always recommend you take charge of your pool with your own test kit, and do not rely on strips or pool store testing. They are inaccurate most of the time and you'll end-up putting chemicals in your water that you don't need.

So look this over and let us know if you have anymore questions.