Idea about capturing waste water from pool...thoughts?

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jwhop3

jwhop3

0
Jun 9, 2014
146
Rocky Mount/Virginia
Pool Size
14000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Autopilot Digital Nano+ PPC2
When I vacuum to waste, due to the irregular shape of my 14,000 gl lagoon pool, I lose at least 3 inches of water, and that's if I hustle. I'm thinking of setting up a cistern to catch it and feed back the clean water to my pool.

If I were to use a 55 gallon plastic barrel (food quality of course) and run my waste line with a diesel filter bag attached to the end and pump that water into the barrell, and let it fill up to the ~30 gallon mark, would that let the dead nasties settle to the bottom, thus having clear water on top? I could either drill and tap a spillover that would run back into the pool (filtered again at the spillover) roughly 12" below the top of the barrel, or just use a sump pump and garden hose to pull water from the top of the barrel.

Has anyone ever tried anything like this before I waste a lot of time and wife-head shaking?
 
jwhop3 said:
When I vacuum to waste, due to the irregular shape of my 14,000 gl lagoon pool, I lose at least 3 inches of water, and that's if I hustle. I'm thinking of setting up a cistern to catch it and feed back the clean water to my pool.

If I were to use a 55 gallon plastic barrel (food quality of course) and run my waste line with a diesel filter bag attached to the end and pump that water into the barrell, and let it fill up to the ~30 gallon mark, would that let the dead nasties settle to the bottom, thus having clear water on top? I could either drill and tap a spillover that would run back into the pool (filtered again at the spillover) roughly 12" below the top of the barrel, or just use a sump pump and garden hose to pull water from the top of the barrel.

Has anyone ever tried anything like this before I waste a lot of time and wife-head shaking?
Click to expand...

Wouldn't your diesel filter bag just catch all the nasties? 3" of water = how many gallons i wonder? Then divide that by 30 gallons for total number of cycles....seems like a lot of work if you have to let it settle prior to then pumping it back into pool.
 
In 10 years of managing my pool and getting algae more than I will EVER admit to, I NEVER vacuumed to waste.

Your filter is designed to catch that debris and then you backwash it out.....it's what filters are for.
 
Even with the diesel filter, I'm still getting a yellow cloud blow through. I may try to 2 ply another set of bags and double my filtration, or just fill them with batting.

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Dave, I have not flushed my PacFab with a hose yet. Is my filter most likely channeled if I'm getting blowback? My pressure gauge is not showing a signficant enough pressure change to say I'm not backwashing enough.
 
The fact that you have dead algae on the bottom of your pool is a criteria that you haven't finished the SLAM because the water isn't clear yet. All algae, dead or alive, must be eliminated completely before the SLAM is finished. Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

You should be using your sand filter when you vacuum so that you can keep all of the treated water in your pool.

Some folks put in skimmer socks which act like a pre-filter for your filter.

The frog is adding minerals which can stain your pool and turn hair green. I suggest removing it. I had a nature 2 mineral system and I removed it after my pool became stained... luckily my blonde highlights never turned green.

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You might want to inspect the filter and do a deep clean. This tutorial should help you to do both: Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter
 
Sand filters take longer to filter out the dead algae. Make sure that you backwash whenever your pressure rises 25% higher than the clean pressure, but not before because sand filters work better when they are a little dirty.

If you still have problems after a deep clean and the laterals are okay, you can add DE to your filter: Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter
 
I've been doing that too. At regular my psi gauge reads 30 psi. Once I add 1 1/2 cup of DE, I get 40 psi, and the return pressure drops way down.

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I'm considering not replacing the mineral chamber next year, and maybe even not using the chlorinator. I've been dropping in bleach all season, and I find it's easier to maintain that than it is to adjust my dial up and down to find the right feed rate. One BacPac will last almost a month, I usually keep the dial at 2-3 and run the pump 24 hours.
 
I'm not sure of the size of your filter, but 1 1/2 cups of DE might be too much. The tutorial says to add 1/2 a cup at a time and wait to see what your filter does. You want enough to be effective, but not too much so that you don't have enough flow.
 

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Your filter psi indicates a blockage somewhere on the pressure side or a VERY dirty filter.

Clean filter psi is virtually NEVER above twenty (mine is 11) and your 40 psi readings should be almost a completely clogged system.

If you are getting a strong flow from your returns, you gauge is bad and should be replaced.
 
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