My pool is clear until I vacuum to filter. Is there something wrong with my filter? Thanks
cloudy water
- Thread starter meber
- Start date
This may sound really dumb, but last year (my first full season with a pool) I started running into the same problem. The water would be clear, but the bottom dirty, until I vacuumed. Then the bottom would be clean, but the water would be clear. A few hours later, the bottom was dirty, and the water was clear again. I thought I had a filter problem, and replaced all the sand in my filter. (Sound about right?)
Turns out, I was just vacuuming too fast. I was really just stirring things up with the vacuum, not really sucking much out. This year, I've been vacuuming REALLY slowly. Much better. :-D
Turns out, I was just vacuuming too fast. I was really just stirring things up with the vacuum, not really sucking much out. This year, I've been vacuuming REALLY slowly. Much better. :-D
Something I have noticed when I vacuum or clean the pool is I stir up some dirt that maybe the vac does not get. So therefore it makes my pool look cloudy. After a few hours oe even less after everything has been sucked into the filter or settled again it goes back clear. This is just something I noticed and my filter is working fine.
Hope this helps some and I am sure someone will be along with better advice.
Edit: The person and I both were typing at the same time. It seems we have said pretty much the same thing.
Hope this helps some and I am sure someone will be along with better advice.
Edit: The person and I both were typing at the same time. It seems we have said pretty much the same thing.
That's the very reason I like the slower moving Aquabot over its faster moving cousins and big brothers. It moves very slowly compared to the others and doesn't stir up the stuff on the bottom, which is my main reason for using it.
When I was clearing up huge amounts of fine particles, most from AA treatment in fall and subsequent use of descaling sequestrates over winter I was advised by our gurus and my "Favorite Most Trusted Pool Guy" to not do anything to disturb the bottom until the water had cleared. Even with a huge new 80 sq ft filter, running pump pretty slowly, it took two weeks and a couple of backwashings to totally clear out. I then manual vacuumed very, very slowly, as advised, and it has remained crystal clear (relatively speaking as we have particles carried in and blown in < 1 micron which is smaller than the best DE filter can totally clear out).
I thought I had mastered the technique of slow vacuuming, over the years, but this time I went at a snails pace and it really paid off. Actually it was quite relaxing. :-D
gg=alice
When I was clearing up huge amounts of fine particles, most from AA treatment in fall and subsequent use of descaling sequestrates over winter I was advised by our gurus and my "Favorite Most Trusted Pool Guy" to not do anything to disturb the bottom until the water had cleared. Even with a huge new 80 sq ft filter, running pump pretty slowly, it took two weeks and a couple of backwashings to totally clear out. I then manual vacuumed very, very slowly, as advised, and it has remained crystal clear (relatively speaking as we have particles carried in and blown in < 1 micron which is smaller than the best DE filter can totally clear out).
I thought I had mastered the technique of slow vacuuming, over the years, but this time I went at a snails pace and it really paid off. Actually it was quite relaxing. :-D
gg=alice
Hi Meber,
Put a nylon stocking over your return and see if particles are blowing thru the filter into the pool.
Put a nylon stocking over your return and see if particles are blowing thru the filter into the pool.
How long has it been since you've backwashed? What is your current psi and what is it normally?
I have a clear vacuum head that allows me to see how effectively I'm vacuuming, so a get the speed just about right. You may want to see if your local pool store has any, they should run around $20-30.
It has been a couple of weeks since I last back washed. My normal (clean) psi is 16.
Since your psi is running at a normal 16, it is likely there is nothing wrong with the filter but that the vacuum is stirring up dirt on the bottom and clouding the water.
As mentioned above vacuuming slowly will help but you simply may have to live with it a few more times as you slowly but surely remove the dirt through filtration and vacuuming.
As mentioned above vacuuming slowly will help but you simply may have to live with it a few more times as you slowly but surely remove the dirt through filtration and vacuuming.
