Hey there Earl, conga-rats on the new house!
Your sand filter may just be dirty- have you opened it up and taken a look inside?? A good sand deep clean is warranted also since you don't know what those *other people* may have done to the pool, amirite?
This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...
www.troublefreepool.com
What you need to know is the base filter pressure when clean, then only backwash when the pressure rises 25%. We say that because a "slightly" dirty filter actually helps the filter work.
Now as to your cloudy water- that is a chemistry problem, not a filtering problem. How are you testing you water??
We need to know (from a TFP approved kit) these elements:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt if applicable
Two approved test kits- TF-100/TF-100Pro or Taylor K-2006C
www.tftestkits.net for first, Amazon for latter. I prefer the TF-100
How did the *other people* sanitize the pool? We hope they avoided pool store potions and lotions and icky things that mess up a pool more than help one. Any idea what they used? Did they leave anything behind we can see?
How do YOU want to chlorinate your pool?
Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com
GIve us more info on the pool. Its equipment, size, type of pool, chemicals used, testing, ect. That's gonna help us figure this out.
Thanks.
Maddie