Drained plaster pool and it's hot out

[joshearl]

I started the drain around 8 and began refilling at around 1 am. I thought the refill would go a lot faster as of now, 10am, it is only about a quarter full. I didn't drain completely, left about two feet, where there was quite a bit of sludge I couldn't get to or pump out.

I've read all the dangers of the water table and scaling and now I'm worried I'm going to really damage the walls of the pool. Most of the floor is already covered but the sides are going to get blasted with sun today in the 96 degree heat. Would covering the sides with a tarp help prevent anything?

Happy Fourth to all who are around here today!

 

[duraleigh]

The tarp is a grand idea. If the tarp is not water proof, hosing it down to let evaporation cool your pool walls will help even more.

 

[joshearl]

I tarped it up, the fill took a lot longer than I thought. I suppose the tarp may have just provided comfort. Trying to get as many years out of this pool as possible, though I feel it's on its last. After ignoring it for the last nearly 2 seasons!

So I've been SLAMing the pool since about the 6th, gone through 30 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine. Seems like a lot for mostly new water, I only left about 2 feet in the deep end before calling it a night and filling up. The water was very very murky that was left though. Super fine mud like stuff that over the last few days I've been trying to scoop as much out as possible.

I'm sweeping daily, usually three times, but it seems to be at a stand still at that hazy/milky white color that happens just before it clears. I'm seeing what looks like DE in the shallow end in the mornings when it's slighter clearer, before I sweep. Some sort of fine dust. However, I've taken out the grids and examined them some more and they look fine. I also removed all DE and then added the 6lbs (for 60sq ft) back and looked at the returns. I don't think it was blowing out. I cancelled out the order I almost placed for new grids.

I was having a lot of pressure problems, with it losing return pressure around 25psi. I'm hoping this was just due lots of fine debris. I've gone through a whole box of 25lbs DE form backwashing and starting over. Twice I completely started over in fear I was at the wrong amount of DE in the filter. it's flowing decently at 20psi for almost a whole day now, I'm hoping this means I'm close.

Here are my latest numbers:

FC - 15
PH - 6.8
TA - 110
CH - 185
CYA - 50
CC - 2

For CC and CYA I have the TFT kit, the big taylor kit for all others.

My CYA solution was about 2 years old and I emptied it on the last test, just got a new bottle today but it's quite dark to do a CYA so I'll have to check again tomorrow.

Immediately after taking those last numbers I poured 3 more gallons of 10% to up it (using the pool math calculator). I'm trying to keep it around 30/35.

Just trying to check if I'm on the right track as the color hasn't changed much all week.

 

[Casey]

Your SLAM level for 50ppm CYA is 20ppm FC. Do not go over the SLAM. There is no reason too. Your DE filter is working. It's just really good at what it does and needs cleaned a lot at first.

 

[Butterfly]

I suggest that you let the FC drop <10 and adjust the pH back up into the low 7's ASAP.

Then resume SLAM.