Black Algae & Pool Cleaning

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

SequoiaHosting

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jul 10, 2008
12
Hey Guys,

So I am new to the pool world. Initially when I purchased the home the pool had a few spots of the black algae (nothing was taken care of in the house, so I would assume the pool too), so lots of chlorine later it was gone, but I have had trouble really keeping on top of it and its coming back. Highlighted my questions below..

So my thoughts was an acid wash on my pebble tek pool, good idea? I am going to drain the pool anyway, the tiles need repaired and re-grouted, I noticed a few guys in the area offering there services for tile and pool cleaning, so my thoughts is to go with them for some quotes and grout the tiles myself. The only thing I can think of is the temperature, it could hit 100F here and I was wondering if the pool might crack if its empty for a few of days???!?

Also, I need to take apart my DEP51 D.E. filter and invest in some new filters, I know it will be bad, does not look like its been opened since it was purchased :?

I was thinking to make things easier I might go the salt water route or buy something like the liquidator. Liquidator would fit my budget, although if I went the salt water route, would I need to replace my DEP51? Also I noticed a few cheap salt water systems on eBay, any good? Sub $500 seems too cheap.

My pumps are running fine but so is my electricity bill, I am toying with the idea of replacing the main but with a two speed model. Have any of you done that and seen positive results in the form of lower bills? I live in the Valley in CA so during summer they are running for around 12 hours a day.

That is all I can think of at the moment, sorry for all the questions and thanks for the help!
 
Before you replace the pump, check with your electic company and see if they have any rebates for certain pumps. When I bought my Pentair pump, there was a list of electric companies in CA and AZ that had rebates for certain types of pool pumps. (I live in NY) I've tried but can't find the list again.

Do a search on the cost of replacing your DE filter grids. See if the cost is close to buying a new filter. (larger DE, change to a sand filter, etc) You might not have to replace the grids and you won't know until you take the filter apart. Atleast you'll have an idea on cost.

I bought a new Pentair VF3050 and a new Hayward filter all with 2 inch inlets and outlets and redid my pump house piping to 2 inch. The pump is cheap to run and the larger filter is great.

Since everything is running good for you, take a few weeks and search on the internet for pumps and filters. Also do searches in this forum.

On black algae, do a search in this forum for black algae. It ain't easy to get rid of. Do some reading in this forum.

Your other questions I can't answer cause I don't know. Sorry.
 
When a pool is completely drained and the local water table is above the bottom of the pool there can occasionally be serious damage. In most areas this isn't very likely to happen, but the damage could be so severe that even a small chance of problems is worth watching closely. Some pools have sump pumps or well points that can be used to lower the local water table. Others have hydrostatic valves that will let ground water into the pool if the ground water level is above the pool water level.

Getting a SWG would not require replacing your filter.

Deals on SWGs on eBay vary quit a bit. Some of them are great deals, many are at least slightly misleading, and a few are outright fraud. Always check the sellers reputation. If you have a question about a specific unit you should ask about that brand and model, someone here will probably have one and be able to say how they like it.

A two speed pump can save a great deal of electricity if used correctly. A variable speed pump costs even more but can save even more electricity.
 
Hey Guys,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my topic! Its going to cost around $180 for a complete set of grids for my DEP51, so I was thinking that isn't too bad a price compared with replacing the entire unit. So I think I will stick with it, although I do need to open her up and see what its like inside, could they have used anymore nuts and bolts to hold the thing together! :roll:

The water table here is low, in fact too low. My thought was that maybe the sun pounding on the pebble-tek pool might cause a crack? Then again, the water is at a nice 80F, its around 95F max in the sun, so I guess that might not be a problem. I will talk to some local guys tomorrow and see what they say and get pricing to do an acid wash.

I will give a miss on the salt water system for this year, with summer ending the pool will not be used so that will give me several months to think it over, still lots to learn.

My electricity bill peaked at $405 for the month :shock: , of course a hug part of that is the AC (parents were over from Scotland, wanted to keep the house as cool as possible for them), but even this month its $205. I am thinking the more energy I save, the better, heck things are not getting cheaper. The Pentair VF3050 seems like its the Rolls Royce of pumps, have you seen a lower electricity bill? Hows the noise? I found I get a $200 rebate from Edison, better than nothing! :)
 
I would generally avoid acid washing unless absolutely necessary. Acid is very rough on finishes. A pressure washer can be used instead of acid in many cases.

In addition to the previously mentioned concerns, there are several additional concerns to having your pool drained. If the pebble tek overheats it can delaminate from the structural concrete as it expands. If there are already delaminated sections there could be water between the pebble tek and the structural concrete. If the water overheats it will cause more stress in the delaminated "bubble" and increase the bubble. Overheating can also cause cracking or crazing in the finish. Exposure to direct sunlight should be minimized.

The pebble tek should be tested for delaminations upon draining. Tapping on the surface with the plastic end of a screwdriver should return a solid sound. A delamination will sound hollow. Delaminations should be cut out and patched if they are in excess of 36 square inches.

Even though you have a low water table a sudden strong rain could float the pool and care should be taken to ensure that that does not happen. The hydrostat should be examined for proper operation and replaced if necessary.
 
Hey Guys,

Thanks again for the info, the Pentair VF3050 seems to be the way to go, expensive but I could see myself saving the money in a year.

Interesting point regarding the delaminations, I really didn't think about that, thanks for bringing that up. Plus direct sunlight is a problem, might have to put my thinking cap on.

I contacted a local pool tile cleaning company, they also suggested not to go with the acid wash and stick with a chlorine wash. Sounds fair enough, although for them to drain the pool, scrub the tiles (two 6" high rows around the pool) and chlorine wash was around $800 which seems a little steep to me??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply