I think my Pool hates me...

[FricknDawn]

First I want to say thanks to everyone for all your hard work on this site. I am so glad I stumbled across it last summer, I'd be lost! I'm pretty new to posting but I've been reading up on solutions to minor issues with my pool since installation last summer.

Second... HELP!!! I am in desperate need of guidance at this stage in the process...

I started clearing my swamp May 18th. I have followed directions in the swamp to oasis thread but my pool is still not clear! I'm at my whits end and keep thinking maybe I'm missing something??


FC - 20
CC - 0
TA -100
CH - 90
CYA - 40
At start of shock process... PH - 7.4

My pump runs 24/7. I am religious about brushing and/or vacuuming (twice a day), back washing when psi goes up 20-25%, and chlorinating with bleach (gone through at least 20 182oz jugs) to keep up to shock level. I'm glad bleach is at least relatively inexpensive! I've back washed and had to replace water so many times Ive had to add CYA twice now!

My FC loss over night is less than 1ppm and I havnt had CC in at least a week!
And my pool remains aqua color but hazy, I cant see down more than a foot....

My daughter's 4th birthday party is in a week and I really expected my pool to be crystal clear by now. Is there some way to speed this up and get rid of what I'm assuming is dead algae? If its not dead algae, how do I determine what the issue is?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm puzzled beyond belief!!

 

[JasonLion]

Can you talk about how the water looks in a little more detail? Also, how has the filter pressure been behaving and have you backwashed/cleaned the filter recently?

The overnight test means the algae is all dead. After that you should see a visible improvement in the water each day. Have you seen any improvement recently? If not, you might try adding some DE to your filter, which will help it catch the smaller particles. You could also try clarifier.

 

[FricknDawn]

Can you talk about how the water looks in a little more detail?

The water looks blue because of the liner color but there is something free floating in it prohibiting me from seeing the bottom. I can see the brush when I put it about 1/3 of the way down to the bottom but its cloudy looking, like almost whitish water if that makes sense.

Also, how has the filter pressure been behaving and have you backwashed/cleaned the filter recently?

I backwash in the morning before work and when I come home from work in the early evening. The pressure goes up overnight but just barely (less than 2 psi)and every time I backwash the water comes out light brown colored. I let it run on back wash until clear. About a week ago I removed the top of my sand filter exposing the sand and rinsed it with a garden hose like suggested in a couple other posts I read. Doing that sped up the filtering process but now I'm back at a plateau. Should I do it again? Yesterday I took apart all the pump parts and scrubbed them in a bleach/tap water mixture to make sure no algae was hiding.

Have you seen any improvement recently?

The past 3-4 days Ive had no new improvement in the clarity of the water. You mentioned clarifier and DE. I have never used either of these so bare with me please... could you explain how clarifier works and is this a product I can pick up at Walmart or at a pool store.
I have heard of DE, is it safe to use in a sand filter and where can I purchase this locally?

Thanks so much for the quick reply!!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Walmart might have clarifier but the pool store will have it.

It clumps the particles and makes them easier to filter out.

 

[JasonLion]

Stop backwashing so frequently. Sand filters need to be a little "dirty" to catch the finer particles. Wait until the pressure goes up before backwashing again.

 

[FricknDawn]

Now that its daylight I was able to capture a couple photos of the water color.

Jasonlion: I will follow your advice, however, the pressure does not rise significantly but every 24 hours. Not doubting your knowledge bc I know yall know your pools but to me this doesnt seem like back washing often enough I've been so OCD about this pool and getting it clean I guess I just need to back off a bit