balanced but cloudy :-(

[p0las]

thanks guys.
so I was doing the right thing really besides not running the filter for 24h. It is actually easier for me to test the water in late evening/morning like for OCLT. With SWG on I wasn't loosing much of the FC. Even with SWG set to 10% one (overcast) day I lost only 2ppm.

As for the OCLT/FAS-DPD question for regular testing. I believe you are confusing the OCLT test as being a different set of tests from regular FC testing. This isn't the case, both daily FC testing as well as doing an OCLT use the same FAS-DPD, powder based, non-colorimetric drop count test.
It's just that with daily testing, you are measuring your FC level each day, or even at different times, multiple times per day. As is the case while performing the shock process. Doing the test as many times as needed.
I recommend skipping the 3rd re-agent, the small Taylor bottle /w the yellow lid R-0003. That's for CCs, and since that's a really small bottle. Do that sparingly, IE. toward the end of the homestretch.

My worry is that with testing the water frequently I will run out of that powder very quickly, even just 2 tests a day are consuming it too fast for my liking.

I only added FC once to raise it to the shock level. Added a bit too much so the level raised higher than I wanted. Than SWG was able to keep FC above shock level all the time and I even lowered its output to allow FC drop to the level I was aiming for.

Yes, shut your SWG off, use bleach and don't use any pucks. It's too difficult as previously mentioned to see how much CL you are really loosing.

Isn't it enough to check how much FC I'm loosing at night (SWG off)?

How long has it been since you have opened up your sand filter and cleaned it out with a hose?
If that is unknown, you need to do that. As it filters through the season, it builds up gunk in there and the sand can clump together. Thereby decreasing its filtration ability, not to mention its flow rate and makes your pump work harder. See my sig for a link on how to perform this procedure. Which should be done each season, end or start of the season is up to you. So long as it's once per season.

I did cleanup my filter a few weeks ago (when I started that thread) as one of the recommendations. I'm not sure if I cleaned it enough as I wasn't able to make the overflowing water clear but I definitely cleaned it a lot.

What is your starting "clean" pressure reading and what is it now?
Does your gauge go to zero when you shut the pump off?

my "clean" pressure is around 50-60 and it is roughly at that level now. The gauge has a scale that goes to 200 (if not more) so the reading is not very precise. If I turn the pump off it drops to 0. If I attach my suction cleaner (to skimmer box) it drops to 10-20.
I will backwash it tonight and check if it actually filtered lots of junk in last couple of weeks or not.
I think running the pump for 24h was what I was missing in the whole process.

Appreciate your help guys!
Pawel

 

[Bama Rambler]

I assume you're pressure is in KPA. If so that's about 7 to 9 psi. A little low but within range. 200 KPA is about 29 psi.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

The frequency at which you test while shocking is as often as makes sense. If you are seeing minimal losses while running the swg on a low setting, you aren't losing much and a slight adjustment to the amount added in liquid or by the swg should keep you at shock levels all day. As long as you check it daily and are always on target I wouldn't worry about it. If you find you are a few ppm low consistently you might test more frequently until you have a pattern that works. Typically we find higher losses when starting the process, and the amount of FC needed is too variable to get away with infrequent measuring. Typically if we only measured infrequently it would put the start too high or the FC would drop below shock during the day which would extend the time required to clear the pool.

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[p0las]

I would like to thank everyone for help. my pool is now nice and clean and I'm slowly reblancing it to the recommended settings here. And I didn't need to buy any expensive algicides, flocks, starvers etc. At the end .5kg of chlorine and a few days of pump running 24h did it!
love that forum!
Pawel