Ready to turn my swamp into a swimming pool
- Thread starter aquamarine
- Start date
Ignore the phosphate level. That is just a way the pool store tries to sell you expensive chemicals that don't work.
You really should invest in a top quality test kit! It will save you a lot of money in the long run. This whole process is much simpler if you have your own test kit with a FAS-DPD chlorine test.
You really should invest in a top quality test kit! It will save you a lot of money in the long run. This whole process is much simpler if you have your own test kit with a FAS-DPD chlorine test.
Yeah. I am going to see what kits the pool store has. Hate to overpay but I didn't plan ahead and buy one online. I think this store has okay prices, we'll see.
Added another 2 doses of bleach (6 jugs each). Decided I'll throw in a dose of Super Clarifier stuff because I have it sitting here already.
Attempting to vaccuum blindly, but that little skimmer basket in the filter (under the glass) gets stuffed full within a few minutes, then it takes a bunch minutes to go clean it out. It would be much easier to vaccuum if we could see. Also this vaccuum head isn't very good, I may see what else is available, but of course that's not the main issue anyway. The main problem is there is so much stuff that it clogs up that little basket fast. Not sure about running the Dolphin. It would probably be similarly effective to the vaccuuming, meaning it might need cleaning every 3 minutes.
The pool doesn't have much green anymore. Only in the bottom of the deep end. But you still can't see much of anything. I suppose it is "white". Seems like the total chlorine being SO high means that it will stay cloudy for weeks more.
Added another 2 doses of bleach (6 jugs each). Decided I'll throw in a dose of Super Clarifier stuff because I have it sitting here already.
Attempting to vaccuum blindly, but that little skimmer basket in the filter (under the glass) gets stuffed full within a few minutes, then it takes a bunch minutes to go clean it out. It would be much easier to vaccuum if we could see. Also this vaccuum head isn't very good, I may see what else is available, but of course that's not the main issue anyway. The main problem is there is so much stuff that it clogs up that little basket fast. Not sure about running the Dolphin. It would probably be similarly effective to the vaccuuming, meaning it might need cleaning every 3 minutes.
The pool doesn't have much green anymore. Only in the bottom of the deep end. But you still can't see much of anything. I suppose it is "white". Seems like the total chlorine being SO high means that it will stay cloudy for weeks more.
Yet another update.
Ended up buying the Taylor Basic K-1001 kit, I hope this will be fairly accurate on Free Chlorine. It's only DPD not FAS-DPD but they didn't seem to have one that had FAS-DPD reagent in it. They did have the FAS-DPD refill bottles but I don't know what to do with those.
Also bought Taylor CYA reagent refill for my hTh kit.
Pool store tested the water and got FC 0.1, Total Chlorine 8, CYA 47, Adj Total Alk 102, Hardness 83, pH 7.4. I know their tests aren't the most accurate but yikes, probably CYA is well over 30, so that could be a part of why my FC isn't coming up I figure. So I want to increase the # of jugs I am using since I am not getting to shock level possibly.
Have been tweaking pH, I guess it needs to go down a little ideally but I will probably not be able to do that for 6 hours or more. For Alk, my friend said with my pool he once put in a ton of baking soda and it made no difference, so maybe I will buy the commercial chemical from the pool aisle at Walmart. And will add the hardness increaser, I have some already here I believe.
Going to go test with the new kit stuff soon.
Ended up buying the Taylor Basic K-1001 kit, I hope this will be fairly accurate on Free Chlorine. It's only DPD not FAS-DPD but they didn't seem to have one that had FAS-DPD reagent in it. They did have the FAS-DPD refill bottles but I don't know what to do with those.
Also bought Taylor CYA reagent refill for my hTh kit.
Pool store tested the water and got FC 0.1, Total Chlorine 8, CYA 47, Adj Total Alk 102, Hardness 83, pH 7.4. I know their tests aren't the most accurate but yikes, probably CYA is well over 30, so that could be a part of why my FC isn't coming up I figure. So I want to increase the # of jugs I am using since I am not getting to shock level possibly.
Have been tweaking pH, I guess it needs to go down a little ideally but I will probably not be able to do that for 6 hours or more. For Alk, my friend said with my pool he once put in a ton of baking soda and it made no difference, so maybe I will buy the commercial chemical from the pool aisle at Walmart. And will add the hardness increaser, I have some already here I believe.
Going to go test with the new kit stuff soon.
I know that blind vaccuming fills the "basket under the glass" and you have to shut it down, clean it out, and restart. The only option that I know of is to clean out the organics of the bottom with a pool "leaf rake", a big net at the end of the pole?aquamarine said:
If the stuff on the bottom fills up the basket in 3 minutes using the vaccum then you should be able to fill up the net on a pool leaf rake quickly too.
The problem is that the organics in the pool must be removed or oxidized, meaning broken down by the chlorine. Removing them takes much less time than trying to oxidize them with bleach.
Yeah my friend prefers the vacuum to the leaf rake or LeafMaster, but it seems like they need some way to have the Crud collect before it enters the skimmer area.
My black dot testing of CYA is... not very conclusive. I don't exactly know how to tell when the dot disappears. When isn't black but it's more of a grey fuzzy dot? That was happening around 45-50, which would match the pool store results. Or when it's hard to even tell there is a dot period? That wasn't happening until the tube was totally full so < 30 in that case.
Anyway so if CYA is 47 then shock level is something like 18, meaning 8.5 jugs of this bleach is needed. I guess I'll try 8.5, and see if FC goes up, and if not try 8.5 again. I only have 30 jugs here now, just bought 30 from the store this afternoon.
My black dot testing of CYA is... not very conclusive. I don't exactly know how to tell when the dot disappears. When isn't black but it's more of a grey fuzzy dot? That was happening around 45-50, which would match the pool store results. Or when it's hard to even tell there is a dot period? That wasn't happening until the tube was totally full so < 30 in that case.
Anyway so if CYA is 47 then shock level is something like 18, meaning 8.5 jugs of this bleach is needed. I guess I'll try 8.5, and see if FC goes up, and if not try 8.5 again. I only have 30 jugs here now, just bought 30 from the store this afternoon.
When doing the CYA test, you want to use indirect sunlight and continue until the dot is totally gone, just one gray fuzzy area with no hint of the dot. There are some cool pictures at the bottom of this article at Taylor.
So I would assume a slightly lower CYA level and use slightly less chlorine. Otherwise, that sounds like a great plan.
So I would assume a slightly lower CYA level and use slightly less chlorine. Otherwise, that sounds like a great plan.
Okay, great. Yeah, even at 30 I felt like there was a slight grey dot, so hopefully I am under 30. I was calculating for 1 FC to 13 FC to get the 6 jugs, but I think I will calculate for .1 to 13, which gives about 6.5 jugs. 8 jugs shouldn't hurt it but I guess I'll keep going at 6.5-7 for now.
I wonder if brushing along the bottom (esp deep end) is pointless now since there is a lot of other stuff sitting down there that would get stirred up. Tomorrow we will vaccuum more out.
There are all these little worm/larvae things, pretty small, maybe 1/3 of an inch, living at the bottom apparently, and some are now floating on the top.
There are all these little worm/larvae things, pretty small, maybe 1/3 of an inch, living at the bottom apparently, and some are now floating on the top.
It's been an hour since the last dose, and FC is reading at about 20 or a little more on the strips & with the new test kit... yay! The pool does not look any clearer though. Of course I'll try to keep it at 13-15+ for the next days. With all the vaccuming that is going to take place tomorrow, a bunch of water will be changed and the CYA will drop a bit. But I bet CYA is still rising as it dissolves more.
I have been over 3 weeks getting my swamp clear. I had a lot of leaves on the bottom of the pool. A leaf rake was my friend for a very long time. I had to use it blind. I tried vacuuming with a leaf canister added to the vacuum hose and it filled up in a matter of minutes. I finally broke down and bought a "Leaf Eater" and it was well worth the investment. Even using it blind, it pulled tons of leaves out of the pool - after I was getting few using the rake. So I highly recommend the Leaf Eater and the leaf rake. You FC will never hold and your water will never be clear as long as there are leaves and other organic material on the bottom of the pool. You need to blindly "fish" for those leaves.
Update: My FC level dropped to 6 after 2 hours, so I added 5 more jugs, then it stayed pretty good all night. Today we only added 4 jugs total, hours apart, as FC seems quite high despite all the sunlight the pool got all day. Added a bunch of baking soda to get the alk back into good range. pH is great, just under 7.2. Water still is cloudy but a tad less green. Not much green color left, it's very blue. The worms/larvae died, the ones that we can see anyway. Little frog died too. So I think we are getting there and now it's mostly time and just working hard to get the solids out more and more.
With the leaf rake I am getting only maybe 1 leaf every 3 tries. LeafMaster wasn't going too well either. Vaccuuming works, it's just a lot of work, having to stop every 3 mins, just to fill up the one little basket, and having to take apart that whole glass area near the filter. Now we have been using the Dolphin some, and it does clog up pretty fast, but we will have to keep cleaning and using it along with the vac. Finally have a new skimmer net and leaf rake. I think it's good that a little gets stirred up to the top and can be skimmed out with the net. Not much, but gotta be happy with every little bit (POP).
With the leaf rake I am getting only maybe 1 leaf every 3 tries. LeafMaster wasn't going too well either. Vaccuuming works, it's just a lot of work, having to stop every 3 mins, just to fill up the one little basket, and having to take apart that whole glass area near the filter. Now we have been using the Dolphin some, and it does clog up pretty fast, but we will have to keep cleaning and using it along with the vac. Finally have a new skimmer net and leaf rake. I think it's good that a little gets stirred up to the top and can be skimmed out with the net. Not much, but gotta be happy with every little bit (POP).
DamianS
0
I think I'm in the same spot, aqua. I started vacuuming the other day after days of leaf raking. The vacuum would clog every 30 seconds or so and the pump basket was full every couple of minutes.
Now I can vacuum and it doesn't clog and the pump basket rarely gets full, but the filter is getting funky fast. I can vacuum maybe 20 minutes before the pressure has risen about 8 psi.
How often are you having to backwash?
I was getting a lot of those worm carcasses in my filter the other day, I don't seem to be getting them any more. I'm mostly getting leaf chunks and this fine ivory-colored dust in my cartridges. I'm guessing the dust is either bleached dead algae or pollen off the bottom.
If it helps any, my pool hasn't been clearing up very fast either. I'm hoping one of these days I'll get to see the bottom of my pool for the first time!
Now I can vacuum and it doesn't clog and the pump basket rarely gets full, but the filter is getting funky fast. I can vacuum maybe 20 minutes before the pressure has risen about 8 psi.
How often are you having to backwash?
I was getting a lot of those worm carcasses in my filter the other day, I don't seem to be getting them any more. I'm mostly getting leaf chunks and this fine ivory-colored dust in my cartridges. I'm guessing the dust is either bleached dead algae or pollen off the bottom.
If it helps any, my pool hasn't been clearing up very fast either. I'm hoping one of these days I'll get to see the bottom of my pool for the first time!
I suppose it depends on your type of filter and other things about the filter. Mine is sand and I think it's larger than most? I know little about filters. My partner has done a lot of the things with cleaning and backwashing. Not sure how often on backwashing.
The dolphin seems to be able to do a lot now. Now when the dolphin is done with its cleaning cycle, and it comes up, there is less collected waste. It's still a lot, but it was all gross initially, and now it's more normal. I believe that soon it will come up without even being full after the 2 hours or so that it runs around the pool. Mine is not the remote controlled type.
Yeah, just keep at it... sounds good about the carcasses no longer coming up. My pool is still pretty cloudy but it's better. Now you can kind of see down 2-3 feet. Before it was about 1/2-1 foot.
Once the dolphin starts coming up with less, then I believe I can start brushing the bottom of the pool a few times, and 1-2 days later stop adding any bleach. Do you have good testing supplies? That would be helpful.
The dolphin seems to be able to do a lot now. Now when the dolphin is done with its cleaning cycle, and it comes up, there is less collected waste. It's still a lot, but it was all gross initially, and now it's more normal. I believe that soon it will come up without even being full after the 2 hours or so that it runs around the pool. Mine is not the remote controlled type.
Yeah, just keep at it... sounds good about the carcasses no longer coming up. My pool is still pretty cloudy but it's better. Now you can kind of see down 2-3 feet. Before it was about 1/2-1 foot.
Once the dolphin starts coming up with less, then I believe I can start brushing the bottom of the pool a few times, and 1-2 days later stop adding any bleach. Do you have good testing supplies? That would be helpful.
My recommendation is to keep vacuuming - at least 1-2 times a day. I found that my auto-vac was not hitting the entire bottom or was pushing debris out of the way and debris remained on the bottom. Eventually my FC started to hold overnight and the water is clear. It has been a long process, but I now have clear water. My sand filter appears to be oversized too. Once my water cleared enough to see the bottom, I still found a lot of leaves and debris - after many days of using the leaf rake, leaf eater, manual vacuuming and auto vacuuming. I got the last of the leaves off the bottom yesterday!
DamianS
0
Guys you are doing it about the only way that it can be done.savdoc2 said:
It's not easy and NOT fast but it does work! What you are going through is the reason that I put my safety cover on when the leaves start to drop fast in October and try to keep it on until mid-March. I live in the middle of a forest and love the trees, just hate the leaves!
The time will come when your water will sparkle. Then it'll all be worth it!
Yeah 
I think I am in the home stretch now. My plan is to only add one more jug of bleach once more, in the morning, if it looks like it needs that one more. I doubt it will need more than 1. And keep cleaning a bit more, but other than that, I believe once the chlorine levels drop, it will be clear and fine to swim. It's still a bit cloudy but I think the chlorine can do that, and it's just fine stuff that will keep getting worked on by the filter. The dolphin is coming up with even less, and the skimmer doesn't even get clogged anymore. Unfortunately it seems like it could take 3-7+ days to naturally drop the chlorine enough that I can swim.
I think I am in the home stretch now. My plan is to only add one more jug of bleach once more, in the morning, if it looks like it needs that one more. I doubt it will need more than 1. And keep cleaning a bit more, but other than that, I believe once the chlorine levels drop, it will be clear and fine to swim. It's still a bit cloudy but I think the chlorine can do that, and it's just fine stuff that will keep getting worked on by the filter. The dolphin is coming up with even less, and the skimmer doesn't even get clogged anymore. Unfortunately it seems like it could take 3-7+ days to naturally drop the chlorine enough that I can swim.
Chlorine will not cause the water to be cloudy. It seems likely that the algae is all dead at this point, but without good test results it is impossible to be sure. I would maintain the pool at shock level until the water is clear.