Green in little glass "jar"

jefeyessica · Jun 30, 2009

My pool looks great, and all my test levels are great. However, the little glass "jar" that is connected to the backwash gets dark green fairly quickly. I backwashed a week ago, and just added CYA a few days ago, so I can't backwash again for a few days. Why does that little glass jar get green so quickly ? And do you backwash as soon as it does? (mine starts turning green after only a day or 2)

The Mermaid Queen · Jun 30, 2009

Did you put the CYA directly into your skimmer, so it immediately went into the filter??

If you put it in a sock, you CAN backwash.

JasonLion · Jun 30, 2009

It sounds like you are talking about the backwash sight glass. Water runs through that glass when you are backwashing so you can tell when you are done backwashing. The water will turn clear when you are done. When the system is left in filter mode, no water is running through there. Given some sunlight, algae could grow inside. That doesn't really matter, it will all get washed out the next time you backwash.

You want to backwash when the filter pressure goes up by about 6 psi over the pressure when the filter is clean.

AnnaK · Jun 30, 2009

Happens to my sight glass too. You can turn off the pump and unscrew the glass from the filter. Clean it, put it back on.

jefeyessica · Jun 30, 2009

Thanks, it is the sightglass for backwash. As long as it's okay that there's algae in there, I won't worry about it.

waste · Jun 30, 2009

Hate to tell you this but... if it gets greener as you start to backwash - you've got algae in the filter (and, unfortunately, it looks like it's alive and growing -- or this is your first backwash after cleaning up a pond of a pool) It may well be best to take the filter apart and hose it of thoroughly (every square inch of the grids!).

If you haven't already please feel free to read Use and Care for DE Filters

jefeyessica · Jun 30, 2009

We cleaned the filter about a month ago. After I backwash, the sightglass is clear, but after just a day or 2 the water in the sightglass starts to turn green. I think it's probably because it's sitting in the sun, and algae is just growing in the sightglass.