Tried Everything Pool Won't Clear
- Thread starter joe690
- Start date
No it is set to filter, but it seems like it is just recirculating. Could my valve be bad? As I said it is not leaking and all the positions seem to work fine, but it does seem as though the water is just recirculating, even though it is set to filter. That is what I think the problem is, but don't know how to find out.
Snap96
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Ok u got me, what is a spider gasket? And could that cause the problem I am having? Also could we agree now that this IS A FILTER ISSUE and not a CHLORINE ISSUE?
Not unless you passed the 3 SLAM criteria at some point.
1. CC is 0.5 or less.
2. Your overnight chlorine loss is 1 ppm or less.
3. Water is crystal clear.
If you had passed 1 and 2 and were stuck on 3, then yes, it could be a filtration issue but if you did not stick to the SLAM procedure to accomplish 1 & 2 then yes, it still could be a sanitation issue.
A spider gasket goes in your multiport filter and can become cracked or leaky over time. They tend to last longer if you only always turn the multiport handle in one direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise, never both. You can find replacement gaskets online if you know the model number of your MP valve.
Hello again Joe690,
Sorry if it seems we doubt you or your knowledge, it is certainly not the intent here at all. Everyone here wants to help and wants to see your issue resolved, it is what makes this site so great in my opinion. Please understand that what is taught and practiced through this site goes against most pool store advice and what people have been doing to their pools for many years. In a lot of cases we need to make sure that we fully understand what they are doing and what we are trying to suggest. As you can imagine any time someone tries to communicate something like this the message can get lost or sound different than it is meant.
As for why this year is different vs. other years I do not know but can give you a couple of guesses. This year I have had to open my pool for the first time in the month of March, which is the earliest I have ever had to open it. This is because Feb and March were so warm around here that my water temp was quickly approaching 60 degrees in mid-March. Once water reaches 60 algae can quickly start growing.
Saying this it is possible that algae growth was a bit more/thicker/stronger than other years and taking longer and more effort to get rid of. I also do not have a sand filter but it is my understanding that clean sand takes longer to clear a pool than sand that is not so clean. A lot of people have found success adding some DE to their sand filters. I am not entirely sure how much but I believe most people start off with 1 lb. and will add until the pressure of their filter goes up about 1 lb. This adds a layer of DE to the sand filter which will help filter out smaller particles. It will also cause your filter pressure to go up faster so you will want to do it when you have time to check the filter through out the day.
Also remember to re-add it after you backwash. I hope this helps.
Now you will want to make sure that your spider gasket as listed above works, if it is not working correctly you could get both sand and DE returning into the pool.
Hope this helps.
Sorry if it seems we doubt you or your knowledge, it is certainly not the intent here at all. Everyone here wants to help and wants to see your issue resolved, it is what makes this site so great in my opinion. Please understand that what is taught and practiced through this site goes against most pool store advice and what people have been doing to their pools for many years. In a lot of cases we need to make sure that we fully understand what they are doing and what we are trying to suggest. As you can imagine any time someone tries to communicate something like this the message can get lost or sound different than it is meant.
As for why this year is different vs. other years I do not know but can give you a couple of guesses. This year I have had to open my pool for the first time in the month of March, which is the earliest I have ever had to open it. This is because Feb and March were so warm around here that my water temp was quickly approaching 60 degrees in mid-March. Once water reaches 60 algae can quickly start growing.
Saying this it is possible that algae growth was a bit more/thicker/stronger than other years and taking longer and more effort to get rid of. I also do not have a sand filter but it is my understanding that clean sand takes longer to clear a pool than sand that is not so clean. A lot of people have found success adding some DE to their sand filters. I am not entirely sure how much but I believe most people start off with 1 lb. and will add until the pressure of their filter goes up about 1 lb. This adds a layer of DE to the sand filter which will help filter out smaller particles. It will also cause your filter pressure to go up faster so you will want to do it when you have time to check the filter through out the day.
Also remember to re-add it after you backwash. I hope this helps.
Now you will want to make sure that your spider gasket as listed above works, if it is not working correctly you could get both sand and DE returning into the pool.
Hope this helps.
Is it hard to replace a spider gasket? I will look that up later I guess.
Just rechecked the pool water
pH 7.3 went up cause of all the chlorine
free chlorine 14, and I did not have to add any
total alkalinity 80
CYA 35
So I added about 1 gallon of chlorine around 4 hours ago, haven't lost any yet, I will recheck at around 9pm eastern time. Filter is running 7 PSI
No change in clarity of pool water
Just rechecked the pool water
pH 7.3 went up cause of all the chlorine
free chlorine 14, and I did not have to add any
total alkalinity 80
CYA 35
So I added about 1 gallon of chlorine around 4 hours ago, haven't lost any yet, I will recheck at around 9pm eastern time. Filter is running 7 PSI
No change in clarity of pool water
Your pH won't remain up if it is just from the liquid chlorine. As it breaks down the pH will fall back to where it was, so we say liquid chlorine is "pH neutral".
Do you have a fountain or way to aerate the water when you want the pH to rise a bit? That works really well, without effecting other parameters.
Do you have a fountain or way to aerate the water when you want the pH to rise a bit? That works really well, without effecting other parameters.
Ok thanks for all the help so far. I am still having a hard time believing that it is not a problem that I have NEVER had the pressure rise in my filter tank yet all year. Does anyone here have any explanation for that? Thats what I really want to know and truly believe will fix my problem. It is the only thing happening different this year. I am always on top of my water chemistry, more than most others I know. I will keep the chlorine level at 14, but at some point I need to know why my filter wont trap any particles, because there is no doubt that tbere is a problem there. Why filter the water at all if it is not going thru a media that can trap particles that will make my water cloudy.
Also how do I tell if the spider gasket is bad or not? Would that cause my problem of the filter not trapping particles? And as far as I can see there is not any sand being blown back into the pool through the return line.
Have you tried putting a bit of DE in there? That often helps clear up the smallest of schmutz. Directions in Pool School <points up to top right>
Yip
Yip
Wow so much YELLING in this thread 
Try this: Add DE to a Sand Filter
While maintaining the high FC level.
Try this: Add DE to a Sand Filter
While maintaining the high FC level.
The only way to know for sure about the gasket is going to be taking apart the valve. I don't have one so I don't know how to tell you about actually doing it. Bet you can find a video or two about it on youtube.
Ok so the last time I put chlorine in was about 18 hours ago. I just checked it and it is still at very close to 14, so I highly doubt the chlorine is a problem. I will try some DE today if I can get my hands on some.
I had the exact same problem - chemistry was good, but the pool stayed hazy.
It was exactly as some others above have mentioned - pin-hole crack in spider gasket. That allowed (in my case) DE particles be suspended in the pool making it cloudy! Changed the gasket and in 2 days, crystal water. Easy to change - there are a ton of videos on YouTube showing how - just search on muliport spider gasket replacement.
I don't know about sand filters, but if the gasket is compromised, "junk" from the filter is going to get back into the pool. Kind of like backwashing into the pool!
It was exactly as some others above have mentioned - pin-hole crack in spider gasket. That allowed (in my case) DE particles be suspended in the pool making it cloudy! Changed the gasket and in 2 days, crystal water. Easy to change - there are a ton of videos on YouTube showing how - just search on muliport spider gasket replacement.
I don't know about sand filters, but if the gasket is compromised, "junk" from the filter is going to get back into the pool. Kind of like backwashing into the pool!
I took my valve off and brought it to my local pool place where they are actually very knowledgeable. They said they are 99% sure it is some problem with the valve. Possibly the spider gasket, if I even have a removeable one. Or possibly the whole valve is bad. The issue is that the pool is set to filter, but it is pretty much just recirculating. Even my tank pressure is running around 6 psi which is too low, if the water was being filtered the pressure would be higher, around 10 psi. So I will post back after I get the valve back and put it on the filter. Then we will see if I can finally catch debris.
Thanks for the reply viking, I am thinking we had a very similar problem!