I have what looks to be sand on the bottom

Jump to latest Follow Reply
swbp

swbp

0
Jul 11, 2012
14
interesting.. i have what looks to be sand on the bottom of my 16x48 summer escapes above ground pool, i vacuum with the skimmer type vacuum that came with the pool even unhooking the return water line to let the dirt go directly into the yard and the next day i have more (what looks to be) sand in the bottom. wonder if it is algae instead? all water levels test fine at the local leslies pool supple store, ph is a little high but that's it. all the trips to the store are getting very expensive as they just keep telling us to buy something different. i am to the point where i just want to take the 1 month old pool down, i have already drained it and refilled to still have the milky looking water and sand looking debris in the pool... i have a couple questions, can i use Liquid chlorine (bleach) in a pool like this rather than chlorine tablets any pros or cons ? any better way to clean the debris from the pool bottom, also is it okay to run the pool pump while the cover is on? at this point i am just leaving the pump run 24/7 and have been doing this for about 2 weeks now..

nice site you have here, i just registered and will be updating my profile.. i hope to get these issues resolved so the kids can use it

thank you in advance

David from carrollton Tx
 
Hello and welcome to TFP! First thing, you should order a good test kit to save yourself time and money in the long run! The highly recommended kits are the TF-100 and the Taylor K-2006. These will get you much more accurate results than the pool store, and combined with this community input, will help you manage your water. While you are waiting the few days for it to arrive, spend some time in Pool School reading 'The ABCs of water chemistry' and 'how to shock your pool.' Once you finish those articles, read them 2-3 more times each. Again, this will save you time and money in the long run.

As for liquid bleach...YES you can/should use this. Using tabs will raise your CYA (which is likely getting high already).
Vacuum is likely the best way to clean that debris from the bottom of your pool.
You likely do not need to run your pump 24/7..but you WILL want to when you shock your pool.
 
Sand should be easy to tell apart from algae. If it's sand, you should be able to sweep it to the edge of pool into a "pile" (as best you can manage) and pick some up between your fingers to look at it.

Algae is slippery, sand isn't (unless the sand is covered in algae).

What kind of filter do you have? Is your sand filtering spitting out sand perhaps?
 
I had the beginning of an algae bloom and the sand/dirt in the pool was slimy and stuck. I used the brush that comes with the pool to scrub every surface, then I let it settle, backwashed the filter, and vacuumed it. Cleaned the visible gunk right up. Now working on other water issues, becoming quite the headache.... but still better than driving to the community pool!
 
thnx for the quick responses... i have been reading the pool school links and lots of good advise ( well from what i understand )and plan on getting a good test kit..

the filter is a cartridge type that comes with the pool, i am diligent about cleaning it

can i run the pump with the cover on or will it slow the water current down?
 
No, backwashing is a function of sand filters. Yours is a cartridge filter. Take the cartridge out, blow it out with your garden hose, and use again.

Vacuuming once a day with just a cartridge filter is not uncommon. The filters that they sell for these pools simply aren't good enough without modifications and additions, and general irritations. Many people upgrade.
 
^^ THNX ")

this is driving me crazy as i cant tell if i have a 1,000 gph or 1,500 gph pump and i am getting it holds anywhere from

How can this pool hold 18,281 gallons of water when the 15' x 48" holds only 4,440?!?

By an anonymous customer

Was this helpful?4 0 Report inappropriate content

Answers
A: it doesn't thats a typo L x W x avg depth x 5.9 for round and oval pools. So for this pool it's 6041.60
1 day ago


A: The pool only holds around 4800 gallons


A: It only holds about 5200 gallons


that's a pretty wide range
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
swbp said:
Answers
A: it doesn't thats a typo L x W x avg depth x 5.9 for round and oval pools. So for this pool it's 6041.60
1 day ago


A: The pool only holds around 4800 gallons


A: It only holds about 5200 gallons


that's a pretty wide range
Click to expand...

I sweated over the size of my pool for a while. Started out thinking it was 18-20K, now think it is 13.5K. I ended up there partly due to other people giving estimates and partly by just seeing what impact adding chemicals had on the chemistry. When I use 13.5K and add 96oz of 6% bleach or whatever amount it seems to come out close. Close is good enough.

While I was sweating it - I was told that +/- 20% was good enough to start with. 5000 + 20% = 6000, - 20% = 4000. You've got a range of 4800-6041 so far - those are within +/- 20% - go with what you think and see what the impact of various chemicals is over time and adjust your estimate.
 
swbp said:
^^^ i am confused cause i see in ur sig you have a 16x32 and your gallons are almost double mine when is 16x48
Click to expand...

The 16x32 in my signature is feet - it's an In Ground rectangular pool with a deep end of 5 3/4 feet and an estimated average depth around 4.5' - the corners are oval and the deep end is sloped on all sides. I think you have an above ground 16' diameter with an average depth that 4' right? When I enter that into the Poolcaclulator.com I get about 6000 gallons for your pool. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused you.
 
Ok I am going to go ahead and shock as it looks to be alge not sand. I am trying to understand the process even after reading pool school several times. At the min I need a chlorine test kit right? Will this test my fc , cc and fc loss over night to show 1.0 ppm or less? Since my fc is @ 5 now and my cya is 30 per the pool store, my shock goal fc is 12 if I am understanding correct. All I need right now is a lot of beach to start?? Like 10 gallons or something? Sry for all the questions but I just trying to be sure and my lil ones want to swim. Hope this all makes since its hard for me to see my post as I am typing all this on my phone. Lol. I can get ataylor k 2006 from Leslie's is the tf-100 better? Any idea of the price range?
 
First, to get your volume use a measuring tape to measure the depth of the water. Then, at the bottom of the pool calculator you can plug in that depth and get a fairly accurate volume result to use for calculations.

The answer to most of your questions is yes. Except for the test kit one. There is not really much of a minimum kit to get, you do need it all actually. If you want a kit NOW, the minimum to get is the HTH 6-Way drop test kit which can be found at Walmart for around $20. But even with that kit, you'll need to add the FAS-DPD reagents (Taylor R-0003, R-0870, and R-0871) and more CYA reagent (R-0013). Which will cost around $30 with shipping. It's a wash doing it that way as compared to just buying a TF100 but you'll have something to limp by with right away while you wait for the other reagents. Your choice how to do it, but the FAS-DPD test is essential and the better deal with more reagents is in the TF100.

10 gallons of bleach is a good starting point, it'll reduce the trips to the store for more, the more you can manage to haul home in one trip. Yes. 10.
 
Thnx for the fast reply. I think I am going to just keep it a good chlorine level and go for the tf100 kit, but I am scared I won't under all that's involved with using the kit. Lol. My wife thinks I am crazy for asking her for ten gallons of bleach she is scared its going to damage the pool lining
 
swbp said:
My wife thinks I am crazy for asking her for ten gallons of bleach she is scared its going to damage the pool lining
Click to expand...

Well if there's 6000 gal in your pool, and you put all 10 gallons in, that's 600x as much water as bleach.

If you put a cup of bleach into a 20 gal washing machine, that's only 320x as much water as bleach.

About half as much in your pool as compared to the washing machine.

The point being a pool is a heck of a lot of water, so it's not nearly as much as it sounds like.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply