Ok, so just leave it and wait till morning. Then test the chlorine to see that the color is off the chart? I know the color, it's probably the brightest pink EVER!! (An artist would be thrilled! :0). We've left the SWG unit off all day, should I go ahead and turn it back on? We usually leave it on an 8 hr. timer. so, if I turn it on now, it will turn off at around 4am, I'll probably be getting up about 7 or 8. Would it be ok to check it then?
All is well, but a little cloudy
- Thread starter Heather_A
- Start date
Sure, whatever works. Just try to keep the FC up there to be sure. You don;t ever want to go through this again, right? So be sure it's all dead this time.
Right! :0) in the morning if the color is still up there, should I just brush it, turn the SWG in and leave it? I'll b gone the whole day.
If the color is not up there, I'm going to assume (yikes!) that I need to add more chlorine, right?
If the color is not up there, I'm going to assume (yikes!) that I need to add more chlorine, right?
Sounds like you've got it figured out. If the pool has turned greyish and cloudy, the huge majority of the algae is now dead, so the chlorine demand should decrease and hopefully the SWG can keep it up for you.
Just to respond to the test kit. It will save you money. I went from adding gallons of bleach a day to 16oz, 32oz, etc here and there while SLAMing. Big difference knowing the exact amount to add.
Hi, Eddy24! I know it would be better to have the kit, but we are on the tightest budget ever right now. I've already dipped into grocery money to get the better test kit. Being self employed has it's ups and downs, and when accounts are slow to pay it can make for lean times. That's where we are right now, but hopefully within a month, we'll be in a place where I can get that kit and I'll have it on hand if I ever need it again (hopefully not!!) :0). So, unfortunately, for now I'm having to choose either chlorine to clear the pool or the test kit. I hate it, but that's where we are....for now.
Ok, enough of me being a Debbie-Downer :0). I checked the pool this morning and....BLEH! The chlorine dropped overnight, so I've brushed it and am adding more chlorine this morning and will do the same when I get home. . The good news is, the color still looks cloudy blue ( not green, yay!). I can see the progress and that is exciting, so thanks for the help everyone...words will never express how helpful your suggestions are, hopefully I'll be able to pay it forward for someone someday!
Ok, enough of me being a Debbie-Downer :0). I checked the pool this morning and....BLEH! The chlorine dropped overnight, so I've brushed it and am adding more chlorine this morning and will do the same when I get home. . The good news is, the color still looks cloudy blue ( not green, yay!). I can see the progress and that is exciting, so thanks for the help everyone...words will never express how helpful your suggestions are, hopefully I'll be able to pay it forward for someone someday!
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update: Chlorine held pretty well all day yesterday and through the night. (keep in mind, I'm going by the color of the test only as my kit only reads up to 10) The color has been above 10, consistent and when I add the drops for the CC test, there is no detectable change in the color of the sample. Water is as beautiful blue as I've ever seen it, color looks better than the day we filled it! Still cloudy, but the positive results are apparent and keeps us hopeful that by the weekend we'll be back in business! The picture is from yesterday morning, today is not as cloudy and a more vibrant blue! The white cloud off to the left of the picture is just a reflection of the clouds above, and if you look closely, you'll see the grid lines at the bottom of the pool, just beginning to show up. The pool was green as grass and you could not see the grid lines at all in the beginning!
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Ok, the water is looking better every day, but I'm wondering...is it normal for the pool to still be slightly cloudy, but the chlorine to be seemingly holding steady? My chlorine tests for FC is higher than my test allows and the CC shows no detectable color change, which tells me it's at or near 0. I put another 3 jugs of chlorine in today, one this morning and 2 this evening. I'm just wondering if there is something else I need to test for?
Oh, BTW...I decided to go crazy and test the water for pH and TA as well...oh man...those numbers are off the scale!!! Scared me to death! I just closed my eyes and backed away from the test kit! It's ok for those numbers to be insane during the SLAM process, right? (Crossing fingers)
Ok, whew! That's a relief! I was thinking that was the case, but I was beginning to second guess the process. :0(. That's never good....that's why we had to level the pool TWICE...we second guessed the string level! ;0)
Never second guess a string level! I put my parents AGP pool in 30 years ago and had it perfectly leveled using a string. Had a guy come out to dig out the deep end and he had one of those "scopes" that the surveyors use. He screwed up the level by 2 inches from what I had. Good luck with your pool!
y_not
0
Yes, this is tooootally normal for an Intex cartridge filter, as the cartridge is horribly undersized in relation to the amount of water the pump moves through it. IE. The cartridge needs to be about 5x larger for it to work properly. It'll still clear the pool, it just takes much, much longer. Give it a few more days of constant run time, keep SLAMMING with your FC levels maintained at shock level for your CYA, as I see you have been doing to the best of what you have available to you for testing. If it still isn't improving in clarity, you can always add cellulose fiber to your skimmer in a slurry, this helps your cartridge filter trap smaller particles, thus filtering more efficiently. For my size cart, yours is a little bigger IIRC, I use about 1/3 of a cup, 1/4" less than full.
This is what you want, any brand will do. This is quite a bit for a small cartridge, but will last you many seasons if used only as needed and not daily.
http://www.amazon.com/Purifiber-Cel...5976&sr=1-3&keywords=de+alternative+cellulose
No, it won't hurt your cartridge, simply hose it out when it gets all brown and ugly, which you'll know by the CRAZY flow reduction in your skimmer basket. I'd also suggest some nylons over your cartridge. I do 2x of them, which I buy for like 33cents at Walmart in a little plastic egg in a bin. Make sure to cut the toes off so they don't get sucked into the impeller. Keep the nylons away from the center hole at the bottom, but over the blue edge of the filter enough to hold them. I re-use these again.. and again.... I maybe replace them 2x/season, or possibly 3x. I just leave them on when I hose it off, then spread them evenly back over the cartridge. Getting it perfectly clean isn't necessary, just like 80-90% of the way there. I am still using the original cartridge from 3 seasons back, I just keep blasting it clean with the hose.
As with any filter, don't clean it too frequently, or it doesn't filter as well.
Just measure out the cellulose powder, put it in a cup /w a lid or place your hand over it and shake it up REALLY good to make a slurry, then pour that in to the skimmer /w the pump running, and the basket removed, but the ring still floating in it.... slowly, letting it all suck into the filter. When the skimmer is clear again, once again, shake the cup of cellulose fiber+water, then pour it in. Add more water to keep it diluted for proper distribution in the filter. Don't pour in too much at once, lest it overflow into the pool. I use a pint mason jar to do this, I dump maybe about 1/2"-1" of the cup at a time. Takes several minutes or so.
PS. Be careful with glass containers around the pool.
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I know how this is, ran my own IT business for over 10 yrs, and some months I had no idea where the rent and bill money was going to come from. But we got through it.
Hang in there, you have got this!!!
I'll be praying for you. ^-^
Hi, everyone! Ok, my water has cleared up nicely. I did change the filter and add 2 pair of knee highs, like y_not suggested. :0). Lol...had those here at the house, go figure! ;0). So, I've stopped adding chlorine, and have just been letting the SWG do it's thing. Here are my numbers today:
FC 10
TC 10 (no noticeable difference in color)
CC 0 (best I can tell)
pH 7.4
TA 110
CYA 60
The water has the slightest cloudiness to it and I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that the TA is so high? From what I'm seeing in pool math, in order to lower my TA, I should reduce my pH to 7.0-7.2 using 62oz of 28.3% muriatic acid, then aerate to bring pH back up. Should I do that to see if the water will clear all the way up? Or do you think my chlorine is still too high to rely on these test results? The kids swam in it yesterday, my daughters eyes were pretty irritated after...probably due to high chlorine?
FC 10
TC 10 (no noticeable difference in color)
CC 0 (best I can tell)
pH 7.4
TA 110
CYA 60
The water has the slightest cloudiness to it and I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that the TA is so high? From what I'm seeing in pool math, in order to lower my TA, I should reduce my pH to 7.0-7.2 using 62oz of 28.3% muriatic acid, then aerate to bring pH back up. Should I do that to see if the water will clear all the way up? Or do you think my chlorine is still too high to rely on these test results? The kids swam in it yesterday, my daughters eyes were pretty irritated after...probably due to high chlorine?
You won't get a good test on your PH with FC levels of 10 or higher. The test reads a false high. So your PH you just posted is probably lower. ?
Ok, so I bet it's best to wait till chlorine drops to normal range, don't you think?
I haven't had the chance to go back through your whole thread to see the history of what's going on. I just commented on your PH. let me look. ?
From what I've read I think it's a matter of filter time. Keep your FC up to your SLAM level and let the filter get it clear. I know it's agonizing but it is what it is. POP. Pool Owner Patience. ?