Cloudy weeks into SLAM added DE...

[512emily]

Hello all!

Struggled with our new pool last season, did a terrible job over the colder months and started out this year as a TFP devotee, already spreading the gospel!

We started our SLAM a few weeks ago. First got our PH down to 7.2. Initial CYA tests weren't reliable (so we were slamming at 31 thinking it was 80). Since vacuuming, a few storms and lots of backwashing and adding fresh water we're pretty positive it's in the 40s, rounding up to 50. Now we're keeping FC at 20. Using new reagent as well, so thinking the combination of old reagent and lack of experience caused us to get 80.

We've been pretty dang consistent, but not perfect, some days we've only tested and added twice, but most days (and the last 5 at least) we've tested at least 5 times a day and keeping it at shock level. CC has been .5 for a few days.

For about 10 days we've been totally blue, but very very cloudy. Like can't see my hand more than a foot down. Trying to remain patient and trust the process and avoid clarifier, although the Amazon reviews are tempting, I keep coming back here and talking myself out of it.

We knew that the guy that installed our hayward sand filter last year used quikcrete sand, so we switched to pool store sand hoping that might help last week after reading stories about bad quikcrete sand.

I bought DE and we added 1/4 cup diluted in water into skimmer basket. PSI has been consistently around 19. Just 1/4 cup made it quickly go up to 25 so we backwashed and it went back to 19. A few hours later decided to add more to try to get to 20, and it shot back up to 25 again. Backwashed again.

So then I realized that when I turned off filter to backwash, PSI only went to 10 when it was off. Not 0. So I guess I'm buying a new gadget.

A few questions for the brilliant experts:

Since I can't reliably check my PSI should I just backwash out the DE to avoid issues until new gauge arrives?

How can I test to see what other issues may be causing cloudy water if I'm mid SLAM?

Is it completely abnormal to be bright blue but so cloudy for over 2 weeks?

What else am I missing?

I really want to stay the course and solve this with liquid chlorine and DE, but I'm getting pretty discouraged and wonder at what point I try clarifier. Also unclear on what else I could mess up by using clarifier, I just know it's discouraged here.

Thanks for reading all my troubles! Y'all are the best and reading these forums and pool school finally made it all click after a really befuddled first season!

 

[512emily]

Update this AM. Just passed OCLT and .5 CC.

 

[V___25]

Hi and welcome! Can you post a pic of the pool? If your water is cloudy, then continue the SLAM. Are you using PoolMath to log results? If so, can you share your logs with us? What are you using to chlorinate the pool? Have you added anything else to it?
Sand filters are notoriously slow so they do take longer.

Let's see if we can troubleshoot this before resorting to clarifiers

 

[newdude]

Hey Emily !!! The SLAM is really a 2 part fight. A kill and then remove, process. Sand filters are notoriously slow for the filtering part, and to be fair to your filter, it's only had a week of pool sand in it. To be fair to you, you've been at it a few weeks and I feel your frustration.

Once you get a new gauge you can use DE to speed it along but will also need frequent backwashing. Maybe a couple hours or maybe 20 mins. The gauge will tell you.

At this stage you keep the FC up just because. You made all that progress and don't want to lose any. But it generally holds well and doesn't require much attention while you play the filter game.

Keep us posted.

 

[512emily]

Thanks y'all! Really appreciate your comments.

Adding photos from yesterday evening and just now.

Have been using Pool Math everyday (many times a day!) But not logging as I've just been using it to calculate the necessary chlorine to keep at SLAM level. Using Pool Essentials 10% chlorine.

Last additions were muriatic acid and cyanuric acid before starting SLAM 3 weeks ago to get CYA up and PH down.

I think I'm still confused on the DE. Add enough to get 1 psi point over the baseline, but as it increases, backwash at 25% over baseline.. At that point am I clearing out the DE and should I add more? Or is it a one time addition?

How should I be monitoring my psi since adding DE until I get a new gauge installed? It's been pretty consistent at 19, and then always drops to 10 when turned off. Does that mean it's a lil accurate since its consistent at least?

Current
FC 20
CC .5
P.H. was 7.2 when we started SLAM, have not checked recently
CYA 50

 

[PoolStored]

Can you post pic of pump & filter?

 

[512emily]

Here is the filter. The pump is a 1.5HP Hayward Power Flo LX.

adding a photo of my hand with my arm elbow deep to show the cloudiness. Essentially no visible improvement in cloudiness in the last week or longer.

FC dropped from 20ppm to 19ppm in 4 hours.

 

[cowboycasey]

You are all over it.. > Add enough to get 1 psi point over the baseline, but as it increases, backwash at 25% over baseline.. Backwash, add DE and repeat the procedure..

Consistency in the pressure gauge is a great thing... As long as it reads the same with the pump off and reads about the same after backwash it will be just fine.. I would still replace it though...

As you have seen sand filters are really easy but they take the longest to clear a pool but it will get there..

 

[cowboycasey]

Is that a 16 inch sand filter? it is small so it will take longer to clear the pool... The DE will speed the process up

 

[512emily]

Thanks Casey! Yes, 16". In my mind it's a large filter because it's so much more than these AGPs come with. How do people even manage with those??!

Appreciate you giving more insight on the DE! That makes sense. We'll keep it up. The new gauge should arrive tomorrow.

Wondering if rain and adding tap water could have increased the PH...would that affect the cloudiness as well? Should I let FC drop a bit to test it again?

Seriously this is the best forum ever! I wish there was a forum as good as this for all of life's little struggles. Appreciate everyone's kind words and expertise. Feeling much more confident in the process and I'm hopeful I can return this unopened bottle of clarifier I bought in a moment of weakness...

 

[cowboycasey]

Do not worry about the PH till your SLAM is over, it will be fine... You are right about filters, I think big sand filters start at Pentair TR100 that hold 600 pounds of sand.. My friend had one and he could go 2 months without backwashing..

 

[512emily]

I'm back! And still at it.

Got the new gauge installed today, and running after backwash it sits at 10psi. Yesterday with the broken gauge we did a few runs with 1/4cup DE, but could only get about 20-30 minutes before pressure shot up and we backwashed.

Today with new gauge I've done a couple more cycles but it increases 25% still within 20-30 minutes with just a 1/4 cup.

Is this to be expected? So much small particle buildup that the DE is catching so much so quickly to shoot up? Am I going to be adding DE and backwashing every half hour for the rest of my life? Losing steam but still trying!

 

[newdude]

Is this to be expected? So much small particle buildup that the DE is catching so much so quickly to shoot up?

Exactly that. You are catching hours worth of sand filtering in minutes. But the drawback is the babysitting. Well worth the progress IMO.

 

[Pool94]

Curious to what your success with adding the DE will be. I'm pretty much in the same boat right now with my 33' round AG pool. SLAMed for over a week and have the same cloudy blue water you show here.

 

[cowboycasey]

That is why adding DE to a sand filter works so well.. It catches so much more gunk faster than without.. It could take 12 hours to catch the same amount with just sand... instead of 2 or 3 weeks filtering it may only be a week..

 

[512emily]

Well, to add to this saga, the pool guy who set us up had us plugging the pump/filter into an extension cord from a dedicated gfci plug on the electrical pole less than 10 feet from the pole. That's the set up the previous homeowner (who owned an electrical company ) was using to run it. So we ASSumed it was alright.

The frequent backwashing (unplugging and plugging the pump) was causing a bunch of arcing and burning up the plug. ACK! read all I could here on the forums and realized thats not how I wanna die...

Continuing the SLAM without DE for now, just running pump 24/7. Waiting on an electrician to come out Wednesday and get us set up safely, and then we'll resume with DE.

Any recommendations for a good intermatic timer? Assuming he'll just run conduit and put the plug close enough for the pump to plug in? Should we get an on/off switch installed? Build some sort of cover for the whole setup?

Feeling a bit discouraged because I thought we were getting so close and the chemistry was all finally making sense, and then realizing that I've been testing fate with a janky electric setup makes me feel crazy. I just want to get it right this year! Might go broke though! Sure ready to swim and relax instead of just bleeding money and time!

 

[newdude]

I read all I could here on the forums and realized thats not how I wanna die

I wholeheartedly agree.

Hang tight for timer advice. I ran 24/7 so I had summertime and wintertime. I know that timers are a thing. Other than that.........

 

[MITBeta]

Doesn't the pump have a switch on it? Often it's underneath the end opposite where the water goes.