SUPER NEWB! Cant seem to get it right .

[billyballs]

So last Thursday I decided to open my pool after not opening last year. I bought a brand new cartridge for my filter. I pumped the water off the tarp and took it off. But some of the stuff on the tarp got in pool because it ripped. So I started my shock treatment. Since Thursday I have used 12 gallons of shock. Not all at once. 2 in morning and 2 at night mostly. My pool is 18 feet in diameter by 42 in deep. All of the sudden my pump wasn't sucking in and pushing out good. SO I cleaned the filter and it when back to normal for only like 10 minutes. Now I have removed cartridge and pump works great. Kept cleaning filter over and over and over. My pool was really dirty. Now my pool is super cloudy and I just turned pump off hoping that everything will drop to bottom like it usually does. I only have test strip kit and dual (pH and cl drops kit).
FCI= 1
ALK= 180
PH7.2
CYA= 40

drops
cl=3.0
ph=7.6

What should I do? I was hoping everything would drop to bottom and then I can vacuum it with out cartridge and run the inlet house right to a sewer I have in backyard. Do I need new cartridge? I just bought one 5 days ago! Thank you:rendeer:

 

[jmbradwell]

You probably don't need a new cartridge. If it's a small one, it is probably clogging up real fast. Keep cleaning. If you still have the old one, swap filters. Put clean one in, start pump, clean the one taken out, repeat. Without your pool info in your signature no one can give an accurate answer. Without test results from a good test kit, about all we can do is guess.

 

[billyballs]

There you go buddy! I ordered a Taylor Complete FAS-DPD Pool Water Test Kit K-2006 today so hopefully it is here soon. Cleaning my filter every ten minutes is to much work. Its not small its like 3 feet tall.

 

[jmbradwell]

With a filter that size clogging so fast, about the only thing I can think of is to put a nylon stocking on your skimmer basket to catch some of the gunk before it gets to the filter and a lot of scooping/shoveling as much gunk out of the pool as you can.

 

[billyballs]

That's the thing though... there really isn't that much going in there that I can see. I will start to put nylon n it. Good advice. I think its all the algea and I need some more shock!