had a swamp but now have milky blue

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poolnuwb

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Mar 29, 2010
14
Bought a house with a pool that had been neglected for a year and half. Started cleaning it up about a week and a half ago using methods I read about in this forum. First scooped out all the muck, then tested water and got TA and Ph right (though now TA too high), then started shocking with bleach. Also started trying to get CYA up. Pool numbers as of this evening are

FC: 12
CC: 1.5
TA: 160
PH: 7.2
CH: 500
CYA: not registering (cannot make the black dot disappear even when I fill the cylinder to the top)

The CH in the pool is the same as my tap water so difficult to lower. I think I am on the right track as I can now see about 2-3 feet down into the slightly milky blue water. I have vacuumed to waste and been brushing and can no longer see fine muck come to the surface when I brush. I have been running the pump 24/7 until tonight. I decided to take the lid off the inline chlorinator and have a look inside. When I put it back together the old o-ring started leaking so need to get a new one tomorrow... should have left it alone.

The CC was at 5 when I first started so it has dropped alot. I have not checked the sand in the filter yet because the bozo who set it up did not allow a way to remove the multiport without cutting two of the pipes! So need to add union fittings on the inlet and waste sides of the filter. The pressure gauge reads 18psi after backwashing and has good strong flow through the returns. The flow is significantly reduced at about 24 psi so have been backwashing when it gets to 21 or 22 psi. The base pressure seems a bit high compared to other posts I have read... sound like a problem?

So as I said I think I am making progress, my only concern is the high CH. Is it possible that I could be seeing calcium precipitate in the water and that is what is keeping the water cloudy? I figure I need to get the CC down to at least 0.5 before I can really assume it is not algae making the water milky right?

To get CYA up I added enough of the dry stuff to bring up 20,000 gallons to 30. Also dissolved 4, 3-inch pucks of tri chlor. However, with the frequent backwashing I am sure I lost a bunch of the dry stuff... this was before I read about the sock trick in the skimmer on this forum. I have another dose of the dry stuff (sufficient to bring up 10,000 gallons to 30). Once I get the pump going again should I put it in a sock and drop in the skimmer?

BTW, the house is only about 3.5 years old so the pool and all the equipment can't be older than that.

Anyway, thanks for any advice... this is my first pool and I am learning everything from ground zero!
 
The particulate is passing through the sand and you can wait until the sand filter starts picking up the smaller particles, add clarifier or about 8 ozs of DE to expedite the process. Time for the system to work is probably the easiest and not backwashing too frequently will remove the finer particles.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Yes, it is quite likely that you have calcium clouding. Nothing you do to the filter is going to fix that up (and adding 8 oz of DE is way too much). You need to get the PH and TA levels down to compensate for your high CH level.

You aren't going to get the FC and CC levels stabilized until your CYA level comes up (hopefully really soon now). The sock approach is a good one, especially if you need to backwash the filter frequently. Keep the pool at shock level till CC reads as 0.5 or lower.
 
I'm still filtering but think I am done shocking and have started to lower the TA. current numbers are:

fc:7
cc:0.5-0.75
TA: 140
PH:7.4
CH:500
CYA:35-40

I added 1/2 gal of 31.45% muriatic acid last night to bring TA from 160 to 140. Added another 1/2 gal this morning. Am also using the returns to aerate.
Pool continues to clear... I can now see the bottom clearly in the shallow end. Sound like I am still on the right track?
 
Did your FC hold overnight? Is that why you think you are done shocking? Because if your CC is higher than .5 unfortunately that means you are not done :? . Can you clarify the cc result....? Why do you think it's .5-.75 is that a guess?

Other than that yes, it sounds like you are on the right track. :goodjob:
 
Because of your somewhat higher CH (but manageable) I would suggest to further lower the pH and TA perhaps down to around 7.2 and whatever TA results from that. That may clear the calcium cloudiness if that's the issue. Constant filtering and holding your chlorine about right where it is now will clear it up should it be some leftover algae/debris/etc.
 
numbers when I got home last night were:

fc:5
cc:0.5
PH:7.3
TA:130
CH:500
CYA:35


My FC does hold overnight and the reason my CC number in a previous post was a range is because I was using the 10ml sample and each drop equates to 0.5 units. Therefore, it is difficult to measure a small amount of CC. However,
I decided to shock it one more time and added also added another 1/2 gal of acid.

besides chemistry, I am also wondering what (if anything) to do with my filter. The pool is 3.5 year old and was neglected for a good bit of that so perhaps the sand does not need replaced. On the other had it has filtered quite alot of junk recently during this clean-up. Probably answered elsewhere but is sand bought at the pool store anything special? Could I just get sand at Home Depot?

Thanks
 
You can get pool filter sand at several places, but just make sure it's specific to pool filters, for example don't buy "play sand", etc. it has to be specific for the pool filter use. But since it's probably less than 4 years old you shouldn't have to change it out.

Since your FC is holding, that's good. I'd keep the FC about 5 for awhile (slightly elevated to deal with the CC) and keep it uncovered so the sunlight can work it's magic... LOL
And then I think you should try the DE in the filter trick (not 8 oz tho) - there are instructions in Pool School on how to add it. People report that it really does work to clear up the lingering clarity issues.
 
I have seen mention of the DE added to the sand filter. However, can you buy just a little of it (like a pound). Where could you buy a small amount?

otherwise, thanks for confirming my plan has no major flaws. I will report back.
 

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being a pool guy, it hurts to see so many of you " anti- pool store" LOL.. all kidding aside i understand that some places rip people off... I worked for one for a few years before i left and started my own company. Most of my customers tell me since they switched to me they have saved big $$ :) :blah: anyway!

sounds like your doing everything correctly!

EDIT- Im not sure if its exactly the same, or how the price compares but i saw a small 2lb bag of DE powder in the garden section of homedepot the other day. I was in a hury so i didnt read the bag, but im curious if its The same as the big bags sold in the pool section??
Ive added up to 1lb of DE into a hayward 300lb sand filter with no problems at all.. And it made a big difference when trying to clear a milky pool caused by dead algae.. Just a little fyi for those who care :( :-D
 
Heckpools said:
EDIT- Im not sure if its exactly the same, or how the price compares but i saw a small 2lb bag of DE powder in the garden section of homedepot the other day
Click to expand...
Pool DE and garden DE are not the same at all. Pool DE has been heat treated, which creates lots of sharp points that catch dirt really effectively. Garden DE is essentially useless for pool filtering.
 
So I can now see the drains in the pool but the water is pretty cloudy.

current numbers are:

fc:5
cc:0
PH:7.3
CH:500
TA:90
CYA:35

I put 3/4 cups of pool store DE in the skimmer and that brought my pressure from 18 to 19 psi. If the water is still getting clearer, it is happening at an extremely slow rate and I am starting to wonder if it is happening at all. It took 3 gallons of muriatic acid to added over about 4 days with aeration to bring the TA from 160 to 90. Should I just be patient for a few more days or should I attempt to lower the TA even further?
 
ok. In the meantime I just retested my water so that I can absolutely confirm my overnight test. Added some bleach after I posted my last numbers.

fc:6.5
cc: <0.5
Ph: 7.5 (not sure why this tested different than a couple of hours ago... pilot error I guess)
TA:90
CH:500
CYA: 35
 

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