I have a Hayward sand filter with 350lbs of sand. I bought the cheap stuff from Home Depot (Quick Crete). My pool is constantly cloudy even though chemicals levels test out. After the pump has been running for just a few days, the pressure will rise from 18 psi to 20 psi and basically shut down water flow to a trickle. When I back flush there is rarely any debris in the sight glass, then the pool will drop back to 18 psi and run normally fora few days and the cycle repeats. Is this a sign of bad sand? The bag said it was pool sand, but I am thinking that is my issue. Thanks for your help.
Flow Stops with 2 psi rise
- Thread starter cfrancis
- Start date
18 psi is pretty high for a starting pressure. What pump do you have. Can you post a picture of the equipment?
Welcome to the forum.
Pool sand should be pretty uniform in particle size. Does yours have a lot of tiny fine-grained pieces like dirt or dust?
Here is a link describing the size (#20) that is best for pool filters.
Particle Size - US Sieve Series and Tyler Mesh Size Equivalents
Pool sand should be pretty uniform in particle size. Does yours have a lot of tiny fine-grained pieces like dirt or dust?
Here is a link describing the size (#20) that is best for pool filters.
Particle Size - US Sieve Series and Tyler Mesh Size Equivalents
Cloudy water is almost always a chemistry issue.
What exactly do you mean by "the chemical levels always test out?". That's not helpful for troubleshooting.
Could you provide your most recent results for FC, CC, CYA, pH, CH & TA?
How are you testing, and how often do you test?
There was a thread about some issues with Quickcrete sand not being the correct grade, but I believe the issue was with sand passing into the pool.
Dom
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Found the thread. While it's not related to cloudy water, it's good info none the less.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/103421-My-findings-on-how-not-all-sand-is-created-equal
What exactly do you mean by "the chemical levels always test out?". That's not helpful for troubleshooting.
Could you provide your most recent results for FC, CC, CYA, pH, CH & TA?
How are you testing, and how often do you test?
There was a thread about some issues with Quickcrete sand not being the correct grade, but I believe the issue was with sand passing into the pool.
Dom
- - - Updated - - -
Found the thread. While it's not related to cloudy water, it's good info none the less.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/103421-My-findings-on-how-not-all-sand-is-created-equal
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Dom is correct. Your first step should be to make sure your chemistry is right and you have no organics in your pool which is, by far, the most common occurrence. Post up your test numbers and let's make sure your pool is algae free (you can't always see it as algae).
When you backwash, can you see the backwash water other than in the sight glass?
When you backwash, can you see the backwash water other than in the sight glass?
That Quickcrete sand is no good. Lowes carries it also. There is something in it that causes it to plug rather quickly.
I am interested to see if anyone can provide a picture of the sand in question. In a previous thread by a different member, it was pretty obvious that the sand had not been properly screened. Seemingly an isolated incident but I am still curious.
I have seen this many times with the sand purchased at Lowes or Home Depot. It is not the correct sand. Many of the stores will tell customers the sand is #20 silica when it is not. Cloudy water is one of the outcomes I see all the time.