De filter short cycle

[afoster0822]

OK. Here goes we have a de Hayward 50 filter. It has been having extremely shirt cycles. About 1 hour. And requiring bumping and changing out de often! Local pool store says it was because we used calcium shock. Which I never knew could cause this problem because we used it last year without any issue. The filter is only 1.5 years old. We have taken it apart the fingers are free of tears. We have soaked it in filter cleaner. When we backwash the de it comes out clumpy and definitely dirty. Is there anything else we can do other than run the filter and bump and backwash frequently??? Help we just want to swim. The chemistry is spot on now. The pool is cloudy right now but mainly due to the pump not running BC we can't run it if we are not home. Afraid the pump will burn up

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[jblizzle]

If the water is dirty, then it does not surprise me that the filter is doing its job and clogging up.

Can you add the model of your filter and pump to your signature.

If the water is cloudy, you likely need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

Post up your "spot on" chemistry numbers.

 

[afoster0822]

OK not sure how to add signature. We have a 30 round pool. Hayward perflex ec50 and I think the pump is 1.5 HP power flo pump. I used a Taylor fas-dpd kit and strips to test. Taylor reading fc 7 pH 7.2 ta 160 ch 100 cya 120 cc 0 temp 72

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[afoster0822]

Strips fc 5 stab 100 pH 7.2 alk 120 tc 1

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[jblizzle]

Throw the test strips away and do not confuse yourself.

Your CYA is way too high and your FC is too low for that high level of CYA. See the FC/CYA Chart.

How did you even get a CYA of 120ppm?

Please add your pool details to your signature and location to your profile as described HERE as it will help us help you.

 

[afoster0822]

I did the test with diluted water and multiply by 2.

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[jblizzle]

OK, good at least that should be close.

So you really should replace about 2/3 of your water to get the CYA back in range before you SLAM.

If you do not, you can never let the FC get below 9ppm and your shock level FC that you have to maintain is 47ppm.

 

[afoster0822]

Oh yuck. You think this will help the process than.

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[jblizzle]

I don't know what you mean. Yes, replacing water and lowering the CYA WILL help the SLAM process go easier and your future maintenance.

How have you added chlorine in the past? You need to stick with liquid chlorine going forward.

 

[afoster0822]

I use the 3 inch tabs. We are going to drain and replace tonight. I read the slam process. How long do we need to slam. We use liquid chlorine to shock and tablets in the floater.

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[jblizzle]

Until you pass the 3 criteria to stop.
No more tablets for you or you will be in the same situation requiring a drain again.

 

[afoster0822]

Well that just sucks. So the tablets contain stabilizer. Can you buy tablets that do not? The chart on the slam site is where we should keep our chlorine level.

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[jblizzle]

No such tablet exists ... liquid chlorine is in your future ... or you can install a SWG.

Have to love what the pool store is more than willing to sell you, with no understanding of the future ramifications ... huh?

 

[afoster0822]

I'm irritated. Last year no problems at all. This year disaster. So liquid chlorine it is. Draining more than half of our pool
I swear I will become a pool expert by the end of all this. Thanks for your help. You have heard about the calcium reacting with the de too? I guess by draining we will get rid of some of the crud in the water too. Once we test the stabilizer after fill again we should stick to the slam chart for shocking until we get the 3 criteria then stick to the daily fc level.

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[jblizzle]

This is a story as old as time .... we see countless members that say the same thing. Everything was fine for 1-2 years and boom, not this year.

The reason is that the tablets add FC and CYA, the FC is consumed but the CYA builds up. As you now know, as the CYA climbs, so must the FC to keep the pool clear. Well, tablets will just not add enough FC and then you have a green mess. At least hopefully you did not go to the pool store with your green water and buy $100s of randoms chemicals that will not likely help. Then the pool store would have given you some line about "chlorine lock" and told you to drain the pool.

You CH is no where near high enough to cause any problem ... no idea what you are talking about "reacting with DE"

 

[afoster0822]

The pool store told me the granular calcium shock was binding up the de. Although we used it last year without any issue. I have bought tons of **** from them. 50 lbs of sodium bicarb. PH increaser blah blah. Filter cleaner.... Liquid shock... 50 lbs of de. The pool isn't green but cloudy. And when it settles it all settles to the bottom of the pool.

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[afoster0822]

Their only recommendation to me is to run filter and backwash every time pressure raises until all the calcium stops reacting to the de

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[afoster0822]

We have already cleared about 30 lbs of de. Pain in the azz

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[afoster0822]

We still can't swim or run the filter for longer than an hour.

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[jblizzle]

You must have the only pool in the world where the calcium reacts with DE

With cloudy water, you need to filter it out. But with the low FC and high CYA level, the points to the cloudiness possibly being due to algae in the water. You may have multiple issues going on.