Sock over return eyeball?

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M

MNPoolDreamer

0
May 13, 2009
198
Mn
I've read that some people put a sock over the return and found their sand filter wasn't working efficiently. How do you do that? Do you have any pictures of our setup doing this?

I just want to finally verify that the silt is NOT coming from the filter and is environmental.

Thank you!
Michelle
 
Just put the sock over the eye ball fitting and tie it on with a string this is only temporary for the test. FYI, the DE filter will catch the smallest partical next in line is the cartridge filter then on the bottom of the list is the sand filter. You can use a filter aid to improve the job your sand filter will do
 
I recently started using a skimmer sock. Now that the cottonwood is falling it's like cleaning out a lint trap. (the only benefit to cottonwood, they actually make the skimmer sock a bit easier to clean)

This won't help troubleshoot the filter, but it definitely keeps quite a bit from going in it.
 
We sort of figured it out. We took the eyeball off, put a skimmer sock through the hole and over the threads. We threaded it back on and when we turned on the pump again, we found one answer to our continually dirty pool. There was sand an bugs in the sock and my husband saw lots of silt blow through the sock. UGGH!

So if anyone is every looking for a way to do it, there you go. It may rip through the sock over night...we'll see in the morning.
 
Two speed pump purchased, but now need new filter?

Ok we are having Murphy's law with pool ownership this year, and unfortunately money is super tight.

So we did a sock over the eyeball return and found we are getting bugs and sand into the pool (I had just finished backwash and rinse). That might explain why my water is not clearing up and I'm always vacuuming.

Our pump was leaking so we bought a dynamo 1 hp 2 speed pump. (our current is a 2hp...seems way to powerful and is an energy sucker). The idea was to run the pump on low and hopefully get better filtration in our current sand filter. Now with the bug/sand issue, I don't know what size filter to get that would work with the pump. Mind you, we have not installed the pump yet, we have to dig the electrical line to it since it doesn't have a cord on it and electrician wants it hardwired with an external switch.

We checked the laterals before we replaced our sand with Zeosand. We didn't look at the spider gasket...since I had no idea I needed to do that. But I find it hard to believe it is that since it wasn't working from the start.

Is there hope for my filter, or would I be able to get a cartridge system with my new pump? We have flex-pipe from pool to equipment and the pump pad is about 7 feet from the pool. We also have a heater that needs water pumped through.

Any suggestions on what brand filter and size would work best or is there some hope for our generic sand system (family leisure brand)?

Thanks.
Michelle
 
Re: Two speed pump purchased, but now need new filter?

MNPoolDreamer said:
We didn't look at the spider gasket...since I had no idea I needed to do that. But I find it hard to believe it is that since it wasn't working from the start.
Click to expand...
If it was me, I would continue to troubleshoot the filter. Sand filters rarely have problems other than broken laterals, worn spider gaskets, or cracked pressure vessels. I would check the spider gasket, it is usually pretty easy to do. Most multiport valves have screws on top that you take off to access it. If you want to post your model number and maybe take a picture of the valve in the filter position it may help.
 
We put our sock over the whole exit port and used a zip tie to hold it on (Men's white crew sock). Actually I put two socks on there as one seemed to not be enough filtering. It's been on there all week. Like you we are seeing lots of yuck cloud during the vacume process. This weekend I hope to rinse out the sand in the filter as someone said I could have channelling going on. Crossing my fingers this works....we live on a dirt road so getting dirt in our pool is impossible to avoid.

I also put a lady's queen size knee high over the filter basket now that we are also having the "spring snows" from all the cottonwood trees.

Yes they look "dorkie" but they both work :p
 
Re: Two speed pump purchased, but now need new filter?

I found the filter manual online and it is referred to as a waterway Clearwater sand filter. (I don't know why they have to make it confusing and call it ecoklear)

The sock test overnight did not accumulate any more large debris or sand...so would that indicate that the gasket is bad since the debris was after backwashing?

Another goofy thing is that yesterday my psi had climbed about 3 more than usual. Then I turned off the pump after vacuuming and when we turned it back on the psi was lower (this was before the backwash). Why would the psi drop?

Any help is appreciated because I am at my whits end with this pool. I guess you get what you pay for...

Michelle

Eta: we'll look at the spider gasket this weekend, and hopefully get a trench dug for the electrical on our new pump...maybe if the water wasn't blasting through the sand the filter would work better!
 

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The funny thing is that the psi never really seems to climb. Of course the pool store tellss me to backwash whenever I'm in there checking for metals, but we all know that it is better to wait for the pressure climb before backwashing. So, with all the junk I vacuum up, I would expect a climb...like I said, it only climbed once by 3 psi- shut the pump off and then it was back down again.

I used cellulose last summer to catch some metals...big mistake, and the psi climbed, so I know the gauge does work, but it has to be super clogged to do so. We changed out to zeros and this year. Our sand had nothing but chunks of cellulose in it.

Dh has to help me with the spider gasket inspection so I have to wait til he's home.

I don't think people would buy a pool if they knew how frustrating this is...with so many variablesto what can be wrong. We'll just start tackling one thing at a time, first spider gasket, next check sand for channeling, then Change out the pump. Something has to work right?
 
After you have it in backwash position, do you run it in rinse mode until the water is clear before putting it back into filter position?

What does you gauge read when the pump is on and off?

We do recommend backwashing when your pressure goes up 25%.
 
Yes, I let it rinse until it is clear water coming out.

We checked the spider gasket and all is in fine shape. Our next plan is to check inside the tank for channeling.

The water finally cleared up (I finished adding the last 2lb portion of my 10lbs of acid) yesterday, but there is so much silt on the bottom. I'm going to go with the idea that the pump is simply too powerful for the filter. Even on waterway website, they pair our filter with a 1.5 hp, not 2. I don't know how much difference a half horse makes, but dropping to 1 hp should be perfect...or so I hope.

The psi is 0 when the power is off and 11-12 when it is on. It never climbs other than that one time and when I shut the pump off and turned it back on it dropped. It did go up when I used cellulose last year so it just takes a lot to plug it up.

At least the water is clear, so I feel a lot less stressed. Just took a lot of pop, which I'm not good at.

Thanks everyone for helping me through this. I'd be so lost If I had to use the pool store as a resource....their not as bad as some I've been to, but they need to sell to stay in business. We keep our purchases to toys and metal out.
 
The TA was down to 200. I'm still adding acid and letting the ph rise. We've had a lot of rain, so hopefully that will give me a free boost down.

By the way...I'm thinking my pool did not have silt on the bottom of the pool. My FC has been holding pretty steady (just under .5 loss per day and less than 0.5 cc). I was vacuuming and saw water boatmen. I got super mad because I've been working hard to clean up the "silt" on the bottom of the pool.

Anyway - I'm in process of "shocking" my pool and of course the water is cloudy, but amazing...there isn't any "silt" on the bottom of the pool. Well just a little but it is now white and more fluffy looking.

Water Boatmen don't lie...I'm just going to have to learn that when they are there, something is brewing, regardless of test results. I'm still new and learning my pool.
I know that what happened isn't the norm around here and I don't ever let my chlorine drop. If anything it has been way too high lately...But we're not swimming. I'm going to leave the solar cover off and see if that is the source of my problems...
 
I think they are the same thing...We get both the "Water Boatmen" or some call backswimmers and then these HUGE giant water bugs that feed on the "backswimmers". Chlorine at high enough levels will slow down the backswimmer/boatmen. The only thing I've seen kill them is dawn dish soap, but that was on my cover...Don't know if it would work in the pool. Someone said once they put dishsoap in the pool, but I don't want to do that.

I rather get rid of the algae, that the boatmen are feeding on. Why else would they flock to my pool? Could be accidental, but they seem to leave the water on the solar cover alone, so I think they see the pool as food.

YUCK!!
 
We installed the new pump! Wow my ears are so much happier. I didn't think it was working it was so quiet. The psi was about 3 on low and 10 on high. The water is skimming nicely (not vortexing like with the old pump) and coming out of the return gently, not jet level like before.

Here's hoping this cleans my pool up. "shocking" process is over and no brown "dirt" or backswimmers. Just cloudy water now...my fc was 22 so I can't check for ph. We've had about 1 inch of rain added to the pool so I'm hoping the ph has stayed in the normal range.

Thanks for all the support and help. I'd have given up if it weren't for this forum.
 
MNPoolDreamer said:
Two speed pump purchased, but now need new filter?

Ok we are having Murphy's law with pool ownership this year, and unfortunately money is super tight.

So we did a sock over the eyeball return and found we are getting bugs and sand into the pool (I had just finished backwash and rinse). That might explain why my water is not clearing up and I'm always vacuuming.

Our pump was leaking so we bought a dynamo 1 hp 2 speed pump. (our current is a 2hp...seems way to powerful and is an energy sucker). The idea was to run the pump on low and hopefully get better filtration in our current sand filter. Now with the bug/sand issue, I don't know what size filter to get that would work with the pump. Mind you, we have not installed the pump yet, we have to dig the electrical line to it since it doesn't have a cord on it and electrician wants it hardwired with an external switch.

We checked the laterals before we replaced our sand with Zeosand. We didn't look at the spider gasket...since I had no idea I needed to do that. But I find it hard to believe it is that since it wasn't working from the start.

Is there hope for my filter, or would I be able to get a cartridge system with my new pump? We have flex-pipe from pool to equipment and the pump pad is about 7 feet from the pool. We also have a heater that needs water pumped through.

Any suggestions on what brand filter and size would work best or is there some hope for our generic sand system (family leisure brand)?

Thanks.
Michelle
Click to expand...
How about "Cottontails" a type of filter material that replaces the sand.
 
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