Pump not working. What to do while it is fixed?

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matj6876

matj6876

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jul 28, 2007
109
DFW, TX
Pool Size
27000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi Folks

I got back from vacation last night to find out my pump bit the dust while I was away. Any advice on new pumps warmly welcomed in this thread here (#ShamelessPlug) ;)

We'd been on the road for about 27 hours by the time we got home yesterday so all I did on realizing the pump was dead was; swear profusely (out of earshot of the kids), top off the water level, dump in two jugs of bleach (242 oz, 8.25%) and go to bed.

Come the morning and it's time to survey the damage. I guesstimate the pump's been dead for about 5-7 days. Being a SWCG pool that's why I threw in the the bleach last night - I figured I may be in for a SLAM so wanted to see if ANY chlorine levels would hold over night. I know i didn't test anything before putting it in but I was tired! :)

The pool water looks clear, aside from the dust/debris in and on the pool. Numbers as follows from today (7/24) 9am CDT:
pH: 8.2+
FC: 6
CC: 0
TA: 90
CH: 300
CYA: 70
NaCl: 3200

My amateur analysis on this is:
  • I need to add acid to bring my pH down.
  • I'm choosing to believe I caught some luck on FC and my FC level never quite got to zero. The bleach from last night brought it up to 6 and it's staying there. (242 oz of bleach typically raises my FC level by 6)
  • Everything else is OK

My pool equipment is "covered" by my home warranty so here's what's going to happen:
  • Tomorrow the Home Warranty company will assign a contractor to look at the issue. (My experience here has not been great but hope springs eternal!)
  • Contracting company will have until close of business Tuesday to call me to make an appointment. I expect they will say "It's a busy time of year mate, we can't get to you until Friday".
  • They will come out on Friday for 2 mins and say "Your pump's broken. It needs replacing. We'll have to talk to the warranty company about that".
  • There will then be a protracted discussion with the warranty company about not wanting to bay for a pump at all. Then they will want to replace it with a rebuild, not new, pump. In the end they will agree to give me a few hundred bucks to put towards the pump of my choice. This will take another few days.
  • The pump will have to be ordered and then fitted

Long story short (too late?) I am betting that I am going to have to get this pool to limp along without a pump for at least another week and maybe two.

Advice needed please:
  • Any further comments analysis on the numbers?
  • Given that the pool is not going to run what's the process for adding acid & bleach? Can I just dump it in and give it a good old stir by, I don't know, sweeping the pool??
  • Is there anything else I should or could be doing while the pump is down?

Thanks in advance folks.

Cheers
MattJ
 
Buy a submersible pump and a hose. Drop the pump in the deep end and the hose in the shallow end. Run it for several hours to mix water and chemicals.

If you can, get a tarp and cover the pool immediately. The reduced UV, sunlight and slowed evaporation will keep the FC and pH more stable.

Test and dose daily.
 
Wouldn't hurt to brush the pool any chance you have just to keep the water moving. Got kids old enough to do that for you? Fun game called " Make the water spin". Just like Matt said the submersible pump is way to go.
 
Thanks both. Submersible pump in and running. Kids charged with sweeping & testing FC daily. Bleach going in to keep FC up.
Struggling to cover it so may just be a case of more bleach!
 
My pump was recently out for over two weeks. I added about a gallon of bleach everyday and swept the walls right after. The pool stayed pretty clear for about a week. Right at the end it began to turn green. Surprisingly, after the first night of running the pump the water was crystal clear in the AM. Didn't even have to SLAM it.
 
I ended up with about the same experience as tobydog. The kids tested, swept & added bleach every day it stayed clear (it's amazing how motivated a 9 & 10 year old can get when school's out and it's around 100F!) . I did not managed to get it covered but we did run a submersible pump 12 hours a day.
The guy came and fitted the replacement pump, turned it on and blew, what I am assuming, is all the water that had been sitting in the filter and the pipes into the pool. It turned green in about 10 mins and the CC rose to about 2.0.

We didn't really SLAM the pool just jacked the FC up with all the remaining bleach we had. Got it up to about 17.5 (with a CYA of 50 that's not shock level) and let it run with SWCG at 100% for about 12 hours. Pool was clear with a CC of zero after that time and within 24 hours the FC was under 10 and everyone was back in the water.

Thanks for the advice that kept us going and avoided a mess needing to be cleaned up. Appreciate it TFP-people! Cheers
 
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