Filter issues and questions while clearing swamp

[andy00018]

Hello,

I have been keeping FC steady at around 20. Pool has turned from very green to milky blueish!!! (My wife is amazed) There are millions of white specs in the pool which I assume are dead algae. My problem is that I still have to backwash my filter every hour and during the day which means when I'm not home I cant leave it running and I'm going through a lot of DE. (Only about 5 hours a day of filtering)

I have a old sand filter (250 lb) and pump from an aboveground pool. Would it be worth it to temporarily hook that up next to the pool and let that filter? I would just have to buy sand which will be a lot cheaper in the long run (a little more than the cost of 1 25lb box of DE) , or is there anything else that I can do?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Richard320]

I'm not sure, but I don't believe above-ground filter setups can lift water. I'm sure an expert will be along shortly.

If you can't filter during the day, do you have a "recirculate" position on your valves? Then at least the stuff is moving. You can vacuum it up when you get home.

 

[Dale.s]

Agp pumps can pull water, but they can't pull a prime. If you get it to get and keep prime manually then it should be fine as a stop gap measure

 

[andy00018]

Yes I have been in recirc during the day to keep the water and chlorine flowing evenly but I feel like at the rate Im filtering it is going to take a lot of time and money. I can temp plumb in the sand filter instead of the DE filter at my main inground pump if that would help also. I want to be able to run without babysitting and it dosent look like it will happen anytime soon at this rate.

 

[duraleigh]

Probably the best characteristic of a sand filter is it's ability to help you clean up a swamp....it simply has more capacity to get rid of junk.

If you don't mind the labor involved in switching out (and then back), I think the sand filter would save you quite a bit of time as well as some money.

 

[andy00018]

Probably the best characteristic of a sand filter is it's ability to help you clean up a swamp....it simply has more capacity to get rid of junk.

If you don't mind the labor involved in switching out (and then back), I think the sand filter would save you quite a bit of time as well as some money.

OK if it is worth it in the long run than I think it would be the best option to temp swap it. Will the 250 lb be big enough? What pressures do sand filters usually run?

 

[JasonLion]

A 250 lb filter isn't really big enough for that pool long term, but it will work well enough to help clean up your current issues and certainly last more than one day without backwashing.

 

[andy00018]

A 250 lb filter isn't really big enough for that pool long term, but it will work well enough to help clean up your current issues and certainly last more than one day without backwashing.

That is great!! OK I am def going to make the switch over tomorrow for the sake of getting this pool clean. I have a brand new FNS plus 36 that I will be using full time.