Re-vacuum the same algae

[scrappy]

Does it ever feel like you vacuum the same algae over and over again? I just moved into a new house with a pool that was very green. This forum saved me from a ton of frustration. I now have a near crystal clear pool. Once it turned blue it was a ton of bleached dead algae in it. I floced it and that helped a lot. I have now been vacuuming it every day now for a week and there continues to be algae settling on the bottom, albiet less every day. The first time I vacuumed, I could actually see algae being pumped back into the pool. Do sand filters really work that badly?

I backwash nearly every day and its getting better, but is there some tricks to minimizing the number of times I have to vacuum the same dead algae? Should I put a sock in the pump basket? I find it depressing that a sand filter is really that inefficient.

 

[JoshU]

On your sand filter's multi-port valve you need to move the setting to "waste" when vaccuming dead algae. When doing it in the "filter" mode you are just sending it back to the sand and it won't be able to catch it. The "waste" setting will cause water to bypass the filter tank and just go right out of your backwash line. You will loose water while doing this so you may want to have a garden hose in the pool so that your water level doesn't get too low.

Remember to always turn your pump off first before moving the valve settings.