Noob pool owner: we have a problem - need your help

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I'd GUESS, given the greenish water you've described earlier, probably alive. Hard to tell though.

To be honest, though, doesn't really matter, does it? You're already planning on shocking the pool when the kit arrives anyway...that process, if followed correctly, will take care of it in either case.
 
The water was getting better and according to OTO test we did't lose any chlorine overnight... so I decided to not shock, but maintain chlorine level till the test arrives... it's hard because the sun eats it up :lol:

Yesterday I added gallon of Instant Conditioner that was supposed to raise CYA by 10 ppm. It's not working so far... or it wasn't enough?
TC was ~4 in the morning and 0 now.

We could see the shallow end bottom today and sent the Dolphin in to check what's hiding deep down. He returned with bag full of edit: something that looks like DE :cry:
 
noopa said:
Thanks!

I did have a drink :lol: and ordered the test kit last night.

The deep end seems to be 8 feet so updated guesstimate is 32K gallons.

I have [old?] hth 6-way kit. It does show chlorine and pH changes, though
TC - 2 right now
pH between 7.2 and 7.5
I tried to do CYA test, but the solution didn't become really cloudy :(

My concern: the filter pressure is 14 - just like it was 24 ago. It can't be right, can it? and I don't see any significant improvement in water clarity [it's still cloudy blue]

Also I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of bleach I should buy and how many of them :oops:
Click to expand...

New to this forum as well, and certainly not an expert, but I've learned quite a bit over the last couple of years of doing all of my own maintenance. For the low pressure issue it is quite possible that your pump impellers are clogged with leaves/debris and etc. This will definitely decrease the pressure to your DE filter. It's another easy fix if that's the case.

On a side note, I laughed out loud at the pool boy randomly throwing a cup of DE into the skimmer. That guy needs to be immediately fired for several reasons.
 
I'm not sure where impellers are. Are they inside a pipe behind the pump basket? I cleaned the basket... even though the pool guy said you should do it only when it's so dirty you can't see through the glass :lol:
Don't know how to check the impellers, though :?
 
and my test kit has arrived :party: I did everything twice [alkalinity 3 times because first time I got some insane result :lol: ]

FC 6 [I dropped chlorine bomb 2 hours ego]
CC 0.5
TA 100
CH 220
CYA below 20
pH 7.5

now, I collected some of the white powder that Dolphin brought from the deep end - the idea was to dissolve it in water and run CYA test to check if it's undissolved stabilizer. First, it never dissolved and second, the solution was even less cloudy than the pool water. So, I believe it's not CYA...
and it looks pretty much like DE :( Any advice?
TIA!
 
Hi there. I can't speak to the DE, but we do have same pump and when pressure dropped on it my h. Took a hose and after removing the basket, sprayed into the back of that opening to free some crud (because he didn't want to take the pump apart.)
Did someone show you how to keep prime the pump after cleaning basket? Eg. Making sure you have the drains closed, filling to brim with water, ensuring the sealing ring is clean and tigh, then replacing the lid, turn on for a second and open filter valve then drain valve? Your set up may be different, but that seems to avoid having air get through the system. pool guy had warned us about not letting pump run dry for long.

Ps your pool guy must disagree with my pool guy, because ours told us it was important to clean it any time pressure dropped and when doing heavy vacuuming and thereafter once a week to keep it operating well. But he had walked us through priming it so that we didn't burn out the motor.
 
Hi Swampwoman,

got up early to do the 'overnight loss' test and can't think clearly... well, till yesterday I thought priming a pump is adding machine oil somewhere :hammer: but ours says 'self priming' on the label, so I thought we didn't need it. Cleaned the basket twice already - nothing bad happened :twisted:
I saw some small junk and a bug in that black box?, but didn't know how to get them. Thanks for the hose tip!

so, I got
FC 5
CC 0.25 :lol:
Did I pass the test?
Are you supposed to run the pump overnight to do the test or it doesn't matter?
We just thought what if that cloudiness is DE and decided to check if it settles overnight without pump running. It didn't.
The water is light aqua blue, but still milky :(
 
The third criteria is that the water has to be sparkly clear, so not quite yet. What is your shock level according to the cya/shock on this board? 5 FC sounds low. You'll want to maintain the shock level.
You will also want to run your pump and filter 24/7 to get the third criteria nailed and clear the debris out of the water and IMHO maintain the shock level until you're completely out of the woods because with the heat this weekend, algae can ramp up.

My pump is also self priming. however, we were told to prime it anyway, so we do -- makes sense we don't want to work the system harder than it eeds to. But I'm glad nothing bad happened!

Off to garden now -- this rehab shenanigans is making this one of my busiest springs yet! I knew with a foreclosure this would be the case, but I clearly underestimated the "human" energy a couple of acres and a pool together can consume! Hi ho!
 
yeah, I know right! Our garden is smaller, but very overgrown. Running around with wheelbarrow, making short stops to drop chlorine bombs and brush. I'm keeping FC above 10 today, just to make sure. Testing every hour. So far I win, the sun loses :cool:

It doesn't smell like chlorine anymore when I drop my chlorine bombs. It's a good sign, right?

We backwashed the filter the other day, btw. Backwash water seemed crystal clear. I keep wondering if all the DE is in the pool or what :?
 

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Noopa,

I haven't been involved in your thread to see if your pool is clearing. Are you making progress? It sounds like you are near the end but give us a synopsis (test results, too) and we can all help get your pool sparkling if it's not yet.
 
Noopa, I've had protracted conversations now with three different pool stores/operators and did find one I liked but that doesn't mean they're my go to. I have one I like for mechanical and one who I like for chemical.

I know nothing about DE filters but if you've maintained the bbb method, have test results to prove it, and the water doesn't clear in a few days, I'd be suspicious that your filter was not working properly. Maybe you can reach out to those with DE experiences by starting a new thread specific to that topic?

With sand, after shocking, it can take up to a week of 24/7 filtering to restore the water, even once you've killed it all. With DE, I believe you would see increasing clarity in more like 3 days -- if it's been that long with no result, you may want to google for your brand of filter and maintenance first, assess your cartridges, then call a pro. If you know other pool owners, that's a good place to get referrals.
Wish I could help more.

If you choose to start a new spevific thread, post pictures inline so folks can see what you're talking about (of the filter) -- someone might make a catch!
 
Very little progress, duraleigh, thanks for asking! :mrgreen:

I saw the water sparkling when we just filled the pool, and I can tell we're still far from it.

Used power powder for my last drop yesterday and accidentally overdosed :oops: FC was 18
Lost 3 ppm overnight [I think it's because DH left old infested vacuum in the pool, but maybe I'm wrong]
CC is almost 0

Thanks, Swampwoman. The thing is - we moved from another state and don't know any pool owners here :(

I actually still want SWG [very much] and need to find someone to install it properly.
Second, the infamous pool guy said we should change pump motor after it dies... but after our algae adventure, I'd rather change it BEFORE it dies :lol: the pump is very loud, making funny creaking sounds from time to time and sounds terrible when it's starting. The equipment seems quite old to me, so if it needs to be upgraded/replaced, I'd rather do it NOW.
 
You should shock your pool according to Pool School. It sure sounds like you are currently not doing so and your pool may never clear unless you focus on the shock process. Use Clorox. Stop throwing in all these products that have side effects.
 
That powder your vacuum got ahold of could be from the power powder shock, or it could e DE, which I think means you need to clean the cartridges, so look up maintenance for your make and model.
Alternately it could be calcium precipitating from your plaster. I'd be inclined to post a specific thread about that, maintain shock in mean time, and get your filter working right so that you can move forward (eg if the pump is pumping, save that for later.)
 
noopa, post test current test results, along with a description of how the water looks. that's the only way these guys can tell you if you need to add something other than good old bleach. also, indicate what you are using in terms of a test kit. good luck - stick to the process and you'll get there!
 

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