I have an above ground pool that i had to floc yesterday. Once everything settled on the bottom it took me 3 times to vacuum it out due to the rapid water loss while in waste mode. On the 3rd try i decided to go ahead and floc it again since i still had quite a bit of algea. Well this morning before work i checked to see if everything settled on the bottom and it did. My question is can I vacuum in filter mode since it's not as much algae as it was the first time?
Floc pool question
- Thread starter miked1978
- Start date
Welcome to TFP.
With Floc you shouldn't vacuum it to the filter. It'll clog up the filter media and create additional problems.
You didn't say what type filter you have but I assume it's either a sand or DE filter since cartridge filters don't usually have a waste setting.
With a sand filter it could clog the filter to where you'll have to manually clean the sand or even replace it. if it's a DE filter you'll most likely have to tear it down and clear the grids of the floc and algae.
By the way. Floc isn't the proper way to get rid of algae. Proper shocking is the way to kill it and then the filter can normally filter it out. Spend some time reading Pool School.
With Floc you shouldn't vacuum it to the filter. It'll clog up the filter media and create additional problems.
You didn't say what type filter you have but I assume it's either a sand or DE filter since cartridge filters don't usually have a waste setting.
With a sand filter it could clog the filter to where you'll have to manually clean the sand or even replace it. if it's a DE filter you'll most likely have to tear it down and clear the grids of the floc and algae.
By the way. Floc isn't the proper way to get rid of algae. Proper shocking is the way to kill it and then the filter can normally filter it out. Spend some time reading Pool School.
As Bama said at the end of his post, floc is not the correct process to remove live algae. You need to go through the shock process as described in Pool School using liquid chlorine. After everything is confirmed dead, your filter should be able to clear the water. In rare cases, floc or clarifier might be useful, but there are cheaper alternatives (like using a little DE in a sand filter) and having some patience.
Thanks for the reply. The local pool shop i frequent told me it would be easier and faster to floc it since i had so much algea built up.
I have a sand filter so I'll go ahead and vacuum it on waste mode again.
I have a sand filter so I'll go ahead and vacuum it on waste mode again.
Well, if you want to learn how to maintain your pool without the possibly self-serving advice from a pool store (who is in business to make money), we are here to answer any questions. Although you would certainly do yourself a favor by reading through Pool School a few times. Likely you could have a better understanding of pool chemistry than the store employees in a very short period of time.