Bought a foreclosed home with a swamp.

[CBpool]

So this is the story.
I bought this home with a pool in the back yard. I dont think it has been opened in 2 years or more and has sat without a cover. Needless to say the pond down the street is cleaner than this pool.

So Last week at work i stumbled upon this website and read a ton. I immediately ordered a TF100 kit and went to work 2 days ago when i got the kit. I manually got most of the stuff off the bottom and have only added bleach so far. the numbers i have came up with today using the TF100 are
FC 11.5
CC 1
Ph 7
CYA less than 20
TA 60

Specs on the pool : I think its around 9000gal , Fiberglass, DE Reflex filter.

The Fiberglass is stained at the water level and The filter has been keeping me very busy.

So my main issues are. The water is still cloudy can see about 2 feet deep. The filter : I took it apart after the first day of not being able to get the pressures below 30psi. I soaked the fingers in OxyClean for 8 hours or so then i soaked them in muratic acid. When i put everything back together to pump psi was 10-12 after adding DE. But now I feel like i need to back wash the pump every 1-2 hours. It starts out at the 10-12 but within 30min is up to 30 so i bump it and it goes down again but only for 20-40 min.

Do I really need to backwash all that DE out every few hours?

Also because of this i am unable to run the pump overnight and in the morning the water is clear. I can see the bottom but it is covered in what looks like fine sand or dirt. It is a good 1-2 inches deep and when i try to get it with the leaf rake it goes through the holes. I tried to vacuum it but that really clogs the filter in seconds.

Sorry about the long post. Ill post pics in a few. And answer any questions you guys have because I know I left out something important

 

[CBpool]

 

[Bama Rambler]

That's a small filter so I'm not surprised you're having to backwash it so often. You're still filtering dead algae out of the pool. You need to keep shocking until you pass the OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test).

The stains will probably lighten or disappear completely by holding the FC in the proper range.

You also need to post a CH number. It's important since it's a fiberglass pool.

 

[CBpool]

CH is 250

The filter is rated for 32,000gal

EC-65 Pool Filter = Maximum pool size 32,640 gallons
(based on 8-hour turnover rate)
6 lbs. D.E. required (not included)

and my wife posted the pic. It definitely doesn't look that blue, Ill take another pic tommorow

 

[CBpool]

The light made the pool look better than it really does. This is from the balcony and should give you guys a better idea of what we're dealing with. Also dont make too much fun of the yard. This foreclosure is a work in progress LOL

 

[JasonLion]

I find that it is easier to clear up a green pool when the CYA level is up around 30. That way you don't lose quite so much chlorine to sunlight.

DE filters are well known for being really good filters, which means they clog up quickly when you are cleaning up a cloudy pool.

 

[taekwondodo]

Get a bottle of "Drop Out", or "Down and Out"... (grrrrrrrr.... you don't have a "Drain-to-Waste"....). I find that when I have a swamp, once I have it "white" (not clear), I add a bottle of Drop Out and let it sit for 24 hours... all the white crud clings together and drops to the bottom, and then I vacuum to waste.

Then I'm only 1-2 backwashes away - instead of 20-30...

If you can find a way to drain to waste, this would be my recommendation - otherwise, backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter... backwash, rinse, filter...

 

[Isaac-1]

If you have not done it yet, download the manual for the EC-65 filter and follow it regarding proper operation of the bump handle and backwashing, it is important that you don't let it raise more than 10 psi above the base level between "bumping" or when needed back washing or else the fingers are prone to tearing. These are great filters, but they don't handle abuse well.

Ike

p.s. when the pressure goes up, you should be able to "bump" it using the bump handle several pressure cycles before needing to dump and replace the DE

 

[CBpool]

So I didn't run the pump overnight due to the pressure building up so fast. This AM everything has settled to the bottom so I decided to vacuum to waste. It worked good, I got most of the stuff off the bottom and raised the FC level back up to 20. I plan to get Borax to normalize pH today. I hope to see good progress now that the bottom is clean. Will post pictures later today. Thanks for the replies/advice!

 

[carlscan26]

What did you do to be able to vacuum to waste?

 

[CBpool]

What did you do to be able to vacuum to waste?

I opened the backwash valve and turned the pump on with the vacuum hooked up. I had the water hose in the pool running and ran the backwash until the water level got low in the skimmer.

 

[JasonLion]

You don't really want to vacuum to waste by using a backwash setting. That tends to get debris stuck inside the filter where it will tend to go back into the pool, or can even sometimes cause trouble later.

 

[CBpool]

Thanks for the heads up Jason. After reading your post i decided to take the filter apart again and clean everything out with a hose. As of right now everything is looking great. The filter has stopped building up pressure so much and is hovering around 15psi.

Quick question. How would I vacuum to waste? The only way i see to do it is by opening up the drain valve on the filter and running the pump?

 

[Isaac-1]

Depending on how your filter and valves are set up you may not be able to. This is one thing I see as a flaw in the suggested installation layout of the Hayward Perflex series of DE filters, sure the lack of need of a multi-port valve for normal backwash operation makes it cheaper to install, but it can be limiting in cases like this.

Ike

 

[carlscan26]

You could put a couple of valves between the pump and the filter. The one closest to the pump would be plumbed in with a T fitting and would connect a drain hose and would normally be closed so water would not flow to the drain hose. The second valve would be closer to the pump and would normally be open. To vacuum to waste you open the first valve and close the second one. Not exactly pretty but it would do the job.

 

[Isaac-1]

If his perflex filter is set up like mine with the optional integrated base there is no room for a diverter valve between the pump and the filter (the filter fits in a notch on the base and the pump bolts down to the same base and uses a special elbow fitting to connect to the filter inlet, the base is dark brown/black so does not show up well in the photo) :

see photo download/file.php?id=6908&t=1

Ike

 

[madwil]

You don't really want to vacuum to waste by using a backwash setting. That tends to get debris stuck inside the filter where it will tend to go back into the pool, or can even sometimes cause trouble later.

Wouldn't the Rinse setting work?
Not familiar with DE filters except what I've learned here, but from what I understand about multiport the rinse bypasses the filter...

 

[JasonLion]

If you have a multi-port valve, you want to use the waste setting. If you have a bump filter, like CBpool has, you can simply open the drain port on the filter. If you have a DE filter with grids and no multi-port, or a cartridge filter, the only thing you can do is to open up the filter and remove the grids/cartridge and run it like that with the water flowing right out of the filter. A DE filter with grids, or a sand filter, run on backwash while vacuuming will trap debris inside the grids/at the bottom of the sand, which will either go back into the pool later or damage the grids/laterals.

 

[carlscan26]

If his perflex filter is set up like mine with the optional integrated base there is no room for a diverter valve between the pump and the filter (the filter fits in a notch on the base and the pump bolts down to the same base and uses a special elbow fitting to connect to the filter inlet, the base is dark brown/black so does not show up well in the photo) :

see photo download/file.php?id=6908&t=1

Ike

Check out the pics higher in the thread - not integrated.

 

[zea3]

If his perflex filter is set up like mine with the optional integrated base there is no room for a diverter valve between the pump and the filter (the filter fits in a notch on the base and the pump bolts down to the same base and uses a special elbow fitting to connect to the filter inlet, the base is dark brown/black so does not show up well in the photo) :

see photo download/file.php?id=6908&t=1

Ike

I would remove the current connection between the pump and filter and replace it with a "T" laid out sideways, then a combo union/ballvalve, then pieces to connect to the filter. Likely it would be a big "U" shape, but would allow a waste function. The "T" end that provides a waste outlet would need to be threaded so you could plug it for normal operations.