Pool info is in signature.
We opened the pool to mostly clear water, and got it nice for a couple weeks back in June. For most of the last month, though, it's been so cloudy you can't see the bottom (and it's not a large pool). I'm a new pool owner (got it off Craigslist last year, installed in late-summer), but dedicated last Friday to learning about the pool and how to maintain it. I downloaded the manual for my filter (a Hayward-Perflex EC40), and basically started over. After shutting off the supply and return valves, I bumped it about eight times, then opened the drain valve. Per the manual, I opened the suction valve for a few seconds to flush it, then closed it. After re-priming the filter and turning on the pump, I added 4lbs of DE, per the decal on the side of the filter. My pressure was about 15psi and I was getting great return pressure. I was hopeful for a clear pool Saturday morning.
Instead, I woke up to hardly any return pressure out of the return. There was no air in the bottom strainer (the one with the clear cover), the pressure guage read 22psi, I had hardly any water coming out of the return, and obviously, zero water movement. It's almost like it was blocked somewhere in the filter or return line. I shut it off, bumped it a half dozen times, and the pressure out of the return came back, but only for a few hours. We didn't swim all weekend, which was a major bummer.
As of right now, my chems are as follows (and forgive me for not including all of the ones you want, I just found this forum and only have one thing of test strips):
pH: Low (6.2)
ppm FREE CHLORINE: 1
ppm TOTAL ALKALINITY: 40
ppm STABILIZER: 0
I'm not sure how much of this has to do with the filter not circulating. I spoke with my dad, and he suggested some clarifying product, but I figure until my filter is pushing water, chems aren't going to matter much. Any ideas? Could my pump be failing? Does the length of suction or return hose matter? Could I be adding the wrong amount of DE (I don't have a coffee can or scooper, so I weighed a cup I had. It was 8oz, so I added 8 of these cupfulls)?
We opened the pool to mostly clear water, and got it nice for a couple weeks back in June. For most of the last month, though, it's been so cloudy you can't see the bottom (and it's not a large pool). I'm a new pool owner (got it off Craigslist last year, installed in late-summer), but dedicated last Friday to learning about the pool and how to maintain it. I downloaded the manual for my filter (a Hayward-Perflex EC40), and basically started over. After shutting off the supply and return valves, I bumped it about eight times, then opened the drain valve. Per the manual, I opened the suction valve for a few seconds to flush it, then closed it. After re-priming the filter and turning on the pump, I added 4lbs of DE, per the decal on the side of the filter. My pressure was about 15psi and I was getting great return pressure. I was hopeful for a clear pool Saturday morning.
Instead, I woke up to hardly any return pressure out of the return. There was no air in the bottom strainer (the one with the clear cover), the pressure guage read 22psi, I had hardly any water coming out of the return, and obviously, zero water movement. It's almost like it was blocked somewhere in the filter or return line. I shut it off, bumped it a half dozen times, and the pressure out of the return came back, but only for a few hours. We didn't swim all weekend, which was a major bummer.
As of right now, my chems are as follows (and forgive me for not including all of the ones you want, I just found this forum and only have one thing of test strips):
pH: Low (6.2)
ppm FREE CHLORINE: 1
ppm TOTAL ALKALINITY: 40
ppm STABILIZER: 0
I'm not sure how much of this has to do with the filter not circulating. I spoke with my dad, and he suggested some clarifying product, but I figure until my filter is pushing water, chems aren't going to matter much. Any ideas? Could my pump be failing? Does the length of suction or return hose matter? Could I be adding the wrong amount of DE (I don't have a coffee can or scooper, so I weighed a cup I had. It was 8oz, so I added 8 of these cupfulls)?