Advice on cloudy pool...how to possibly backwash pump

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I

ittybittypool

0
Jun 22, 2010
9
Okay I have a 12 foot Intex pool with a 2500gph pump. A few weeks ago I ran out of chemicals and used some SUPER cheap chlorine pucks. Since then, the water has been horrible. Chunky white scum floats on the surface and the water refuses to clear up. I have shocked the ever-loving Crud out of it in hopes of burning the Crud off. No luck! There is chunks of puck by product on the pool floor. I bought a really good filter from my local pool store and it still is really pretty white. I have sprayed it and put it back in. No help. The pool values are Way out of whack and refuse to come around with adjustment. I am thinking a total drain and filter backwash is going to have to be done.

FAC-5
TAC-17
TA-200
PH-8.4
CH-400
TH-400
 
How do I backwash my pump? And I will never, ever skimp on chemicals again! And hey, when I refill, do I need to shock first? Or just get to a normal chlorine reading? And I am scared to death of chlorine lock so I use unstabilized cal-hypo granules and adjust every day. After this experience, I will never use pucks again!
 
1. Your Intex cartridge filter doesn't backwash...only sand and DE do that.

2. Plain ole' Clorox bleach is better for your pool than Cal Hypo and cheaper

3. Chlorine lock really doesn't exist.....but using tri-chlor pucks is how that false term got started, I think.

4. No need to shock when you refill. Keep some chlorine in it from the beginning, however.
 
Thank you sooooooooo much! I am going outside to drain now. My hubby would MURDER me if I put bleach in the pool. He will not come and look at this site and refuses to believe that bleach and cal-hypo is the same thing. :hammer:
 
Either tell him that, or go to the local pool store and get one of those fancy Liquid Chlorine jugs and pour the [s:1hai5e72]bleach[/s:1hai5e72] liquid chlorine in it when he isn't looking. Not that I would EVER encourage anybody to decieve someone. It's not really deceiving since it really is the same thing! :mrgreen:
 
Oh yeah, that'll be plenty. You only need 2 cups to raise the FC a little over 3.

With a new fill you're going to need some CYA in there so I'd use Dichlor to begin with if you have any.

If you don't you should get 1 lb. That'll get you to about 30ppm. When you get it you can use a few ozs at a time until you get there.
 
The cdc actually reccomends no cya in pools for the purpose of killing crypto and other moderately chlorine resistant bugs. My Hus is prone to diarrhea because he takes metformin so I have to be very very diligent in maintaining a 4ppm fac so as to not allow contamination of the water. I also have to regularly raise fac to 20 for 5 days at a time to kill crypto and salmonella and all the other fecal born bugs. He showers before he swims but it is better safe than sorry. In my city the health dep inspects and tests all pools once a mnth. You have to take a sample to them and then they call in about a week to tell you if your water is pure. There has been some bad crypto outbreaks here so that is why they started doing it. It costs 20 bucks to do it but you have to to keep your pool permit.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
My co-worker went through the same thing...I got him on the BBB...He has a clorine&ph test kit only...I been checking his water every couple of week's....He has a intex and water was really clear,,,turned cloudy..I checked is water and everything looked good except is clorine level was about 2 ppm...I told him to increase the amount of bleach and keep pump running and filter changed..It finnally came back around...I just don't think the pump&filter is big enough to handle it...
 
If you are not allowed to use CYA in your pool then your best bet is to use liquid chlorine or get a saltwater chlorine generator (swg). The cal-hypo will build up calcium levels and over time your pool will become cloudy and you will be at risk of developing scale. The only way for you to reduce excess calcium is to drain the water or get a reverse osmosis treatment.

Without CYA you will need to replenish chlorine frequently, possibly twice a day to keep the FC within recommended levels. An swg will give you a fairly consistent level of chlorine, and intex makes inexpensive units that will fit your pool. If you decide on the intex swg try and find a 2009 model without the copper ionization unit. Copper will eventually cause staining, and this model swg produces less chlorine in the same run time as the older models.
 
The only problem with an SWCG is that they all recommend a fairly high CYA level. You can run them without any but you have to run the unit a lot longer to produce enough chlorine. I'd try a liquidator. About the same price as the Intex SWCG and only adds liqiud chlorine.
 
Well the refill went great! And I put in Clorox bleach instead of cal-hypo and just did not tell hubby! Oh and I got an excellent suggestion from a friend of mine. Put one cup of bleach in a gallon jug of water and freeze. If I freeze two a night, then that will be enough to keep my levels in check! How easy is that!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply