Cloady water...etc and what psi should my filter be at?

[doodlespool]

Hello :-D
Pool Newbie Here~
Well....when we bought our house this winter the inground pool had been left un-winterized and coverless all winter, we are in Western New York. So early this spring we had a very nice pond in the backyard complete with mating ducks. Not ideal to say the least.
After many, many hours of raking leaves and debris from the bottom and about 20 gallons of bleach, and a lot of filter running we had a very cloudy but blue-ish pool. We made many trip to the local Leslie Pool Store and spent hundreds of dollars to balance the water. They do free water testing, and we were "balanced" according to their test. We also added over the two months about 4 bottles of polymer to clear the pool (Ultra Bright Water Clarifier). I wish I had been keeping better track of what we added and when and all our test results. We also floated a chlorinator with the 3'' Tabs (99% Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione) and dropped a couple of those in the skimmer basket. Still cloudy.
But it never got clear, we would backwash the filter etc. Store advise, just keep doing what you are doing. Husband bought Sand Filter Revitalizer. Still cloudy.
Last week after some ragged weather we started to go green again. More bleach. I went to get the Leslie testing kit recommended here, only to have it out of stock. Been running the filter 24/7 and vacuuming at least once a day. In the morning over the past week, I have found mustardy greenish algae on the steps of the pool.
Our pool season is so short that I don't think we will have clear water before we have to close it this winter.
I want to get going on the BBB method, so I hope to go back to Leslie today and have then test the water and I will post the numbers.
In the meantime, I'm wondering about the filter and if it's just bad. We don't have any of the documents for it, so I don't know what the psi should be, it reads at 30 now....but don't historically where it was at.
Should I just call a professional in or will they just do what I'm doing???? We are so new to this pool thing. I so want to get it right.
Thanks for any insight...and I will get testing numbers asap.
Thanks...and site seems really great.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome, you've come to the right place.

First, study Pool School. Then do it again.

Post your numbers when you get them and they are some amazing people here that will get you on the right track. And keep you there.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

The first place to start is a complete set of water test results.

 

[hackercat]

:-D To get a baseline reading for your filter, backwash & then check the psi. (I use a DE filter for pool but a sand filter for a large koi pond.)

Sometimes the sand filter gets compacted and the water goes through channels that form in the sand; when that happens no matter how often I backwash the filter won't filter properly. The reason I mention this is because the koi pond filter does (by design) filter water with plants (kind of like your pond-like condition in spring). Although I only do this every 3 years, the sand filter needs to be broken down & new sand added.

Your spring clean sounds like you had to filter a lot of algae through the sand media, so your chemical readings may be accurate but the filter itself may require a breakdown & recharge rather than just a backwash. I use a "sand" media called ZeoSand ... costs more but you use less so it works out cost-wise. The ZeoSand really keeps the water very clear for a much longer time. (It's available at Leslie's.)

Good luck!

 

[duraleigh]

I would reserve judgement on zeosand. There have been many people here who have purchased it and used it with satisfactory results.

There have been far more here who use sand with equal results. There are many on here who use the same sand year after year.....mines been untouched for 5 years or so.

If your sand is not cleaned by normal backwashing, you can take the lid from the filter and inspect it, redistribute it, if necessary, clean out any gunk and you will likely find the sand is just fine.

Post test results and you'll get more help.

 

[DCAG]

when we bought our house this winter the inground pool had been left un-winterized and coverless all winter, we are in Western New York.
... I'm wondering about the filter and if it's just bad. We don't have any of the documents for it, so I don't know what the psi should be, it reads at 30 now

If the water was not drained out of the filter, there could be damage to the components inside the filter from freezing.

Dan