Chemicals & possible clog - not sure

[Ingrid]

Hello.
I am new to pool maintenance. I had to drain my in ground pool and clean all the algae that was on the walls and refill it. So, upon adding all the chemicals recommended by my pool store, I got it back to it's opening stage I believe. My problem is when I added the Hardness, my pump no longer is working. It sounds like it's just on but I do not see any water rising to the top of the pool pump basket. It was working fine, full force, up until i added the Hardness. Did I clog it by adding that and if so, how do I unclog and get it back to working again? Help!

 

[kcindc]

How did you add the calcium hardness increaser? Did you broadcast, dump it in the skimmer, etc?

How much hardness increaser did you add?

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[Ingrid]

I am in Richardson, TX and the temp is 99 degrees here at the highest. I put the Hardness around the pool where the returns were. Not in the skimmers. It called for 16lbs 8 oz according to the instructions I got from the pool company. I put the whole bucket of 15 lbs only. The pump is working now. I went to the pool company and was told to adjust the valves. Got it working and no clogs. Thank goodness.
My pool is 22,000 gal.. in ground... plaster. The filter, I believe is a Hayward.. DE. The house was built in 1978 and I believe the pool was built then..not sure. My parents own the house now and I think they are the 2nd owners. Again, not sure. I just moved in with them and have taken over the pool maintenance since my father is now 80 and not able to anymore. As far as the test kit, I just take a bottle of the water and have it tested at the pool company. It does have a spa (which we don't heat up and use as a spa) just have it fill and spill over into the pool.

 

[kcindc]

Welcome to FTP! This forum which is run by pool owners sharing their knowledge for free.

This forum suggests getting your own test kit, learn what you pool needs and only add what it needs so that you are not blindly following pool store advice. Pool stores want you to keep coming to them and buying overprice and sometimes unnecessary magic potions.

Unfortunately, without accurate test results, we can't give you very much advice when it comes to chemical needs. The great news is that most chemicals you need to keep your pool clean and balanced can be purchased from a grocery store, Wal-Mart, and/or hardware store for a fraction of the price you pay for pool store chemicals.

1. Buy one of the recommended test kits: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison
2. Read pool school so that you know what chemcials you need. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/1-pool-school
3. Play with pool math so that you know how to dose your pool: http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Enjoy a clean pool all year for a fraction of what you would spend in a pool store.

 

[Richard320]

Hello.
I am new to pool maintenance. I had to drain my in ground pool and clean all the algae that was on the walls and refill it. So, upon adding all the chemicals recommended by my pool store, I got it back to it's opening stage I believe. My problem is when I added the Hardness, my pump no longer is working. It sounds like it's just on but I do not see any water rising to the top of the pool pump basket. It was working fine, full force, up until i added the Hardness. Did I clog it by adding that and if so, how do I unclog and get it back to working again? Help!

Has it softened up yet?

I'd try stuffing a garden hose down the skimmer on full blast. And if that didn't budge it, open up the pump strainer basket and stick the hose in that way and seal it with a rag and try blasting it loose that way.