- Aug 28, 2019
- 215
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Some of you may remember my saga last fall where my pool flooded after we got 12 inches of rain in just a few hours.
I ended up just scooping out all the large debris, dumping a few gallons of bleach in, and shutting everything down for the winter.
Understandably, things were a bit pond-like when spring came around. Organic growth wasn’t off the charts, but there was a lot of cleaning and filtering to be done, and some algae to contend with. Well, I’ve spent the past month in a SLAM. When I walk into Walmart now, they ask me if I’m back for more bleach. It’s getting expensive.
And I don’t think it’s necessary at this point. For well over a week now, I’ve passed OCLT, and with a single exception due to (I think) a dead squirrel in the pool, my CC has been <=0.5 (and usually 0). I see no indicators of microbial growth. But my water is still cloudy. And I think it is due to suspended fines. Every time I vacuum, the water gets murky. I backwash, and then after a day or two, it looks clearer than it did before I vacuumed. Bigger sediment falls back to the floor, but there’s less of it each time. My CC values don’t jump when the murkiness happens after vacuuming and brushing. My FC values are always where I expect them to be.
I’m ready to stop dumping bleach into the pool. I’m ready to start pouring in the other solids that were depleted by draining all the rain water this year, like my calcium and my salt. I’m ready to get my CYA where it is supposed to be. My SWGC is sitting begging to be used. My new Dolphin is supposed to get here next week, and I’m going to put it to work.
So…I feel fairly confident that I can drop FC to normal level and begin balancing my chemistry, continuing to clean and filter as I go. As long as I monitor for microbial growth, does this sound like a logical plan?
Also, while I don’t necessarily want to use a clarifier, I’m wondering if I’m going to reach the point where I’ll need one. That was mentioned (in the original post) as something I might need to resort to in the end.
I ended up just scooping out all the large debris, dumping a few gallons of bleach in, and shutting everything down for the winter.
Understandably, things were a bit pond-like when spring came around. Organic growth wasn’t off the charts, but there was a lot of cleaning and filtering to be done, and some algae to contend with. Well, I’ve spent the past month in a SLAM. When I walk into Walmart now, they ask me if I’m back for more bleach. It’s getting expensive.
And I don’t think it’s necessary at this point. For well over a week now, I’ve passed OCLT, and with a single exception due to (I think) a dead squirrel in the pool, my CC has been <=0.5 (and usually 0). I see no indicators of microbial growth. But my water is still cloudy. And I think it is due to suspended fines. Every time I vacuum, the water gets murky. I backwash, and then after a day or two, it looks clearer than it did before I vacuumed. Bigger sediment falls back to the floor, but there’s less of it each time. My CC values don’t jump when the murkiness happens after vacuuming and brushing. My FC values are always where I expect them to be.
I’m ready to stop dumping bleach into the pool. I’m ready to start pouring in the other solids that were depleted by draining all the rain water this year, like my calcium and my salt. I’m ready to get my CYA where it is supposed to be. My SWGC is sitting begging to be used. My new Dolphin is supposed to get here next week, and I’m going to put it to work.
So…I feel fairly confident that I can drop FC to normal level and begin balancing my chemistry, continuing to clean and filter as I go. As long as I monitor for microbial growth, does this sound like a logical plan?
Also, while I don’t necessarily want to use a clarifier, I’m wondering if I’m going to reach the point where I’ll need one. That was mentioned (in the original post) as something I might need to resort to in the end.