First Pool Winning battles - losing war with Algae

Jump to latest Follow Reply
http://www.walmart.com/ip/13-Classic-Flexible-Weighted-In-Ground-Swimming-Pool-Vacuum-Head/41532196

http://www.walmart.com/ip/1.5-Inch-Standard-Pool-Vacuum-Hose-25-Feet/44442042

Awwwwwww but look what I have for you! You can and should get a manual set up like this. These are just examples of the the heads and hoses. I do not know how long your hose would need to be to reach from the skimmer to the either end so... I would make sure to get the hose that has the swivel on the end so it does not tangle up.

What you do is put one end on the vacuum head (oh you will need a pool to allow your to move the head) and hold the other end in front of a return. what you are doing is filling the hose up with water so it does not such air. You keep the hose end under water and put it into the skimmer. I will tell you that I am "bad" in that I take the skimmer basket out and just put the hose in to the skimmer hole. I have never had good luck using the adapter BUT I am going to link you to that as well. My pump basket catches all of the leaves so it has not been a problem for me but............it is not best practice LOL

Amazon.com : Pool Skimmer Large Skim Vac w/Rubber Gasket 1-1/2 Garden

This set up will allow you to sneak up on that dead algae and suck it up and out!!!

I am so happy to see your blue water. I was thinking about you the other day......."were has she gone and how is her pool?"

Kim
 
that looks like a good sign, dead algae :)

I see you have a cartridge filter, did they put a backwash piece in your system? if not its fine, your filter will pick it up you will just have to clean your filter more.. You have 2 choices to clean that up...

1. Vaccum head, at under 50 bucks it will be your cheeper option.

Amazon.com : Swimline 8150 Weighted Flex Vacuum Head, Blue : Swimming Pool Vacuum Heads : Patio, Lawn Garden
Amazon.com: Pool Essentials 38120ESS Vacuum Hose, 1 1/2 by 35-Feet: Patio, Lawn Garden

2. you could use a Poolvergnuegen, yes it is 360 bucks but I love mine, it works great... It does not "scrub" the bottom like some of the robots though.. the robots do a much better job for that but they cost more... it is automated so you drop it in and come back 4 hours later and its all clean :)

Amazon.com : Hayward Poolvergnuegen 896584000013 The PoolCleaner Automatic 2-Wheel Suction Cleaner for Concrete Pools : Swimming Pool Suction Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden

 
kimkats said:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/13-Classic-Flexible-Weighted-In-Ground-Swimming-Pool-Vacuum-Head/41532196

http://www.walmart.com/ip/1.5-Inch-Standard-Pool-Vacuum-Hose-25-Feet/44442042

Awwwwwww but look what I have for you! You can and should get a manual set up like this. These are just examples of the the heads and hoses. I do not know how long your hose would need to be to reach from the skimmer to the either end so... I would make sure to get the hose that has the swivel on the end so it does not tangle up.

What you do is put one end on the vacuum head (oh you will need a pool to allow your to move the head) and hold the other end in front of a return. what you are doing is filling the hose up with water so it does not such air. You keep the hose end under water and put it into the skimmer. I will tell you that I am "bad" in that I take the skimmer basket out and just put the hose in to the skimmer hole. I have never had good luck using the adapter BUT I am going to link you to that as well. My pump basket catches all of the leaves so it has not been a problem for me but............it is not best practice LOL

Amazon.com : Pool Skimmer Large Skim Vac w/Rubber Gasket 1-1/2 Garden

This set up will allow you to sneak up on that dead algae and suck it up and out!!!

I am so happy to see your blue water. I was thinking about you the other day......."were has she gone and how is her pool?"

Kim
Click to expand...

Thank you Kim! Looks like a trip to Walmart is in my future. I didn't realize I was looking at dead algae! YAY!
 
cowboycasey said:
that looks like a good sign, dead algae :)

I see you have a cartridge filter, did they put a backwash piece in your system? if not its fine, your filter will pick it up you will just have to clean your filter more.. You have 2 choices to clean that up...

1. Vaccum head, at under 50 bucks it will be your cheeper option.

Amazon.com : Swimline 8150 Weighted Flex Vacuum Head, Blue : Swimming Pool Vacuum Heads : Patio, Lawn Garden
Amazon.com: Pool Essentials 38120ESS Vacuum Hose, 1 1/2 by 35-Feet: Patio, Lawn Garden

2. you could use a Poolvergnuegen, yes it is 360 bucks but I love mine, it works great... It does not "scrub" the bottom like some of the robots though.. the robots do a much better job for that but they cost more... it is automated so you drop it in and come back 4 hours later and its all clean :)

Amazon.com : Hayward Poolvergnuegen 896584000013 The PoolCleaner Automatic 2-Wheel Suction Cleaner for Concrete Pools : Swimming Pool Suction Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden

Click to expand...

Thank you for the sources. I think the Poolvergnuegen will be on the wish list of home improvements for me. Love the idea of automatic! Now if they could come up with an automatic patio cleaner...

I am not sure about the back wash piece. What am I looking for? I was told my set up is "dated".
 
Do you have a picture(s) of your pump and filter area?

I know on mine I can switch a couple valves and pull the filter out of the filter body and can do a "vac to waste" which uses up some water but distributes the crud into the yard instead of filling up the filter. Hopefully won't have to do it again, but it was very useful when I was getting the big messes out.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
 
here is a picture of my setup, the pipe at the bottom of the picture I use to Vac to waste or drop water level. there are not a lot of these, it is a new thing people are doing....

AMyBvAjh.jpg

vwkRSaLh.jpg
 
Sabercatpuck said:
Do you have a picture(s) of your pump and filter area?

I know on mine I can switch a couple valves and pull the filter out of the filter body and can do a "vac to waste" which uses up some water but distributes the crud into the yard instead of filling up the filter. Hopefully won't have to do it again, but it was very useful when I was getting the big messes out.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Here are some pictures~

- - - Updated - - -

cowboycasey said:
here is a picture of my setup, the pipe at the bottom of the picture I use to Vac to waste or drop water level. there are not a lot of these, it is a new thing people are doing....

AMyBvAjh.jpg

vwkRSaLh.jpg
Click to expand...
Wow! Yours is so nice and new!! I am pretty sure I don't have that extra pipe
 
You are correct Lula, you have 2 suction lines and 1 return.. looks like you have the main drain completely off?? the second line up from the bottom.. if you turned it on you might be able to sweep the dead stuff into the main drain and send it to the filter...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
cowboycasey said:
You are correct Lula, you have 2 suction lines and 1 return.. looks like you have the main drain completely off?? the second line up from the bottom.. if you turned it on you might be able to sweep the dead stuff into the main drain and send it to the filter...
Click to expand...

That is the skimmer line. i did turn it off so that the main drain would take the stuff I swept towards it.

Do you know what the line that is capped between the Skimmer and Return would likely be?
 
Last edited:
Sabercatpuck said:
Between the pump and the filter is a red valve, does that have an open tube on the other side? If so you can add a drain hose to that, open the valve and vac to waste through that. (edit #2 - Oh and close the return valve otherwise you would still have some stuff going through the filter)

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

Something like this 1-1/2 in x 50 ft Backwash Hoses on Sale at YourPoolHQ
Click to expand...

Thank you ! I just ordered my vacuum so now I know how to get it all going!
 
Good Morning!

I have clear water, the overnight FC check was stable and I have a manual vacuum arriving tomorrow. Now I need to be schooled on how to stay here in Happy Pool Land.

Quick question;
I have a 50lb. bucket of tablets, which I was told to always have 2 of in my pool. I have since learned that the tablets are likely responsible for my high CYA. Was this a colossal waste of money?
Thanks again to all for your help!!


I just did a little search and have my answer for the tablets...hmmmmm, how does one get rid of all these little pool pucks?! Ugh
 
Last edited:
Lula said:
Good Morning!

I have clear water, the overnight FC check was stable and I have a manual vacuum arriving tomorrow. Now I need to be schooled on how to stay here in Happy Pool Land.

Quick question;
I have a 50lb. bucket of tablets, which I was told to always have 2 of in my pool. I have since learned that the tablets are likely responsible for my high CYA. Was this a colossal waste of money?
Thanks again to all for your help!!
Click to expand...
I think we all have a bucket of tablets laying around. They are useful for 2 things. Vacations and when I have very nasty stains from acorns or similar on my plaster, putting a tablet on it for 10 minutes or so will eliminate it. Oh, and I keep one in the fountain to keep it sparkling clear.

They aren't "evil", one just has to be aware of what they are adding to the pool.
 
We have you covered on taking care of your pool. I am going to post some links for you. Some you will print out and some you will book mark for daily use.

Print these out:

Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

This one will require many readings as you learn and absorb the info.

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

This one does the math work for you:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Make sure to check with us on any questions or concerns or just to make sure you are doing it right! We LOVE to teach people how to have Trouble Free Pools!

HUGS! I am so proud of you!

Kim
 
kimkats said:
We have you covered on taking care of your pool. I am going to post some links for you. Some you will print out and some you will book mark for daily use.

Print these out:

Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

This one will require many readings as you learn and absorb the info.

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

This one does the math work for you:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Make sure to check with us on any questions or concerns or just to make sure you are doing it right! We LOVE to teach people how to have Trouble Free Pools!

HUGS! I am so proud of you!

Kim
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this Kim! Makes the whole thing feel more do-able. Very happy to be independent!!!
 
I had the same problem. I had a bucket of pucks i didn’t think i would ever use.

I use the pucks in the toilet tank. I use a wide mouth mason jar to hold the puck and to keep the chlorine level down. I've been doing this for a couple years now and the only time I had any "problem" was when we went on vacation. we came back to a house that smelled like chlorine. So now I remove the pucks from the toilets and put pucks in the pool for vacation. :D As a warning anything that goes in the tank can potentially damage the flapper and the pucks are super concentrated so be careful.

This along with yearly start-up and the vacation use of pucks has a 15Lb bucket last 2 years. Since the pucks are kept in the garage (dry, and not too hot) i think they are fine for 2 years.
 
Hi Everyone or Anyone who might still be checking...
So I woke up this morning and looked out and to my dismay I noticed the pool was leaning towards that aqua blue color that only means one thing, algae is back. The pool was sparkly for 6 days and then this. I have vacuumed 3x in that period, brushed daily, and cleaned the filter out 3 times. My numbers today were; FC 3.2, CC -0 PH- 7.6 TA - 90 CYA - 35

I just cleaned the filter and did another SLAM using the TFP chart. Will check the levels in an hour.

I have been diligently checking and adjusting my numbers as needed like a mad scientist, but still the war is not won. Now I am wondering if the state of my pool, peeling paint, exposed plaster, has anything to do with this. Or does my dog reintroduce algae when he sits in the pool (on the top step.) Does the fact that I have to add water every 3rd day or so to keep level correct ( this week I did check numbers after adding water) give algae a leg up? Can Algae lurk in the shadows after a slam and reappear (don't have ladder or handrail or anything but the returns and skinner)? Is there a Sparkly Pool Goddess that I have unknowingly offended?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply