First season as a pool owner... Quickly realizing I need a lot of help

[mattamatt]

I'm completely new to pool ownership. Not sure where to even start, so apologies for my lack of knowledge.

I have a saltwater pool which was just opened on Friday. It was very green initially but cleared up a bit after a few hours. However I noticed there was barely a change the next morning. I noticed the skimmers weren't swirling and after some research I did a backwash and it seemed to work well. But again, after a few hours it was poor again. It seems I have to do this daily, what does that mean for my system? The pressure reads about 26 PSI, which seems high from what I've read. I also have a separation tank, if that makes a difference.
Currently, the near side skimmer is working but the far side is not. I've read this could be due to a clog? Next, I assume would be to try cleaning the filter (I have a DE2420), but my DE hasn't arrived yet so I'm waiting for that. I've also noticed a lot of "dust" on the bottom of the pool, is that normal? Will that clear up when the filter starts working properly?

The previous owner recommended that the salinity be kept around 2.8 -3.5. I'm not sure of the volume of the pool, but it was at 1.6 and now it's at 2.6 after 4 bags so I'll probably need to add a few more. I don't have a proper test kit currently but the strips have indicated that everything is low. What would be the proper order to add chemicals?

That's all for now, but I'm sure I will have way more questions down the line. Thanks in advance!

 

[MITBeta]

You shouldn't be running a DE filter without DE.

Your filter can be clogging because of this, or because you have an algae bloom going on, which is indicated by the green on opening. You may have made some progress against it initially, but you're going to need to follow the SLAM Process to kill the algae completely.

For that, you're going to need a quality test kit. See Test Kits Compared.

I would check the filter manual to see what advice it has on running it without a DE coating.

 

[Flying Tivo]

If your DE filter has a MPV, set it to recirculate if no DE on the grids. You can also SLAM on recirculate and when water turns grayish then you can start filtering.

 

[mattamatt]

Thanks, so should I turn off the filter/set it to recirculate until I can add DE? Should I do anything else in the meantime?

I'm considering the TF-100, do I need the salt version?

 

[mattamatt]

I ordered the TF-100 Salt kit. I also set the filter to recirculate until I can clean and recharge the DE. Is there anything else I can/should do right now while I wait for my orders to arrive?

I've read that the SWG should only be run when the water temperature is above 60F, which probably won't be for another few weeks at least. What should I do about chlorine until then? I have a few bags of Green Out shock left by the previous owner, will that suffice? Should I still be adding more salt?

 

[JJ_Tex]

I ordered the TF-100 Salt kit. I also set the filter to recirculate until I can clean and recharge the DE. Is there anything else I can/should do right now while I wait for my orders to arrive?

Add ~ 5FC of chlorine daily until your kit arrives so keep the algae at bay. Normally I would suggest Walmart, but that may be a bit challenging in your location unless you want to drive a bit, but any hardware store or pool store should have liquid chlorine.

Note that 1/2 gallon of liquid chlorine (10% strength, the most common) will get you 5FC for a 10k gallon pool.

 

[Lake Placid]

Green out shock is dichlor, which is granulated chlorine and cya. Extended use can raise your cya levels. If you don’t know your current CYA level I would hesitate to add it. Pickup liquid chlorine and use it until your test kit arrives. The dust on the bottom of the pool could be several things, including DE or dead algae, pollen, etc. In time we can help you determine what it is. Don’t add any more salt until you can properly test your salinity levels. Also until you can recharge your filter with DE, just keep it in recirculate mode. You don’t want to damage your grids by running without DE.

 

[mattamatt]

I'm going to try to make a trip out to Walmart today. How many gallons of liquid chlorine do y'all think I'll need for this process to avoid making another trip?

Can I turn off the pump at all? I'm trying to be mindful of the energy usage

 

[MITBeta]

I would personally get at least 10 gallons, and maybe closer to 15. You can weigh the price against the opportunity cost.

Keep the pump running until the SLAM is complete. If it's multi-speed, lower the speed such that the skimmers still work well.

 

[mattamatt]

Ok so I cleaned my filter grids and replenished the DE yesterday. Suction seems to be good now. Although... the PSI was at 16 after the cleaning and went back up to mid 20s today. Could it just have sucked up a lot of stuff over the day? If I turn it off for a few minutes and turn it back on, it goes back down to 16/18 for a few hours. I also noticed there's a sort of hissing sound coming from the top of the filter when it's off. Any ideas what this is and what I should do about it?

I just received my kit and did the tests. Below are my values:

FC 2
CC .5
pH 7.5/7.8
CH 75? I'm not sure how blue it needs to turn. It was a light blue
TA 80? Again not sure how red. It was a light pinkish
CYA 0? I don't know if I did something wrong here... The solution was clear. Filled the tube all the way to the top and could still see the dot

What should my next course of action be?

 

[Lake Placid]

Could it just have sucked up a lot of stuff over the day?

More than likely yes.

If I turn it off for a few minutes and turn it back on, it goes back down to 16/18 for a few hours.

Some dirt is probably falling out of suspension in the DE allowing the pressure to drop a bit.

I also noticed there's a sort of hissing sound coming from the top of the filter when it's off.

Put your finger over the air release nozzle when your pump is off and you hear this. If it stops hissing it means you may have a slight leak around the o-ring that seals it or some dirt trapped around the valve seat keeping it from sealing all the way. You can try opening the air relief valve when it’s running to flush the debris, just stand clear so you don’t get yourself wet.

 

[MITBeta]

What should my next course of action be?

Add 30ppm of CYA using the sock method.

Add chlorine to get to upper end of the FC/CYA Levels chart for 30ppm of CYA. And maintain within the guidelines for this until you change CYA level again.

Use the DPD powder test for chlorine, not the OTO comparitor block test.

For all tests with color changes, add drops until the last drop that doesn't change the color anymore, then subtract that last drop.

Run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out any problems before adding any more CYA.

 

[mattamatt]

Can I use ice melt to raise CYA? The one I have is 90-92% calcium chloride, 4-6% water, 2-3% potassium chloride, 1-2% sodium chloride.

 

[MITBeta]

No. Look for 100% Cyanuric Acid at a big box hardware store, Walmart, or Amazon. Use the sock method to add it to your pool.

 

[Flying Tivo]

Ice Melt is calcium(CH) and Cyanuric Acid is CYA.