dirt on the bottom of the pool

[nikon5400]

My pool vac died 2-3 years ago, but because I have no trees I thought I won't need another one. I bought an electric aqua broom and used it for a couple of years, but this thing is a little pain to use

Today I brushed my pool for the first time this month. When I started brushing I was surprised to see how much dirt I had, mostly on the bottom. The dirt is like dust, particles are very small, I can't feel them with my fingers. My 10 yr old cartridge filter does't catch it. Now my water is a little cloudy, but I can see the bottom.

What's the best way to deal with it?

Ultra bright ?

skimmer sock?

return sock?

Don't know if it's worth getting a vacuum for this, since I may only need it a couple times a season. Any recommendations for a hand pool vac?

Thanks

 

[Casey]

What kind of pool do you have?

I have no trees and stuff around my pool but I couldn't imagine not having a vac. I vacuum the pool weekly because of dirt and fine sediment making it's way into the pool. I can clearly see it on the bottom. A pool is like a set of teeth. They both need brushed regularly.

 

[nikon5400]

I have in-ground concrete pool

are you talking about a vacuum head you attach to a vacuum hose or the electric pool vacuum/pool cleaner run by water pressure?

I have a vacuum head but it's useless because my filter doesn't catch this type of dirt. it's just way too small, more like dust

 

[duraleigh]

A working pool filter will capture ALL visible dust, dirt, debris. If yours doesn't do that, it is not working properly. You might take it apart and see if you can see something in it not connected correctly.

 

[nikon5400]

This is very basic 10 yr old cartridge filter. It has in and out connectors and a drain plug. The only thing that can be installed wrong is a top closure plate that keeps cartriges together, but it is installed according to the manual I found online (link below).

The only things I can think of can be wrong with it are:
1. cartridges are old
2. it used to have a small screen filter on the Air Relief Tube. It got lost and I can't find one anywhere. I was told by the manufacture it's not really needed and they don't make them anymore
3. pressure gauge doesn't work, but the Relief Valve/Gauge Adapter Assembly has a small crack in it where pressure gauge thread is, so I don't want to touch it unless I have to. It sips some water at startup, maybe 1 drip every 10-15 seconds, but then stops and that's how it's been for a couple years now. My PSI has always been within range when gauge worked and I cleaned filters only at closing, so I figured I can get by without this gauge until I find the assembly. The gauge arrow ended up on another side of the pin somehow, I tried fixing it with a strong magnet but no go. Maybe gauge just went bad. Is there a way to remove the plastic cover? This was the 3rd gauge from leslie's within 2 year period. The first two got stuck at some psi when pump was off. Are there some gauges better than others?

This filter is Blue Heaven variant of Hayward, similar to this one - file:///C:/Users/i7/Downloads/160-161Hay2009.pdf (this one doesn't even show screen filter and the gauge assembly is different, but this is the only manual I found that looks pretty similar to mine. will search more)

Do you think any of these is related to the problem with dirt?


After pump working overnight water is crystal clear, but this dirt comes back from returns and if not vacuumed with electric vacuum I think it'll dissipate and turn to dust


Thanks

 

[ronipooh]

I found the screen filter for my air relief tube at Poolpartsonline. Mine is a Pentair but I am assuming they really aren't all that necessary because I bought my house in October 2013 and just 2 weeks ago ordered that thing and put it on and my filter was working fine without it and I notice no difference now. I bought a new lid for my filter ($149.00) because previous owner had lost the air relief valve and filled it with some hard putty. They did the same thing to the pressure gauge opening. IT WAS NOT CRACKED they just didn't want to replace those parts I guess and filled them. It was working fine like that but I couldn't stand the way it looked and I got sick of struggling with the "to waste" valve to release the air to open it up. I've found home depot is reasonably priced for pressure gauges but if I remember correctly the aforementioned online supply store had them cheap as well.
I'm not sure about your dirt coming from the returns. I have some of the same issues you have with the coping and I think I am getting washout from those cracks into the pool. I would give your cartridges a good cleaning. First I would soak them in 1 cup of powdered automatic dishwashing detergent to 5 gal of water....I uses a large plant pot that I can submerge my filter in and put a rock on it to keep it from floating. If your filter is taller than a 5 gal bucket and you don't have anything larger you can soak it and then flip it to get the other end. I soak overnight myself but they say an hour or two does the trick. The commercial filter cleaning sprays make me a little nervous because I have extremely sensitive skin so it irritates me to even be around it and I don't know if I left it on too long but it seems to have degraded the filter paper some. I brushed with a soft brush which the instructions said I could do but I don't know if that might be what caused the degradation. The filter became kind of "hairy" looking. You might want to shop around for the best price and order some new cartridges. I found a great deal on a shopping site and had two delivered to my home for just a few more dollars than one would cost. Now if I don't feel like cleaning it when it's time I can just swap them out and clean the dirty one a little later. I personally think they are easier to clean when they are wet and you first take them out. I am going to do an experiment one of these days and let one dry and try vacuuming it with my wet/dry and then hose it off and see if I think it's any easier or effective. I use alot of water when I'm washing the filter.
They also took the module out of the in floor system and left it empty. Another $175.00. I had no idea what anything was for or how it worked. It's been a slow process but everyone here has been GREAT!