Greetings from Swampville!

[Jeniloohoo]

The lateral is just a piece inside the sand filter. I don't know a lot about it because I haven't opened mine up, but it's an octopus lookin' thing in there. Just answering quickly so you don't worry about plumbing!

Here you go, pics of the inside of a sand filter! http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/73192-Deep-Cleaning-a-Sand-Filter

I guess it's more like a pirate ship wheel!

Okay, pirate wheel seems not too difficult if I video everything as I take it apart. My husband is away for business during the week, so I am solo alot of the time. He might be able to manage this. That tutorial was excellent, so we will get this done. Thank you Beens!

Richard, when I had the airlock yesterday, a little white cloud did come out. I have seen that a couple of times. I ran the extra pump directly from the pool and out into the grass, after I saw the pool folks do that. I couldn't believe the old extra pump worked, so I stopped paying them hundreds to vacuum the green milkshake with bits of frog and beaver out and do it myself. But the poor filter has been working overtime and maybe there are more undergarments in there......

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Oh no, replacing the lateral might mean not just the part, but the sand too? This is from the Astral site.....

WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM IF I HAVE SAND RETURNING TO THE POOL?

If your experiencing sand returning to the pool there is a good chance that the filter has a broken lateral. The sand will need to be removed and the broken lateral replaced. Please contact us with the filter's Model Number & Serial Number; one of our professional representatives will assist you with instructions or a local dealer who can perform the work for you.

Broken laterals are often caused during the backwash process. The media bed is lifted above the lateral system for 3-5 minutes. When the system is placed back to filtration it sometimes slams back down onto the lateral system breaking the lateral fingers loose.

Sand returning to the pool can also happen after a backwash cycle. This will disappear in a few days and return only after your next backwash. This is commonly caused by the sand bed lifting to high within the filter vessel causing sand to empty into the waste line. When the system is turned back into filtration mode the sand left in the line from backwashing will blow back into the pool. This problem can be rectified by either turning back the backwash flow rate or waiting 2-3 minutes before turning the system on after a backwash cycle.

 

[bridgman]

I think you would have to take the sand out to replace any of the internal bits, but then you can put the sand back again.

 

[Swampwoman]

Hi jeniloo...my name is swamp woman and I once lived in swampville too so I just wanted to say hi and share my recovery pix from "twelve days of shock and awe"



I am sooooo glad for you that you found this site...I too had been 'pool stored' to death with no progress in the beginning recovery stage
Now a few years later I'm lovin my TFP!

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[golfinglenn]

If you do have to remove the sand from your filter to replace the laterals (Amazon is a great place for those), Also check the tube that the laterals are attached to that goes up the center of your filter. When I got mine it had a crack right down the middle of that tube. I ended up replacing the whole assembly. Now, since you had to remove all the sand (a shop vac works great)!!!! you can put fresh sand in. Silica Sand from home improvement store (#20) is a great choice and very cheap. Just google your filter model number and it should tell you how much sand it holds.

Glenn

 

[Beens]

But I'd probably wait on any of that for right now. The cloud you saw may have just been some dirty water getting back in after a backwash. (Make sure you go to rinse setting for a bit after your backwash before you set it back to filter if you're not already) Or one time when my pump was off because of a tripped cgfi I got a little gunk cloud when I got the pump back on. I guess it was just not settled in the filter or something?

I think it will be obvious if there's a problem when you add the d.e. It would literally go right through so hopefully that won't happen and it's just a former swamp that needs some extra filter time!

 

[Jeniloohoo]

I think you would have to take the sand out to replace any of the internal bits, but then you can put the sand back again.

Yes, and we are thinking the sand has never been replaced and it looks like our filter company advises every 7 years....thx!

Hi jeniloo...my name is swamp woman and I once lived in swampville too so I just wanted to say hi and share my recovery pix from "twelve days of shock and awe"

View attachment 30585

I am sooooo glad for you that you found this site...I too had been 'pool stored' to death with no progress in the beginning recovery stage
Now a few years later I'm lovin my TFP!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Swampwoman!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your post! Wow, 12 days of shock and awe and you were good to go????!!!! Very awesome. Your post is very encouraging!

If you do have to remove the sand from your filter to replace the laterals (Amazon is a great place for those), Also check the tube that the laterals are attached to that goes up the center of your filter. When I got mine it had a crack right down the middle of that tube. I ended up replacing the whole assembly. Now, since you had to remove all the sand (a shop vac works great)!!!! you can put fresh sand in. Silica Sand from home improvement store (#20) is a great choice and very cheap. Just google your filter model number and it should tell you how much sand it holds.

Glenn

Okay, you were so helpful as well! My husband brought down the shopvac from our other home (we are slowly moving to the new house) and never have what we need at the respective houses! Your advise on the silica sand from HD or Lowes is appreciated!

But I'd probably wait on any of that for right now. The cloud you saw may have just been some dirty water getting back in after a backwash. (Make sure you go to rinse setting for a bit after your backwash before you set it back to filter if you're not already) Or one time when my pump was off because of a tripped cgfi I got a little gunk cloud when I got the pump back on. I guess it was just not settled in the filter or something?

I think it will be obvious if there's a problem when you add the d.e. It would literally go right through so hopefully that won't happen and it's just a former swamp that needs some extra filter time!

Beens, good good advice. I think you are exactly right about the backwash. My husband feels it is probably just silt from the backwash as I did that instantly each time I vacuumed. I see now that you could wait several minutes to let the backwash water settle, and I don't need to backwash every time I vacuum. Watching the pressure now..... I did not vacuum yesterday or do anything as we had torrential rains until this morning. There was significantly less of the brown "dust/dirt" today and the pool is clearer than it has ever been, although it is still cloudy. I will post next about my test results from my new kit! Thank you, my anxiety gets the best of me after 7 weeks of battling and spending on this pool! The truth is, we have spent almost $1,500 on this pool to date, most of that going to the pool company. To have an 8' deep in-ground pool with a diving board and fence for that amount of money is a darn good deal!

 

[Richard320]

.....Beens, good good advice. I think you are exactly right about the backwash. My husband feels it is probably just silt from the backwash as I did that instantly each time I vacuumed. I see now that you could wait several minutes to let the backwash water settle, and I don't need to backwash every time I vacuum. Watching the pressure now..... I did not vacuum yesterday or do anything as we had torrential rains until this morning. There was significantly less of the brown "dust/dirt" today and the pool is clearer than it has ever been, although it is still cloudy. I will post next about my test results from my new kit! Thank you, my anxiety gets the best of me after 7 weeks of battling and spending on this pool! The truth is, we have spent almost $1,500 on this pool to date, most of that going to the pool company. To have an 8' deep in-ground pool with a diving board and fence for that amount of money is a darn good deal!

When you do backwash, do you use the rinse setting on the multiport afterwards? That should help, too.

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Okay, I got the Taylor 2006 test kit from Amazon for $52.99 including shipping. It came yesterday but it downpoured all day, so the kids and I did the tests this morning.

Results

FC- 14.2
PH- 7.4
TA- 150
CH- 275
CYA- 65


I used the pool calculator on thursday evening and added 7 gallons of bleach to attempt to get up to the 24 shock level for mustard algae. Several folks here suggested I did not have that algae. I think they could be correct. So this mornings levels are where we are at, assuming the dust in the bottom is silt from the backwash. We just vacuumed and will wait to see if more silt shows up. We still cannot see the deepest part of the pool perfectly, so there could be leftover silt that keeps the pool cloudy perhaps? The pool store test put our ppm at 900 for floating particles, which seemed ok, but if there is still a small amount of fine silt settling at the bottom, I guess that would make sense that it would get churned up and cause the cloudiness.

Thank you all so much!

- - - Updated - - -

When you do backwash, do you use the rinse setting on the multiport afterwards? That should help, too.

Yes, I do, but we have this cistern and it can only take very much water before overflowing back to the pool. So I am not sure I rinse enough. Thanks Richard!

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Any thoughts on these results? I realize the CYA and TA are a touch high. We are supposed to get more rain. I was planning on dumping some water out after that as the pool level is getting kind of high.
Results

FC- 10.0
PH- 7.4
TA- 125
CH- 250
CYA- 65

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Okay I have just started my SLAM, after pressure washing surround, which sent tons of junk into the pool, then lowering the level of the pool to lower the CYA then refilling. It took me all day until now!

FC 8.0
CC 0.0
Ph 7.4
CYA 55

Just added 3 gallons of 8.25% as pool math is telling me my fc should be 22.

All systems are go. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Progress. Cheap bleach from dollar tree, walmart, grocery really had me struggling to get my FC up to the needed SLAM level. I started buying expensive chlorox from a display at Family Dollar. I think everyone has old bleach in their stock and this must be why. I am going through about 2-4 bottles a day as it is sunny, hot and I am definitely fighting something.

The pool is the clearest it has ever been. The deep end is just about clear. I am just about out of the chlorine reagent already that came with my Taylor 2006, so I ordered a refill. I was testing ALOT for the past few days.

We have a scaling on the walls of the pool. I thought it was powdered chlorine. Now I realize it could be algae or calcium build up as I do web searches. It sounds like I will need to lower my ph once the SLAM is done to address the wall build up. Any thoughts on this? It does not come off easily, sticks to the liner almost like barnacles! lol

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Really stalled. Is the scaling on the walls indicative of something? I cannot seem to get past the almost clear stage. I can see the bottom, but it is not crystal clear. I am on day 4 of the SLAM. Vacuuming once a day. We have had high winds and massive pollen. But the scaling on the walls is really nagging at me. Is this preventing total clarity? Anyone? Beuller???????

 

[Richard320]

Really stalled. Is the scaling on the walls indicative of something? I cannot seem to get past the almost clear stage. I can see the bottom, but it is not crystal clear. I am on day 4 of the SLAM. Vacuuming once a day. We have had high winds and massive pollen. But the scaling on the walls is really nagging at me. Is this preventing total clarity? Anyone? Beuller???????

Scaling is indicative of hard water and inattention to pH for too long. Once the pool is clear and you can start trusting the pH readings, you can try running a lower pH and TA to dissolve it. But for now, concentrate on the SLAM.

If the deep end is cloudy, see what you can do to improve circulation down there. Aim a return down if you can. Open the main drain if you have one. Or connect the vacuum hose to the skimmer and just set the vacuum head on it's side down at the bottom for a while to draw the water from down low.

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Scaling is indicative of hard water and inattention to pH for too long. Once the pool is clear and you can start trusting the pH readings, you can try running a lower pH and TA to dissolve it. But for now, concentrate on the SLAM.

If the deep end is cloudy, see what you can do to improve circulation down there. Aim a return down if you can. Open the main drain if you have one. Or connect the vacuum hose to the skimmer and just set the vacuum head on it's side down at the bottom for a while to draw the water from down low.

Thank you so much Richard. There is only one return, located across from the skimmer and they are located in the first third of the pool at the shallow end. I will keep slamming and try the vacuum at the deep end suggestion.

I think the pool was way out of whack, even when the previous owners had it. I appreciate your suggestion of dealing with slam first. My TA is now at 200+, which seems high, so maybe I am having calcium cloudiness? I realize I cannot lower it while slamming due to false Ph readings. Thanks again!

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Richard 320! Your suggestion of putting the vac for a few hours in the deep end seems to have worked! Pool is crystal clear in the deep end now. I think some things were just hanging stagnant at the bottom down there. I am out of chlorine reagent for my test, and now just adding 2 gallons of LC a day while I wait for the reagent to arrive. THANK YOU! I am pretty sure I am just about ready to test for the OFCT. You all have been just fantastic help! Will post a picture in a couple of days. I have a thread going in the construction forum as well. Folks REALLY gave me great suggestions on our pool surround. Working my patootie off trying to get the basics completed so I can relax for a while and not be bothered by the mess around the pool. Love this site!

 

[Jeniloohoo]

Swampville no more! Another devoted believer of TFPC here! Passed all three criteria following my SLAM and hooray!, the kids finally had a beautiful swim this afternoon. Friends are coming tomorrow to join us for a romp in the splashy sparkly crystal clear H20. I will be sure to post a picture of our gorgeous water! Downside to super clear water is that now we can see the liner is wrinkled and faded in spots where they clearly threw lots of powdered shock, but there is plenty of life left in it, and it is mostly blue. I'd obviously rather have a few cosmetic issues than toxic bacteria and poisons!

We definitely need to open up the filter and at least clean it out, add DE, etc. Sand is coming in the return. Not alot, but enough that it needs to be addressed. It is not that easy to get into the filter because they used plumbing adhesive (permanent) to attach the lines. So we'll pick a day over the weekend to open it up and clean/replace sand. Hoping it is not a lateral, but we can cope with it if it is, thanks to all the help here!

Thank you all for your hard work and help. I am so relieved to relax a bit after 2 months of battling the green swamp thing every single day. Algae can cause a person to become OCD!

 

[Beens]

Congratulations! I sense a case of sparklypoolitis coming on!

 

[jmbradwell]

Congrats on killing another green monster.

 

[mfederwi]

Swampville no more! It is not that easy to get into the filter because they used plumbing adhesive (permanent) to attach the lines. So we'll pick a day over the weekend to open it up and clean/replace sand. Hoping it is not a lateral, but we can cope with it if it is, thanks to all the help here!
!

I had the same problem when I had to take apart my filter. I had to cut the PVC pipe and replumb. When you put it back together use unions so you can take it apart when necessary.