Pumping to waste (not as you know it!)

[laneyg]

Hi All, I've joined up as I have just bought a house with a pool but am having some problems with it... Hopefully as I get more experience with my pool, I can offer solutions to you all rather than just questions...

Overall question: I am looking for a pump that would allow me to connect my vacuum to it and then pump the water to waste.

Equipment background: I have a desjoyaux type of pool (http://www.desjoyaux.eu) which doesn't use a sand filter but a felt bag next to the pool and then the water is filtered straight back into the pool. The problem is that it doesn't have a pump to waste option. When you want to empty the pool I have an external pump that I use - but it is not one that I can connect my vacuum to...

Water issue trying to solve: I have a lot of sediment in my pool that I can't get rid of through filtration. When the water settles there is a layer of heavy sediment which I want to get rid of. If I can find a way of pumping out the base layer of water and sediment with my vacuum then I think I can avoid having to completely empty my pool and do an expensive refill.

Rewards for you helping: Nothing tangible, just the knowledge you helped a random person in the world enjoy their pool..... and maybe some kind of smiley.

Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!

You could use any small in ground pool pump with the vac hooked to the front (likely with a leaf bag) and then run another hose out if it to waste. I think this is pretty common with pool service professionals.

 

[duraleigh]

I have a lot of sediment in my pool that I can't get rid of through filtration.

Can you not vacuum it into your filter or does it simply keep returning? Have you tried to capture this "sediment" to see if it is gritty or slimy?

Let us know those answers and we just may earn a BIG smiley.

 

[laneyg]

Welcome to TFP!

You could use any small in ground pool pump with the vac hooked to the front (likely with a leaf bag) and then run another hose out if it to waste. I think this is pretty common with pool service professionals.

Thanks for the reply! Could you provide a link for the type of pump you mean?

 

[laneyg]

I have a lot of sediment in my pool that I can't get rid of through filtration.

Can you not vacuum it into your filter or does it simply keep returning? Have you tried to capture this "sediment" to see if it is gritty or slimy?

Let us know those answers and we just may earn a BIG smiley.

Yeah it doesn't hold in the filter bag and I'm using the smallest micron bag available with this system.

 

[duraleigh]

Virtually all filter systems, including yours, should be capable of capturing anything visible.

We hear many posts like yours here and by far, the most common problem is improper water chemistry. While you have some chlorine in the pool (don't you?), you may not have enough to eradicate invisible algae so it keeps dying and then dropping to your pool floor.

I suspect your issue is not with the filter but with inadequate chlorine. Can you post a full set of water test results?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Veering back to your request for a pump you can hook a vacuum hose to. Any pump with a threaded suction port can be converted to something that will accept the vacuum hose. Post a pic or model of the pump you have and the suction connection type and size and we can suggest something that will work. The vacuum hose basically fits inside of a 1½" PVC pipe and seals off.

 

[mvbighead]

Another suggestion for this is to prime the hose, then plug it, and then drag one end to ground level that is below the water level. I have been doing that a bit to get a lot of debris out, and it is working quite well. I probably need to do that again here in a bit as I am recovering from a complete chemistry problem from last year. The water is clearing up bit by bit, but there is still a good amount of sediment that is killing some of my progress.

 

[laneyg]

Guys and gals, sorry for going underground since I started this thread (life is complicated at the moment even without the pool issues).

I am trying to get a proper testing kit from somewhere but here in France all i can seem to get is something to measure chlorine, bromine, pH and total alkalinity. May have to ship something over from the US? Or I've just not found the right place yet.

So I have been talking to the people who manufacture and sell my type of pool (http://www.desjoyaux.eu) and they are the best at trying to help but I still feel as though they don't really know or have seen this problem before. Since my last post I have chlorine shocked the pool again and added anti-algae (the shop said there was a green tinge to the water - and that pH and chlorine levels were perfect) and then added a floculent and let the water settle. It took 40 hours for the sediment to fall towards the bottom (and even then not all of it). I sent some picture to the shop (attached) and now we are talking as though it is a water hardness issue, they mentioned limestone problem??!

I started to hover aggressively last night but I had to change the filer bag every 5 minutes because it was so thick in sludge it was blocking the pump suction.

Have any of you seen a white sludge like this before?

 

[Bama Rambler]

The problem with the desjoyaux pools is that the filtration system is so undersized that it takes forever to clear up anything that goes wrong with the water. And there's no way to waste water oor vacuum like most people do.

What does the stuff on the filter feel like beteween your fingers?

 

[laneyg]

The problem with the desjoyaux pools is that the filtration system is so undersized that it takes forever to clear up anything that goes wrong with the water. And there's no way to waste water oor vacuum like most people do.

What does the stuff on the filter feel like beteween your fingers?

Yeah I'm learning that about this system - very very frustrating.

It feels how it looks when wet, like a paste - not sticky, just sludgey. When it dries it leaves a white powder on your skin or on the surface of the filter.

 

[Bama Rambler]

That looks and sounds like calcium dropping out. Do you have any idea what your CH number is?

 

[laneyg]

No, I'm trying to find a store to get a test from now. We learnt recently that one of our filters for the mains water needs replacing and you can tell from the shower water etc that the water is very hard. (we are in a new house so learning a lot!). So this all seems to fit with it being a calcium problem. Only solution I have in the pool shops is the anti-calc stuff they sell, but I wonder if my problem is too severe for that. Muriatic acid is suggested on a few websites. Any suggestions here?

 

[Bama Rambler]

I would keep filtering out as much as you can as long as it's precipitating.

 

[laneyg]

So if it is calcium you would expect the filtering to eventually result in a clear pool?

It feels as though it should be a chemical solution rather than a physical one. It feels as though I am treading water, just continously filtering and emptying the bag. Am going to seriously consider switching to a sand filter over the winter months.

The weather here is red hot too.