Foreclosure Swamp in Pensacola, Florida!

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mapace83

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Aug 27, 2012
32
Pensacola, FL
Hi Everyone!

My wife and I just recently moved into our first home (foreclosure) down here in Pensacola, FL! Took us a few months just to get into it - had to re-do the roof / electrical, ceilings, and a number of other items as the house sat empty for about 5 years (and copper thieves had their way with it). After getting the major portion of the remodel taken care of, we're pretty much broke but loving our new house. One of the biggest selling points for us was the swampy inground pool in the back yard, which we've finally started working on!

Found the site about a month ago and wow, I've pretty much lived here with my free time since. This place is awesome. Read through pool school about 5 times, bought an expanded TF100 test kit, stocked up on a few chemicals, and we're finally ready to go!

Took a few weeks to get materials together and finish work on the plumbing for the sand filter and new pump. Old pump was stolen and gulf power offered us a rebate so we went with a new variable speed pump. We also picked up a second-hand 1.5hp hayward pump that I'm building into a big trash filter (there are TONS of leaves and debris in the pool - I've netted out about 20 wheelbarrow loads so far). The sand filter was re-buildable (once I tinkered with it and figured out how it works), and it's now up and working great. I found an old trichlor feeder that I plumbed in just because I had it, and I also bought a compupool SWG that I'll tie in once the pool is clean and functional.

Chemicals. I bought 12 2.5-gal containers of 12% hypochlor (liquid) and stuck it in the darkest place I could find. Before finding myself here, I added 2lbs of trichlor "shock" powder to the pool and bought a 3lb container of CYA. I also bought 2lbs of dichlor "shock" powder that I haven't used yet. Once I got the pump and filter moving, I added 2lbs of CYA (via a sock at the return) after reading my first set of test results:

pH: 6.8
CYA: less than 20 (Poolcalculator said 13, due to the 2lbs of trichlor that I previously added)
TA: 20
CH: 20
FC: 0
CC: 0
TC: 0

Right now, I'm not running the new pump while I'm at work - mostly just b/c I don't want the skimmer / sand filter to stop up and burn it up (I'm assuming the main drain is completely covered with leaves and have it closed to prevent it from blocking up). The bottom of the pool is covered in silt, which just kicks up and clouds the pool like crazy when I go to netting trash out. Also, I'm having to be careful not to damage the liner with the various objects that I've found at the bottom (rocks, BRICKS, sticks, broken coffee cup, etc....). I'm actually amazed that the liner is holding water with all the stuff that I've found so far.

I'm assuming that I should NOT start with chemicals until I can barely remove any more debris from the pool via my leaf rake. Anybody have any words of advice on exactly when I should start the process of sanitizing? Poolcalculator says I will need about 18lbs of baking soda (for a pH of 7.2) and about 4 lbs of borax before shocking...

Also, when I do start the shocking process, should I start out with mustard algae shock levels? I don't see any yellow in the water (but then again, I don't see anything below about 1 foot or so haha). Is there any specific way to check for mustard algae?

Pictures will be added tonight!
 
You're on the right track. Scoop out as much as possible and then once you start the shock process you'll still be surprised by what floats to the top. Be prepared to backwash that small sand filter a lot. What type catch are you going to put on the trash filter? that will help but unless it's a regular pool filter the sand filter will still be catching a lot of fine stuff.

Once you start the shock process allow a lot of time the first few days to test and bring it back to shock level. Past the first few days things will slow down a lot. You'll start holding FC longer and longer and the pool will become clearer and clearer.
 
Definitely right about the backwashing - I've been having to backwash every 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how much sediment I'm kicking up at the moment by netting. Pressure starts at about 13-14 and I'm backwashing at about 19-20.

As for the trash filter, I am planning to use a sand filter housing (with no sand in it) and set it up on the suction side of my "trash" hayward pump with an on/off valve so that priming will be easy. That way I'll be able to catch the bigger trash (leaves, rocks, etc) without stopping the filter up instantly. I see sand filters going for 40 to 50 bucks on craigslist and will be picking one up this weekend. If I find one bigger than my current filter then I'll be plumbing it into my permanent plumbing and using my small one for trash. Planning to use the permanent filter for catching all of the fine stuff. I'll attach pictures of the trash filter once i get it up and going (assuming it works!)

Looking forward to killing the algae. My wife calls me a stinky pool monster almost every day haha.
 
Looking at your signature:

24,300 gal inground (foreclosure swamp) w/vinyl liner
hayward sp710 / 150# sand filter
Jandy VS ProFlo 2HP variable speed pump

I can tell you that the filter you have is very small. Also the sp710 is the multiport model not the filter itself (you may already know that) and if you really only use 150# of sand in your filter that's likely the Hayward S180T which has only 1.75 square feet. This is well below the recommendations in this post - which for your size pool suggest a minimum sand filter size would be about 4.6 square feet (S310T2; S310S 500lb sand filters provide 4.91 square feet and would be closest match in that series filter).

I would be concerned that your new wiz bang 2HP VS pump is a poor match for the filter you have. Keeping that small filter and pairing it with the old pump for a filter system on wheels to aid when there are problems or assist in filtering during the recovery makes sense however.

I'm also not sure if you should wait for the point when the debris is mostly gone or just go ahead and try adding some bleach now. If you don't use bleach now - I'm afraid you might puncture your liner operating blind.
 
Good advise has been given so far.

I am just going to add that (typically) we recommend cleaning the filter when the pressure goes up by 20-25% of the clean pressure, as experiments have shown that the flow rate drops a lot beyond that pressure increase. In your case that would be around a pressure of 17psi ... BUT, with the mess you are dealing with, that may not be possible. Just something to keep in mind for the future.
 
Thanks to everyone for your feedback and time.


UWV,
Sorry, I had the wrong multiport number in my signature. There is a stamp on the side of the port showing it to be an SP711 (must be an older model).


The filter. It was original to the pool (though it looks as if it was originally sized wrong haha). I figured the size of it by using a Hayward spec chart for top-mounting multiport sand filters. The chart did NOT have my size on it (22.5 round by 32 tall at the filter collar, filter sitting on base). I figured the size of my filter (it doesn't have any markings on it) by proportioning the size of it to the filter on the chart with the closest diameter. I came up with 162lbs and then rounded to 150 for simplicity.

Sounds like a bigger filter is my top priority right now.

I'm afraid you might puncture your liner operating blind.
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing when I found the first brick in my net. I question how well the pool will clear with so much trash in it though, and until I get there I'm just being SUPER easy with pressure on the pool pole. Luckily, I'm not filling the leaf net up with every scoop now that I've been at it a few weeks. I'm aiming to start the shocking process this weekend.
 
wiz bang. haha.

Surface area on the sand is about 2.64 square feet.


jblizzle,

I've read up on backwashing at a 25% pressure increase, but right now I would be backwashing every 2 or 3 minutes if I backwashed at 17 and I feel that's a bit impractical. Will definitely move down on backwash pressure once the quantity of trash is down though.
 
mapace83 said:
UWV,
Sorry, I had the wrong multiport number in my signature. There is a stamp on the side of the port showing it to be an SP711 (must be an older model).
Click to expand...
From what I read online the SP711 and the SP710 have been used at various times on the smaller S series Haywards.

mapace83 said:
The filter. It was original to the pool (though it looks as if it was origianally sized wrong haha). I figured the size of it by using a Hayward spec chart for top-mounting multiport sand filters. The chart did NOT have my size on it (22.5 round by 32 tall at the filter collar, filter sitting on base). I figured the size of my filter (it doesn't have any markings on it) by proportioning the size of it to the filter on the chart with the closest diameter. I came up with 162lbs and then rounded to 150 for simplicity.

Sounds like a bigger filter is my top priority right now.
Click to expand...
Maybe not the first priority - but it would help. The filter you have is probably NOT the S180T but the S220T which has 2.64 square feet - still not as much as you would like but a lot more than the other. However the S220T is supposedly filled with 250lbs of sand - how did you arrive at the 162lb measurement? If that's from the existing sand there could either be too little in there or they may have used a sand alternative that is lighter - I think some of the glass media is lighter for example.

mapace83 said:
UnderWaterVanya" said:
I'm afraid you might puncture your liner operating blind.
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing when I found the first brick in my net. I question how well the pool will clear with so much trash in it though, and until I get there I'm just being SUPER easy with pressure on the pool pole. Luckily, I'm not filling the leaf net up with every scoop now that I've been at it a few weeks. I'm aiming to start the shocking process this weekend.
Click to expand...
Do you have a leaf cannister to use with your vac? If you do or you can get one - just suck 'em off the bottom along with the net. There are a lot of folks who have done this same type of cleanup - it takes time and effort but it's rewarding.

PLEASE take before, during and AFTER pictures. Better yet post some here. Best way is using flikr or photobucket.
 
The filter you have is probably NOT the S180T but the S220T which has 2.64 square feet - still not as much as you would like but a lot more than the other. However the S220T is supposedly filled with 250lbs of sand - how did you arrive at the 162lb measurement? If that's from the existing sand there could either be too little in there or they may have used a sand alternative that is lighter - I think some of the glass media is lighter for example.
Click to expand...

I got 162lbs by using proportions with the Hayward spec chart. I can't pull it up for some reason on my work computer to give you the exact numbers, but here's what I did:

I compared my filter to the filter on the chart that had the same (within an inch) diameter as mine. I placed inches tall over pounds of sand and placed the two fractions across from one another in a formula (chart height / chart lbs of sand = my height(32") / my #s of sand).

Hope that helps. I'll pull up the chart once I get home and send a link if you'd like.

ON THE SAME NOTE though, I noticed that there was room in the filter for more sand. 150 lbs filled it up about half way, which is where the old sand had left a stained "fill line", so to speak.

I have enough sand to fill it to 250 if needed. I'll try to look up specs for the S220T once I get home and If I can match it up to what I've got then I'll fill it up!

Will post pictures tonight!
 

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Just a note: Don't get side tracked by the filter stuff. At this point it really doesn't matter as even with a 300# filter you'd still be cleaning it every few minutes. Just keep scooping and filtering as best you can. A leaf canister is just going to swap one thing for another. It's probably easier to clean the skimmer basket than it would be a leaf canister. Once you get to vacuuming be sure to use a vacuum adapter that allows you to leave the skimmer basket in place. If you can't find one of those then I'd also suggest a leaf canister.

As for your trash pump/filter, I wouldn't run a sand filter without sand in it. It'll clog the laterals and you'll have to break it apart to clean them, and they can be clogged to the point of not being able to clean them at all. I'd look for a fairly large cartridge filter on Craigslist and use that instead.
 
Bama,

Funny you should mention that. Because last night as I was netting trash, I found a skimmer vacuum cap with my leaf rake! Sweet! It IS the style that allows the basket to stay in place, and it'll definitely get some use as I get closer to the end of bringing trash out.

As for your comments about the sand filter - I think I've got it figured out. I'll post back a few days later with pics to let everyone know if my little contraption is working or not.


PICTURES!!!
Here's a good look at what I've been dealing with so far...


This is what the pool looked like when we closed on the house. The cage that you see was actually once covered with sheet plastic (that was held down with bricks, hence the reason why I've been finding the darn things). Wife said it looked like a deathtrap!

http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=5
1.jpg.html


When I first started with the plumbing, most of it was broken off (by pump thieves), and I decided to re-locate the stub-ups to make room for a porch on the back of my house. The plumbing looked a bit complicated at first...
http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3
2.jpg.html


This little guy did a lot for me. I put 10psi onto each line and waited about a minute, which purged each line with air and showed me what each pipe was for. I'd recommend this to anyone who's trying to deal with unknown plumbing pipes - It worked great for me.
http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/4.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
4.jpg.html


Frogs! We also found a baby turtle in the pool that my wife has adopted - we named it "Greenie" haha.
http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/3.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
3.jpg.html


Here's a good look at the plumbing the way it is now. I left plenty of space to install my SWG on the pressure side, and the two dead caps are for a future pressure-side pump install.
http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
5.jpg.html


And, the pool! I've been using my old pump to circulate water for about a month now (we had a pretty bad mosquito problem due to the sitting pool water). Moving it around took care of that. Oh, and all of my pool electrical is behind a GFCI breaker box, which is why I was ok with just laying my temporary wiring on the ground like that.
http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/mapace83/media/6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4
6.jpg.html


On a side note, before I do any more netting I'm going to run down a big rolling magnet. The old cage that was over the pool was nailed together and the wire mesh was held on with u-style electrical nails, so I'm going to make an effort to pick up any nails that may have fallen down into the water....
 
mapace83 said:
This is what the pool looked like when we closed on the house. The cage that you see was actually once covered with sheet plastic (that was held down with bricks, hence the reason why I've been finding the darn things). Wife said it looked like a deathtrap!
Click to expand...
WOW - that does seem dangerous. But then again it would likely keep a kid from falling in so better than nothing.

mapace83 said:
Here's a good look at the plumbing the way it is now. I left plenty of space to install my SWG on the pressure side, and the two dead caps are for a future pressure-side pump install.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear - the Puck Feeder should not be inline prior to the pressure side cleaner. The normal way is to split prior to the Trichlor feeder. The fact that you don't plan to use that feeder often makes it of questionable value to change to the preferred plumbing - but it does mean that you wouldn't want to run the Cleaner while you have Trichlor in there.

mapace83 said:
On a side note, before I do any more netting I'm going to run down a big rolling magnet. The old cage that was over the pool was nailed together and the wire mesh was held on with u-style electrical nails, so I'm going to make an effort to pick up any nails that may have fallen down into the water....
Click to expand...
I haven't seen a lot of things like that that I would trust operating it blind. I looked at these- but I'm not sure that you could safely use them in a pool blindly. I think spending time and bleach money on making the water clearer is worth the effort if you are worried about stray sharp metal objects.
 
Your pics bring back memories of my spring on my foreclosure ;)
You're a little more mechanically organized than I was, but I wanted to comment on the working blind thing...
I really wanted at all costs not to puncture the liner or clog the lines, so I hit it with mustard level sustained shock and top filtering (like you, with main drain closed) until it was crystal clear and I could see war was left on the bottom, which by that time, was a pile of leaves, silt, a cellphone battery, a leaf rake, a bottle of floc, etc.

That took about 12 days, though some of those days were a holding pattern awaiting a kit. I also used a leaf gulper -- it attaches to a hose and helps pull leaves up into a net -- easier on the back but gentle on the vinyl and of course not connected to the plumbing. It stirs up the silt a lot.

You ay not need to and it's normally not a popular option, but in my case I did turn everything off and used a double dose of floc to help all the fine grit settle to the floor toward the end so that when I vacuumed to waste I was getting everything. You'll likely have to do that twice because you'll run out of water and have to refill. You'll also want to be careful of debris getting into the pump impeller and you ay have to free a little water back into it to clean it out if you have pine needles, etc, stuck in there. If you suddenly have a drop in pressure, that'll be what's going on.

Also, if you use the trash pump, be sure to fill at same pace to keep as much water in as possible -- to not float liner but also because you dont really know about integrity of sidewalks or level of water table yet.

Let me know how you majestic out! I'm with u in spirit ;)
 
Definitely planning to majestic out, and I'm also expecting to find war on the bottom when we eventually see it haha.

Swampwoman, thanks for your words of encouragement and advice on how you went about clearing your water with leaves still on the floor... Seeing how you and others cleared your pools is what's keeping me going!! Except for last night, anyway. Baby's first Halloween kept me away :)

Leaf gulpers. I've got one, but havent broken it out yet due to the fact that, up until two nights ago, my leaves were too thick to use one. I've successfully worked my way (slowly and carefully) around the pool about 6 or 7 times now though and the leaves are thinning out so I'm seeing that in the not-so-distant future. TONS of silt still there though, so kicking it up and filtering it out is top priority right now!

Hearing that it worked well for you (and also because I don't really know the extent of my algae problem), I'll definitely be aiming for mustard-level shocking until water clears, as you did. Thankfully I do already have my test kit going and feel good about using it, even with my limited experience as a water tester. My homeboy down at the city's water treatment facility tells me I'm doing everything just as I should be though. Will be adding and circulating recommended (poolcalc) baking soda and borax over friday night, and will be starting the shocking process early Sat. morning with all day to keep the levels up. Can't wait!

DEFINITELY don't want holes in the liner, and will be giving the rolling magnet a shot at the title before using the leaf rake again. If it rolls too close to the liner or I don't the looks of it, then we'll be waiting on clear water before netting any more. Just trying to keep my focus on removing trash from the water safely.


You'll also want to be careful of debris getting into the pump impeller and you ay have to free a little water back into it to clean it out if you have pine needles, etc, stuck in there. If you suddenly have a drop in pressure, that'll be what's going on.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping pine needles won't be a big concern for me, though I'm counting on having some needles in there (only one pine in my back yard and it's about 60 feet from the pool.


Thanks again to everyone for your time and input.
 
Yes, you'll want to get the TA to about 70 and the ph in the early 7s before you start shocking because once you're shocking, you can't trust a ph reading...but you don't really want to linger under 7 as it's corrosive to your equipment.
 
borax and baking soda added mid-day yesterday(per poolcalculator) to raise TA and pH.

pH and TA readings were as follows last night (after letting the pool circulate with both pumps running for about 3 hrs).

TA: 100
pH: 7.2
CYA: still less than 20, but appropriate amt added 3 days ago
No chlorine added yet.


Wife will be starting the shocking process while I'm at work today. She's taken an interest in the pool after getting to play with "our new chemistry set" and came out to learn how the pumps work yesterday. Looks like she'll be my anchor for keeping the chlorine up during the weekdays :)

Very excited about adding chlorine...wish us luck!!!
 

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