First time opening - does this plan look good?

[Newdude]

Should I do a backwash/rinse before adding more chlorine?

Half a dozen or six, as long as you do them both.

This will be my first time backwashing ever. Turn pump off, switch to backwash, turn pump back on.

Correct.

Let it go... for 1 minute?

Until the sight glass or discharge is clear. It'll be gross at first.

CYA t-shirt is about half-way absorbed by now

Shake it around and squish it, being carefule that none spills out. It should cloud up and be gone in 10 mins.

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

After backwashing a couple times, the water is running clear, and my baseline pressure is back down to 16.

SLAMed with another 8ppm of chlorine because my FC got down to 2 this afternoon. I'm using up so much chlorine on this pool! Back to the store for more jugs...

 

[PoolStored]

Join the club of "been there done that..." This was one afternoon long ago...

Bleach.jpg

• PoolStored
• Jul 25, 2024

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

Went to the Ace hardware store closer to me because online it said they had a huge stock of chlorine. Well, they sure had a huge stock... from 1 year ago!

So I went the longer distance to Walmart thinking I'd get that late 2024 stock I got last time, and surprise, they had even newer stock from 25 016 now. I feel like I hit the jackpot! Liquid gold baby! I feel like I'm the only one going around the city looking for new chlorine that actually works I guess I'm probably one of the few opening their pool this early around here.

Now working with fresh stuff, I SLAMed back up to 10 (from 7.5) and we'll see how that looks in a half hour. And then OCLT.

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

Uh oh. Did I miss a step? When I reached deep into my skimmer today I noticed there was only one drain hole open. Next to it there's a plastic piece connected to what I'm guessing is a second hole. Everything I've read talks about there being two drains in the skimmer.

Is that plastic piece blocking a second drain I should have opened? It doesn't budge if I try twisting it by hand. Do I need to open or remove it?

 

[PoolStored]

Is that plastic piece blocking a second drain I should have opened? It doesn't budge if I try twisting it by hand. Do I need to open or remove it?

No, likely not. Don't take it out yet. Let's investigate.
Do you have main drains?
Do you have any other holes in the side of the pool that are not returns and are not suction/booster cleaner ports?

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

No, likely not. Don't take it out yet. Let's investigate.
Do you have main drains?
Do you have any other holes in the side of the pool that are not returns and are not suction/booster cleaner ports?

There are two floor drains in the deep end. Along the side of the pool there are two "ports" that don't have threads, so they don't seem to be jets, and sticking my fingers in them I just feel some round plastic that doesn't move if I press in on it. Those two ports are slightly lower than the 3 jets around the pool where water is coming out. I have no idea what those two are for.

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

Here's what one of those mystery ports looks like (the bottom right one). The other picture shows my piping setup in case that helps. My understanding was that the middle two were incoming to the pump from skimmer and floor drains, and the other three were the three return jets.

 

[PoolStored]

some round plastic that doesn't move if I press in on it.

When the pump is running can you feel suction or pressure (water returning)?
Are there any other pipes coming up?
Post a wider picture of the pad...
The look like pipes for a cleaner...

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

When the pump is running can you feel suction or pressure (water returning)?
Are there any other pipes coming up?
Post a wider picture of the pad...
The look like pipes for a cleaner...

No other pipes. I don't have a wider picture at the moment, but the only thing out of picture is the non-functioning heater to the left, so the pipes going to it are closed. No other pipes coming into the pump/filter than the ones seen there.

 

[PoolStored]

When the pump is running can you feel suction or pressure (water returning)?

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

Just went to test. Yikes, that's cold! If I stick my palm in front of the port I don't feel any suction at all. Again feeling around inside, it's a round plastic piece. I pushed pretty hard and it doesn't move. It doesn't rotate at all. Maybe it's stuck and it's supposed to open or rotate?

Are you thinking those ports could be connected to that closed hole or plastic tube coming out of the bottom of my skimmer?

 

[PoolStored]

Are you thinking those ports could be connected to that closed hole or plastic tube coming out of the bottom of my skimmer?

Yes. When was the pool built?
They could be equalization ports for the skimmers.
Look on the bottom of the skimmer lid for a part number and post that.

 

[PoolStored]

Equalizers can be an entrapment hazard...
I would leave them alone. I don't believe that there is any compliant cover that meets VGB. It would need a second line connected.
I would leave the skimmer plugged. When they put in a new liner next time, have them vinyl over it and put a ring to protect the fitting, but don't have them cut the opening.

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

FC: 8 this morning, so I added a bit more.

I've been brushing manually and running the robot once/twice a day. The water looks crystal clear, but there are small areas of accumulation of something along the bottom. Not sure if it's just dirt or algae.

 

[sande005]

Dead algae looks like dirt. Live can be sticky to brush. Dead "poofs" up in clouds very easily. Usually first seen along seams in the liner, but that just means there is a very fine, almost invisible, coating other places. Brush, vacuum, backwash as needed. Repeat and repeat until no more. Do an OCLT to confirm it is gone.
While dead is dead, and therefore is of no consequence - it easily shields live algae from the chlorine! So what looks like the remnants of the war may be hiding a few survivors under all the death and destruction, waiting to burst forth again.

 

[NewHouseFirstPool]

Dead algae looks like dirt. Live can be sticky to brush. Dead "poofs" up in clouds very easily. Usually first seen along seams in the liner, but that just means there is a very fine, almost invisible, coating other places. Brush, vacuum, backwash as needed. Repeat and repeat until no more. Do an OCLT to confirm it is gone.
While dead is dead, and therefore is of no consequence - it easily shields live algae from the chlorine! So what looks like the remnants of the war may be hiding a few survivors under all the death and destruction, waiting to burst forth again.

I'll keep it up today and see if I see improvement in the appearance of the "dirt" and the OCLT.

But at what point is my pool swimmable for the family? Does every spec of dirt have to be eliminated? Just trying to set the right goals here and do it right but not over-do it, if you know what i mean.

 

[sande005]

The pool is safe and swimmable as long as the CL is at or below SLAM level.

The SLAM levels seem extremely high, but one has to remember that we measure total Cl in the pool - and most of it is locked up in the CYA. The residual that is active is much less. So no physical concerns, or problems with new holes or faded colors in swimsuits or the like.

The only other criteria is that it needs to be clear enough to see the bottom in the deepest part (need to see if someone is down there!).

 

[Newdude]

I lost count how many times i SLAMed for big parties and many have commented how nice it was with 'no chlorine'.

With alage battles it's a safety concern for locating a disabled swimmer as said above. Your water is clear so hop in whenever.

 

[PoolStored]

The pool is safe and swimmable as long as the CL is at or below SLAM level.

And you can see the bottom of the deep end...