Filter Issue?

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roxnatwist

roxnatwist

0
Sep 21, 2016
16
Coconut Creek/Florida
I am struggling to figure out my problem. I have a new Pleatco cartridge in my Hayward Swim Clear 150 filter but bought a new filter because the old one caused the same issue. I cleaned it Friday a week ago and my waterfall ran great. Turned it on this past Friday and all I get out of the waterfall is a trickle. My pool is two years old and until recently I only had to clean my filter about once a month. I’m having to clean the filter every week now or my waterfall won’t function. Pressure gauge reads 12. I can get the WF to work if I run my pump at full speed but then the pressure goes way up. Cleaned out a small amount of trash from the impeller but that didn’t help. I’m stumped and could use your advice before paying someone to come figure it out.
 
Does the pressure drop after you clean the filter?
Do you see debris?
Your symptoms would point me toward a chemistry problem
What test kit are you using?
What are your test results?
 
Rox,

I agree with Jason...

You don't have a filter problem, you have an algae problem, even if you can't see it..

Without test results, it will be hard for us to get you pointed in the right direction..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hi roxnatwist! I'd say "Welcome to TFP" but I see you've been here for a while, and your pool has been finished for a while. Have you been studying TFPC? Did you ever get one of the two recommend test kits? You've got two of the best TFP experts ready to help you, but you gotta help them first. They need you to test your water with either of those two kits and post the results here, like this (and in this order is handy):

FC - Free Chlorine
CC - Combined Chlorine
pH
TA - Total Alkalinity
CH - Calcium Hardness
CYA - Cyanuric Acid (stabilizer)
Borates - (if you are using borates)

Then they can better help you. If you don't have your kit yet, then hop on over to TFTestkits.net and get one right quick. If you've already got one, then do a full suite of tests and post 'em up.
 
There’s a pool store down the street from my house and I have been taking my water samples to them for about a year now. My chemistry is usually pretty close to dead-on. After testing, I usually have to add a cup of muriatic acid and 5-8 ounces of PhosTKO. Recently I added 2lbs of AlkUp but that’s about it. I had a pool service but fired the guy. After I fired him and had my water tested it was all screwed up and took me a while to get it balanced. I typically test it every Friday and add appropriate chemicals on Friday afternoon so we can enjoy the weekend. Water is crystal clear.
 
Pressure drops slightly after I clean the filter from around 12 down to 8-10. We have bamboo that is very messy so I skim constantly.(Can’t talk my wife into getting rid of them)
No debris sits in the pool longer than a day. I haven’t changed the routine at all, that’s why I’m stumped. I’ll get the water tested again and post the results. I failed chemistry in school and gave up on testing it myself.
 
The one parameter you didn't mention was chlorine.....BY FAR, the single most important element in your pool water.

Your issue is chemistry, not your filter.

We teach folks to take charge of their pool by doing their own testing and learning what to do with the results. Until you give up going to the pool store, we will not be of much help

Please read "The "ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School......it'll help get you started.
 
FYI, there is generally no need to be concerned about phosphates. I can't help but wonder if the PhosTKO which you are adding weekly (because you are trusting the pool $tore advice) might be clogging up your filter.

Until you decide to truly take control of your pool, and that means testing your own water, I am not sure there is much we can offer as mixing our advice and a pool store will just not likely work out.
 
The help that you're seeking from TFP is based on test results that you yourself acquire from one of only two recommended test kits. You're not going to get good advice (any, really) based on pool store test results. I can understand your reluctance to do your own testing, but I can assure you it's really quite easy. Most of the folks that come here seeking help, myself included, have followed the same path you're on. Pool guy doesn't take good care of the pool and water, and is expensive, so owner takes over and uses pool store, and the water is just as bad or worse and it's even more expensive, so they go online and eventually end up here.

TFP has a method for achieving fantastic water, with the least amount of effort at the lowest cost possible. But you can't get there with pool store test results. All you have to do is test the water yourself, post the results, and describe your problem. You can't skip any of those steps.

So if you want to give TFP a try, please purchase one of these kits, and get us a full set of results, and we can go from there.

As a hint, using pool store chemicals and methods, if what you've been doing is following the advice a pool store typically gives, is not sustainable. It works for a while, and then eventually fails. That is likely what is going on with your pool, which we'll be able to determine for sure with the test results.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Dave S,
Thanks for the info. You have convinced me to get away from the pool store and do the testing myself. Of the test kits mentioned, which would you personally recommend to someone who sucks at chemistry? I don’t mind spending more to get a better kit...I think it’ll be cheaper in the long run.
 

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Order a TF100 test kit
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the SpeedStir. It makes testing much easier.
 
which would you personally recommend to someone who sucks at chemistry?
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that you have 24/7 tech support right here on this forum.....unlike anything you have ever been part of. Don't worry about the chem.....we'll help you with every single step....promise!

I second what Marty says above.
 
When you read "The "ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School, start to get a grasp on WHY you are testing for those parameters. As promised, you will get all the help you need, usually within a few minutes.
 
Okay. Bought the test kit and did my first test. A little intimidating the first time but not as bad as I thought. Here's what I came up with:
FC= 6
pH= 7.8
TA=90
CH=350
CYA=60
Salt= 3100
It seems like I'm in decent shape and just need a tweak. My filter was dirty...again, after a week. I will be adding the recommended chemicals but in the meantime, any opinions on where I stand right now?
 
Not bad. Next time you do the FC test, do the CC test, too. It’s a clue to your water’s algae content, which can be an invisible cause of frequent filter clogging. Acceptable CC is 0.5 or less.

Compare your test results to TFP recommended levels for your type of pool for info about how to tweak your levels.
 
While you are at it, read up up on performing an OCLT (Overnight Free Chlorine Loss Test) Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

It is easy enough to carry out and will give you a fairly definitive answer as to whether you have any algae lurking around in your pool.
 
Just so I'm clear on this...there can be an algae problem even if the pool is crystal clear? And one other thing I'm not sure of, I live in Ft Lauderdale and my pool isn't screened. We don't really have a bug problem because we're fairly close to the beach and get some of the sea breeze. Occasionally, not on a regular basis, the surface of the water will be covered with what looks like thousands of dead gnats. Some are so small they go through my skim net. I'm guessing they eventually make it to the bottom and are sucked up by my cleaner. I have regular exterior pest control and this doesn't happen all the time but it's the only other thing I could think of that might be affecting my system. Your thoughts and feedback are greatly appreciated.
 
Just so I'm clear on this...there can be an algae problem even if the pool is crystal clear?
Click to expand...
That's correct. Algae starts in your pool (most of the time) completely invisible and often "dulls" or "hazes" the water before turning green. Lot's of different species of algae, all a little different.

Tell us how dirty your filter was. Did your pressure on the gauge rise? What does your water look like right now?
 
Your knats would be 1000s of dead animals in your water, in effect increasing bather load and definitely affecting FC levels as the pool's chlorine goes to work on them. When you have these events, you'd need to test your FC and dose accordingly to keep the level up.

And if they get past your skimming and end up in the filter, they'd still be using up chlorine, the process doesn't stop just because they're no longer in your main body of water. Same goes for all organic material that's caught in your filter, it's all still burning chlorine and affecting your FC level, until the chlorine oxidizes it, or until you clean your filter.
 

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