Clearing up fine dust/algae

[Lolo]

[Split by moderator - Split from old topic HERE to keep your story together. jblizzle]

In my POOLBLASTER MAX I tried ladies stockings (my wife was curious how her 'supply' seemed to be diminishing) to pick up fine dust/dead algae....but they were no better than the standard bags (fine particles went straight through). I tried really thicker types with very limited success but they clogged up so fast (within a minute). At my wits end now. Don't really use the PBM anymore and have to rely on VERY slow manual sweeping and scooping! It's a $250 ornament!

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Poolblaster

Is it all dead algae or dust? We have plenty of dust in AZ and do but have these problems. If it is dead algae, then you must not be maintaining the FC level high enough to prevent the algae from starting in the first place. Clearing a pool of dead algae is always a chore, so the best plan to keep the pool clean is to prevent it in the first place.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[Lolo]

Re: Poolblaster

Is it all dead algae or dust? We have plenty of dust in AZ and do but have these problems. If it is dead algae, then you must not be maintaining the FC level high enough to prevent the algae from starting in the first place. Clearing a pool of dead algae is always a chore, so the best plan to keep the pool clean is to prevent it in the first place.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

Thanks for the response.

I live in the tropics (Palawan, Philippines) and my garden is FULL or lush vegetation (hardly a bare patch of soil to be seen) so it's unlikely to be 'dust' (the soil here is red/brown and is never dry enough). I get sand from the beach blown in (even though it's 300 yards away) but the sand is heavy and quite course, sinks to the floor and is a different problem....easily spotted!
The 'talcum-powder' pale grey deposit on the floor is almost certainly dead algae, and believe me when I say that living in the tropics with 90+ temperatures throughout the year mixed in with HEAVY rainstorms almost daily is a perfect recipe for algae growth.
I'm now looking at robotised pool cleaners with 2 micron filter bags in an attempt to solve this problem.

 

[Lolo]

Re: Smart Pool Nitro SmartKleen Universal Review

[Split by moderator - Split from topic HERE to keep your story together. jblizzle]

The filter bag on the Nitro does catch sand, but I'm not sure how well it would catch dead algae.

Out of desperation I downloaded a 'Micron Particle Size' chart to see exactly what a 2 micron bag would catch....here are some of the results....

Beach sand..............100 - 2000 microns
Dust Mites...............100 - 300 microns
Human Hair..............70 microns
Household Dust.........40 microns
Mould spores............10 - 30 microns
Talcum Powder.........10 microns
Bacteria...................3 microns

Based on this I'm leaning towards giving one of these a try unless anyone can tell me differently.

 

[Lolo]

Re: The Kleen Machine

[Split by moderator - Split from topic HERE to keep your story together. jblizzle]


I'll try again with the same question as nobody so far has been able to answer............

How good are ROBOTISED POOL CLEANERS at VERY fine dust-like particles......dead algae for example. Mine pool suffers from this 'talcum-powder fine' stuff which is almost impossible to shift and goes straight through the bag on my poolblaster max.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Poolblaster

Is it all dead algae or dust? We have plenty of dust in AZ and do but have these problems. If it is dead algae, then you must not be maintaining the FC level high enough to prevent the algae from starting in the first place. Clearing a pool of dead algae is always a chore, so the best plan to keep the pool clean is to prevent it in the first place.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

Thanks for the response.

I live in the tropics (Palawan, Philippines) and my garden is FULL or lush vegetation (hardly a bare patch of soil to be seen) so it's unlikely to be 'dust' (the soil here is red/brown and is never wet enough). I get sand from the beach blown in (even though it's 300 yards away) but the sand is heavy and quite course, sinks to the floor and is a different problem....easily spotted!
The 'talcum-powder' pale grey deposit on the floor is almost certainly dead algae, and believe me when I say that living in the tropics with 90+ temperatures throughout the year mixed in with HEAVY rainstorms almost daily is a perfect recipe for algae growth.
I'm now looking at robotised pool cleaners with 2 micron filter bags in an attempt to solve this problem.

You will not be able to "solve" this problem without maintaining your chemistry. If your FC level was maintained at the appropriate level, algae CAN NOT grow ... regardless of the temperature, moisture, rain, plants, etc.

As it is now, algae is growing, you are eventually killing some of it and then having to deal with trying to filter it out of your water. If the FC was the correct level relative to your CYA, then the algae will not grow, so you will not have dead algae all over the pool.

The robot may help remove what is dead now, but until you prevent it from growing in the first place ... it will continue to return.

I see in your signature that you are using a lot of "gadgets" ... ozone, ionizer ... we generally do not recommend the need for these as chlorine is still required to sanitize the water. So if you have to have chlorine ... there is not reason for the other expensive electronics that may or may not even be functioning.

I would recommend reading through Pool School (button at upper right of the page) to learn about the chemistry and the methods we teach. We can certainly help you get your pool cleared up, but it will require some effort on your part. One tricky thing will be to ensure you can order one of the recommended test kits.

EDIT: Can you be more specific on what your pool pump and filter are? Is is cartridge, sand, DE and how big? The filter really should be able to clear this up. So maybe a filter upgrade could be a big help.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Smart Pool Nitro SmartKleen Universal Review

The filter bag on the Nitro does catch sand, but I'm not sure how well it would catch dead algae.

Out of desperation I downloaded a 'Micron Particle Size' chart to see exactly what a 2 micron bag would catch....here are some of the results....

Beach sand..............100 - 2000 microns
Dust Mites...............100 - 300 microns
Human Hair..............70 microns
Household Dust.........40 microns
Mould spores............10 - 30 microns
Talcum Powder.........10 microns
Bacteria...................3 microns

Based on this I'm leaning towards giving one of these a try unless anyone can tell me differently.

I split your PoolBlaster post out to a new thread. I think you are barking up the wrong tree with regard to these cleaners. Your filter should be able to clear the algae. But, you should not be continually seeing algae if you are maintaining the chemistry properly. I think with taking control of the chemistry and a possible upgrade to the filter, you would be better off in the long run.

 

[Lolo]

Need help identifying my CANISTER / CARTRIDGE FILTER

Hi ALL.......I Need help!

I have a combination 'wall hung' filter/1hp pump unit for my small 5000 gallon fun pool. It uses a paper element canister type filter.

My problem is that the filter is damaged (by that I mean the paper elements have been badly cleaned by some 'cowboy' pool maintenance guy and are now practically useless) and I need to replace.....

BUT....there are NO identification marks of any kind on the filters. So I need help in knowing what they are and which new ones I need to buy.

All I can do is measure them.

......the Height of the canister body is 211mm (8 5/16" for the non metric of you); the diameter is 224mm (8 13/16"); and the threaded boss on the base (for screwing into the pump unit - difficult to measure!) is 67mm or 2 5/8".

I've searched the web trying to find supplier details without success.......ANY IDEAS?

 

[bobodaclown]

Re: Need help identifying my CANISTER / CARTRIDGE FILTER

Got a picture?

 

[Lolo]

Re: Need help identifying my CANISTER / CARTRIDGE FILTER

Got a picture?

It's just like the attachment I posted.

 

[Lolo]

Re: Smart Pool Nitro SmartKleen Universal Review

The filter bag on the Nitro does catch sand, but I'm not sure how well it would catch dead algae.

Out of desperation I downloaded a 'Micron Particle Size' chart to see exactly what a 2 micron bag would catch....here are some of the results....

Beach sand..............100 - 2000 microns
Dust Mites...............100 - 300 microns
Human Hair..............70 microns
Household Dust.........40 microns
Mould spores............10 - 30 microns
Talcum Powder.........10 microns
Bacteria...................3 microns

Based on this I'm leaning towards giving one of these a try unless anyone can tell me differently.

I split your PoolBlaster post out to a new thread. I think you are barking up the wrong tree with regard to these cleaners. Your filter should be able to clear the algae. But, you should not be continually seeing algae if you are maintaining the chemistry properly. I think with taking control of the chemistry and a possible upgrade to the filter, you would be better off in the long run.

I can't upgrade the filter.....it's part of an integral 'wall-hung' pump/filter unit. The problem with these units is that they have a skimmer, and they have another intake on the base...but this is only 2ft below the waterline. the dead stuff falls to the floor and (most of it) isn't capturered by the canister filter....hence my thoughts on buying a robot cleaner.
Also I have no 'pool supply' stores here (I'm in Palawan province, Philippines). I can't just nip out and buy a trunk load of chemicals. My only attack is Bleach, and maybe Mutiatic acid.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Need help identifying my CANISTER / CARTRIDGE FILTER

What does the pump/filter look like ... not the actual cartridge.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Smart Pool Nitro SmartKleen Universal Review

I can't upgrade the filter.....it's part of an integral 'wall-hung' pump/filter unit. The problem with these units is that they have a skimmer, and they have another intake on the base...but this is only 2ft below the waterline. the dead stuff falls to the floor and (most of it) isn't capturered by the canister filter....hence my thoughts on buying a robot cleaner.
Also I have no 'pool supply' stores here (I'm in Palawan province, Philippines). I can't just nip out and buy a trunk load of chemicals. My only attack is Bleach, and maybe Mutiatic acid.

Bleach is exactly what you need, but you need a good test kit to know where you stand.

No one yet understands what equipment you have. You could certainly replace the filter, although maybe it would require a new pump too. With proper filtration and chlorine, there would not be as much falling to the bottom of the pool. Although you could just manually vacuum as needed.

This is very confusing with your posts spread all over. It is much easier for people to help if your posts are kept together so your story is consistent.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[Lolo]

Re: Poolblaster

You will not be able to "solve" this problem without maintaining your chemistry. If your FC level was maintained at the appropriate level, algae CAN NOT grow ... regardless of the temperature, moisture, rain, plants, etc.

As it is now, algae is growing, you are eventually killing some of it and then having to deal with trying to filter it out of your water. If the FC was the correct level relative to your CYA, then the algae will not grow, so you will not have dead algae all over the pool.

The robot may help remove what is dead now, but until you prevent it from growing in the first place ... it will continue to return.

I see in your signature that you are using a lot of "gadgets" ... ozone, ionizer ... we generally do not recommend the need for these as chlorine is still required to sanitize the water. So if you have to have chlorine ... there is not reason for the other expensive electronics that may or may not even be functioning.

I would recommend reading through Pool School (button at upper right of the page) to learn about the chemistry and the


methods we teach. We can certainly help you get your pool cleared up, but it will require some effort on your part. One tricky thing will be to ensure you can order one of the recommended test kits.

EDIT: Can you be more specific on what your pool pump and filter are? Is is cartridge, sand, DE and how big? The filter really should be able to clear this up. So maybe a filter upgrade could be a big help.

Thanks for your highly valued help JB. Very much appreciated.

My pump / filter is an integral all-in-one combined unit which hangs off the pool wall. It uses a paper element cartridge type filter. The BIG issue with this is that it has a skimmer on the side, and a second water intake on the bottom which both feed into the chamber which contains the cartridge filter (so a folter upgrade is not possible). However the lowest intake is only 2 ft below the water surface, and even though my pool is only 40" deep, anything that ends up on the floor stays on the floor. I've tried deliberately stirring up the water (into a milky cloud) in an attempt to push it through the filter.

I've followed the pool care procedures as closely as is possible (we don't have ANY pool supply stores here....they are only to be found in Manila - a 1 hour flight away, and even then I couldn't bring chem back with me on the plane). I'm basically limited to bleach and muriatic acid as my only offensive weapons!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: Need help identifying my CANISTER / CARTRIDGE FILTER

Does it have any kind of markings on it? Pull the handle off it and see if there are any under it.

 

[jblizzle]

I found this about the filter unit:
Jill Pool Filter
Model: J-2012
Looks like it comes out of China ... I have not found any info for replacement parts.

I have my doubts about this being a very capable unit.

What does your pool look like? Are there actual holes for suction and return or is everything done through the hang-on unit? Is the ozone and ionizer you list in the same unit?

 

[Lolo]

Apart from a bottom drain hole, there are no other holes on the pool. Everything is done through the single unit. Don't get me wrong....apart from the dust/algae issue on the floor the unit works really well. Due to the small 0.75hp motor I'm actually hooking it up to be solar powered since the powere requirement is only around 600 watts!
As for the cartridge filter....I didn't know I could 'pull the handle off'. I assumed it was all moulded in one top. I'll try that when I return home from my business trip.
Thanks again.

 

[jblizzle]

I am pretty sure no one here has any experience with this type of unit ... we are guessing with you.

Since it came from China, you will likely have to order one from there. Maybe try to see who sells the Jill brand.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short