help with dirt soon after vacuuming

[tgillesp]

I am new to this BBB method and so far things have been going well. I started out with a high cya and kept my chlorine very high. However, after many many partial drains, I believe my cya is down to around 50-70. I just cannot really tell for sure because I have a difficult time with the black dot test on the Taylor kit.

Anyway, my pool stayed sparkling clean during that time that I kept the chlorine levels very high. Recently, I have been trying to keep the levels between 5 - 7 because I think my cya is at 50 - 70. Lately, my pool does not seem to sparkle as much. It seems a bit dull. Also, I am noticing that when I vacuum, the dirt seems to return in about an hour or so. My CC has remained at 0. I have been working on lowering my ph & TA because TA had been running high. I have been getting help in another post on that. I recently lowered my ph to 7.4 again and TA came down to about 100. It is very very hot here and my water temp is staying at around 88°.

I feel that something just isn't right, but I just don't know what. How can I get my water back to sparkling again? And what would be causing the dirt to be back on the bottom so soon after I have vacuumed?

Should I shock again? I have not shocked in about 2 weeks because I read somewhere that it was not always necessary unless something was growing. With cc = 0, I'm assuming that is not the case.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Tracey

 

[AnnaK]

How long in a 24 hour period do you run your pump?

I see you have a sand filter—when is the last time you backwashed it? When you do backwash make sure you give it a 30 second rinse cycle to pack the sand back down.

Have you tried skimmer socks? They look sort of like white ladies' kneehighs and fit inside the skimmer basket where they act as a pre-filter and do catch a lot of dirt.

It is entirely possible that you just have dust from the air and rain and pollens in your water. There are times when I have dirt settle back on the pool bottom on one end of my pool while I'm still vacuuming the other end. Sometimes it helps to just brush and keep the pump on to keep the water circulating.

Another thing you can try is to dump in a bag of solar salt. That's the 99% pure stuff, comes in a blue bag at Lowe's or HD. It softens the water a little and makes it feel silky. I think it adds sparkle but that could just be my imagination.

 

[tgillesp]

Thanks AnnaK,

I backwash pretty often, usually at least once a week and sometimes after each vacuum. I am not actually sure if I am on rinse when I think I am. My top label is worn off so I cannot actually tell. I know that backwash is a 180° turn from vacuum and that waste is about 45° counterclockwise from vacuum. I believe that rinse is clockwise about 45° and I don't know if there are any others, so I'm actually guessing on that one. I cannot find my original paperwork.

I am running my pump 12 hours a day. Have not heard of the other things your suggested, but will check into them.

thanks again.

Tracey

 

[AnnaK]

If you know the manufacturer of your filter you can probably find a manual online that tells you where the settings are. Or visit a couple of pool stores and see if they sell your kind of filter, then draw a diagram of the valve handle settings.