Keeping bottom of a round pool clean - how do you do it?

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M

MNPoolDreamer

0
May 13, 2009
198
Mn
I'm so frustrated that the place we got the pool from 1. would not give me the pump I purchased (1.5 hp) and 2. wouldn't change it out when they came to figure out what the clicking noise was (air in the filter - still there).

Now to make me even more made, it seems like I might as well not even have a filter. There is so much crud in the pool that the kids don't even want to get in. I realize I need to care for the pool by vacuuming, but do I have to vacuum every day?? We use a solar cover all the time we are not swimming. I would think even when we are swimming and the stuff is stirred up it would go into the skimmer, nope, just passes right on by.

It is bugs, grass and lots of fine silt. The silt is all over the pool, but the bugs and grass are in the middle. The PSI on the filter went up 2 when I added some sparkle up (to help remove the leftover iron) but otherwise we haven't backwashed for over a week. I just thought my pool would be cleaner than this. I know we need to get some kind of aquabug to solve the problem, but I was wondering if other round pool owners have the same frustrations.

1. How often do you need to backwash (we have a 26" filter)?
2. Do you have junk in the bottom, center of your pool (I point the return down and towards the center, but it doesn't help)?

Thanks!
 
There's only one way to get grass in there, it has to be transported in. When you take the solar cover off by any chance are you pulling it onto the lawn where there are grass clippings? I have a mulching lawn mower but in the area where I pull off the solar cover I use the bagger to try and keep grass clippings from sticking to the cover.
My pool pretty much always has a small degree of dirt that gets nestled into the little crevices/wrinkles in the liner, I don't think it's practical to try and have a spotless bottom, I think there's always going to be some degree of dirt in there.

You mentioned your pump/filter, any chance it is blowing sand back into the pool?

As for bugs, I don't know, they seem to have some kamikaze desire to fly into pool water. We are having a bad summer for tiny wasps in the pool, little *bleeps* have stung me 3 times so far, although its a minor sting.

Do you have some pics, by my description my pool may sound filthy but it's not, there's always a bit of stuff in there though.

PS: in my pool there is pretty much always some dirt in the middle of the pool as well, sometimes if we a get a good whirlpool going it consolidates in the middle and much of it can be scooped out.
 
Ditto Cramar on teh solar cover and the ground
Would also add people walking into the pool from the grass would be a huge source... get some sort of rubbermaid container big enough to hold some water to rinse teh feet off before goinginto your pool or even onto your deck attached to your pool if grass is involved in getting to it

I point my return to the right (Skimmer entrance is on the left of the return)
It creates a circular flow motion of the water. and the debris floats towards the skimmer that way. once the stuff sinks though you need to vacuum. I find that with this circular pattern most of teh debris is shifted to sit in the center and that can be quickly vacuumed if you don't have enough time to do a thorough cleaning .... do one every 2 or 3rd... I can literally clean the bottomo fcenter of my pool from teh outside in about 5 minutes... including setup and break down of the hose and poles etc...

If the water level is higher than the skimmer mouth or still very high as to almost cover it.. your skimmer will not work very efficiently
1/3 to 1/2 of the way up is the best (though you lose a few inches of depth overall)

rarely notice much filter pressure rise.. I clean my filter 1 per month and clean out the pump filter bucket weekly... and the skimmer basket I check fairly often because I hate the debris!

They also sell these foam bars that stick out to stop junk in teh water and steer it to the skimmer door
 
I should vacuum everday also, with leaves, bugs and dust on botttom, but I do have a Wanda Whale that I throw in when I'm not feeling it. It does a fairly good job, except sometimes I have to '"guide" her to certain areas. I just skim the bugs off the to with a net, but for every 10 I take out 10 more make there way in. I also use skimmer socks, it really does a good job on collecting the wee little bugs and pollen and such.
 
Point the return away from the skimmer and aim it about 1/2 way up the wall. If the return is pointed toward the skimmer it will push debris away instead of allowing them to be sucked in before they drop to the floor.
 
A foot bath before getting in is a must. Even if you don't have grass. It will reduce much of your debris issue.

Bugs however are not so easily controlled. The skimmer should grab most of them if the flow is sufficient to port them to the skimmer before they become waterlogged. I would not point the return towards the floor as much as towards the side, under the surface away from the skimmer (what Zea said) so as to facilitate their speedy still floating route to the skimmer.
 
I had a problem with the KamiKaze bugs--- I could get it skimmed off good for about 10 mins then they would be back.. I read all the feedback on the Poolskim --so I bought one.. This gizmo really works and saves on the vacuuming also-- I have a Pool rover that I throw in once a week . The Poolskim in conjunction the pool rover makes mine a VERY LAZY pool to have to take care of. I would give it a try --its catches a good bit before it has time to settle also.
 
We use Diver Dave every couple of days; have our return pointing just breaking the surface to create a nice movement in the water; scoop out surface kamikaze bugs; and have the correct amount of FC in the pool to take care of the "nasties" so that they don't build up leaving little piles all over the floor of the pool.
Here is a pic I took a few nights ago. I was amazed at how clear and clean it was.

cleanclearpool.jpg


Stay on top of the little stuff and it won't turn into big stuff. usually.
 
My pool is oval but I'll answer anyway. :blah: We had a lot of dirt last year, moving things around in the yard, backfill and everyone tracking grass and dirt in the pool. This year we have everything settled and installed a patio off the deck and now no one goes through grass to get to the pool. I do get bugs, but the skimmer does a great job with those and I skim by hand some mornings before I turn the pump on. I throw wanda the whale in about every 10 days to get the small amount of dirt that settles. We have almost no trees near the yard and I don't get so much as a leaf all season.

I think the amount of dirt in your pool has more to do with what is growing above and around your pool and what are people tracking in with them.
 

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As it says in my signature; the Pool Rover Jr. is the best

investment I have made for our pool. Two or three times

a week I drop it in for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

This is my third season with a pool, first season with

the Pool Rover Jr. and I would never

go back to vacuuming by hand. Company also has a

Pool Rover for larger pools.

Stan
 
dremin2flyhi said:
I had a problem with the KamiKaze bugs--- I could get it skimmed off good for about 10 mins then they would be back.. I read all the feedback on the Poolskim --so I bought one.. This gizmo really works and saves on the vacuuming also-- I have a Pool rover that I throw in once a week . The Poolskim in conjunction the pool rover makes mine a VERY LAZY pool to have to take care of. I would give it a try --its catches a good bit before it has time to settle also.
Click to expand...

What about kamakaze bats? Last Friday morning, I went out to turn on my mother's skimmer for her and there was a half-drowned bat hanging on to the skimmer body.

I guess he must have gotten confused chasing bugs and smacked into the water. Amazingly enough, he managed to get around to the skimmer body which was the only thing in the whole pool he could get a hold of to keep from drowning.
 
StanB said:
As it says in my signature; the Pool Rover Jr. is the best

investment I have made for our pool. Two or three times

a week I drop it in for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

This is my third season with a pool, first season with

the Pool Rover Jr. and I would never

go back to vacuuming by hand. Company also has a

Pool Rover for larger pools.

Stan
Click to expand...

This!
 
christine19720 said:
StanB said:
As it says in my signature; the Pool Rover Jr. is the best

investment I have made for our pool. Two or three times

a week I drop it in for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

This is my third season with a pool, first season with

the Pool Rover Jr. and I would never

go back to vacuuming by hand. Company also has a

Pool Rover for larger pools.

Stan
Click to expand...

This!
Click to expand...

Ditto...I love our PRJ

I have a 24" filter and rarely back wash, maybe 2-3x/summer and that's because the pool overflows, not because of PSI rise. Proper chemistry goes a long way to extending time between backwashes.
 
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