spa pool combination

[Maresa]

I am a new pool owner (second season). It is a pool spa combination with all kinds of bells and whistles. Too much for my brain! Last year I survived with the help of this site and a good test kit. This year it seems nothing is going right. My salt water generator is not working and two different companies scheduled service calls and did not show up. I have been waiting for a month, meanwhile adding liquid chlorine. I am supposed to have someone come in another 5 days, although that company doesn't have experience with my brand (Aqua Rite) of SWG so...

Also, I THOUGHT I had white water mold so I slammed the pool/spa to 15FC and did all the stuff that "everyone" says you should do for WWM, but this "stuff" floating on top of the water is still there. Now I am thinking it is leaf/dirt/pollen that the chlorine has turned to kind of a mush.

I have two questions for now. This debris stuff that is floating on top of the pool and spa, how do I get it to drop so I can vacuum it? I have a DE filter so I guess I should not use flock.
And...why is the water under the floating stuff clear in the pool, but the spa water always stays cloudy?

I ran the filter continuously for several days, and now run it 10 hours in the pool and 2 hours in the spa. Even when I run it as a waterfall the spa stays cloudy.

I haven't check my numbers in several days because the FC is so high, but before the slam they were ok.

Thank you thank you for any help. Ask questions if needed.

 

[Richard320]

Surface scum should be getting directed into the skimmer where it can be strained out. Is the weir (flapper) in your skimmer missing, by chance? Or stuck down. That will reduce the effectiveness.

If can line the skimmer basket with a skimmer sock or a paint strainer or a knee-high nylon or a hairnet. They'll catch most of that stuff.

You can also take you leaf skimmer and stretch a nylon or some pantyhose over it and get rid of that stuff by hand.

Leaf Skimmer

Cloudiness in the spa might mean that not enough of the FC is making its way in there. Maybe you should test the spa water and dose the system based on it.

 

[Maresa]

Thank you SO MUCH. I have never ever heard of a weir, but I am going to research it. One additional piece of info is that most of the scum stays at the deep end of the pool - not the end with the skimmer. It kind of swirls around counter-clockwise and doesn't seem to go anywhere. Does that piece of information mean anything? Thank you again.

 

[Richard320]

Thank you SO MUCH. I have never ever heard of a weir, but I am going to research it. One additional piece of info is that most of the scum stays at the deep end of the pool - not the end with the skimmer. It kind of swirls around counter-clockwise and doesn't seem to go anywhere. Does that piece of information mean anything? Thank you again.

Yes. It means you need to aim the return eyeballs differently. Assuming you have some down at that end.

Two things to remember:
1) it's an art not a science, so you'll just have to experiment.
2) The eyeballs get stuck in position sometimes. You may need a pig pair pf pliers to loosen the lock ting and maybe a big fat dowel or something to stick in the eyeball for some leverage to move it.

This is a return eyeball. The outer ring screws down to lock the inner eyeball thing into its socket.

The weir is just the technical name for the door in the skimmer throat. It's hinged at the bottom and it should float and move up and down freely.