Moved and have no idea about new system

[Whittles308]

Hi all! New here, and I have maintained a pool previously, but my filter system was much more "idiot proof" than the one at our new house, it had one handle that you simply turned to what you wanted it to do, the one now has levers all over.

Last summer our pool guy rocked it, but this summer he has been awful, billing us when he clearly hasn't been here, algae growing and cloudy. I have no problem taking over this maintenance, but, besides turning it on to just cycle, I'm lost! So I took some pictures of the way the pump is set up, please excuse the mess around it, we are completely redoing the backyard and have had workers pouring cement and moving rocks and a new fence installed. I have managed to get most of my levels in check but I am, having some issue with the FC but I imagine it's because I have been battling algae, and can't figure out how to get the vacuum or creepy crawler to work.

So excited to have found this site, I am sure it will be very helpful!

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP!!

Your "vacuum or creepy crawler" will not cure algae. They both just move it around.

You should read the directions on SLAMing your pool in the How To section of Pool School and follow that procedure completely to the end.

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
And the water is clear.
When all three are true, you are done SLAMing and can allow the FC to drift down to normal levels.

To SLAM you pool you will need one of the recommended test kits. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. All the kits on the list contain that test while very few other kits do. The kits sold at the pool store generally won't won't cut it, but be careful pool store employees are known to say “it's the same thing”. Generally it's not!

 

[Whittles308]

Welcome to TFP!!

Your "vacuum or creepy crawler" will not cure algae. They both just move it around.

You should read the directions on SLAMing your pool in the How To section of Pool School and follow that procedure completely to the end.

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
And the water is clear.
When all three are true, you are done SLAMing and can allow the FC to drift down to normal levels.

To SLAM you pool you will need one of the recommended test kits. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. All the kits on the list contain that test while very few other kits do. The kits sold at the pool store generally won't won't cut it, but be careful pool store employees are known to say “it's the same thing”. Generally it's not!

Thanks for the reply! I just took over this job this week, and I didn't do a very good job of explaining! I have started SLAMing, but I think, and maybe this is some preconceived newbie notion I have, that having organic material on the bottom of the pool(dirt from all the work going on around the pool) isn't helping things.

I have an old kit left over from my old house, but I have ordered a new one(not sure if these things get old, but it had been stored in a very hot garage for over a year) but couldn't keep letting things get out of control until it arrives. I got my ph down, and have been shocking the bejesus out of it and brushing it about 4 times a day. But without the creepy or being able to hook up my vac that I can do manually I can't get all the other stuff out, and I noticed in the slam guide it mentions getting that out.

I have fiddled with some of the valves but I just cannot get the creeper on full power., plus I'm too scared to fiddle too much with it. And I am not sure how to backwash. I was hoping to not have to pay someone else to come teach me, as I had planned on getting our pool guy to teach me, but when he didn't come for two weeks and billed me still while I have a pool filling up with algae I had no choice but to let him go, and he got pretty nasty over it.

We removed a huge magnolia tree the previous owners had planted by the pool this year so I really thought maintanence was going to be a breeze this year. Never have I been so wrong!

 

[Whittles308]

Oh and thanks for the warm welcome!

 

[tim5055]

I have an old kit left over from my old house, but I have ordered a new one(not sure if these things get old, but it had been stored in a very hot garage for over a year) but couldn't keep letting things get out of control until it arrives. I got my ph down, and have been shocking the bejesus out of it and brushing it about 4 times a day. But without the creepy or being able to hook up my vac that I can do manually I can't get all the other stuff out, and I noticed in the slam guide it mentions getting that out.

Got it!

Yes, if you have organic matter in the bottom of the pool it will slow things down because the chlorine will be going after it as well as any algae in the pool.

Yes, test kits get old and storing them in a hot environment will shorten the life of the reagents.

We may be saying the same thing, but please remember, the SLAM is a continuous process . We don't want you blindly "shocking the bejesus out of it", but test using a reliable test kit and bring just to shock level as often as you can a day. The sun is going to get anything above shock level so it may be worth your while to hold off on the SLAM until you have a reliable kit with a FAS-DPD chlorine test. Just keep chlorine in the pool to hoild the algae at bay in the meantime.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP! I know you are putting out fires right now, but I will go ahead and post some links for you to come back and read later when things are more under control.

Here is a the basics of pool chemistry, ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Info on test kits from tftestkits.net, Test Kit Comparison
How do you plan to chlorinate your pool? Here is a guide, How to Chlorinate Your Pool
And recommended levels for your pool, Recommended Levels
One more, What we need to know to answer your questions

 

[Whittles308]

Got it!

Yes, if you have organic matter in the bottom of the pool it will slow things down because the chlorine will be going after it as well as any algae in the pool.

Yes, test kits get old and storing them in a hot environment will shorten the life of the reagents.

We may be saying the same thing, but please remember, the SLAM is a continuous process . We don't want you blindly "shocking the bejesus out of it", but test using a reliable test kit and bring just to shock level as often as you can a day. The sun is going to get anything above shock level so it may be worth your while to hold off on the SLAM until you have a reliable kit with a FAS-DPD chlorine test. Just keep chlorine in the pool to hoild the algae at bay in the meantime.

Thanks Tim! I think I kind of had a panic moment when I realized summer, in Texas, is basically upon us and with all our new outdoor additions I want to be able to enjoy the pool. Hopefully my kit will be here tomorrow so I can come back with some definitive numbers that I know are accurate. Now if I can only figure out what all these handles mean on my system I can hopefully backwash and vacuum up all the extra stuff sitting in the bottom of the pool, it's not awful, but it's not great either! I just don't even understand why a system has so many dang levers on it to turn! Missing my old system right about now! With our house being a foreclosure we didn't have the luxury of having a manual. :-/

Again, thanks for the tips! We are suppose to be getting some storms over the next couple of days so I'm not sure how much progress I will be able to make on it.

 

[tim5055]

I wish I could help with the handles and what does what. Remember, algae grows in the rain and can be killed n the rain

 

[smforte]

I think whittle is asking for help with the many pipes and handles and knobs and what controls what. I'm no help but maybe someone will come along shortly.

 

[Whittles308]

I did not know that Tim! I thought it was a lost cause while raining! I've been using liquid bleach and muriatic acid so far! Thanks for the links as well! I have read most of them quickly but probably need to actually study them! My old pool never had any problems, it was awesome lol!

And yes smforte, that was the main goal of my post but any tips are definitely welcome! At one point I had the creeper going pretty well it seemed, then realized the hot tub was draining!

 

[pooldv]

As soon as i get home and can look at pics on something bigger than my phone I will try to help with valves.

 

[Whittles308]

Thanks so much!

 

[Pogueld]

Slamming is lengthy process, but very worth it! You can do it and you can figure it all out with the help of this forum! They've been awesome to me!!

 

[pooldv]

I don't know how basic this plumbing lesson needs to be, so I'll start at the beginning. Everything on the right is suction from the pool feeding water into the pump. There are 5 lines feeding water to the pump, main drain, cleaner and 3 unknowns. One or two of those is skimmers and I don't know about the the others.

Water goes from the pump to the filter. Then out from the filter and back to the pool through the plumbing on the left. Is that a knife valve on the output from the filter? Is it closed? Can you pull it up? That could be shutting down most of your waterflow.

Notice the "off" tab on the valves. Point that off tab toward the the pipe you want to shut down water flow from/to. For example, the valve between the cleaner and main drain, point off toward the main drain and you will get more water flow from the cleaner. Another example, the valve between pool and spa return, point off to spa and the water flow will go to the pool.

BTW, you have a suction side cleaner, because it is on the suction side of the pump/filter.

Is the pump one speed, two speed or variable speed?

You are going to have to do some experimenting to get everything mapped out and understand the water flow. The important thing to do while experimenting is not to shut off flow to the pump, at least not for long. Open and close each valve on the right and go look at the skimmers and see which ones are still flowing and write it down until you get it figured out.

Need more pics of the left side to figure that out more.

 

[Dibbler]

Looking at your pictures, your pump is 'sucking' from 5 different places, 3 unlabelled, 1 x main drain and 1 x cleaner, you need to get more suction from your cleaner line, with those jandy valves the 'flap' opposite the handle sits across any pipe you want closed.
No idea what the 3 unlabelled are but 1 is closed off anyway,1 half open, 1 fully open ( 2x Skimmers, 1 x Spa Suction?), your valve between main drain and cleaner is currently pretty much open to both, you need to rotate this so the main drain is mostly covered by the flap, this will give you much more suction on the cleaner, from there is really a judgement call, if you have enough suction your good, if not you need to start closing some more 'inlets' given the number of inlets you have its probably a bad idea to have 100% suction through the cleaner pipe

 

[Whittles308]

You guys are BRILLIANT! The two on the left are for the skimmers and the unlabeled one on the right is for the spa! I cut the skimmer suction to almost off, turned the handle between main drain and pool vacuum to where more suction is coming from the vacuum and my creeper is happily zooming through the pool! We have some drizzle right now but as soon as that passes I will take a picture of the left side. Now the next thing to figure out is the backwash!

On a side note I had noticed the pump getting louder over the past two weeks, I just checked the basket at the pump and it was filled with debris, all sorts of rocks, leaves, even a few screws! Emptied that and now it is running super quiet! Plus that alone increased the suction so much!

Seriously thank you all SO much!! Y'all rock!

 

[Whittles308]

Also wanted to add, when we moved in and had the pool worked on, the guy said he rerouted the backwash to a landscape drain pipe, however, in looking at the system I don't see how this is possible, all I see is a backwash line that has a spout on the end like where you attach a water hose? Wouldn't the pressure from a backwash be too high for that? My old system when back washed was pretty high pressure.

 

[Whittles308]

Ok did some more investigating and had to dig a bit, the backwash is routed to a landscape pipe. But now I have two more questions...

1. Do I open all suction valves for the back wash? I'm thinking I may turn the vacuum to off?

2. I apparently have a DE filter, and I have no idea if/when any DE has been added, or how to tell if I need to add it? I have read about pressure being an indicator of when to backwash and add more de but since I'm not sure what "normal" pressure is I am not quite sure how to proceed. Almost all visible signs of the algae are gone, still some small remnants on the one shady spot. Still shocking according to the FC/CYA chart. Besides that all numbers look good, pH is a little on the low side around 7.2, but I'm ok with that for the time being!

 

[tim5055]

Just a small point - You are conducting a SLAM. A SLAM is a continuous monitored process, not a one time addition of massive amounts of chlorine.

Remember, keep it at shock level until all three of these are met:
.

• CC is 0.5 or lower;
  
• You pass an OCLT (ie overnight FC loss test shows a loss of 1.0 ppm or less);
  
• And the water is clear.

When all three are true, you are done SLAMing and can allow the FC to drift down to normal levels. This is where folks get into trouble. Things look better, I only have a little algae left and they slack off. Kill it all and get it over with.

As to your filter, the only DE filter I ever used was a small one for my aquarium. So, off to Pool School.

[h=1]Maintenance and Cleaning of Pool Filters[/h]

 

[Whittles308]

Yes! I am going to be keeping this up until I get to that point! Really frustrated with my pool guy, but more so myself for not keeping up with what he was doing. But with the backyard being under construction for the past several months I haven't really ventured out there much. Have some issues with what looks like rust spots on the plaster, and just spots all over, which weren't there last year when we had it replastered and have done some preliminary reading on that, but just focusing on slamming right now.

Thanks for the link!!