Can't get rid of very fine dirt in pool

[Patrick_B]

Bob, it does sound like you need to get a handle on good water balance and Algae control will come with that. Proper and consistent levels of FC and manageable levels of CYA is key. That said, I have a lot of experience with that very filter and it will not get all the fine sand, even when you vacuum, so don't have your hopes up. They work pretty well, but they are so small they have inherent limitations. Once you get a handle on the water balance, I have a suggestion that will cure any sand issues you may have. I like what you've done here, and you are clearly a man who loves his dogs. Pretty cool design and setup you have there, and I remember this from earlier this year.

 

[bob2112]

I just wanted to stop by and report that my [s:2vqzbfnw]dirt[/s:2vqzbfnw] algae problem seems to be licked - for now. At least there hasn't been any "dirt" on the bottom of the pool lately. I just went heavy on the chlorine for a few days and backwashed every other day. The [s:2vqzbfnw]dirt[/s:2vqzbfnw] dead algae lessened and then finally quit coming back at all. Pool looks like it did the day I filled it. Although, it's a heck of a lot colder now!

I found my CyA isn't 80. I guess that's what it was when we were getting sun on the pool every day. The CyA is now 30, probably so much lower due to all the water I replaced after the many backwashings. With the sun gone from the pool for the next few months, I'll try to keep it in the 30-40 range for now.

Patrick, I'd be interested in hearing what suggestion you have dealing with the small Hayward filter that I have. Did you need to add sand to it after several backwashes? I'm wondering if it loses sand during the backwash process, but not really that excited about taking it all apart to find out if that's not necessary.

Thanks again to those that helped open my eyes to my true problem. I'll be back when my next problem rears up to bite me! It seems (to me) that it really shouldn't be too tough to keep a mere 2,000 gallons of water sparkling clean.

 

[Patrick_B]

No, I never lost sand, but I had fine blow sand and silt make it through on a very consistent basis. I cured it by putting on a slime bag, and I was really surprised at just how much the sand filter didn't catch after running it. Even so, that filter will easily be all you need for that set up and do a more than adequate job. I think it could handle 6000 gallons pretty well, but it would be the upper limit IMO. I put 48 pound of sand in these as that's what it called for. Keep the Cya somewhere in that range, plenty of FC, and you won't have any more trouble with Algae. I'd also try to keep the pH in a decent range, say 7.4-7.8 and that will help too. If things get out of hand you can dilute 2000 gallons quite easily as you've already seen.