UPDATE -safe to swim? Worst Pool Store Ever!

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Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

squirreltech said:
just seen a video that claims backwashing a filter too often will cause cloudiness. could this be my problem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_J5KgIq ... re=related
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Probably not. If your cloudiness is dead algea, your filter will get it all eventually. A pressure 25% above clean is what's recommended here on TFP, and it's what I use as well. Let it get a full 25% above clean, before backwashing.

My filter starts off at 16 clean, and I don't worry about it untill 20... at least.

Dan
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

It appears like you have really only been at it since the 21st using the appropriate method (with test kit), which unfortunately is not too long. Sand filters can take some to time to clear a pool. As you have already read, sometimes adding DE helps, but not always. How many nights have you passed the OCLT?
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

squirreltech said:
do you mean floc? if so i have tried 2 different kinds. pool store $40 kind and walmart $14 (hth) kind. now if you mean a clairifier, then i haven't tried that yet.
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To be honest here...I have never used either, or even looked at a bottle, but I think they are basically the same thing. Since you have already tried floc, then I think you need to focus on filtering.

squirreltech said:
problem is it's been cloudy for 4 weeks or more and the pressure take 2 days to get up 25% i'm thinking my sand is shot
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This is not very common, but have you checked your filter for channeling? http://www.troublefreepool.com/my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html#p60821
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

Just to give you some encouragement - in February my pool turned green because it was really hot and I was sick for 3 weeks, unable to care for it. It stayed dark green until early April when I could clean/open it. I got it to light green and then cloudy/blue within a few days, but it took another 3 full weeks for it to completely clear. I have a cartridge filter and we took it apart and cleaned the cartridges three times. I thought after two times it was enough - the cartridges were no longer green/slimy/etc. after the second time - so I let it continue (filtering 24/7) for 2 weeks after the second cleaning, sure that any day I would wake up to a clear pool. Finally I decided to try cleaning the cartridges a third time, and then it totally cleared within 2 days. I don't know how/if that translates for a sand filter...
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

My routine is to backwash the sand filter when it's 25% above clean operating pressure, after which I add 1 cup of DE. If the water is already clear it slowly rises over the course of a week or two. Of course, vacuuming and/or brushing cause it to rise faster.

squirreltech said:
just seen a video that claims backwashing a filter too often will cause cloudiness. could this be my problem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_J5KgIq ... re=related
Click to expand...
 

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Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

Changing the sand will likely result in no difference if you have already checked it and flushed it with a hose and not found an unusual clumpiness.

It will just be a lot of work ... sand does not "wear out"
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever!

Update on progress for you all..hopefully someone else with the same problem will read this someday and can see the transformation. I have lots of pics. I will post them all when I am done.

haven't changed the sand yet, still debating... might change it when i am all done shocking, just to make sure all the dead algae and other Crud in there is gone for good. and to know that the sand in there is what I myself put in there.
We had a lot of rain yesterday and the pool got an extra 3-4 inches of water, some new leaves and debris. it's all cleaned out now. I have been running the kreepy krawler for 2 days straight now and it's doing a decent job. I have the attachment that allows the skimmer to still draw water into the filter as well, so i am filtering from 2 locations.

The pool is looking better everyday, but again, it's painfully slow. very small progress noticed. I may floc it again in the next couple of days, since I am planning on going camping for 2 days this weekend, it would be a good time to do it. I'll come home and vacuum to waste.

here are some pictures from yesterday:
 

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Re: Worst Pool Store Ever! Updated info and pics - still clo

Don't give up!! I have been through the painstakingly slow process of clearing cloudy water (more than once :oops: ) As long as you see a difference everyday, even the slightest improvement, you are making progress! Eventually, one morning you will wake up to a clear pool! You will be walking on cloud nine all day when that happens! Keep the faith! This process works, the experts here are awesome, and in the long run, you will have gained far more in knowledge than you can imagine. You will finally be able to control your pool yourself with confidence and you will not have to second guess yourself and blindly dump who knows what into your water just because someone else told you to. Good luck and happy shocking!!
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever! Updated info and pics - still clo

Your cloudiness is just dead algae. I opened this year to a BLACK pool that smelled like a sewer. My water looked EXACLTY like yours after shocking. It took 3 weeks to clear. I let the kids swim in it. The water was chemically balanced and the swimming seemed to help it clear. I guess it stirred up the "cloud" or something. i have a sand filter, also. I would be patient and wait a while longer. Changing sand can be a pain...at least "I" hate it.
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever! Updated info and pics - still clo

Just a question - does your filter have a rinse setting? That setting on my filter works to resettle the sand after backwashing. This helps the sand not to clump together and rinses out any debris that may loosen from resettling. Since I started doing that 2 years ago, I have had to backwash less as the sand seems to be 'fresher' and doing it's job better.

Then again, I could be off my rocker... :lol:
 
Re: Worst Pool Store Ever! Updated info and pics - still clo

Awesome mountain of bleach bottles! My only suggestion would be to dump more DE in the filter - maybe I missed it, how much have you used already? A cup or so? That's a good sized pool, I'd suggest 2.5lbs of DE (5 'scoops'). A nice layer of DE in the sand filter will strain fine particles out fast. Pressures will climb higher than normal, that's OK as long as there is still good flow.

The sand will not wear out. Since you've been nuking it with bleach for weeks now, it's probably very clean nice sand!
 

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