First time pool owner

[hewing_05]

Update: 11pm my fc was 11.5

6am my fc is still 11.5!
That's great right?
My cya dropped a bit. I'm guessing from the water add so now I'm sayimg between 10 and 20. I plan to add more stabilizer to the sock since its out now and not add bleach yet. Or should I add some to get it to 12?

 

[Fingaling]

For your stabilizer to have dropped from the 30 you dosed to, to 20 would need for you to have lost and replaced 1/3 of your water. Your likely still in the high 20s so I wouldn't add more just yet. Keep dosing to 12ppm FC

This is the hard part now. Your chlorine held overnight which means your algae is mostly dead. Now it's just a matter of allowing the sand filter to clear it up. Continue to brush, and maintain your chlorine level at shock level until you can clearly see the bottom and you have 0.5 or less CC.

To help your filter you can add a small amount of DE (diatomecious earth). To do this, backwash and rinse it well and look at your pressure. Then add a tiny bit mixed with a bucket of water(1/4 cup de, maybe less). Then check the pressure again after waiting two minutes. Your looking for a rise of 1psi and not more than 2psi. If it didn't go up by 1, add a little more until it does. This will improve your filter efficiency and you will likely notice your pressure increases much faster and you will need to backwash soon. Backwashing will also removes the DE, so you will have to add more after each backwash. ( If you overshoot when dosing, you can also backwash to restart). This is optional, but otherwis,e sand filters can take a long time to clear up dead algae.

 

[hewing_05]

For your stabilizer to have dropped from the 30 you dosed to, to 20 would need for you to have lost and replaced 1/3 of your water. Your likely still in the high 20s so I wouldn't add more just yet. Keep dosing to 12ppm FC

This is the hard part now. Your chlorine held overnight which means your algae is mostly dead. Now it's just a matter of allowing the sand filter to clear it up. Continue to brush, and maintain your chlorine level at shock level until you can clearly see the bottom and you have 0.5 or less CC.

To help your filter you can add a small amount of DE (diatomecious earth). To do this, backwash and rinse it well and look at your pressure. Then add a tiny bit mixed with a bucket of water(1/4 cup de, maybe less). Then check the pressure again after waiting two minutes. Your looking for a rise of 1psi and not more than 2psi. If it didn't go up by 1, add a little more until it does. This will improve your filter efficiency and you will likely notice your pressure increases much faster and you will need to backwash soon. Backwashing will also removes the DE, so you will have to add more after each backwash. ( If you overshoot when dosing, you can also backwash to restart). This is optional, but otherwis,e sand filters can take a long time to clear up dead algae.

Awesome!! Thank you for all the input! I do not have DE at home. Where can I purchase this from? I have a rural king and Wal-Mart within 25 mins.

 

[Fingaling]

Walmart may have it where you are, it would be in the pool section. If not, a pool store should.

I have to buy mine online as no one has de filters around here so I'm not sure if the big box stores in other places carry it. I can't even get it at pool stores, but most people can. Just make sure you get it from the pool section... There's also garden DE which won't work.

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

Awesome!! Thank you for all the input! I do not have DE at home. Where can I purchase this from? I have a rural king and Wal-Mart within 25 mins.

I tried pool DE in my pool with disastrous results. It went right through the filter and settled to the bottom of the pool.
People will say there's something wrong with my sand filter but I don't think there is. I think the issue is there's two type of DE. One is a powder which is what I have and one is what I believe to be crystalized from being heated to 1000F and probably a larger particle that doesn't pass the sand.
I don't know this for a fact I just know experience with powdered DE labeled for pool.

Awesome!! Thank you for all the input! I do not have DE at home. Where can I purchase this from? I have a rural king and Wal-Mart within 25 mins.

 

[hewing_05]

I'm still getting no chlorine loss overnight. 1st picture is from yesterday and 2nd picture is from today. Fc is currently 13. I also brushed everything yesterday.
When I have been backwashing I was turning my valve to waste out. Not sure what the heck I was thinking so last night we did the backwash and my psi went from 21 to 16 and the pressure comimg from outlet was awesome!! This morning when I woke up I had very little return pressure and my psi was back to 21. Not sure why my water pressure from my return isnt staying strong. Again, we put new sand in about a month ago and cleaned all lateral and checked for cracks because I was thinking my pressure wasn't very strong. But the pressure we got after backeashimg correctly was so strong. It hasn't ever been that strong. Thoughts? Maybe why my pool isn't as clear?
(The floater is for temperature only. I have not been doing any tablets)

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

I'm still getting no chlorine loss overnight. 1st picture is from yesterday and 2nd picture is from today. Fc is currently 13. I also brushed everything yesterday.
When I have been backwashing I was turning my valve to waste out. Not sure what the heck I was thinking so last night we did the backwash and my psi went from 21 to 16 and the pressure comimg from outlet was awesome!! This morning when I woke up I had very little return pressure and my psi was back to 21. Not sure why my water pressure from my return isnt staying strong. Again, we put new sand in about a month ago and cleaned all lateral and checked for cracks because I was thinking my pressure wasn't very strong. But the pressure we got after backeashimg correctly was so strong. It hasn't ever been that strong. Thoughts? Maybe why my pool isn't as clear?
(The floater is for temperature only. I have not been doing any tablets)

Is all of your piping above ground?
You mentioned water loss in a previous post, was that from vacuuming to waste?
What's the source of the replacement water?
You could test the replacement water before it goes in the pool to see what you're adding.

 

[hewing_05]

Is all of your piping above ground?
You mentioned water loss in a previous post, was that from vacuuming to waste?
What's the source of the replacement water?
You could test the replacement water before it goes in the pool to see what you're adding.

Yes, it's all above ground. The pool place came out last summer and hooked it all up. We lost water due to vacuum to waste and our replacement water is city water. What tests would I need to perform?

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

I know you asked previously if you should remove the ladder. I wasn't paying attention that it was metal. I was thinking it was all plastic. Now I think you should take it out for thorough inspection and consider not using it if it's rusty.
When you vacuum to waste, where does the waste water go?

 

[hewing_05]

I know you asked previously if you should remove the ladder. I wasn't paying attention that it was metal. I was thinking it was all plastic. Now I think you should take it out for thorough inspection and consider not using it if it's rusty.
When you vacuum to waste, where does the waste water go?

Ok! I will look for a plastic one! It goes out our waste drain pipe the blue plastic long hose.

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

Yes, it's all above ground. The pool place came out last summer and hooked it all up. We lost water due to vacuum to waste and our replacement water is city water. What tests would I need to perform?

Just thinking a full round of testing as you would do to the pool water. Just put some city water in a known sanitized jar and use that as sample water to do chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, calc hardness, alk, whatever else. Just to rule it out. It seems to me this clear up has been a real pain in the ? for you.
I would have emptied the whole thing by now and started over.
I personally use the BBB Method which I saw someone say was an old term and said using borax isn't necessary. I'd be interested to hear why that would be. It makes my water very soft and sparkly.

 

[hewing_05]

Just thinking a full round of testing as you would do to the pool water. Just put some city water in a known sanitized jar and use that as sample water to do chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, calc hardness, alk, whatever else. Just to rule it out. It seems to me this clear up has been a real pain in the ? for you.
I would have emptied the whole thing by now and started over.
I personally use the BBB Method which I saw someone say was an old term and said using borax isn't necessary. I'd be interested to hear why that would be. It makes my water very soft and sparkly.

We emptied it out the end of the summer last year. There was only about 2 foot of water left and then refilled it. I am wondering if it's not my sand filter. My water pressure from the outlet is so strong on recirculate and right after we backwash. Then the pressure slowly slows down.

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

Ok! I will look for a plastic one! It goes out our waste drain pipe the blue plastic long hose.

Well don't spend the money on the plastic ladder yet, I'm just saying inspect the current ladder and then consider if you want to get a different one. I'm saying inspect the metal one for anything that could be making issues.
Where does the water physically go? Just to the yard or....?

 

[hewing_05]

Well don't spend the money on the plastic ladder yet, I'm just saying inspect the current ladder and then consider if you want to get a different one. I'm saying inspect the metal one for anything that could be making issues.
Where does the water physically go? Just to the yard or....?

Yes it goes to the yard. What are you thinking? Do you think something else is causing my cloudy water?

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

We emptied it out the end of the summer last year. There was only about 2 foot of water left and then refilled it. I am wondering if it's not my sand filter. My water pressure from the outlet is so strong on recirculate and right after we backwash. Then the pressure slowly slows down.

This is quite the mystery.

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

Yes it goes to the water. What are you thinking? Do you think something else is causing my cloudy water?

What do you mean by yes it goes to the water. The question was where does the waste water physically go when you vacuum to waste? Mine goes through a drain hose to the street.

 

[hewing_05]

What do you mean by yes it goes to the water. The question was where does the waste water physically go when you vacuum to waste? Mine goes through a drain hose to the street.

I meant to say the yard! It goes downhill. We have about 5 acres so it doesn't reach the street but goes downhill from pool.

 

[DrHorshenschwartz]

I meant to say the yard! It goes downhill. We have about 5 acres so it doesn't reach the street but goes downhill from pool.

I haven't had issues like you have but a 12 on chlorine for as long as you have seems like you should be good by now. And if people say no it takes time then I'd logically think the slam method isn't the way to go.
I'm on vacation in Virgina right now and our pump will have been off for four days. I may return to my own adventure.

 

[JimMarshall]

I haven't had issues like you have but a 12 on chlorine for as long as you have seems like you should be good by now. And if people say no it takes time then I'd logically think the slam method isn't the way to go.
I'm on vacation in Virgina right now and our pump will have been off for four days. I may return to my own adventure.

Why would you turn your pump off for 4 days?!?!?!?!?

 

[Fingaling]

As long as you're noticing improvements every day, it's working. Your chlorine is holding because the algae is dead and is not consuming it anymore. Now it's just the sand filter that needs to clear it up. It takes time. Your flow goes down because it's clogging with dead algae. Keep backwashing it when needed. You will find that, like with adding the Chlorine, you'll do it alot at first then progressively less and less.