After I use flocculant how do I vacum to waste?

[oCeGe]

Ok so I am using a Polaris 360

Polaris 360:
http://www.saveonpoolsupplies.com/s...&e5=Y&pp=Y&e6=polaris_360&keyword=polaris_360

It runs not through the skimmer but by one of our water jets. We have only 1 skimmer and last year when we were swimming i never saw a drain on the bottom of the pool.

So since I am using a vacuum with a bag and it doesn't put all the waste into the skimmer and etc. how would I vacuum to waste with one of these? Also do all inground pools have a bottom drain because I never saw one on ours......

We moved here about 8 months or more ago so I don't know anything about the pool plus this is my first year with a pool.

 

[Guest]

You don't vacuum to waste with a cleaner , you use a manual vac connected to your skimmer and you need to have a sand or DE filter with a backwash valve that has a waste position.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

 

[oCeGe]

ok, thanks for the reply. we do have a sand filter with waste, backwash, recirculate, rinse, filteration and closed.

So I need to use the manual one with the brush and hose? It's got a crack in the pipe should we get another hose?

Or can i just put the pump on Waste and will that do it ?

Thank you.

 

[JasonLion]

You want to get a new hose and then set the valve on the waste position while vacuuming. The water level will go down fairly quickly, keep an eye out that it doesn't go below the skimmers. When the water level gets to low you need to turn off the pump and refill the pool.

These are some of the reasons we don't normally recommend using floc.

 

[oCeGe]

Thank you for all this great help, ok well do you have to floc? I mean the woman at the pool place said we need to but the cost of all these chemicals have ran us up about 350 bucks plus the 500 dollar vacuum.

Sometimes I feel she is trying to jiff us. How else could I get the water crystal clear without floc and vacuum.

The pool is blue but cloudy. I've been shocking it at night because Algae grows in the day and also sunlight kills off your chlorine. I shocked it yesterday at 3 a.m. and then about 50 minutes ago. Its went from green to blue but still cloudy.....

I've tested the PH, ppm, TA, and FC. The FC was high but that will go away once it settles and gets used up. The TA is high but that is because I added some baking soda and other TA products.

All I wanna do is be able to swim this weekend.

Thanks in advance.


By the way, Silver Springs is beautiful, I have grandparents whom live there, very rich area. ^_^ and we always went and stayed in the condo up in O.C. Maryland as well, I love O.C.

I reside in Belmont, N.C.

 

[Guest]

NO, you do not have to floc! What I suggest you do is go to the Pool School section of the forum (link in my sig and in the upper right corner of page), read everything on it, and then post any questions you might have. Taking care of a pool is not rocket science nor does it have to break the bank! All it takes is a bit of knowledge and the willingness to apply it! We can give you that knowledge...the rest is up to you!

You will need a GOOD test kit (there are two that we recommend) and some basic maintenance chemicals, some of which you probably alread have in your house and don't even realize that they are pool chemicals! Exactly the same ones the pool store sells you for a lot of money!

So get started by reading Pool Scbhool and getting the basics down and we can take it from there!

Do you have any CYA in your water and what kind of chlorine are you using? Once you read Pool school my question will make sense in case you don't undersand it now.

 

[oCeGe]

No actually I don't have any of that....and sunlight will kill my stuff in like an hour most likely correct? So I need to get some of that and the chlorine that I am using is a mix.

Guardex 3" Tablets
Aqua Chem: Shock
Burnout Extreme: Shock
and Some smart shock or something like that, but that was granulate stuff and its pretty much gone now.

The place I get my chems from usually sales Regal brand.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Welcome to the forum.

I would recommend you not add anything else to your pool until you can post a full set of test results.

FC
CC
PH
TA
CH
CYA

After you post those we can give you better advice....In the meantime, off to Pool School. There you will learn that shock is something you do to your pool, not something you buy, but the pool stores don't tell you that. They just take your money. :grrrr:

From your earlier post I would say you have been "pool stored". Based on the products you listed, you most likely do have CYA in your pool, which means the sunlight won't consume the chlorine. But until you have a full set of test results, and share them here, we can't really give you appropriate advice.

Everything you need to know is in Pool School. If you still have questions after reading the articles there, we'll be glad to help.

 

[oCeGe]

FC : 2 three inch tabs in the skimmer
CC : I don't think it tests for this, how would I test for it?
PH : Normal PH Level
TA: High is what the test strip said
CH: I have a 23,000 GAL pool and it has lining so I don't think this matters to much right?
CYA: I'm not quite sure how to test for this neither.

I just know the PPM is high as well because I've been trying to kill off all the Algae. It was really really green a few days ago.

 

[Guest]

You need to ditch the guess strips and get a good test kit. The TF100 is the one most of us on here use but the Taylor K-2006 is just as good (just not as good a value for the money). These are the only 2 kits that we have come across that perform and are easy to use and read without breaking the bank! It will be the BEST investment you will make and will save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run! The TF100 is from TFTEstkits (link in my sig) and the Taylor K-2006 will have to be ordered online from either Taylor Technololgies
http://www.taylortechnologies.com/produ ... KitID=2230
or from one of the online merchants since most pool stores do not stock this kit but stock the slightly less expensive K-2005 which uses a different chlorine test and is no where near as good! You DON'T want the K-2005!
Here are the two kits compared:
pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison

 

[fuzzy_dba]

FC : 2 three inch tabs in the skimmer
CC : I don't think it tests for this, how would I test for it?
PH : Normal PH Level
TA: High is what the test strip said
CH: I have a 23,000 GAL pool and it has lining so I don't think this matters to much right?
CYA: I'm not quite sure how to test for this neither.
I just know the PPM is high as well because I've been trying to kill off all the Algae. It was really really green a few days ago.

PLEASE Read the articles in "Pool School". The links are in JasonLion's post, frustratedpoolmom's post, waterbear's post, etc. Pool school will explain what the values should be and how they relate to each other and how to make your pool better, safer, and last longer. In addition there is information on how pumps and filters work, etc.: To put it simply, tons of GOOD & GREAT INFORMATION from people who know pools.

In addition, please get a good test kit. They are inexpensive compared to what you are already spending on chemicals. Look at the TF100 kit in the links listed above. Test strips have been proven time and time again to "less than accurate" information which in turn leads you to adding lots of extra chemicals to the pool or having algae.

Using the information in "Pool School" and taking care of your water doesn't take much time and it'll prevent having a green algae pool.

Terry in NC

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

FC : 2 three inch tabs in the skimmer
CC : I don't think it tests for this, how would I test for it?
PH : Normal PH Level
TA: High is what the test strip said
CH: I have a 23,000 GAL pool and it has lining so I don't think this matters to much right?
CYA: I'm not quite sure how to test for this neither.

I just know the PPM is high as well because I've been trying to kill off all the Algae. It was really really green a few days ago.

PPM is high? Do you mean Chlorine? PPM is not a pool chemical and you don't test for it.

While you determine which kit to purchase, I would recommend you go to the pool store and have them run the full set with the list I gave you. If you don't know what those are, you can read about them in Pool School. After the pool store tests your water, return to this thread and post the results so we can advise better. (Don't buy any products from them yet, just get the tests done.)

(CH is unneccessary in a vinyl pool - you are right...but it's a good idea to know how high it might be, because if you combine high CH with high TA and high PH that can cause problems. So get the test at least once a year.)