Pool water issues

[TN94z]

Well, after years of having crystal clear water, we now have a problem. The water was great last week. It's been very dry and the farmers and mowers have kicked up and there was more dirt than usual in the pool. So my wife went out and vacuumed the pool and brushed the walls. Afterwards, she forgot to backwash and rinse the filter. Every since then, it has steadily gotten worse. Just looking at the water, it looks green but if I take a cup of water out, it's not green. So I hoping it just looks like that because of all of the dirt. I tested the chlorine this morning and it's down to 1.5. I have started vacuuming to waste to get the dirt out. The deep end is so bad you can't see the floor or the vacuum head.

So I have a couple of questions:
-Do I need to have the filter running in between vacuum sessions or will that just make it worse stirring the dirt up? I ask because then I could run the salt generator to help bring the chlorine level up
-Should I add bleach to bring the chlorine to shock level?

 

[Mr Bruce]

1. You want to filter out what you can't vacuum up, so stir away.

2. Absolutely. You need to get the FC to target, and never let it fall below minimum Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

 

[atttech-2]

If it has a green tinge, is cloudy and loosing 1.5 ppm over night it's time to SLAM. Better to start now than let it get to far out of control. I don't have any landscaping around my poo it is all dirt that we are in the process of removing rock from a lot of shoveling and raking. As a result I get a lot of dirt in the pool but the water is clear just gritty, green is most likely algae.

 

[TN94z]

So what if the filter doesn't filter this dirt because it's so fine. It just gets through the filter and back into the pool. That's one reason I am vacuuming to waste. The only reason the FC is that low now is because I have had the pool off to allow the dirt to settle to get it out

 

[Mr Bruce]

Simply running the pump shouldn't stir up the dirt that much. Even still, I would add chlorine with the pump running for 30 minutes, then switch it off and let the dirt settle. I'd also try to gently brush it toward the bottom of the deep end to minimize vacuuming area. Repeat.

 

[TN94z]

If it has a green tinge, is cloudy and loosing 1.5 ppm over night it's time to SLAM. Better to start now than let it get to far out of control. I don't have any landscaping around my poo it is all dirt that we are in the process of removing rock from a lot of shoveling and raking. As a result I get a lot of dirt in the pool but the water is clear just gritty, green is most likely algae.

If you take that dirt, break into fine particles, and brush it around, the water will be more than just gritty and clear. That's where ours started. The water was clear and not even gritty. It just had the dirt on the floor of the pool. Until my wife brushed it all around and stirred it up. But yeah, I will have to test to see if it needs to be slammed. The pool has been completely off for the better part of two days and the chlorine has only dropped to 1.5 during this time

- - - Updated - - -

Simply running the pump shouldn't stir up the dirt that much. Even still, I would add chlorine with the pump running for 30 minutes, then switch it off and let the dirt settle. I'd also try to gently brush it toward the bottom of the deep end to minimize vacuuming area. Repeat.

Sounds good. I'll start on that now. Thanks.

 

[TomGallopavo]

Agree with slam but I have read on here some people add DE to the sand filter. I don't know if you can do that but it might be worth investigating if you have so much clay in your dirt over there.

 

[TN94z]

Agree with slam but I have read on here some people ad DE to the sand filter. I don't know if you can do that but it might be worth investigating if you have so much clay in your dirt over there.

I actually have some DE but have not taken the time to add any this time. I will after this though

 

[TN94z]

So I started the SLAM process today. I got the pool to a shock level of 28 (my CYA was where it should be so I had to bring it up a lot). It dropped a little this afternoon and the water cleared up a lot as well. So I added more bleach and just checked it again at sun down and I'm at 29.

I just want to double check the next part. I turned the SWG off obviously so it won't make any chlorine tonight. But can I leave the filter running all night to help get some of this stuff out of the pool? Or does EVERYTHING need to be off for the SLAM process??

 

[MarianParoo]

During a SLAM, you want your pump running 24/7.

 

[DHoover85]

Re-read the SLAM process again, I believe it says pump on 24/7 Filter when possible, otherwise just recirculate.

 

[TN94z]

During a SLAM, you want your pump running 24/7.

Re-read the SLAM process again, I believe it says pump on 24/7 Filter when possible, otherwise just recirculate.

That's what I thought. Thanks

 

[MarianParoo]

Good luck!

 

[TN94z]

The water is pretty much back to normal. The OCLT showed a drop of 1.5, so I guess I'll continue on today. I have been vacuuming, brushing, and cleaning the filter pretty often as well.

 

[TN94z]

Tried adding pics but didn't work.

 

[TN94z]

What's the highest level of chlorine that is okay to swim in?

 

[TN94z]

I just checked the chlorine again. It is now 23.5 with a CC of 0.5. The water is clear. Do I need to continue with the SLAM to see if the OCLT gets better tonight? It was a 1.5 drop this morning.

 

[MarianParoo]

TFP says that it is safe to swim at just below shock level and when you can see a swimmer in trouble.
Yup, continue on until you pass the OCLT.

 

[TN94z]

TFP says that it is safe to swim at just below shock level and when you can see a swimmer in trouble.
Yup, continue on until you pass the OCLT.

Okay. So if I pass the OCLT in the morning, then it will most likely be safe to swim that afternoon? I'm for sure going to continue the SLAM...that was a question I already knew the answer too

 

[MarianParoo]

It should drop enough by afternoon if you pass the OCLT.