cloudy water after storm runoff - broken skimmer

[norcalpool1]

San Francisco bay area has been seeing a lot of storms lately. I noticed that water was getting into the pool at the skimmer through a crack.

The ground is saturated with all the rain. Water under the concrete deck finds its way to the crack in the skimmer and drops into the pool. So, even though the rainfall is about 1" or 2" in the area, the pool seems to get more rise.

The water is very cloudy

FC: 1.5 (added a gallon of Chlorine now. Yesterday and today are the first times the temperature has gone upto 56 degrees F. All this while the pool water stayed at about 49 or so).
CC: 0.5
PH: 7.8
TA: 90
CYA: 40 (was 20 or so a couple of months ago and I added stabilizer using the sock method.. more rain is expected and I will have to drain the pool a little bit)
CH: 250 (last summer, it was 400-500)
Water Temperature: 56 deg F
CSI: -0.20

I haven't seen any algae growth except today. When there is algae I would see it because it is distinctly yellow and quite obvious. I vacuumed the pool with a hose connected to the main pool filter. There is still some dirt at the bottom of the pool and I need to vac the pool surface again to remove the other 10-20% still left.

The water is now just cloudy now. I plan to clean the filter within the next two days.

Questions:
- will a clean filter help remove the microscopic dust that may be suspended in the water?
- If the particles are too small for the filter, what are my other options? I read that there are "flocculants" (that cannot be used with the cartridge filter), and "clarifiers" ? Are they effective?

 

[HermanTX]

Questions:
- will a clean filter help remove the microscopic dust that may be suspended in the water?
- If the particles are too small for the filter, what are my other options? I read that there are "flocculants" (that cannot be used with the cartridge filter), and "clarifiers" ? Are they effective?

Continued circulation will help reduce the cloudiness. Clean filter as required when it rises 25% above operating pressure. So if normally at 20psi and it rises to 25psi then time to clean the filter. This is measureed at a specific rpm so ensure you check it when the VS Pump is at the same rpm when you initially check it.

Do not use flocculants. Try to put a hairnet on the skimmer basket. They are effective to catch small particles. You may need to change out daily. Can buy on Amazon or the more expensive ones at a pool store.

 

[ajw22]

- will a clean filter help remove the microscopic dust that may be suspended in the water?

Yes, in time. Be patient.

- If the particles are too small for the filter, what are my other options?

I doubt the particles are too small for the filter. If your cartridge filter is in good shape it should capture particles down to 10 microns

I read that there are "flocculants" (that cannot be used with the cartridge filter), and "clarifiers" ? Are they effective?

Patience is recommended not these...

Flocculant - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Clarifier - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[norcalpool1]

I cleaned the filter and the pump has been running at ~25gpm/1600rpm. Water is still cloudy after 24 hours of pump running. The pressure before cleaning was well below the minimum required level as marked on the gauge, but nevertheless was higher than the pressure at the same RPM when the filter was cleaned last time, by 20-25%. I didn't notice any damage to the cartridges while cleaning and hopefully there indeed is none. I will wait for a couple of more days and update the thread with observations.

 

[HermanTX]

The pressure before cleaning was well below the minimum required level as marked on the gauge, but nevertheless was higher than the pressure at the same RPM when the filter was cleaned last time, by 20-25%.

Show a picture of the gauge. Also, does the gauge go to zero when pump is turned off?
If you clean your filter then note the pressure reading at a set RPM and that becomes the baseline.

 

[norcalpool1]

Here is an update. It has been about 2 weeks since I cleaned the filter. I did not add any products like clarifiers or flocculants.

I left the fitler to run at 1600rpm (~25gpm) for about 12 hours a day. I'd say that water is now mostly clear - perhaps 95% of the clarity is back. The filter seems to have removed the silt for the most part over a period of about 7-10 days.

After the pump has stopped running for a few hours, some dust/dirt settles at the bottom of the pool, which are too small for the cordless and silt-bagged vacuum I am using to clean the floor. I am going to use the suction vacuum in a few days to attempt to clear up that remaining dust.

I attached a picture of the pressure gauge, at 1600rpm, the pressure is at 3.5psi. When the pump is not running, the pressure drops to zero. Before cleaning the filter, the pressure was higher but not much more, only 20-25% higher, 4-5 psi).

(The plastic cover on the pressure gauge is UV-damaged and has been so since 2 or 3 years after it was installed. Nowadays, I use an empty yogurt container as a cover. )

 

[ajw22]

I attached a picture of the pressure gauge, at 1600rpm, the pressure is at 3.5psi. When the pump is not running, the pressure drops to zero. Before cleaning the filter, the pressure was higher but not much more, only 20-25% higher, 4-5 psi).

That all sounds normal.