Brown mess at opening... Newbie needing a little hand-holding

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I am curious as to why you are not backwashing your filter. What exactly do you do when you say you're "regenerating"? What you should be doing is letting the filter run until it is 6-8 psi above your normal pressure, then stop the pump. Then put your valve on backwash and start the pump. You should have a little sight glass on the side of your valve, if you don't watch the water coming out of the backwash hose. Run it on backwash until the water runs clear. Then stop the pump, move the valve to rinse, if you have it. I am not sure what to do if you dont :). Basically you just wash out all of the dirty DE and then refill the DE. You only have to add 80% of what the recommended amount is. It should say on the side of your filter how much to add.
When you add DE you will put it right in the skimmer. Use the one closest to your pump. Then just do the whole thing over again. I used the skimmer socks as well but only for about one day. They were a huge pain to clean.
 
9:15 pm...
FC = 11
CC = 1
Added 18 oz. bleach
Regenerated the filter again.
Will probably leave it as is with the pump running through the night. I may still go out and brush the pool... It's dark and the Mosquitos are out, so it's not the most ideal situation.
Tomorrow, will use the leaf bagger again, sweep/brush the pool, take apart the filter and clean the grid/precoat again, and use the knee high as skimmer sock religiously. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a turning point... not putting all my chips on it, but hoping for a sliver of a silver lining. Committed either way :whoot:
Any pre-morning advice? Or late night advice? :D
 
awtrizzle said:
I am curious as to why you are not backwashing your filter. What exactly do you do when you say you're "regenerating"? What you should be doing is letting the filter run until it is 6-8 psi above your normal pressure, then stop the pump. Then put your valve on backwash and start the pump. You should have a little sight glass on the side of your valve, if you don't watch the water coming out of the backwash hose. Run it on backwash until the water runs clear. Then stop the pump, move the valve to rinse, if you have it. I am not sure what to do if you dont :). Basically you just wash out all of the dirty DE and then refill the DE. You only have to add 80% of what the recommended amount is. It should say on the side of your filter how much to add.
When you add DE you will put it right in the skimmer. Use the one closest to your pump. Then just do the whole thing over again. I used the skimmer socks as well but only for about one day. They were a huge pain to clean.
Click to expand...

My filter does not have the handle/valve like most filters do. Regeneration (and I'm currently doing it when it goes 4 psi above normal) involves stopping the pump, unlocking the piston knob on top of the unit, move it up and down quickly about 6-10 times, lock back in, and restart the pump. This regenerizes my DE and extends the cleaning cycle without having to backwash, drain, or clean the grid. I would probably do the backwash, but the thought of dumping out 1-2 minutes worth of water is what stops me. It's not an easy setup for me to hook up a hose so I can direct the backwash out and away from the pool, yard, garden. Otherwise, I would have done that. I'm not overly concerned over the cost of the DE as its one of the cheapest items on the list of pool stuff.

My filter manual doesn't have any instructions for backwashing, nor does it suggest to do it.

Cleaning the whole grid not only saves the water that would otherwise be all over the place and make things very muddy, but I get to get all that **** off. My manual says.. to do a cleaning to remove algae off the grid, soak for one hour in a solution of filter element cleaner. I guess I'll have to see what this is. I'm wondering if I should do that considering how much algae it's been filtering.

Tomorrows a new day!
 
Are your grids new or the same ones that you got it with? As far as soaking it in a solution. There is a post here about how to do it. I will try and find it for you. I installed a permanent pipe out to my street for backwashing. I was tired of the hose and had issues with it busting. But yeah I could only do it about twice before I had to fill the pool back up.
I've never heard of this regeneration thing. Something new. Do you have a picture of your setup?
Just so you know your pool will never get clean without filtering. So keep up the good work. Keep that FC up there and filter it all out. It will happen. Sending some POP your way!!
 
image.jpg2_zpsrgxixl1m.jpg Photo by bobcat291 | Photobucket
image.jpg1_zpslovic336.jpg Photo by bobcat291 | Photobucket
image.jpg3_zpsyoccnhua.jpg Photo by bobcat291 | Photobucket
image.jpg4_zps7hto4cee.jpg Photo by bobcat291 | Photobucket

Follow these URLs... That's my DE filter grid, housing... When closed, the piston knob is that black knob on the top that I have to move up and down. It has a rubber disk attached to it that fits inside the inner hole of the element grid. This is the original grid that came with the filter... And it's now eight years old. I bought the pool and equipment used. It was seven years old and very well taken care of... that I'm sure. Hope my explanation was understandable. I'm not familiar with the proper equipment lingo yet. I'll get there!
 
Thanks trizzle... I remember reading that info... Though this time around, I Saw the reference to electric DW detergent for degreasing. Great idea... Saves on buying element cleaner. The part about muriatic acid has to do with calcium buildup. I don't believe I have that issue just yet. Will have to YouTube to see what that would look like.
I think a full cleaning of the grid is in order. First on the agenda tomorrow. This time I'm going to take pictures every step of the way.
 

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This morning 6/6, results were...
FC = 10.5
CC = .5
Added 27 oz. of bleach

A couple hours later, I took apart the filter and cleaned it again. I've uploaded pics of the before and after cleaning... I also have some close up of the filter... I'm wondering if I have tiny holes at the base where grid meets plastic... As I see some DE out the return. It wasn't too much, but there was something. I also decided to mix the DE in a bucket of water then add to skimmer to make sure it wasn't caking up on the grid. I'm hoping that it coats evenly. I also took pics of how the water looks today.
Used the leaf bagger and gathered some more leaves, but not much.
I did another test an hour ago... At 3:30
FC = 12
CC = 0
Been using knee high stockings in skimmer and cleaning them off every 30 minutes or so... Seems that when it gets really caked up, I lose psi in my filter. Is that expected? Normal pressure is 18 psi... Once the skimmer sock gets gunned up, it drops to 14-15 psi...
Should I be doing anything else at this point? If you view the pics, please let me know if what you see on the filter grid is normal. I thought the whole grid surface was supposed to be covered, but it looks like areas are completely bare.

(Having a hard time providing links for pics. Not sure what I'm doing wrong... as I've already done it a few days ago. Once I see my error, I'll post them. Otherwise, I think if you go to my previous thread on bottom of page 2... You can get to my pics and see the most recent uploads. There should be about 16-17 pics from today)
 
PSI loss is normal in this case. Think of it this way:
The pump can generate a certain amount of pressure. As you go from the skimmer to the returns, all of whatever is available, is 'used up'
Some will get used by the restriction of the skimmer basket. Some will get used by the hose. Some get used by pump basket. Some gets used by the filter. Lastly, whatever is left goes to making the returns go wooshy.
When you add the stocking into the skimmer it increases the resistance there so more of the pressure gets used there. That means less available after it.

The drop in pressure at the gauge is a good indicator for time to clean stocking.

Point to note: I put my stocking on the pump basket. That way it catches everything. Since I have a bottom drain and a skimmer.
 
Your water is looking awesome. That is the color I had too. I was stuck there for a day or two and then next thing you know it was getting clearer and clearer. Taking a pic of your liner there by the deck is a good location. You will start to see more and more of the liner. That helped me out. I would say if things go well for you you will see a drastic improvement over the next two-three days. Keep up the good work!!
 
Posting my progress...
Testing at 7:45 am, FC = 11.5, CC = .5, Added 10 oz. bleach
Testing at 12:45 pm, FC = 9, CC = 0, Added 56 oz. bleach
Testing at 7:05 pm, FC = 9.5, CC = .5, Added 46 oz. bleach
Vacuumed pool earlier (used a stocking in skimmer and bagged what looks to be DE... Wondering if I have a leak in filter grid), regenerated quite a few times.

I'm finally able to see bottom. Not very well, but it's there!!
As Of 6/7 Photo by bobcat291 | Photobucket

I think I may open up the filter one more time to see what's going on in there. I have a feeling that the grid may have a few tiny holes where the element meets the plastic. I'm not sure if I want to invest in buying a new grid, or just replacing the whole filter... Considering that it's already eight years old.
I have another DE filter, which I rcvd from a friend. Hayward Pro-Grid vertical... I think 2420. Looks massive. Would it work with my setup? It was originally used for an Inground pool. Any opinions??
 
I'm no expert but I don't see why it wouldn't work. The only thing is that it may be oversized but I would think that comes in to cost. There may be other things that come into play as far as head loss and things like that but I don't know enough to speak on that part.
I had to replace my filter grids and it was $250 on sale. A whole new filter would have been $1000.
What makes you think it is DE in your skimmer nets? I hope someone more knowledgeable chimes in to help you out in that area.
One thing you can try is out your brush in the water to see how clearly you can see it. Helped me a little to see the progress. Keep up the good work. If you can see the bottom you're right around the corner. You post any more pics?
 
awtrizzle said:
I'm no expert but I don't see why it wouldn't work. The only thing is that it may be oversized but I would think that comes in to cost. There may be other things that come into play as far as head loss and things like that but I don't know enough to speak on that part.
I had to replace my filter grids and it was $250 on sale. A whole new filter would have been $1000.
What makes you think it is DE in your skimmer nets? I hope someone more knowledgeable chimes in to help you out in that area.
One thing you can try is out your brush in the water to see how clearly you can see it. Helped me a little to see the progress. Keep up the good work. If you can see the bottom you're right around the corner. You post any more pics?
Click to expand...

I uploaded a pic from earlier today. In my previous post, there was a hyperlink... "As of 6/7..."
Click on that. Tomorrow, I'll upload another progress pic... I'll also take a picture of what I vacuumed up. It looks like DE... It can only be DE... What else is that white and grainy? Maybe it's DE from a previous precoat? Not sure. I guess the progress in the clarity of water will dictate if the filter is doing its job.
I'm on the fence about buying a new grid vs. trying out the larger filter. Not sure if I want to start relearning a whole new setup yet, and nothing guarantees that the larger unit won't cause problems. I guess buying a new grid makes most sense. It'll give me time to consider other options, or to look into other new models. Will be picking all your brains for that when time comes :D
Thanks again for your response.
 
Progress....
As of 6/8 8:30am
FC = 10.5
CC = .5
Added 28 oz. bleach
Vacuumed the pool again... Regenerated the filter... I can finally see bottom!

Here are some pics... I also took a pic of what I vacuumed yesterday... I'm thinking its DE stained with dirt and algae?

http://rs577.pbsrc.com/albums/ss215/bobcat291/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG3916_zpsvg2ajz5r.jpg~c100?t=1433689067
http://rs577.pbsrc.com/albums/ss215/bobcat291/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG3921_zpsoqziinmp.jpg~c100?t=1433689323
http://rs577.pbsrc.com/albums/ss215/bobcat291/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG3917_zps5mclv9ep.jpg~c100?t=1433689453
 

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