Hey all, alanpaul here in Wellington, FL. I'll start with a big Thank You.
We had a trouble-free pool, but this winter, our 25-year-old DE filter bit the dust. Well, not really. The dust is all over the bottom of the pool. So, we've been vacuuming to waste, and replacing water. Again and again. Also replacing CYA and chlorine. And acid too. I'll mention that the T-15 cell for the SWG died as well, as did the Polaris ATV suction cleaner. Pretty much all at once. Well, 7 years isn't too bad for a cleaner and an SWG cell, from what I've read.
So, with my 90+ year-old parents requiring attention, we've been spending less time on the pool, and it turned green. No surprise there.
Today we vacuumed to waste again, and got most of the DE and dead algae out. Just add water. Also add 2.5 gals of 10% chlorine, plus a little borax and baking soda, too. Shock time.
Due to the broken grids, the DE filter tends to spew dirt, algae and DE back into the pool after backwashing, so we'll let it run and settle for a few days (keeping an eye on the chemistry). It's a shame that while the grids are available, other replacement parts are not, and the whole stainless steel tank is rusting and cracking. But after 25 years, that filter doesn't owe anyone anything!
Next week we hope to install (along with a vacuum-to-waste line before the filter)the new 200 SqFt cartridge filter. It's the size of a child, and it's currently residing in our guest room.
The worst part: Unfortunately, the heat pump we had installed 7 years ago was plumbed permanently in position. There are no removable fittings. None. (Now they are made with them, but not in 2005.) We'd really like to replumb our equipment pad, but we can't as the elbows glued to the inlet and outlet of the heater are facing the opposite direction of what we'd prefer. Bummer. So the inlet to the filter and the outlet from the heater are at the same height, and all the pipes will cross diagonally, requiring angles up, across, and down. Everywhere. Anyone remember Rube Goldberg, and his game, "Mousetrap"?
And oh, yeah, the bubbles in the pool coming from the returns. Thanks to you, we learned how to find the air leak -- a broken PVC ball valve that controls the skimmer suction. I removed the plastic cap only to find an irreparably shattered stem inside the handle, and air sneaking in there, under the cap. For the moment, I've put a 2" square piece of heavy plastic bag (from salt) under the cap and tapped the cap back into place. No more bubbles. We'll eventually replace it with a 'real' valve.
We've gleaned so much valuable info from this site that in the past we've rarely had any problems with our pool. Now that we're having equipment and chemistry challenges at the same time, you might notice me here often, this season. So, again, Thank You. We read about problems and solutions from the experts and from the rookies, and we learn.
We had a trouble-free pool, but this winter, our 25-year-old DE filter bit the dust. Well, not really. The dust is all over the bottom of the pool. So, we've been vacuuming to waste, and replacing water. Again and again. Also replacing CYA and chlorine. And acid too. I'll mention that the T-15 cell for the SWG died as well, as did the Polaris ATV suction cleaner. Pretty much all at once. Well, 7 years isn't too bad for a cleaner and an SWG cell, from what I've read.
So, with my 90+ year-old parents requiring attention, we've been spending less time on the pool, and it turned green. No surprise there.
Today we vacuumed to waste again, and got most of the DE and dead algae out. Just add water. Also add 2.5 gals of 10% chlorine, plus a little borax and baking soda, too. Shock time.
Due to the broken grids, the DE filter tends to spew dirt, algae and DE back into the pool after backwashing, so we'll let it run and settle for a few days (keeping an eye on the chemistry). It's a shame that while the grids are available, other replacement parts are not, and the whole stainless steel tank is rusting and cracking. But after 25 years, that filter doesn't owe anyone anything!
Next week we hope to install (along with a vacuum-to-waste line before the filter)the new 200 SqFt cartridge filter. It's the size of a child, and it's currently residing in our guest room.
The worst part: Unfortunately, the heat pump we had installed 7 years ago was plumbed permanently in position. There are no removable fittings. None. (Now they are made with them, but not in 2005.) We'd really like to replumb our equipment pad, but we can't as the elbows glued to the inlet and outlet of the heater are facing the opposite direction of what we'd prefer. Bummer. So the inlet to the filter and the outlet from the heater are at the same height, and all the pipes will cross diagonally, requiring angles up, across, and down. Everywhere. Anyone remember Rube Goldberg, and his game, "Mousetrap"?
And oh, yeah, the bubbles in the pool coming from the returns. Thanks to you, we learned how to find the air leak -- a broken PVC ball valve that controls the skimmer suction. I removed the plastic cap only to find an irreparably shattered stem inside the handle, and air sneaking in there, under the cap. For the moment, I've put a 2" square piece of heavy plastic bag (from salt) under the cap and tapped the cap back into place. No more bubbles. We'll eventually replace it with a 'real' valve.
We've gleaned so much valuable info from this site that in the past we've rarely had any problems with our pool. Now that we're having equipment and chemistry challenges at the same time, you might notice me here often, this season. So, again, Thank You. We read about problems and solutions from the experts and from the rookies, and we learn.
Welcome to TFP! 