Helping a friend: This should be a good one

[DallasSocFan]

Too bad you can't rent a pump and DE filter to double your capacity. Maybe buy a used set off craigslist and sell it for the same as you bought it for afterward?


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[Mr Bruce]

I never thought of that. I can buy a freaking pump for the cost of a 2 day rental.

I am going to tractor supply and buy one right now. I'm going with 1/2 hp unless somebody replies in the next 30 minutes and has a better idea. I'm going to mix those ideas, pump into the screen over a bucket with a compromised bottom.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Ended up with a 1/3 hp based on inventory. It's already picking stuff up, we'll see. The power cord is only 8 feet so I'm stuck to the shallow end but I think it will help a lot. Thank you all for the suggestions.

 

[kimkats]

LOL on the edit! BUT you need this to be done!

I am glad you took a pic as I had NO idea what he meant! Every little bit helps!

Kim

 

[Inflatableman1]

Throw a little DE in there and see what happens.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Day 13

We put a shirt over the top to try to increase filtering. I don't think it's getting that much anymore. I should try some de.

I have been using the cya tube to measure pure water clarity, today was the first day I could see the dot with it full of pool water. So that's good.

CYA reads <20, so added the last lb we have to a sock. See what that looks like in a week.

Pump is virtually up to 24x7 which will improve things greatly.

This picture cheats a little bit. The concrete has more blue in today's photo than the 16th, so it's not THAT much bluer. But it is improving greatly.

 

[Inflatableman1]

What's happening with this pool?


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[Mr Bruce]

Thanks for asking, I am headed over there after work to see for myself how things look. The pump can now run continuously without frequent backwashing, so I am bringing some DE to see if we can speed the filtering. There is a little progress every day, but it's slow going. I would say something like 5% improvement daily. FC loss is still probably 5-6 ppm daily, so I am going to check CYA also. My friend is quite capable of running all the tests, I just want to verify myself, especially the CYA test.

Will try to update this evening with pictures.

 

[chiefwej]

Skimmer sock will help clear it faster. You can just use women's knee highs, but you have to rinse or change then regularly to prevent starving the pomp.

 

[kimkats]

I can't wait to see the bottom!

Kim

 

[Mr Bruce]

I can't wait to see the bottom!

Kim

You and me both.

Day 16

This picture is a little disheartening. There is improvement but it is very slight.

Started with 1 cup of DE which raised the PSI 1 lb from 13 post BW to 14. In 30 minutes the pressure was 19. BW + slightly less DE = 30 min of run time before BW needed. Slightly less DE + 1hr = BW needed. Advised to stay with it as long as possible this evening then just sand filter overnight. Was hoping to do 4 hr windows tomorrow but that's obviously not happening.

RE: knee highs on skimmer basket. The basket has clogged so rapidly before that the pump becomes starved of water and we risk ruining the motor. The submersible return hose has a knee high attached, it doesn't have the flow rate of the pump but it collects some debris. Nothing notable.

This is where I tip my internet fedora to the people who in the beginning said to drain and start from scratch. I still don't know where the water would have gone, but looking back I would have just figured it out. I am humbled, I thought after a year+ of having a sparkling pool myself that this would be a cake walk. It is not. Thank you all for your time.

 

[kimkats]

I do have to say this has been one of the slowest ones I have watched/helped with

Kim

 

[MarianParoo]

It still looks particulate to me. How long did you leave the glass out again?

 

[Mr Bruce]

It still looks particulate to me. How long did you leave the glass out again?

Days. It never settled.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Day 20.

Ok, now we are cooking. Reminder, the pump has not quite been running 24/7 a week. That hurt us real bad in the beginning. Now the pump can run days without needing BW, so I brought some DE over Tuesday. With less than a cup of DE, the gauge shoots up in 20-30 minutes. So obviously only when it can be monitored, which is after work and some weekends for now. Once we can get the window to 4 hours will move to daytime only, then at 8 hours 24/7.

Lots of good news. Today, FC 12.0 CC 1.0. The sides are starting to be clear, you can see down maybe 6 inches. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I think the DE helps a lot. Keep in mind my **** phone decides on what tone the picture is, so the one from the day looks ALOT bluer and the one from 2 days ago, but if you compare concrete it looks bluer also. Not so much on the stairs, which is a more honest comparison.

Edit: I wonder if it would be better to put a tiny amount of DE, like 50 mL in when it can't be monitored, just to help a little? Or would that be so little it wouldn't help much. I've never messed with this stuff before.

 

[kimkats]

Look at the lastest one. You can see the WHOLE second step and a shadow of the third one!

I don't know about the little bit of DE. I do know I add it about once a week without a worry just because it polishes my water. I know what my filter is going to do when I add my 1/2 cup.

Hummm so try 1/4 cup for that day and see what happens. If it does not SPIKE the pressure and cause any problems try for 1/2 the next. I would not go higher than that on non-babysitting days. Better safe than sorry.

Kim

- - - Updated - - -

Look at the lastest one. You can see the WHOLE second step and a shadow of the third one!

I don't know about the little bit of DE. I do know I add it about once a week without a worry just because it polishes my water. I know what my filter is going to do when I add my 1/2 cup.

Hummm so try 1/4 cup for that day and see what happens. If it does not SPIKE the pressure and cause any problems try for 1/2 the next. I would not go higher than that on non-babysitting days. Better safe than sorry.

Kim

 

[carveitup]

Any updates? I've been keenly following this one...

 

[Mr Bruce]

This weekend is a DE party. I've mostly handed this one off but will update 2-3 times a week. I got a pic last night but it's not worth posting, not much improvement over previous pictures. CC staying around 1.0, not much left in there to kill.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Day 24 (9 days of constant filtering)

FC 9.5 CC 1.0 CYA 40 pH 7.3. I must have slightly overshot CYA. Water sample is very clear so I am going with that number for now. SLAM FC is 16.

First the good news. The return jet by the stairs and the skimmer basket are now visible.

The bad news. The photo from 6/25 and today 6/30 are identical. The stairs looks a little better, see below. I am advising small amounts of DE to try to get to windows where we can go 24/7 with SOME DE as opposed to short after work windows where 1.5 cups raise pressure > 25% in 90 minutes. I believe the particles are so fine they are not being trapped by the sand. The knee high over the submersible return has some stuff in it, but nothing remarkable.

Are we sure there isn't anything we can add to the water to combine with the particles and help them either fall out or filter better?

6/25 to 6/30

 

[dsilchenstedt]

I'd like to know the total gallons of bleach used in this project! Looking much better and keep up the good fight