Help! Used Floc!

[PaulaA36]

So had an algae bloom and tried to clean pool, used lots of shock, and then used green to blue. I have vacuumed it twice to waste but pool is still cloudy not sure if all the floc is gone or not. How can I counteract the floc so I can turn my filter back on?
12X24 above ground pool with a sand filter pump currently readings are
Free chlorine and CYA are low all other levels are within normal range

 

[Mdragger88]

So had an algae bloom and tried to clean pool, used lots of shock, and then used green to blue. I have vacuumed it twice to waste but pool is still cloudy not sure if all the floc is gone or not. How can I counteract the floc so I can turn my filter back on?

You cannot- there is no magic potion to counter act the magic potions you have already used all you can do is wait with the pump off for it to all fall then vac that to waste (which it may not) or sacrifice your sand by running it through the filter. Then replace the sand
This is why Green to blue & flocculant are not recommended. For an algae problem We recommend the
SLAM Process with liquid chlorine to truly eradicate the algae & prove it is gone.

12X24 above ground pool with a sand filter pump currently readings are
Free chlorine and CYA are low all other levels are within normal range

Please post your results
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Salt (if swcg)
How are you testing the water?

Flocculant - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[PaulaA36]

You cannot- there is no magic potion to counter act the magic potions you have already used all you can do is wait with the pump off for it to all fall then vac that to waste (which it may not) or sacrifice your sand by running it through the filter. Then replace the sand
This is why Green to blue & flocculant are not recommended. For an algae problem We recommend the
SLAM Process with liquid chlorine to truly eradicate the algae & prove it is gone.

Please post your results
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
Salt (if swcg)
How are you testing the water?

Flocculant - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Unfortunately I just replaced my sand before doing this, I have vacuumed it actually 3 times to waste, but pool is still to cloudy to tell if there is floc settled on the bottom of the pool it’s been now four days since I added the green to blue. I use the HTH pool test strips and the app to test the pool attached is my results from this morning.

 

[Mdragger88]

Paula,
The floc is a bandaid at best- it only helps you mechanically remove dead algae. It does nothing to kill it or prevent it from growing again in short order. Unless you use the correct amount of chlorine it continues to proliferate.
To truly rid your pool of the algae you need to do the SLAM Process with liquid chlorine. This involves knowing your true cya level (which may be very different than the strip says) & maintaining the proper shock/slam fc level for that FC/CYA Levels until you pass all 3 end of slam criteria.
To do this you need to be able to accurately test your water frequently with your own proper test kit.
A Taylor k2006c or tf100/pro are the only ones recommended because of the specific tests they contain. Others are all missing something.
Test Kits Compared
Unfortunately “guess” strips just don’t cut the mustard with their ranges & varying results. They are also easily bleached out at elevated fc levels.
Until your kit comes add nothing but 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine to the pool each day to prevent things from getting worse (pour it slowly infront of a running return & brush the area).
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts.
If your pool has been off for 48 hours & the floc hasn’t settled it’s probably not going to but the algae is still proliferating with no chlorine.
You can either proceed with the slam process now (knowing you will at least need to deep clean the filter or possibly replace the sand again soon) or you can drain the pool/exchange the water & start fresh with a quick
SLAM Process once refilled.
Is this a permanent above ground pool or a temporary intex style pool?
What size/brand is the sand filter?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Best to just ignore the floc right now and follow @Mdragger88 ’s advice - test kit + PoolMath + SLAM …
Then, when the pool is clear, you can worry about the filter sand.

 

[PaulaA36]

Paula,
The floc is a bandaid at best- it only helps you mechanically remove dead algae. It does nothing to kill it or prevent it from growing again in short order. Unless you use the correct amount of chlorine it continues to proliferate.
To truly rid your pool of the algae you need to do the SLAM Process with liquid chlorine. This involves knowing your true cya level (which may be very different than the strip says) & maintaining the proper shock/slam fc level for that FC/CYA Levels until you pass all 3 end of slam criteria.
To do this you need to be able to accurately test your water frequently with your own proper test kit.
A Taylor k2006c or tf100/pro are the only ones recommended because of the specific tests they contain. Others are all missing something.
Test Kits Compared
Unfortunately “guess” strips just don’t cut the mustard with their ranges & varying results. They are also easily bleached out at elevated fc levels.
Until your kit comes add nothing but 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine to the pool each day to prevent things from getting worse (pour it slowly infront of a running return & brush the area).
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts.
If your pool has been off for 48 hours & the floc hasn’t settled it’s probably not going to but the algae is still proliferating with no chlorine.
You can either proceed with the slam process now (knowing you will at least need to deep clean the filter or possibly replace the sand again soon) or you can drain the pool/exchange the water & start fresh with a quick
SLAM Process once refilled.
Is this a permanent above ground pool or a temporary intex style pool?
What size/brand is the sand filter?

It’s probably considered a temporary it’s a Coleman vinyl bought from Walmart last year the pump however has been upgraded as it was given to me by a friend but had never been used. It came with an above ground pool her mother in law bought from a manufacturer and never was set up before the mother in law passed due to covid. So it had been sitting in barn for a couple of years label had worn off so not sure of the brand.
I went out yesterday and checked the pool and could actually visibly see the brown on the bottom so I vacuumed to waste and then again about 30 mins ago I went and checked and all but about 1/4 of the pool was clear of the brown so I vacuumed to wast on that side again. Pool is still a tad cloudy but I can atleast now finally see the brown when it settles. Praying this means I’m finally heading in the right direction and will never use floc again ! And will definitely be ordering a kit and proceeding with the slam process thank you all so much! Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[PaulaA36]

Best to just ignore the floc right now and follow @Mdragger88 ’s advice - test kit + PoolMath + SLAM …
Then, when the pool is clear, you can worry about the filter sand.

Thank you so much!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Generally speaking, when floc gets sucked up into a filter it will stay there for a time and remain captured. The problem is that over a short period of time, days or so, the floc will start to break down and, as it does, it releases all of the fine particulate matter that it originally trapped. So, for a sand filter, the breakdown of the floc will eventually cause “dirty” water to start to stream out of the returns. Then the pool will cloud up again. This is why with flocs you must always vacuum to waste - the floc needs to be removed from the pool.

SLAM the pool and make sure that the water is clean (no algae or anything that will consume chlorine). Then, if clarity is an issue, you can work on cleaning out the filter sand using the deep clean method. A single round of floc is not going to harm the filter sand and it can be cleaned rather than replaced. You can then use pool grade DE as an additive to the sand filter to help clear up fine particulate cloudiness. The nice part about using the DE in a sand filter is that once you get the desired clarity, you can quickly and easily flush the DE out using the backwash feature on a sand filter.

 

[PaulaA36]

Generally speaking, when floc gets sucked up into a filter it will stay there for a time and remain captured. The problem is that over a short period of time, days or so, the floc will start to break down and, as it does, it releases all of the fine particulate matter that it originally trapped. So, for a sand filter, the breakdown of the floc will eventually cause “dirty” water to start to stream out of the returns. Then the pool will cloud up again. This is why with flocs you must always vacuum to waste - the floc needs to be removed from the pool.

SLAM the pool and make sure that the water is clean (no algae or anything that will consume chlorine). Then, if clarity is an issue, you can work on cleaning out the filter sand using the deep clean method. A single round of floc is not going to harm the filter sand and it can be cleaned rather than replaced. You can then use pool grade DE as an additive to the sand filter to help clear up fine particulate cloudiness. The nice part about using the DE in a sand filter is that once you get the desired clarity, you can quickly and easily flush the DE out using the backwash feature on a sand filter.

Thank you so so much for all your helpful information! I had just been reading on using the DE and was going to get some tmr! Thank you!

Also one more question… I noticed the other day that the pressure gage was cracked so I ordered a new one from Amazon, hvnt been using filter due to the floc but I put the new gage in today and since I had finally vacuumed all the floc off bottom, I turned the filter on today and showing 0 pressure. The water pressure coming out of the return is great so it’s definitely pushing the water through but wondering if this means my filter isn’t working

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thank you so so much for all your helpful information! I had just been reading on using the DE and was going to get some tmr! Thank you!

Also one more question… I noticed the other day that the pressure gage was cracked so I ordered a new one from Amazon, hvnt been using filter due to the floc but I put the new gage in today and since I had finally vacuumed all the floc off bottom, I turned the filter on today and showing 0 pressure. The water pressure coming out of the return is great so it’s definitely pushing the water through but wondering if this means my filter isn’t working

You’ll have to show picture of the finger and gauge … maybe it’s not installed correctly.

 

[Mdragger88]

Post some pics of the equipment.
Add that it is a coleman pool to your signature .
Here’s the details on deep cleaning the sand.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.google.com

 

[PaulaA36]

You’ll have to show picture of the finger and gauge … maybe it’s not installed correctly.

Thank you I will take pictures in the morning I sure hope that’s all it is!

 

[PaulaA36]

Post some pics of the equipment.
Add that it is a coleman pool to your signature .
Here’s the details on deep cleaning the sand.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.google.com

Thank you so much and I will post pics of the equipment in the morning!

 

[PaulaA36]

Thank you so much and I will post pics of the equipment in the morning!

 

[PaulaA36]

You’ll have to show picture of the finger and gauge … maybe it’s not installed correctly.

 

[PaulaA36]

Pictures of the system