Bad Storm- losts of dirt/debris in pool- HELP!

[Daisy08]

Just had an 18x36 IG liner pool installed last week. It is salt water chlorinated and uses DE filtration (Hayward). We had a very bad storm here this evening.. tornado watches in Pennsylvania! Of course we are in the middle of a massive landscape project- dirt all around outside of concrete waiting for plant install. We had the solar cover on when the storm started and we removed the cover which got a lot of the dirt that was sitting on top of the cover in the pool. However, I do think the pool was probably dirty before removing the cover. We had a pretty bad storm and lots of leaves and twigs went into pool as well. At any rate, the pool now is very dirty but more disconcerting, it is murky. I've been reading to vacuum to waste which we will do tomorrow once everything settles more. Once we do that- what else do we do? When do we turn filter back on? Do we keep vacuuming to waste? We have never owned a pool and have very basic knowledge of things. And how long should we expect this murkiness to continue. Any step by step instructions would be very helpful!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[pooldv]

If you add your pool info to your signature it will show up on every post, more here, Pool School - Getting Started

Vacuuming to waste is good if the dirt is on the bottom and vacuum-able. If it is suspended in the water run the filter until is clears and backwash when the pressure rises 20-25% over clean pressure. Raising your FC up to 10 or so and keeping it there several times per day will help to make sure that organic matter doesn't use up all your chlorine.

The key to keeping your pool sanitized and algae free is to always maintain chlorine above the minimum level for your CYA and the Chlorine CYA Chart. It is safe to swim when chlorine is above minimum and below shock level.

 

[woodyp]

Dip out what you can dip out first.

 

[Daisy08]

How do you raise FC? We have SWG and I can raise the chlorine to any number (0-99) and then go into super-chlorinate mode. I haven't tested the pool yet but I am not sure how to raise FC... is that just a matter of raising the chlorine on the SWG panel? I have been reading the pool school stuff and I understand the acronyms, I just don't know if I understand how to work with CYA and FC and what they mean in relationship to one another. I would think if I raise my chlorine on the SWG panel it raises my CYA and FC? I am going to go back to the PS page and see if I can make the pieces come together in my mind.

 

[Defgufman]

I think using liquid chlorine will help the life of your swg when you need to boost the FC up. Put skimmer socks in your filter baskets. Also if you have a pressure cleaner, put a skimmer sock inside the net.

 

[Mike1162]

Keep the filter on until the pool clears. It shouldn't take long with a DE filter. Keep an eye on the filter pressure, it will rise quickly & need to be cleaned/backwashed.

The AquaChek test strips aren't going to cut it.
You need a test kit that will accurately test for FC (Free Chorine) at high levels & also check CC (Combined Chlorine).
The TF-100 kit ($68) is favored by most members.
Shipping ($10) is free on orders over $80, so add either the XL option ($12.95, enough chemicals for 2 seasons) or the SpeedStir option ($32.95, makes testing easier). Actually - both options are recommended. Here's where to order them:.
http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html
The proper test kit is going to save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. I you need more convincing let us know & we can go into more detail.