Some questions (backwashing, vacuuming etc)

[JSCarr]

I just moved into a house with an inground vinyl lined pool. We paid someone to open it (I know, but I literally know nothing about pools), only to find that the pump was no longer functional. So we bought a new pump, a Hayward 1HP super pump. It was finally opened yesterday, now I have a few questions.

1) The guy that opened the pool used 2 gallons of liquid shock, a quart of algaecide and then put chlorine pucks in the skimmer. Obviously from reading pool school I know this is not what we want to do moving forward. Is it ok to just take the pucks out after testing the water and start using the bleach? Or should I wait a while, or continue with pucks now that pucks have been started?

2) How often should I be needing to backwash? Last night after the guy opened the pool the pressure on the filter was at 7. After a few hours (including my vaccuuming the pool) the level was up over 17, meaning it needed to be backwashed right? So I did that. Then overnight it went from 7 to 13 and after another round of vacuuming (this is going to be my next question) back up over 17 again. So I backwashed again. Is this normal, or is something wrong with the filter (it's in my signature, but the filter is a Hayward DE and after backwashing I've been replacing the DE). The pump has been running continuously since yesterday.

3) Vacuuming. Is this why everyone has robots? Because vacuuming? It's awful. I feel like I'm vacuuming but not really getting anywhere. There are some leaves at the bottom of the pool and it's definitely picking them up but it seems like I'm having to go over the same spots several times and it's still not really "clean", which is going to drive me nuts. Any advice here? I replaced the vacuum head and vacuum hose this morning.

4) Priming the pump. I've seen mention of this. When does that need to be done?

Please be gentle. I may ask more questions in response to your answers. I feel like I'm in way over my head but I'm determined to learn this and have a clean pool for the rest of the summer and the years to come. Also, I can post test results if need be, but it will be with the cheap WalMart test kit until my TF100 comes in the mail.

Thank you!

 

[techguy]

1) The guy that opened the pool used 2 gallons of liquid shock, a quart of algaecide and then put chlorine pucks in the skimmer. Obviously from reading pool school I know this is not what we want to do moving forward. Is it ok to just take the pucks out after testing the water and start using the bleach? Or should I wait a while, or continue with pucks now that pucks have been started? The safe answer is, unless you know you have a low CYA, take the pucks out and use liquid chlorine/bleach. If this is a new fill, the CYA in pucks may be a welcome addition. If not, the CYA can be a bad thing. Without a test, you don't know.

2) How often should I be needing to backwash? Last night after the guy opened the pool the pressure on the filter was at 7. After a few hours (including my vaccuuming the pool) the level was up over 17, meaning it needed to be backwashed right? So I did that. Then overnight it went from 7 to 13 and after another round of vacuuming (this is going to be my next question) back up over 17 again. So I backwashed again. Is this normal, or is something wrong with the filter (it's in my signature, but the filter is a Hayward DE and after backwashing I've been replacing the DE). The pump has been running continuously since yesterday. After the backwash, are your adding 100% of recommended DE or just 80%?

3) Vacuuming. Is this why everyone has robots? Because vacuuming? It's awful. I feel like I'm vacuuming but not really getting anywhere. There are some leaves at the bottom of the pool and it's definitely picking them up but it seems like I'm having to go over the same spots several times and it's still not really "clean", which is going to drive me nuts. Any advice here? I replaced the vacuum head and vacuum hose this morning. When you are vacuuming leaves and heavy debris (especially with a DE filter) vacuum to waste and re-fill. This is assuming your fill water is cheap and clean. My DE filter will clog in less than 30 minutes if I vacuum swamp to my filter.

4) Priming the pump. I've seen mention of this. When does that need to be done? when the pump basket is full of air and the pump is off. I am not an IG expert but if your pump basket is empty of water or has a large bubble, you need to check the o-ring on the pump strainer or the lid proper.

Please be gentle. I may ask more questions in response to your answers. I feel like I'm in way over my head but I'm determined to learn this and have a clean pool for the rest of the summer and the years to come. Also, I can post test results if need be, but it will be with the cheap WalMart test kit until my TF100 comes in the mail.

 

[JSCarr]

After the backwash, are your adding 100% of recommended DE or just 80%?

100%. Is that bad?

When you are vacuuming leaves and heavy debris (especially with a DE filter) vacuum to waste and re-fill. This is assuming your fill water is cheap and clean. My DE filter will clog in less than 30 minutes if I vacuum swamp to my filter.

Sorry, I don't know what "vacuum to waste" means? I have no problem adding more water to the pool if somehow it makes the vacuuming business easier.

Thanks for the info on CYA, that was what I thought. Hopefully that pucks that are in there and the years of them using pucks hasn't given the pool a sky high CYA level. I'll know as soon as I test. Also good to know about priming the pump. It's full of water, I just wasn't sure what I should be looking out for.

Thanks for answering my questions

 

[techguy]

If you are taking the filter apart and cleaning the filter grids using a garden hose, use a 100% charge. If you are backwashing, you may only need a 80% charge. I looked at http://www.poolcenter.com/filter-hayward-pro-grid-de-filter-manual.pdf and it doesn't say you should only an 80% re-charge so it woulds like 100% is fine for your filter. My filter can't wash out all of the old DE so I can only use a 80% re-charge unless I manually clean the filter.

"Vacuum to Waste" This involves shutting off the pump and then placing the multi-valve to the "Waste" position. When you are in waste the water from the vacuum head flows directly to your waste drain (sewer?) and it bypasses the filter. This means the garbage at the bottom goes direct to the sewer and not plugging up your filter.