Dirty pool water after brushing - normal, or time to clean filter?

[jtb777]

Hi all,

I just brushed the steps, walls and floors of my pool and disturbed a bunch of dirt that I didn't know was there. The water is now cloudy & dirty-looking, but it was clear before the brushing. This is the first time in about a month that I've brushed because we've had a lot of heavy rain. Normally, I don't see all this dirt when I brush on a weekly basis.

My question: is it normal that all this dirt has accumulated, or is it a sign that I need to clean my filter? My filter was last cleaned about 5 months ago and the pressure was 12. Today, my pressure is 16.

I'm running my vacuum now to help clear the dirt. Is there anything else I should do to clean it?

Thanks for the help!

 

[DavidArmenB]

Are all your returns pointed downwards toward the floor? Perhaps not, because that tells me deeper water does not get circulated.

 

[kul]

I clean my filter every 6 months and it works out for me.

Regarding dirt, it’s pretty normal, especially if it’s been very windy and you haven’t brushed or vacuumed in a while. We have the Santa Ana winds down here and after a wind event it’s always a good idea to brush and vacuum.

 

[jtb777]

Are all your returns pointed downwards toward the floor? Perhaps not, because that tells me deeper water does not get circulated.

No, they're all pointed in a the same direction to circulate the water.

 

[jtb777]

I clean my filter every 6 months and it works out for me.

Regarding dirt, it’s pretty normal, especially if it’s been very windy and you haven’t brushed or vacuumed in a while. We have the Santa Ana winds down here and after a wind event it’s always a good idea to brush and vacuum.

Thank you. So maybe the excess dirt is both because of the recent weather and that it's approaching 6 months since the last cleaning?

I just wasn't sure if this is a sign that something's not working right. My first year taking care of a pool so a lot to learn. Thanks!

 

[shagymoe]

Could be some algae growth if your chlorine is low.

 

[kul]

From your logs, your chlorine levels look good. I recommend the following:
1. Brush/vacuum your pool
2. Clean filter
3. Monitor chlorine the next few days to see if there’s excessive usage or if you are pretty stable.

Also good work! The first year is fun because you get to see what your pool does in different conditions and what type of routine you need to keep.

 

[jsygrls]

My filter was last cleaned about 5 months ago and the pressure was 12. Today, my pressure is 16.

IMO , time to clean filter due to increase pressure reading.
Also you may want to post your latest test results.

Could be some algae growth if your chlorine is low.

If this ends up being what's going on, it wouldn't hurt to do the overnight test for chlorine loss.

 

[jtb777]

Could be some algae growth if your chlorine is low.

Today FC is 7.4 (CYA 60). I never let it go below 6.

 

[jtb777]

From your logs, your chlorine levels look good. I recommend the following:
1. Brush/vacuum your pool
2. Clean filter
3. Monitor chlorine the next few days to see if there’s excessive usage or if you are pretty stable.

Also good work! The first year is fun because you get to see what your pool does in different conditions and what type of routine you need to keep.

Thank you! What would be considered excessive chlorine usage? It's been colder here (between 30F to 60F), so I haven't had to add as much chlorine as I did during the summer. Appreciate the help!

 

[jtb777]

IMO , time to clean filter due to increase pressure reading.
Also you may want to post your latest test results.

If this ends up being what's going on, it wouldn't hurt to do the overnight test for chlorine loss.

Thank you! I'll get the filter cleaned.

Here are today's readings:
FC 7.4
CC 0.0
pH 7.8
TA 70
CH 400
CYA 60

 

[kul]

Thank you! What would be considered excessive chlorine usage? It's been colder here (between 30F to 60F), so I haven't had to add as much chlorine as I did during the summer. Appreciate the help!

Looking at your logs, it seems your chlorine is fine. Excessive for me in winter would be if it’s dropping by more than 1 every 1-2 days.
If you want to do an overnight chlorine test, that will tell you if you are having an issue.

Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

IMO at this point, seems your pool and filter just need to be cleaned.

 

[jtb777]

Looking at your logs, it seems your chlorine is fine. Excessive for me in winter would be if it’s dropping by more than 1 every 1-2 days.
If you want to do an overnight chlorine test, that will tell you if you are having an issue.

Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

IMO at this point, seems your pool and filter just need to be cleaned.

Really appreciate the help!

 

[proavia]

It's normal - 4 times the dirt accumulates in one month as opposed to one week.
Is there a reason you didn't run your cleaner when you weren't brushing for a month?
Running the cleaner should have kept the pool floor clean.

 

[jtb777]

It's normal - 4 times the dirt accumulates in one month as opposed to one week.
Is there a reason you didn't run your cleaner when you weren't brushing for a month?
Running the cleaner should have kept the pool floor clean.

Thanks! I do run the cleaner for 6 hours a day, which is why I was surprised so much dirt dislodged when I brushed it today.

 

[jsygrls]

Another thought. So when cleaning your filter, inspect it closely for wear and tear looking closley for any damage. Running a cleaner for 6 hours each day SHOULD be picking up that dirt/dust , that's assuming your cleaner id operating correctly

 

[jtb777]

Thanks for the info, and especially mentioning the cleaner. My vacuum wasn’t running this morning. I had to turn up the pool pump speed to get it to move. (This was after checking to make sure there wasn’t anything stuck at the bottom.)

 

[proavia]

What rpm are you running the pump at?
You will need to run at a higher rpm to get your suction side cleaner to pull dirt. At a low rpm there just isn't enough suction to suck the dirt in. Once the cleaner covers the entire pool at this higher rpm, you can turn the pump rpm down to save electricity for the remainder of the pump run time.

Running the pump at 1200 rpm - or even 1500 rpm - may not be sufficient to provide adequate cleaning.

 

[jtb777]

What rpm are you running the pump at?
You will need to run at a higher rpm to get your suction side cleaner to pull dirt. At a low rpm there just isn't enough suction to suck the dirt in. Once the cleaner covers the entire pool at this higher rpm, you can turn the pump rpm down to save electricity for the remainder of the pump run time.

Running the pump at 1200 rpm - or even 1500 rpm - may not be sufficient to provide adequate cleaning.

Hi, didn’t see this message until now — sorry! The cleaner setting is 2800 and pool 2750. Do these sound ok? That’s what was set when we got the house, and I have no idea if that’s correct or not. Thanks!

 

[proavia]

2800 is probably a good baseline when running the cleaner. How many hours per day does it run at this rpm? Maybe 4 hours are 2800rpm will be sufficient to clean your entire pool - but only you can tell if that's too long or not long enough. So, see if 4 hours is long enough and adjust up/down as needed to clean the pool to your satisfaction.

The rest of the run time can be at 1000-1200 rpm. That will reduce the electrical usage during that run time by a bit more than 75%. General rule of thumb is reduce the rpm by 1/2 which reduces the power consumption by 3/4. At 2800 rpm if watts/hr were 2000, at 1400 rpm watts would be about 500. As you can see, if you reduce the rpm by 50%, you can run the pump at that rpm twice as long and still save 50% of the electrical cost.

You need to run the pump at a high enough rpm to efficiently skim the pool surface. Many pools can run at 1000-1200 rpm and attain that.