2 inches of sludge on botton of pool

[myflowerdesigns]

Please Please Help! My divorce left me all alone with a house I am having hard time managing.
I have an In-ground Pacific oval shaped pool with an offset step in the shallow end. The pool is size 17 by 35 feet. The liner was replaced in 2004 and the loop lock cover was installed in 2005. It has a sand filter.
I didn't open it last year. I didn't know that was a big no no! My filter has been running 24 hours a day for two weeks. I have put in 25 gallons of shock. The pool guy I hired to help me says that I have 2 inches of slugged on the bottom of the pool. I guess everything has been getting through the loop lock pool cover that looked fine to me. The deep end has been vacuumed twice and I keep brushing the edges and still can’t see the bottom. I know the sand needs changed which I have asked them to do many times now. I don't want to kill the filter or my electric bill fund. What do I do in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

What do I do in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Hi there MyFlowerDesigns The fastest best answer to your problem is to STOP everything! Do NOT put any more "shock" in the pool until you have a GOOD test kit and know what is in the water...and what is not.

There are only two test kits we recommend....for your pool I'd just go ahead and go to http://www.tftkits.net and order the TF-100XL. If you're feeling flush, go ahead and toss in the speed stir device because you'll be doing a lot of testing to get that water clean.

Sand filters DO NOT need the sand changed. That's a huge rip off and rarely ever needed. Your sand is already a bazillion years old..what's a few more??

Until your test kit arrives, put a gallon of plain, unscented 8.25% bleach in the pool daily and mix it up. Then use a leaf net to scoop out the sludge and debris at the bottom of the pool. Do this CAREFULLY as you don't want to tear or puncture the liner. The more debris and sludge you can remove, the faster the water wil clear.

When you get your test kit run a full set and tell us:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

and we'll help you move on from there. You will need to perform a SLAM procedure, which is a *process* of raising your FC up high enough to kill the algae and *keep it at that high level* until the water is clear. It is NOT a one time dose of a pool store product. Most of us *never* set foot in pool stores.

SLAM directions--> SLAM Process

Questions??

Maddie

 

[Pool Amateur]

I have 2 inches of slugged on the bottom of the pool. I guess everything has been getting through the loop lock pool cover that looked fine to me. The deep end has been vacuumed twice and I keep brushing the edges and still can’t see the bottom.

Been through similar myself, I agree with YippeeSkippy, especially getting test kit (most important and will save you many times what you pay for it), no more shock and until your test kit arrives, put a gallon of plain, unscented 8.25% bleach in the pool daily and mix it up.

I assume your loop lock cover is mesh? If it is just sludge from algae growth fine mesh leaf rake gets the sludge out better, if leaves and branches, large hole netting works better, I used a fishing net to get leaves out after breaking leaf net. Also if just sludge, vacuuming worked for me, I vacuumed to waste (water not real expensive here and had a place for a lot of waste water without flooding out neighbors) but you can vacuum to filter and backwash frequently when needed. If you have 2" of sludge, how often do you have to backwash? Are you just using skimmers to feed water to pump or are you using bottom drain or both?