Filter floods yard- this right?

[just_me]

Hey everyone,

I'm still having issues with a coudy pool and until the last few weeks didnt stop to think about the following issue i have with my filter. I came into pool ownership very blind a few months ago and i am still trying to learn what is and what is not 'cool'!! Meaning i havent spent much time enjoying my pool this season

My filter backwashes, rinses, vacuums to waste etc through some piping and all over the back of my yard, is this right? I have a pool house that i am going to whip into a usable space soon and i dont want it flooding, its right by the filter sytem. I didnt even think about how bad the water issue was until i tried to vacuum to waste this week and made a whole new pool in my yard!

Another thing, i keep trying to vacuum to waste but am failing, is there a link with dummy proof directions around here?!

 

[JasonLion]

Having the waste outlet go to the yard is fairly common. It can be troublesome if you need to send a lot of water to waste, but normally it helps keep the lawn watered. It probably isn't that difficult to move it to somewhere else, if you have somewhere else to send it.

Why are you doing lots of vacuuming to waste? That can be problematic as you end up needing to replace a lot of water. You typically need to stop ever several minutes and refill the pool before continuing. There are situations which suggest vacuuming to waste, but there are usually alernative ways to get the same effect.

 

[saraiks]

my local Lowes carries a flexible PVC pipe for vaccum to waste applications. It shoud be long enough (30' ?) to drag it out to wherever you want it to go..

 

[just_me]

Why are you doing lots of vacuuming to waste? That can be problematic as you end up needing to replace a lot of water. You typically need to stop ever several minutes and refill the pool before continuing. There are situations which suggest vacuuming to waste, but there are usually alernative ways to get the same effect.

I have a cloudy issue that is resulting in white powder forming on the floor when it all settles down, my aquabot is just a powdery mess. I tried to wait it out, its been two weeks, its looking better but i decided to try vacuum to waste, tried it once and discovered the hose was cracked- so purchased a new one yesterday and gave it a go, but being a little 5'3" lady doing it on my own for the first time it didnt seem to be working, it was just stirring the powder back into the water. Issue is still there today

 

[just_me]

my local Lowes carries a flexible PVC pipe for vaccum to waste applications. It shoud be long enough (30' ?) to drag it out to wherever you want it to go..

Sounds like i need to go lowes, thank you. I have a side yard that i dont use and i dont mind if it becomes a muddy mess but i dont want to redo my poolhouse to have it flood or something!

Thank you for your help, the reason i asked is because i read that some filter systems have a viewing window to check the water clarity when you backwash and i wondered if that was because those lucky folks had their water routed through city drains

 

[JasonLion]

It sounds like normal vacuuming (to the filter instead of to waste) would probably work. The return might stir things up too much, but it would probably be alright. You might need to backwash the filter several times as you went along, but it wouldn't use as much water as vacuuming to waste.

The key to picking up fine powder/silt from the bottom when vacuuming is to move very very slowly so as not to create any more movement in the water than required. It also helps to lift the vacuum head well above the bottom when repositioning.

 

[just_me]

Thank you jason, your help is much appreciated. The pool place says its good to swim in, i just need to adjust TA some because of rain we have had. I think the powder is the calcium stuff (i forget the name ) and soda ash? They had me add quite a bit and even though i asked them to tell me how to do it, they said just dump it in I know now that was not right

Should be ok to swim in right? I mean my chlorine is high right now to try and clear it up and im on top of my chemicals, i think. I have the taylor 10,000 part kit here waiting to be christened, it looks so daunting! Just cloudy and powdery.....harmful to a 3 year old? Id like to swim this weekend

Thanks again

Vacuuming to filter- just hook up the hose and hit go with normal filter? do i still need to use the hosepipe to have water running through before putting into the pool? I dont get how the suction works......sorry if these are stupid questions

 

[JasonLion]

As long as you are holding normal chlorine levels it is safe to swim.

For normal vacuuming you connect the vacuum hose to a special plate that goes over the skimmer basket inside the skimmer, or for some systems the hose plugs into the pipe at the bottom of the skimmer underneath the skimmer basket (which is removed in this case). The valve is left in the normal filter position.

It is important that the hose be filled with water (put it in the pool and let all the air drain out) before you hook it up. You don't want any air getting to the pump so keep the vacuum head underwater as well.

 

[waste]

Just_me - welcome here!! :-D Before you buy the new backwash hose at Lowes, you can use the old vacuum hose to do the same thing, though there will be a puddle where it's cracked, a little duct tape will lessen the amount leaking but not fully stop it. A quick note on what Jason said about filling the vac hose: if you have a return close to the vacuuming port (skimmer or in wall vac line) you can sink the vac head and hold the open end over an active return to fill the hose - just wait until the head stops bubbling OR if that's not a viable solution - you sink the head and feed the hose into the pool making sure it goes straight down at least 1' before coiling, when the other end is almost in the water you should see the water in the hose start to come out the open end. :sun: If you have any other questions, just ask and we'll help you

 

[just_me]

Thank you waste! That is a very economical idea, i can save my $$$ for something else. Hopefully by next summer we will have updated most of what we currently have, it looks like it needs to be!

My pool is clearing some again today and i can see already the powder forming on the bottom, its also on my concrete from the aquabot and its not very pleasing to the eye. I just want my pool to be in order! I was ready to just close it off yesterday and leave it until next summer but next summer is just going to be as bad if i dont learn what i need to right now. It certainly is a learning curve thats for sure.

Any other ideas on the powder in the pool and getting it out would be appreciated, i'm having a hard time with the vacuuming, its hot here, im 5'3 and doing this on my own right now so i cant seem to get it right, the hose loses suction even though its not out of the water! So frustrating.

 

[JohnT]

Any other ideas on the powder in the pool and getting it out would be appreciated, i'm having a hard time with the vacuuming, its hot here, im 5'3 and doing this on my own right now so i cant seem to get it right, the hose loses suction even though its not out of the water! So frustrating.

Vacuum while you are in the pool. I usually get in to do the shallow end, and it's much cooler.

 

[waste]

J_m, one of the key things we try to do here is save pool owners money (BBB is just a less expensive way of getting the same chemicals into the pool). Jason told you a few posts ago to go slow with the vac - that is key!! If you move the vac too fast, you'll stir up what you're trying to clean up.

Please try the methods given in the posts above! PATIENCE is a critical part of solving any pool problem - be sure to take an extra dose of it before becoming frustrated

Should the afore given methods not work, and you run out of patience, just post and we'll help you through it :-D Take care, and if you need more help - we're here for you!! :super: