Deep clean or sand replacement

[poolcrazed]

Hello, We replaced our liner last fall and got city water from a hydrant which wasn't sufficiently flushed. After vacuuming (not to waste which was maybe a mistake) many times over about a week, all the particulates stopped falling to the bottom. Of course, I backwashed and rinsed a lot. Everything looks good right now, crystal clear, but the water pressure has been about 20 ever since we got a new motor last spring. I don't think it significantly increased after all the vacuuming last fall. We got new sand at about year 7 and now we're at year 16. Except for the last year, I used to let out quite a bit of water each fall so the filter got a mega backwash/rinse then but I'm wondering if we should attempt a deep cleaning, or if you think we should replace the sand given all the particulates that were in the new water. I have read through some of the old posts about the pitfalls of changing the sand from breaking laterals to getting the new sand blowing into the pool, to not getting the right sand. We would do the deep cleaning ourselves but I'd hire a pool place to do the sand replacement- though despite their good recommendations, I might still be concerned about getting the work done.
To get the pressure back down, I clearly need to do one or the other. Backwashing doesn't bring it back down at this point. What would you advise? I'd rather not do anything to potentially take the pool out of operation during this heat spell and am assuming I can run without damaging anything at 20 # of pressure? I would rather not wait until I start getting cloudy water, though, so trying to balance it all. Many, many thanks.

 

[poolcrazed]

Hello, I have had two batches in a row of weak chlorine. I can see that instead of raising the pool 1 ppm with 25 oz, I need 50. (My CYA is about 35.) I live in a fairly rural area so my store options are minimal. The local Agway stores their cubes outside, the pool store which keeps them inside doesn't get deliveries often (maybe once a month) and it's about $40 for 5 gallons (they get hit with high delivery fees so he has to pass them on). Why are there no pucks on the market without cya? They just wouldn't hold their potency? I read that lithium hypochlorite would be good but expensive, but I don't see where one could even purchase this? Since my cya is lowish and calcium is about 175, I am tempted to take a break from the liquid chlorine, especially with the heat wave we are having. Does calcium build up super quickly if I were to go that route? Other ideas welcome! Thanks.

 

[Texas Splash]

Some questions for you:
- What particulates are we talking about? Iron, dirt, something else?
- Can you post a full set of water test results?

Sand doesn't ordinarily just go bad. It remains the same unless someone compromises it with a bad store product like floc or clarifier. If all you've ever added was chlorine, stabilizer, acid, and winterizing product like RV antifreeze and Poly 60 algaecide, the sand should be fine. A deep clean might just be what you need. But that's also why I ask about a full set if test results because if your water is still plagued with organics from opening, no amount of filtering will solve the issue.

 

[Texas Splash]

I have had two batches in a row of weak chlorine. I can see that instead of raising the pool 1 ppm with 25 oz, I need 50. (My CYA is about 35.)

Can you tell us the date on those chlorine bottles you've been using? While we can't help you with a source of chlorine, this post may be related to the previous question above which is related to water testing. If your water is still heavy with organics from winter, the chlorine will get used-up extremely fast and give you the impression you have bad chlorine but you don't.

Posting some water test results is be a good start. Also, did you perform a SLAM Process when you opened the pool this year?

 

[poolcrazed]

There are no dates. It comes in a lightproof blue cube. I was told it had been received from the closeby supplier just a few days before. (The first batch was from Agway which stores them outside. That seemed very weak.) But the pool store has AC. And theoretically it was fairly fresh, not months old or even many weeks old even. I have talked to the supplier and they are filling containers daily. (unfortunately they are an hour away).
I did not SLAM this spring. I got new water in the fall and closed around 7ppm if remembering correctly. I didn't want to blast my new liner! This spring with so little CYA (20ish), I used dichlor to open to about 10ppm.
The water is crystal clear. I have had two slightly hazy days with much fine pollen and other stuff hitting the water. I used a small amount of a leftover filter enhancer (bioguard product now replaced with Sparkle Up. Thoroughly backwashed and rinsed afterwards. Clarity returned.
I added liquid stabilizer earlier but may still add more depending on things are holding.
Currently I am FC 3, TC 3.5, ALK 110, CYA ~35.
I am watching it like a hawk to see how the chlorine is holding and if the strength seems like it has in the past. Previously 25oz in my pool per day raised it 1ppm. This batch is more like 50 oz to raise it 1 ppm.
There could have been iron in the water particulates when we first filled the new liner. Looked and felt like what I'd expect iron to be- lots of little sand/pebbles, too.
The pool is sparkly clear at the moment.
I am just wondering about doing a deep clean now before trouble comes given I haven't done it specifically in all these years though I have run MUCH water through it at end of each season (except for the last-emptied the level very little). I don't know if the higher pressure (19-20) is bc of sand or bc of new motor. It was like that last year (so I assumed then it was bc it was a new motor).
thanks.

 

[1poolman1]

Hello, We replaced our liner last fall and got city water from a hydrant which wasn't sufficiently flushed. After vacuuming (not to waste which was maybe a mistake) many times over about a week, all the particulates stopped falling to the bottom. Of course, I backwashed and rinsed a lot. Everything looks good right now, crystal clear, but the water pressure has been about 20 ever since we got a new motor last spring. I don't think it significantly increased after all the vacuuming last fall. We got new sand at about year 7 and now we're at year 16. Except for the last year, I used to let out quite a bit of water each fall so the filter got a mega backwash/rinse then but I'm wondering if we should attempt a deep cleaning, or if you think we should replace the sand given all the particulates that were in the new water. I have read through some of the old posts about the pitfalls of changing the sand from breaking laterals to getting the new sand blowing into the pool, to not getting the right sand. We would do the deep cleaning ourselves but I'd hire a pool place to do the sand replacement- though despite their good recommendations, I might still be concerned about getting the work done.
To get the pressure back down, I clearly need to do one or the other. Backwashing doesn't bring it back down at this point. What would you advise? I'd rather not do anything to potentially take the pool out of operation during this heat spell and am assuming I can run without damaging anything at 20 # of pressure? I would rather not wait until I start getting cloudy water, though, so trying to balance it all. Many, many thanks.

New motor or new complete pump? That makes a difference. Just a motor replacement won't change the flow of a pump.
A new and different type of pump (high-head instead of medium), and just being new can change the pressure in a system.
If you have not added sand in the last 9 years, your tank is probably low. That S-244T usually requires a 50# bag every 5 years or so to replace what is lost during the backwash.

 

[Texas Splash]

Based on everything since opening, I would recommend doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test just to be sure algae is not an issue. Your FC is on the low side per the FC/CYA Levels. I would increase the FC to about 6-7 ppm then do the OCLT.

 

[poolcrazed]

New motor or new complete pump? That makes a difference. Just a motor replacement won't change the flow of a pump.
A new and different type of pump (high-head instead of medium), and just being new can change the pressure in a system.
If you have not added sand in the last 9 years, your tank is probably low. That S-244T usually requires a 50# bag every 5 years or so to replace what is lost during the backwash.

It was just a new motor. Thank you for that info on the sand. I don't want to jinx myself, but for now, it is filtering perfectly. I would prefer to do a deep clean or new sand in the fall if possible bc I have many plants nearby that might not appreciate that operation. Is your recommendation then to do a deep clean and add sand. How would I know exactly how much to add. I did not ever think about the sand loss....