Sand Filter & Algae

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Absolutx13

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May 18, 2014
21
Commack, NY
I have been fighting this abundance of algae for over a month and change now. I had a lot of leaves fall into the pool over the winter and dissolve due to the warmer weather and created a big mess for me in the spring. I tried to clean it but the water I started with was brown and it took a significant amount of effort to pump all that brown sludge from the leaves out.

But now I have a different problem. Dead/alive algae. I tried shocking, adding algaecide, shocking and shocking some more. The water is green no matter what I do. If I add some floc, i can see the clearer water on the surface but as soon as I run the vacuum to vacuum to waste, the whole pool is back to green and it won't go on the bottom until I floc it again, which is getting rather expensive.

But my question is not really about getting the algae killed as I understand the shocking/vacuum to waste mechanism, but rather I have a feeling it has to do with my filter. Anything that remains in the water that does not settle on the bottom is not filtered out. I tried vacuuming to filter all the sludge on the bottom just to see how it responds and all of it was coming back through the returns back into the pool. Almost like nothing was getting filtered.

The filter I have is a Hayward S220T Pro-Series 22-Inch 1-1/2-Inch Vari-Flo Valve Top-Mount Pool Sand Filter. I installed it myself 3 years ago and added 3 bags of ZeoSand ZEOSAND 25 Pool Filter Sand Alternative, 50-Pound. Technically this should be enough but it seems that the filter is ineffective. I even tried adding some DE into the skimmer to no avail. Is my only option to get rid of the dead algae sludge vacuuming to waste or should the filter work with enough backwash/rinse cycles?
 
I tried shocking, adding algaecide, shocking and shocking some more. The water is green no matter what I do. If I add some floc, i can see the clearer water on the surface but as soon as I run the vacuum to vacuum to waste, the whole pool is back to green and it won't go on the bottom until I floc it again, which is getting rather expensive.
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It appears that the "pool store advice" is not working. The first step (If you are using pool store advice) is to walk away. The second step is to go out and purchase a lot of bleach (that is all you need at this point). Outside of this, you will have to rely on testing your own water because as Mr. Bruce mentioned, you have a chemistry problem and not a filtration problem. Once you have tested your water and posted a full set of results, everyone here will help you clear up your pool. You may need some MA (muriatic acid) and/or possibly some borax and baking soda. It is very possible that you also may have to drain some water as your CYA may be very high.

Please read through Pool School and what test kits are highly recommended here on the forum:


Pool School - Pool School

TFTestkits.net

A SLAM is in order and you will need to frequently test your water while performing the SLAM with bleach. The 8.25% generic brand at WalMart or Target will do just fine.

Please keep us posted and welcome to TFP!
 
It would appear that in your two years as a member of TFP you have asked lots of questions regarding solar installations but have not embraced our methods of pool care. Shocking, algecide and floc are never in out book regarding pool care.

You need to make a decision, continue to follow the methods you have been following or follow TFP. They are not the same and are not comparable. If you choose to follow TFP then as others have said, a SLAM Process is in order.
 
tim5055 said:
It would appear that in your two years as a member of TFP you have asked lots of questions regarding solar installations but have not embraced our methods of pool care. Shocking, algecide and floc are never in out book regarding pool care.

You need to make a decision, continue to follow the methods you have been following or follow TFP. They are not the same and are not comparable. If you choose to follow TFP then as others have said, a SLAM Process is in order.
Click to expand...

I knew this day would come, but i never thought it would be so soon! ;)


I don't go to pool stores for advice, but yes I was not using the SLAM method completely. I did switch to Bleach and I do have a test kit that also tests CYA levels.

In any case, if I do have a chemistry problem, that means that the filter shooting back sludge into the pool is normal. Is that safe to assume?
 
Piolin said:
You may be surprised if when you fix you chemical problem, may be your pump problem will not happen anymore, I will slam, but I am NOT an expert, so wait for others to post and good luck

8,400 gal 3K GPH pump, SWG CG-28669, TF100 test kit, speed stir, K-1766 Taylor salt test.

The corner stone of TFP
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
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One more thing, I will replace the zeosand for regular pool sand filter, the appropriate amount...

8,400 gal 3K GPH pump, SWG CG-28669, TF100 test kit, speed stir, K-1766 Taylor salt test.

The corner stone of TFP
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
 
Absolutx13 said:
In any case, if I do have a chemistry problem, that means that the filter shooting back sludge into the pool is normal. Is that safe to assume?
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Nope, not normal. While we don't feel it is generally necessary to change sand be it standard sand or zeo, at times you can get channeling in the filter that will allow gunk (that's a technical term) to bypass the sand. When this is happening we recomend Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

As to the test kit. Many over the counter kits will test CYA, but few have the FAS-DPD chlorine test that goes up to 50ppm FC and has a .2ppm resolution on FC. Does yours? You need this to properly conduct the SLAM.
 
I don't go to pool stores for advice, but yes I was not using the SLAM method completely. I did switch to Bleach and I do have a test kit that also tests CYA levels. In any case, if I do have a chemistry problem, that means that the filter shooting back sludge into the pool is normal. Is that safe to assume?
Click to expand...

Before we go assuming anything, let's perform a proper SLAM with a recommended test kit. If you find (please keep excellent records and daily progress of everything), that after a few days to a week that your water quality and bleach consumption has not improved, then it may be time to perform a "Deep Cleaning to your Sand Filter". While waiting for recommended test kit, you may want to service the filter so when you star the SLAM, this has been completely ruled out. It is up to you in which order you wish to start.

I personally like skimmer socks. They catch most of the junk before it gets to the filter. Maybe this is also something you may want to try while performing the slam. The socks should be rinsed out regularly and replaced if needed. Please keep us posted on what your next step is.
 
Catanzaro said:
Before we go assuming anything, let's perform a proper SLAM with a recommended test kit. If you find (please keep excellent records and daily progress of everything), that after a few days to a week that your water quality and bleach consumption has not improved, then it may be time to perform a "Deep Cleaning to your Sand Filter". While waiting for recommended test kit, you may want to service the filter so when you star the SLAM, this has been completely ruled out. It is up to you in which order you wish to start.

I personally like skimmer socks. They catch most of the junk before it gets to the filter. Maybe this is also something you may want to try while performing the slam. The socks should be rinsed out regularly and replaced if needed. Please keep us posted on what your next step is.
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Thank you all for the advice. I went ahead and bought brand new regular sand and last night I replaced the Zeosand (150lbs) with regular sand (300lbs) in the sand filter. I noticed some pretty good overnight improvements starting with the fact that the backwash actually comes back with green water so it's capturing the dead algae.

My CYA is about 80, pH 7.9 ish, but FC is a bit low now even after dumping 4 gallons of bleach, so I will need to do more.
 

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