Cleaning pool after pipe was broken

[PammyB]

My pool is filled with dirt after a pipe burst while digging a trench . Pipe is repaired but lots of dirt got into the system.
Besides shocking , vacuuming , backwashing and running pump 24/7 , anything else to be done?

 

[duraleigh]

You have it covered. Brushing, vacuuming and backwashing are central to your success.

You shouldn't SLAM just yet but be prepared to do so.

Can you post test results from that not-so-bad water. It would help our input.

 

[Texas Splash]

Besides shocking , vacuuming , backwashing and running pump 24/7 , anything else to be done?

That's about it. Does your filter have a slide valve or mulitport valve? Just curious.

 

[PammyB]

I already dumped a bunch of chlorine in before reading your message , is there a point to test now or will everyone be out of whack due to the super high chlorine ?

 

[Texas Splash]

I already dumped a bunch of chlorine in before reading your message , is there a point to test now or will everyone be out of whack due to the super high chlorine ?

It's fine. I see Dave mentioned to not bother with the SLAM just yet, but keeping a higher than normal FC certainly won't hurt. Your water is under a lot of stress right now, so it can use all the help it can get. Be patient. This will be a marathon, not a sprint, so try to take a deep breath and go with the flow.

 

[Texas Splash]

is there a point to test now or will everyone be out of whack due to the super high chlorine ?

Test results at some point would be good, mostly because we're looking at the FC level, but what other parameters are doing after the material has been in teh water for several hours.

 

[PammyB]

That's about it. Does your filter have a slide valve or mulitport valve? Just curious.

I think so , do you mean could we have turned it to waste and avoided everything going in the pool? Yes , but we aren’t smart lol.

 

[Texas Splash]

There may have been no way to avoid this mess, but it's good to know what type of valve you have for backwash/waste should we have additional recommendations later.

 

[duraleigh]

Have you taken your leaf net and tried to get any solids off the bottom? I doubt you have any but you want to give that a try,

 

[PammyB]

Have you taken your leaf net and tried to get any solids off the bottom? I doubt you have any but you want to give that a try,

Doesn’t seem like there’s much ,there is a bunch of dirt on the stairs that came of a jet there , but the rest seems pretty mixed in at the moment , i fished around the bottom with the net and didn’t get much , just little pieces.

 

[PammyB]

Test results at some point would be good, mostly because we're looking at the FC level, but what other parameters are doing after the material has been in teh water for several hours.

I will test in the AM and post , test everything?

 

[Texas Splash]

, test everything?

Yes please

 

[PammyB]

The water looks much clearer today and i can see all the dirt settled on the bottom , I want to vacuum to waste , my husband usually does this and there’s a part I don’t understand - what does it mean to close all skimmer lines and main drain to 50%?
I thought once I turned the valve to waste it was just shooting out a different pipe bypassing everything , why do I need to close other lines?
picture of pipe setup attached.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello! If you want to vacuum to WASTE, all you should have to do it is the following:
1 - Turn off pump
2 - Attach manual vacuum to a vacuum port; presumably the skimmer hole opening
3 - Ensure skimmer suction valve is 100% open; you can close the drain valve all the way or most of the way so most water gets pulled through the vacuum/skimmer.
4 - Change MPV selector handle from FILTER to WASTE
5 - Turn on pump and vacuum to WASTE

Be careful at this point as the water level in the pool can fall quickly. Once you are done vacuuming, turn off the pump, remove the vacuum, put the MPV selector back to FILTER, re-open the main drain valve all the way if you wish, and turn on the pump.

That should be it.

 

[PammyB]

it seems like there is nothing to big in there small rocks and mostly dirt, is it okay to not vacuum a large amount of dirt to waste ? Is it okay to go through my filter ?

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it okay to go through my filter ?

Absolutely.

 

[PammyB]

No so terrible looking , can see the bottom , and will vaccum and backwash filter again today.
CYA less than 30 , was 30 before so I’m guessing after water loss and replacement it’s maybe 25?
PH 7.7
FC 11 ( after putting it up to 13 yesterday according to pool math so not so much loss, my CC reagent isn’t working I think because it’s old!)
TA 120
What to do now ?

 

[Texas Splash]

I would prepare to go into the SLAM Process. Lower the pH to about 7.2. Then add about 10 ppm of stabilizer to ensure your CYA is at least 30. from there, increase and maintain the FC of "12" as best as you can while doing all the cleaning tasks required. Maintain the SLAM level until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria. You're making good progress.

 

[PammyB]

I would prepare to go into the SLAM Process. Lower the pH to about 7.2. Then add about 10 ppm of stabilizer to ensure your CYA is at least 30. from there, increase and maintain the FC of "12" as best as you can while doing all the cleaning tasks required. Maintain the SLAM level until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria. You're making good progress.

Thank you will do. Dry stabilizer pack says to wait 24 hrs to add chlorine afterwards, can I ignore ?

 

[Texas Splash]

Dry stabilizer pack says to wait 24 hrs to add chlorine afterwards, can I ignore ?

Yes, ignore. If you are using granular stabilizer, let the sock soak to start making the granules soft and add the chlorine anytime you need to.