Frustrated and Confused

[marcia]

Hi there. I have a pool issue that won't go away and am hoping someone here has some advice before I start the pool up again this year.

We have an above ground 24 foot round pool that we purchased from a pool/hot tub place three summers ago. We currently have a DE filter but used to have a sand filter....issue remains regardless of filter. We have well water.

On our first summer we had just absolutely beautiful water, no balance issues, no settlement issues...just nothing at all to complain about. Near the end of the season we had a long run of bad weather (rain etc)...the pool was probably lacking chlorine tabs for a couple of days in that time. Somehow we came out of that spell with not clear water which was easily taken care of with my weekly chemicals. So....the remainder of that year and the next summer as well we had this "settlement" at the bottom of the pool. It is kind of greenish/brownish and sometimes whitish. It is VERY fine...like powder. If you even remotely move the water it puffs up and is totally gone....until you get out of pool and an hour later it settles in mini piles on the floor. In all of this my chemical test strips are perfect and my water is crystal clear.

We started season one and most of two with a sand filter. The pool people (who I am driving nuts because I can't let this go and they can't seem to help me) suggested a DE filter cause "nothing gets by that filter" they said...which was not the case. I have tried vacuum to waste numerous times, shock done by them, change of filter from sand to DE, a powder that I put in skimmer and was to grab the too small particle and filter out from there (it grabbed it and was in filter but the minute I turn my filter on it poofs back in pool)...on and on.

From reading on here I wonder if it is dead algae....but what should I do? I read on here about a skimmer sock...would that trap it? Do I drain my pool now get rid of it manually and refill? I am just so frustrated! It is embarrassing to have beautiful water and these little piles of stuff at the bottom. Oh, vacuum doesn't work because it is so fine that it just poofs away. Any help would be great!

Thank you for your time.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

There are a couple of possibilities. The two most likely are that you are seeing either dead algae or pollen that does in fact get caught by the filter but new dead algae and/or new pollen is constantly appearing to replace what you do manage to vacuum up. Pollen accumulation tends to vary by season. If the "dust" comes and goes over the course of a season it is most likely pollen. Dead algae tends to form when the FC level is just a tiny bit too low. At these levels algae can get started, but there is enough chlorine to prevent it from ever taking over.

Another possibility, less likely, is that you are seeing calcium dust, which can actually be fine enough to get through a DE filter. You can get rid of calcium dust by reducing your CSI to be just a little negative.

We can give you much more specific advice if you post a full set of water test results. That will allow us to greatly narrow down the possibilites.

 

[marcia]

Thank you so much for your reply and so fast!

I live in canada and the pool still has floating ice....I will post pool test results when that time comes. In the meantime I will read up on the items you mentioned so I can be prepared! It is so frustrating when I have had a pristine pool and now I can't seem to get that again! I need all the help I can get so thanks so much for now!

 

[George N]

Welcome to the forum marcia!

 

[mcoonan]

Ewww! Test strips naughty naughty!
You need to get a Test Kit that really works. Test strips are known to be very inacurate.
Since you are in Canada, you cannot get the TF100 (unless you have a good friend here in the U.S.) so you would have to get a K-2006.
If you look at pool school - test kits (here: pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison) you can see the difference between the test kits. You might also want to check how you are charging your DE filter, and check your grids for tears or holes. It should not pass dead alge (if that is what you have) threw it unless there is an issue with it.
Welcome to the forum, read, learn, save money and have fun!