Pool still cloudy after 5 weeks 24/7 filtering/SLAM

[LWFJester]

I am running a Hayward pump, Hayward sand filter, have a central floor drain, a skimmer, and a single return on an above ground, vinyl, 24' round pool. The Hayward H150 heater didn't start this year so it's not running.
Last year I didn't close my pool properly and didn't cover it. Removed all plumbing, pump, multi-switch of sand filter, and covered the sand filter, but left the pool uncovered except for the solar blanket. (I'm an idiot, I know).
The week before Father's Day I decided to take my lashings and try to fix my egregious mistake and the swamp my pool had become.
I replaced my plumbing lines to take out a chlorination tab holding unit the previous owner used - now it goes straight from sand filter to heater to pool.
Next I uncovered the sand filter and ran fresh water in it using a garden hose to coax anything not removed by backwashing. I moved the hose up and down through the sand, as I'd seen on a YouTube video, and a tremendous amount of leaves, branches, and flotsam and jetsum came up and out. I wanted the filter as clean as possible.
I started by dumping 3 gallons of 12% pool shock from Menards, knowing I was starting at zero and the pool was disgusting. I put the pump on to run 24/7.
Within a day or so, the water turned blue but didn't clear. I got in the pool to do a full brushing and found the walls were covered in something that felt like sandpaper. Did some research and read it was most likely calcium scaling. I used a Scrub Daddy rough sponge to scrub the sides of the pool and stairs (which I had left in all winter too) and found I was able to get most of it off.
Fast forward to this week, 5 weeks later. After adding Muratic Acid my pH is now balanced, and the last parameter that wasn't.
As of this morning my readings are:
FC: 10
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.3
TA: 90
CH: 75
CYA: 25
Filter has been running 24/7 since the Thursday before Father's Day, and I still have cloudy water.
I originally thought it might be calcium dissolved back into the water, but the CH reading is lower than I've ever had, so I'm suspect of that.
I also thought the contaminates are dead but too small for the sand filter to mechanically filter effectively. Is there anything I can use to try to precipitate these things out? Is adding DE to the sand my only option? I don't think it's worth plumbing in a cartridge filter, as I've never had this issue before, but I'm kinda at a loss.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Sorry you are going through this. Your focus should be on chlorine/SLAM and the filter.

• How confident are you in your CYA number, and did it come from your own test kit?
• If you are confident in your CYA number of "25" then you always round CYA up, so we will call yours 30
• The SLAM FC for 30 CYA is 12. Make sure you are maintaining that number until you pass the criteria to end the SLAM
• You mentioned a ton of leaves and debris in your sand filter. Is the bottom of your pool clean, or is there debris to remove there too?
• Any stairs, lights, etc that can harbor hidden algae?

 

[Bperry]

I am running a Hayward pump, Hayward sand filter, have a central floor drain, a skimmer, and a single return on an above ground, vinyl, 24' round pool. The Hayward H150 heater didn't start this year so it's not running.
Last year I didn't close my pool properly and didn't cover it. Removed all plumbing, pump, multi-switch of sand filter, and covered the sand filter, but left the pool uncovered except for the solar blanket. (I'm an idiot, I know).
The week before Father's Day I decided to take my lashings and try to fix my egregious mistake and the swamp my pool had become.
I replaced my plumbing lines to take out a chlorination tab holding unit the previous owner used - now it goes straight from sand filter to heater to pool.
Next I uncovered the sand filter and ran fresh water in it using a garden hose to coax anything not removed by backwashing. I moved the hose up and down through the sand, as I'd seen on a YouTube video, and a tremendous amount of leaves, branches, and flotsam and jetsum came up and out. I wanted the filter as clean as possible.
I started by dumping 3 gallons of 12% pool shock from Menards, knowing I was starting at zero and the pool was disgusting. I put the pump on to run 24/7.
Within a day or so, the water turned blue but didn't clear. I got in the pool to do a full brushing and found the walls were covered in something that felt like sandpaper. Did some research and read it was most likely calcium scaling. I used a Scrub Daddy rough sponge to scrub the sides of the pool and stairs (which I had left in all winter too) and found I was able to get most of it off.
Fast forward to this week, 5 weeks later. After adding Muratic Acid my pH is now balanced, and the last parameter that wasn't.
As of this morning my readings are:
FC: 10
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.3
TA: 90
CH: 75
CYA: 25
Filter has been running 24/7 since the Thursday before Father's Day, and I still have cloudy water.
I originally thought it might be calcium dissolved back into the water, but the CH reading is lower than I've ever had, so I'm suspect of that.
I also thought the contaminates are dead but too small for the sand filter to mechanically filter effectively. Is there anything I can use to try to precipitate these things out? Is adding DE to the sand my only option? I don't think it's worth plumbing in a cartridge filter, as I've never had this issue before, but I'm kinda at a loss.

The SLAM criteria says you need the CYA to be 30ppm. I read someone else trying to SLAM with the CYA too low and there was a problem keeping chlorine in the water. Might be something to look at.

 

[LWFJester]

Sorry you are going through this. Your focus should be on chlorine/SLAM and the filter.

• How confident are you in your CYA number, and did it come from your own test kit?
• If you are confident in your CYA number of "25" then you always round CYA up, so we will call yours 30
• The SLAM FC for 30 CYA is 12. Make sure you are maintaining that number until you pass the criteria to end the SLAM
• You mentioned a ton of leaves and debris in your sand filter. Is the bottom of your pool clean, or is there debris to remove there too?
• Any stairs, lights, etc that can harbor hidden algae?

Thanks for the response - I am confident in that number as I used my TF100 kit and R-0013 reagent. Rounding up isn't something I thought to do, but it's basically just adding more chlorine. I am not losing CL during the day even in direct sun. I think it went down 1.5ppm today - after being in the sun 7 hours with just a blue solar cover on. If I had a ton of contaminates left to be killed/sanitized, I assume it would drop off much more than that.
I still think this is more of a mechanical filter issue than chemical imbalance.
I have a robot vacuum I run 2-3 times a day. The pool is very clean.
There may be something hidden IN the stairs....they're plastic molded that you put sand in. Not sure how I'd clean that..

 

[Bperry]

Thanks for the response - I am confident in that number as I used my TF100 kit and R-0013 reagent. Rounding up isn't something I thought to do, but it's basically just adding more chlorine. I am not losing CL during the day even in direct sun. I think it went down 1.5ppm today - after being in the sun 7 hours with just a blue solar cover on. If I had a ton of contaminates left to be killed/sanitized, I assume it would drop off much more than that.
I still think this is more of a mechanical filter issue than chemical imbalance.
I have a robot vacuum I run 2-3 times a day. The pool is very clean.
There may be something hidden IN the stairs....they're plastic molded that you put sand in. Not sure how I'd clean that..

I think I missed what the actual problem was. Is there algae in the water?

 

[LWFJester]

I think I missed what the actual problem was. Is there algae in the water?

The water cloudy. The tests all come back balanced- but the water is still cloudy. When I backwash, I have cloudy water in the siteglass, so I'm almost certain it's particulates my filter can't seem to grab.
I've resorted to less frequent backwashing because I think the filter becomes more efficient at catch particles if it the sand has particles on it already. My HVAC always tells me that the two worst filters are a clogged one and a new one, the latter because there's nothing on the filter helping the filter be more efficient- I thought maybe the same applies here.
I do get substantially more in the filter when I wait.

 

[Bperry]

The water cloudy. The tests all come back balanced- but the water is still cloudy. When I backwash, I have cloudy water in the siteglass, so I'm almost certain it's particulates my filter can't seem to grab.
I've resorted to less frequent backwashing because I think the filter becomes more efficient at catch particles if it the sand has particles on it already. My HVAC always tells me that the two worst filters are a clogged one and a new one, the latter because there's nothing on the filter helping the filter be more efficient- I thought maybe the same applies here.
I do get substantially more in the filter when I wait.

In that case, do an overnight chlorine loss test to rule out algae and if that passes, it may just be needing to filter longer. Most of the time the filter isn’t the issue.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

If everything checks out OK as far as chlorine consumption then a little DE in the filter can't hurt assuming the sand isn't channeled and debris is bypassing the sand. But you need to add just enough to raise the pressure by 1 PSI and you need to baby sit the filter.

Our last filter was a DE filter and it was amazing in clearing the pool the few times it happened to our pool. I now have a sand filter and have the DE media sitting in the garage for if/when I need to add it.

I would give it a shot as long as you pass the OCLT.

 

[LWFJester]

In that case, do an overnight chlorine loss test to rule out algae and if that passes, it may just be needing to filter longer. Most of the time the filter isn’t the issue.

I tested last night at 6pm. It was 9.5ppm. My son and I then got in the pool and swam for almost 2.5 hours. I did not add chlorine. Checked at 9am this morning and was 8ppm. 0.5ppm CC. That's a passed OCLT to me.
This Thursday marks 6 weeks of 24/7 sand filtering. I'm afraid I'm going to burn out my pump. There's gotta be something I can do.

 

[wireform]

Keep the FC on the hot side so nothing slips in the back door till all is perfect and maybe add a pound of CYA just to be sure you're a solid 30. Keep the filter going 24/7 and do the DE sand filter thing but just watch the pressure. Brush eventhough you think it's not needed. There's a possibility you have channeling in the sand filter and that will cause what you have going on or it's a sand filter thing which takes time as the filter is rather small.

 

[Bperry]

I tested last night at 6pm. It was 9.5ppm. My son and I then got in the pool and swam for almost 2.5 hours. I did not add chlorine. Checked at 9am this morning and was 8ppm. 0.5ppm CC. That's a passed OCLT to me.
This Thursday marks 6 weeks of 24/7 sand filtering. I'm afraid I'm going to burn out my pump. There's gotta be something I can do.

That’s not passing the OCLT. You lost 1.5ppm.

My pump runs 24x7 filtering for 9 months or so, your pump will be fine.