Please help us old dudes with our swamp battle

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D

DannyH

0
Aug 29, 2016
5
oakdale, ca
Where do I begin .... Some details
18k gallon older in ground plaster pool
Hayward pump with Pleatco PA-175 cartridge filter
Baracuda pool sweep

The pool was looking great after we installed new Pleatco filter in March. But algae came back about a month ago and the baracuda has no suction. There's water circulating but not enough to power baracuda. We've done a suction test between leaf basket and dedicated inlet and nothing. So we know there's no cracks in hoses.
We suspect the new Pleatco filter is clogged with dead algae so we've bought another one.

I think we got into this mess because our test kit does not use stabilizer and we didn't know the importance of it, so our chlorine (bleach) was tanking over the hot summer.

But I'm concerned about using algaecide again and having the new filter go bad again. I don't think we can "vacuum to waste" with our equipment. I don't think using algaecide would even help because we have no pull. We've been putting 2-4 gallons of bleach in every day or two and circulating with the brush but it makes no difference.

What should we do? Rent a vacuum to waste portable pump (or service) or install new filter and start with slamming? Should we use algaecide? ... We're tapped out for buying anew test kit until next payday but do still have the old one.

Thanks in advance for help!


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By the way, yes we've been pulling filter out and rinsing. Even stuck it in a 35 gallon can and let sit in stew of 1/2 gal bleach and the rest water with lid on it for a day, rinsed, drained and dried and reinstalled that evening. We've done this a couple times and still no suction.

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WAVE??
There's no change in psi after we rinse it. I just think that filter is contaminated and clogged for good.
As far as running without the filter, there's only one way to find out.
I'll try it and report back. We actually thought of running it without the filter but we're afraid we'd blow something up.

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Welcome to the forum.

You've come to the right place. The TFPC method will transform that pool into a jewel.

First things first, get a proper test kit on order. The two we recommend are the TF-100, and the Taylor K2006, both available here:
http://tftestkits.net/Test-Kits-

I highly recommend the TF-100 as the better value, and seeing that the pool is green you should get the XL option so you don't run out of testing reagent right in the middle of this.

Here at TFP, we SLAM the pool to eliminate algae:
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Be sure to have a read through Pool School (button up top), especially:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Nice to have you with us.
 
Welcome to TFP!
How have you been chlorinating your pool? Pucks? Or what? You tested between the leaf basket and dedicated inlet and what nothing? No suction? No blockage? Which? If you can't afford a test kit yet, take a water sample to three pool stores and get it checked for CYA - stabilizer. Buy NOTHING! DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY SAY! You can report any other results here for our entertainment. Without a test kit that you use, anything else is only conjecture. What test kit do you use? A simple test kit from any pool department - Wal-Mart or big box store - will get you some idea of chlorine or not and ph. You can circulate liquid chlorine - bleach or chlorinating liquid with a brush if the filter is clogged. It sounds like your filter is as overwhelmed as much as you are! DO NOT USE algaecide. Those are for prevention, NOT repair. Chlorine is the answer, hosing the cartridge is required. Either JUDICIOUS use of a pressure washer or a focused hose nozzle. We anxiously await your report.....
 
Vickery said:
Welcome to TFP!
How have you been chlorinating your pool? Pucks? Or what? You tested between the leaf basket and dedicated inlet and what nothing? No suction? No blockage? Which? If you can't afford a test kit yet, take a water sample to three pool stores and get it checked for CYA - stabilizer. Buy NOTHING! DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY SAY! You can report any other results here for our entertainment. Without a test kit that you use, anything else is only conjecture. What test kit do you use? A simple test kit from any pool department - Wal-Mart or big box store - will get you some idea of chlorine or not and ph. You can circulate liquid chlorine - bleach or chlorinating liquid with a brush if the filter is clogged. It sounds like your filter is as overwhelmed as much as you are! DO NOT USE algaecide. Those are for prevention, NOT repair. Chlorine is the answer, hosing the cartridge is required. Either JUDICIOUS use of a pressure washer or a focused hose nozzle. We anxiously await your report.....
Click to expand...
Good morning and thanks for responding. I'll edit my signature when I get back later (new tablet and still learning).
We removed the Pleatco filter yesterday filteryesterfayand we have great suction now. So it IS the filter that was preventing suction.

We do have a test kit but it does not test cya, which was why we weren't recognizing the importance of stabilizer. We have used pucks in the past but ran out of them. In between the time that we ran out and purchased more, we started seeing the algae and we're using algaecide. I'm sensing that just made things worse and clogged the filter - which was new in March - even more, even tho we rinsed it with the copper nozzle suggested here.

We can't get a new test kit until next payday. We have one from ACE that we've been using and some test strips which tests cya. But they are expired. If they are reliable, they read in the middle of the scale at 50 ppm. We did add cya granules about 2 weeks ago via the chlorine tablet dispenser. Its helping to preserve chlorine more but I'm afraid the algae is consuming it.

We've added about about 6 gallons of bleach in last 24 hours, have had filter out of cartridge so there's better circulation, we're seeing dead algae floating and dropping, have been brushing sides/steps and are now **wondering if we should put the new filter in.** We've been hesitant to do this because t was dead algae that clogged up the last one.

Should we "vacuum to waste?" or just keep rinsing the filter daily? We don't have ability to vacuum to waste but thought we might rent a portable vacuum pump or adapt our sump pump somehow to remove algae.

Off to buy more bleach ... We're prepared to install new filter if you think it's the best option and then buy another one next month after this fiasco.

Btw: Stayrite pump (pulling at level 4 w/o Pleatco filter in. With old filter ZERO), no sand filter, Baracuda sweeper, 18,000 in ground pool about 20 years old.

Never had this problem before. But we've never run out of pucks before, either.

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Ok, don't buy any algaecide and as you learned already, don't use any pucks for now. Algaecide prevents algae for a limited time like you are going on vacation or closing your pool for the winter, but it doesn't kill algae once you have it. Most algaecides also have copper which can make hair green and stain your pool and equipment.

Until your kit arrives, you can safely add 1 gallon of 8.25% bleach a day which will keep the algae from getting worse.
 
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