Vacuuming Dead Algae to Waste - Comes Right Back In

[Shizon]

Hi all,

New member, first post. Hoping someone can help provide some advice. I purchased my home 3 years ago, and I've struggled a bit with learning the equipment setup of my pool. Cartridge filter, variable speed pump, T-cell salt water pool. I had an algae problem early last year, and had a pool guy come check everything out, and determined my pool water was high in phosphates, likely due to all the mulch in my backyard blowing into the pool from my gardens. He gave me a chemical to treat it, which I administer weekly to keep the phosphates under control. I've killed all the algae, of which there was plenty, so now it sits on the bottom of my pool in a layer of what I can only describe as silt. I attempt to vacuum it straight to waste by cranking the value fully to waste drain, vacuuming using a side-wall suction (not via skimmer basket). Water does pour out the backwash hose onto the lawn, but I see the jets just shooting green silty algae straight back into the pool. I've tried lowering the pump speed too, just in case it is just too much volume of water to push all of it out the drain hose, forcing some back through the filter, but that doesn't do the trick either. I'm just not sure why the water is even going back through the filter and coming back into the pool. Shouldn't fully putting the value to waste bypass the filter completely? I don't want any of this stuff even going into my filter, clogging up my 4 cartridges (which I've had to clean numerous times). Should I be switching off the jets completely when vacuuming to waste? I don't want to try that until someone who knows advises me to do so. I'm afraid the pressure would be too high and destroy my equipment or something. Perhaps that's an unwarranted fear, but better safe than sorry... and I'm by no means a pool expert. What am I doing wrong? Any advise would be tremendously appreciated! Thank you!

 

[AK-]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Seems you have couple different issues which folks here will help you out.

You probably should not use that pool guy ever again. Phosphates have multiple possible sources, but they don’t cause algae. Phosphates are algae food and if your pool is unsanitary a high phosphate content will lead algae bloom on steroids. If you keep proper levels of chlorine for CYA levels algae won’t survive and dead algae doesn’t eat.

For this first issue I suggest:

What is TFPC?

We believe any pool owner can achieve and maintain safe, crystal clear pool water, by using the science-based, Trouble Free Pool Care (TFPC) methodology.

www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

Regarding your second issue, can you take some pictures of you equipment pad and all the valves? You likely have some valve open that shouldn’t be open.

 

[Shizon]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Seems you have couple different issues which folks here will help you out.

You probably should not use that pool guy ever again. Phosphates have multiple possible sources, but they don’t cause algae. Phosphates are algae food and if your pool is unsanitary a high phosphate content will lead algae bloom on steroids. If you keep proper levels of chlorine for CYA levels algae won’t survive and dead algae doesn’t eat.

For this first issue I suggest:

What is TFPC?

We believe any pool owner can achieve and maintain safe, crystal clear pool water, by using the science-based, Trouble Free Pool Care (TFPC) methodology.

www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

Regarding your second issue, can you take some pictures of you equipment pad and all the valves? You likely have some valve open that shouldn’t be open.

Thank you for your response. I may have misstated the whole phosphate/algae thing. I kept getting algae for one reason or another, but I can't recall what that reason was. Either way, as you said, due to the high levels of phosphates in my pool, the algae indeed did bloom like crazy. We did get the new algae issue resolved, but getting the old/dead algae out of my pool once and for all is my primary mission at this point.

As requested, here are some photos of my equipment setup. Hopefully they can help in some way. As mentioned, I inherited this equipment when I bought this house, the labels have long-since worn off, but I'd deduced the black valve on the right-hand side controls the skimmer and side-suction for vacuuming, and I can only assume the black valve on the left-hand side (the one closer to the ground) is for the jets heading back into the pool. The blue valve on the top is the one I switch on fully to vacuum to waste.

Could the gate inside the waste drain valve be busted, thus allowing dirty water to still enter the filter? Or should I switch off the left-hand lever to stop the outgoing water going back out into the pool?

Thanks again for your help! I truly appreciate it.

 

[AK-]

You have a cartridge filter. Cartridge filters are cleaned rather than backwashed. Sure "backwashing" it may help to remove some large debris, but you need to open the filter and wash each individual groove using a garden hose. It sounds more difficult than it actually. I have a spare cartridge that I use to avoid the hassle of cleaning my filter then and there.

When you "backwash" are you just opening the blue handle? That is going to divert the majority of your water to the backwash hose, but unless you close (turn 180) the 3-way return valve (the one after your SWG) some of the water is going to make back into the pool. Unless your filter is damaged that should not happen.

One thing I notice is the pressure gauge on your filter is all the way up. Is it working properly? If it is then you are way past a filter cleaning.
You should inspect your filter. Just shutdown the pump and close the valves (Are you familiar how 3-way valves work?**), open the pressure relief valve in the top of the filter and you can unlock and twist the filter body open. Optionally you can locate the drain plug in the filter and avoid the other falling on your shoes.

** If you don't know how 3-way valves work.... The valve is close to what is in the opposite side of the handle. When nothing is on the opposite side then it is all open.

Do you need any help identifying any of the equipment? I'd gladly show you that.

Regarding your algae issue. You are going to need a good test kit to be able to test the water on your own. I recommend either a TF-Prod Salt, a TF-100 with a K-1766 Salt Test (the smart stir makes life easier) or a Taylor K-2006C-SALT.
Once you have one of them you should follow the SLAM Process. Things can be a little overwhelming until you get hang of it, but we are going to be here to help you.
If you want to check out the results of TFPC check out this post: How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Please).

 

[AK-]

Regarding the phosphates... Algae is surely unsightly, but as long as you can see the bottom of the pool (avoid other hazards) it is not harmful. We should look at algae as the early warning system or the canary in the coal mine. If algae bloom there is something wrong in our FC/CYA balance that is providing insufficient sanitation. If we focus in killing algae rather then in fixing the sanitation issue then bacteria and viruses will follow even if the water looks clear.

Seems I was a bit too incisive on my initial response. Sorry for that.

 

[1poolman1]

Interesting plumbing. No, opening the bypass/waste valve will not stop all flow to the filter. Some (most) large Hayward filters had no screen in their air- relief tube. That will allow dirty water to bypass the cartridges and go straight back into the pool. Even with a screen some would get through because algae is very small.

 

[AK-]

Interesting plumbing.

Indeed interesting. One thing that is of some concern is that flow switch on the vertical. I never heard about anyone who had their SWG exploding due to that but keeping the flow switch on the horizontal always sounded a sensible recommendation.

 

[1poolman1]

Never liked a vertical installation of a flow switch, but Hayward says its OK.

 

[AK-]

Never liked a vertical installation of a flow switch, but Hayward says its OK.

Yeah, I know. Let’s just say Hayward also says to chlorinate between 1-3ppm and have a CYA of 40… most of my equipment is Hayward, but I don’t trust them

 

[Shizon]

You guys are the best. Thank you so much for all your help and advice! I think I've had a few other issues that I'm getting to the bottom of. Low CYA is one of them. High phosphates is another. Additionally, my chlorine generator keeps saying "Check Salt" and "Inspect Cell". I've added two full bags of salt over the last week, but it appears as though I need to add even more. The Hayward chlorinator will apparently switch off if I'm below 2600ppm of salt, and I'm currently somewhere in the neighborhood of 2350 (even after two full bags of salt, which surprised me). So long story short (too late), I haven't been generating chlorine in a few weeks... instead I've been shocking the pool every other day while trying to figure this all out. I also got some muriatic acid to clean out my chlorine generator, in case it needs to be descaled and cleaned out. That's a job for tomorrow. Today I had a pool company come and bring their own pump to vacuum as much of the algae and silt out completely to waste, so I'm happy to see most of it gone. Now I just hope to heck I can get everything else worked out and buttoned up before any algae starts to grow in there again. Fingers crossed! But you both have taught me a ton about pool maintenance. I can't thank you enough!