Help with Stubborn Cloudy Green

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Makes sense .... I feel pretty comfortable with what to do once I get the multiport off, but I'm more concerned about just getting into it safely. Would I be fine closing the valves and unscrewing the pressure valve? I know every setup is a bit different, but is there anything else in general I should consider before removing the multiport?

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Will I have to disconnect the pump, return, and waste pipes to get it off?
 
Everything you have to do, aside form shutting 3-way valves before/after the filter, should be at the filter itself. If you have an air bleed, certainly let that air out. If you don't have an air bleed, you might let air out by releasing if from the pump basket lid. Or better yet, turn the valve to waste which should relieve some pressure I would think. For the MPV itself, just make sure to take note and reinstall it the exact some way. Shouldn't be an issue like someone who is actually taking there's apart, but figured I'd mention it.

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Oh, and perhaps re-lubing the MPV gasket/O-ring if it has one.
 
I personally wouldn't put anything in the pump basket coming from experience. I've done women's nylons in the past on the skimmer basket, and it got sucked into the pump basket. My guess is putting any type of netting in the pump basket, the top of the sock would have to go over the top of the basket, and get sealed with the cover and o ring to prevent it from moving?.... Try it see if it works for you as long as you can secure it.
 
RobertScalchi said:
I personally wouldn't put anything in the pump basket coming from experience. I've done women's nylons in the past on the skimmer basket, and it got sucked into the pump basket. My guess is putting any type of netting in the pump basket, the top of the sock would have to go over the top of the basket, and get sealed with the cover and o ring to prevent it from moving?.... Try it see if it works for you as long as you can secure it.
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Do you have an large holes or a broken skimmer basket? With the hairnet wrapped all the way around the basket, it's stays put just fine on mine, both with it completely empty and super full.

Madyogi, I wouldn't put ahairnet in the pump basket, only the skimmer basket. My pump basket actually enters from the side , so a hairnet would prevent any debris from entering the basket.
 
madyogi said:
You're right, lightmaster. In thinking about it for more than 10 seconds, putting the net in the pump basket won't accomplish anything.
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Good news is that it really isn't needed in the pump basket anyway. All the visible stuff gets caught in the hair net, so nothing enters your pump basket anyway. I check my pump basket once a month, but it never has anything in it. Helps a lot on the filter too since all the filter has to do is filter out microscopically small particles, which is a blessing with a cartridge filter. Never have to fight to get bugs or anything out of it.
 
Ha... Bugs are easy to wash out of any filtration. Well.... Most of them. What really upsets me in my skimmer sock and cartridge is the fine debris clippings that blow in my pool from my arbor vitae, that hook in and get stuck into anything fine mesh. Have to pluck them out.
 
So I guess having a .10 hairnet, I can just toss those bad boys out at will instead of plucking out bugs ;-)

I will post a shot of my filter setup as soon as I can clear out some older photos, as I seem to be over my quota, but with all the lines in and out connected to the MPV assembly, does that mean I would have to cut those pipes and union them when finished in order to take the MPV off to perform the filter deep clean? Again, photo will be posted later tonight or early tomorrow.
 
RobertScalchi said:
Ha... Bugs are easy to wash out of any filtration. Well.... Most of them. What really upsets me in my skimmer sock and cartridge is the fine debris clippings that blow in my pool from my arbor vitae, that hook in and get stuck into anything fine mesh. Have to pluck them out.
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Could just throw the sock out then, no need to pluck it out when they're literally dirt cheap.

Had to Google arbor vitae, and was extremely confused when the first thing from Google defined it as the white matter in your brain. :shock::confused: Was trying to figure out what you could possibly be doing where human brain matter regularly gets into your pool, lol. Felt a bit relieved when I read farther down that it's also a type of tree. Well, relieved assuming you are indeed talking about a type of tree.........
 
Here is a shot of my filter setup.
View attachment 76837

In order to remove the MPV assembly to get in there and clean the sand using the hose technique, it seems like I would have to remove the connections at least coming from the pump and going back out to the pool (left hand side of the picture). If this is the case, I'll likely skip it for now, because it seems like that would require cutting those pipes, and I'm not into doing all that. I'll stick to regular vacuuming and longer backwash times, along with my hairnet skimmer socks that should arrive today, to hopefully clear the rest of this green cloudiness out.

It might be possible to remove the collar and get enough room between the MPV and the opening of the filter to get the job done without removing the plumbing, but I'd hate to get into a job like that and realize my plan was bunk from the beginning.

Any thoughts?
 

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If you have enough play on those pipes to the left of the sand filter.

What you could do is cut into the pipe just beyond the 90-degree elbow, and cut into the other pvc pipe that goes straight, beyond the threaded connector and the elbow, and install and glue another male thread coupling to a female thread coupling for servicing the sand filter. This way you would have room and play for serviceability. You would disconnect the coupling currently hooked to the sand filter and then disconnect the coupling just beyond it, and that 90 degree elbow. Would probably only take 15 minutes to install. PVC pipe is easy you just cut it, chamfer off the shavings smooth with a knife, prime it good, glue it good, twist it, and it dries tight within 20 minutes or less.

Because I am unable to see your full piping configuration it may help also have a ball check shut off valve installed before the water comes into the filter and after on the return for serviceability.

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Yeah... Lol....my arbor vitae leeches out of my head and into the pool and raised my CYA levels.
 
Here is one situation Light Master that will throw you through a loop. For 4 years I always had sediment sitting on the bottom of my floor just beyond my return jet. Thought it was algae in my first year, even when my water was crystal clear and FC levels good.

Kept getting it year after year. I came to find out in year 4, that my manual vacuum head was leaking sand and crushed seashell out of it because they fill it with sand for weight. It also turns out that my Pleatco cartridge 10 Micron cartridge wasn't filtering it out, and still doesn't filter out fine sand. I even replaced it for a new one last year and same issue. Which is beyond me and everyone here at TFP because it's supposed to filter out microscopic particles that are not visible to the human eye. Hence the reason why I use the duda diesel bag at 5 micron. Gets all fine sediment right out and even finer stuff that anyone would attempt to flocculant out of their pool.
 
Great options on modifying my plumbing for future maintenance, thanks Robert! If the PVC really is that easy to work with by adding some threaded couplings, I might actually go for it. If I did decide to go that route, is removal of the MPV assembly then as easy as just taking off the collar and pulling it off the top of the filter, or would you need to know more about the setup to be sure?
 
IF you are taking the collar off to remove and work with the sand, then yes, just that collar is all you have to remove and again, lift straight up.
I started out to clean my sand but remembering the years of floc and other non approved TFP garbage we had thrown into the sand, I decided to start over with new sand for my "new life" as a TFP'er
 

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So, did you remove it at the neck of the filter (below your plumbing pipes), or did you remove the blots there and simply replace the very top of the valve assembly? I will need to get into the guts of the filter to clean the sand, and I'm not thinking I'll be able to do that by just removing the top. If you did take the whole assembly off, did you modify your plumbing to allow for doing it again with less trouble?
 
I added a few more pics... my plumbing was already threaded from our change from cartridge to sand a couple years prior. So all I had to do was shut my valves and unscrew the couplings and then take that hayward coupling off and lift straight up.
 
Thanks for the extra pics, that shows me exactly what I should expect! I think I will have to add a threaded union to the return piping, but there is a threaded piece coming from the pump already. My hairnet skimmer socks are supposed to be here today, so I'll implement one of those after work.

One more question: does DE last virtually forever, because it looks like I basically have to buy 25 lbs at a time, and if I'm just adding 1 cup or maybe even less every time I backwash, that will take a very long time to go through.
 
Right, funandsun. I guess I'm just trying to make sure the DE itself will last several seasons, which I'm sure it will

Yeah, lightmaster, I'm looking to get on the plumbing reconfigured soon, but it may have to wait until I get things cleared up.

In the meantime, I really want to get things cleared up over the next 8 days. I will have been at this for 3 weeks this coming Sunday.

My current numbers:

CYA: 25-40 (though I ran out of reagent and haven't tested since two 3-5 minute backwashes, vacuuming once on waste, and adding more water; I added 6 lbs in sock before SLAMing)
FC: 20
Ph: 7.4
Calcium: <50
TA: 100

Current plan:

  1. Continue brushing and stirring things up twice daily
  2. Run pump 24/7
  3. Keep FC level at 20
  4. Grab some DE and add a bit to the skimmer this evening
  5. Implement double filtration with hairnet skimmer sock this evening

I'm really trying to avoid having to FLOC or do something else outside the recommended techniques put forward here. If there's anything else y'all can recommend, please let me know. Thanks!
 

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