First time pool owner, have an awful time and need advice on drain issue

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DanielleOv

DanielleOv

0
Jul 6, 2018
53
East Brunswick, nj
Here are my stats:
Inground pool
20x40
only skimmer line working
ton of debris, mostly removed (hard to see)
sand filter
new pump
Opened 6/18, went from brown to green
most recently put 5 gallons of shock and it rained so we are in a chlorine block as they said. Waiting to see if anything changes by tomorrow night.

we are unsure if it’s just chemical issues or the fact that only one line is working and not getting to bottom of pool. It was disgusting and we have thrown so much money at it so far, causing a lot of tension in our house because we have two little ones and this is sucking the life out of us. We feel like our pool company just wants to take our money and we’ve been falling for it but we are tired and need some honest help in figuring this out.

what next steps would you take!?

Help a struggling momma of 2 out :/
 
Hello and welcome! :wave: I'm going to give you some items below to consider as you work to clear that water for the family:
- You must have a proper test kit. A TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C (see below) is what we recommend because you'll have to test the water a lot in the early stages to clear any algae.
- We clear algae following the SLAM Process process. It's not a one time shock event. It can takes days to a week or two depending on the amount of algae and material in the water. One of the test kits I mentioned is a must.
- You have to remove any junk in the pool. The fact that only the skimmer is operational is no problem, but you have to brush and sweep to stir-up everything and ensure there are no piles or leaves and junk below.
- We use regular bleach to maintain the proper SLAM/Shock level during a SLAM. See the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. That's critical, and only the proper test kit can help you ensure you are meeting that elevated FC level.

SO that's a short taste of how we remove algae from the water. By using a proper test kit, we increase the FC level, based on the current stabilizer (CYA) level as noted on that [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA], and we perform a SLAM Process. We can help you and coach you all the way through, but it really starts with one of those test kits. So take a look at all that info and also the Vital Links below in my signature and let us know if you have any questions.
 
Welcome! :wave:

Question: how do you know only one skimmer is working? Is there a valve that won't move? Or maybe a valve that moves but when you move it, the pump starves? Or is it that you only have one skimmer and that's the only place you see water moving? It makes a difference... you may have a main drain that is plumbed less-than-obvious. I just don't feel like typing a bunch and going into a bunch of details until I know.
 
Most pool stores do not carry these kits, but you can order online. The TF 100 usually ships pretty quick. You can google Taylor K2006 to find a retailer for it.

There are plenty of pools that only have a skimmer and return and we are able to help them clear their pools and keep them clear. Once you are able to post test results we can help you get started.
 
We feel like our pool company just wants to take our money and we’ve been falling for it but we are tired and need some honest help in figuring this out.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a pool store, or pool professional in the business that will clear your pool up?

A few items:

1) Please add your signature.
2) Please upload pictures of your equipment pad (where all your filter, pump, etc. is located).
3) A few pictures of the pool

And as you have seen, a test kit is necessary in order to start the process of cleaning up your pool. You will need to babysit the pool for the first few days until the water grows from green to cloudy. Also, order the XL option, extra blue spoons, and a few extra vials, plus magnets for the speed stir. You will regret not spending the extra $10 so you do not have to constantly rinse vials out when performing all the tests. In addition, magnets and blue spoons can be lost quickly.
 
Thanks! Gonna take photos now

im on my own w this because my husband wants nothing to do w it, too frustrated. So I need all the help I can get.

when you say babysit, how many hours of the day? I have a 3 and 1 year old and don’t want to lose the summer w them. We’ve already lost about 3 weeks.

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The other issue I’m having is, we can’t fogure out how to use the vaccuum. Husband tried and something keeps going wrong. So we aren’t able to get the dirt from the deep end out
 
DanielleOv said:
when you say babysit, how many hours of the day?
Click to expand...

- Test the FC level and add enough chlorine to bring FC up to shock level
- Test and adjust chlorine levels as frequently as practical, but not more than once per hour, and not less than twice a day. Chlorine additions should be frequent, especially at the beginning. Algae and other organic debris will consume chlorine very rapidly at first. As things progress, you will lose less chlorine each cycle and can add chlorine less frequently.
- Brush and/or vacuum the entire pool once a day
- Backwash or clean the filter as needed
- Vacuum up debris as needed
 
By babysitting the pool he means that when you start the slam the first day you will need to test the FC every hour until there is a drop of only a couple of ppm. In the early stages of a slam you will lose FC very quickly. The first few doses of bleach to slam level may see most of it gone within an hour. For example if you have a slam level of 16 ppm for FC, you add enough bleach to reach 16 ppm. An hour later test FC again. You may see it has lost most of the FC and you now have 4 ppm. Raise the FC back to 16ppm and come back in an hour to test again. Again Fc is around 4 ppm. Raise it back up to 16 ppm, wait an hour, and repeat testing. Continue until you find you are holding the majority of your FC. So if the next test shows you have 9 ppm of FC, raise it to 16 ppm and come test in 2 hours. The longer the FC holds the longer you can go between tests.

Try to start a slam when you have a day or two that you can stay close to home, so you can run out, grab a quick sample of water and run the tests inside where you can keep an eye on the kids. If you need to leave the house for a while it won't hurt anything, it just adds a little more time to complete the slam process. We have found that the majority of algae is killed the first couple of days if you test and dose the pool frequently. Filtering the dead algae out takes longer.

When you post your pictures you can use a photo hosting service like imgur. Just click on the little icon that looks like a framed picture of a tree, or copy and paste your image link from the hosting service into your post.

Can you post a picture of how you are trying to vacuum and describe what happens? We can help you trouble shoot this issue while waiting on the test kit to arrive.
 
Ok, here are the photos of the pool. The issue with the vaccuum is that I guess since there are still a ton of leaves we have to stop after only about 5 minutes to start the process over again, re-prime the pool, etc. VERY labor intensive so not sure if that's normal but again- this is draining our energy level. Tomorrow we have some extra hands to help w this so that's good. So now we're vacuuming (blind) the shallow end and I guess just mixing up the algae and other small particles.

Also, I was advised to use Super Floc to help get the solid stuff down to the bottom. Should we do that now?

IMG_5769.jpgIMG_5770.jpgIMG_5783.jpgIMG_5779.jpg
 

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I can't post any more pics (quota) so you can't see the area where we have the pump and filter, how important is that?

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Trying to buy this kit but can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two. I want to just get on amazon today or find a local retailer. I called one place and it was a no go.
 
Do not use floc! You have to be able to vacuum to waste to use it. What kind of filter do you have?

If you have a lot of leaves the best thing to do is to get a pool leaf net and scoop them all out. You will have to scoop blind but it is better than having to shut off the pump every minute or two to empty baskets, and you run the risk of clogging your suction lines when there is heavy leaf debris. If any of your friends have a pool and can bring an extra net and pole that would help while you have extra hands available.

Use imgur to host your photos, or become a TFP supporter to increase your quota. Imgur is very easy to use.

The TF 100 is available from TFTestkits.net I would get the XL option so you have enough reagents to get through the SLAM Process process. The TF 100 kit has larger bottles or reagents than the Taylor K2006C. The Taylor K2006C is usually available on Amazon and other online retailers.

I know you are probably getting a lot of different advice from different sources, and that can lead to confusion and frustration. It is best to stick with one source of information, since mixing TFP methods and pool store methods doesn't work very well. Right now you have a swamp to clear. First thing to do is order a test kit. Second is to physically remove all the solid debris that you can. Third is to start killing the algae. Floc doesn't kill algae, and it won't help with all the solid debris currently on the bottom of your pool. Floc chemically binds small particles into a solid clump and drops them to the pool floor to be vacuumed to waste. You cannot vacuum floc to the filter as it will mess it up. Trying to vacuum floc and heavy leaf debris will be even more difficult than just vacuuming leaves. If you don't have a leaf net you will need to get one. You can get one from a pool store or any hardware store that carries pool supplies.
 
Hi!

We have the leaf net and that leaf one that connects to the hose. We have already removed about 20 bags of leaves from the pool. On Friday, we scooped out about 4 more bags and then it turns to mostly dirt. Today, I've been vaccuuming the shallow end to just get things moving and started. We will try again tonight to get to the center of the pool but its hard and heavy and we're blind but we will keep trying until we don't see any. Technically, we can still vacuum to waste we just haven't done it yet (just learned about that). I wanted to start doing that so it's not messing with the pump, isn't that still a good idea?

This is the filter-Hayward Pro Series: S244T

So you're saying, I have to kill all the algae first before using something like Floc? z

I'm going to buy the TF-100 XL with the extra spoons and the magnet thing?? Is that all I need?

Lastly, This probably won't show up until wed or thursday. I was planning to visit our pool store again today to get it tested and see what they say. Should I still follow their suggestions and then when the kit arrives work on the SLAM process with you guys?




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Oh gosh, forgot another question. Is it possible for the pool to start to clear up with any dirt/leaves in the pool? I feel like I'm spinning my wheels with the chemicals if the dirt and leaves are still in there.

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Imgur: The magic of the Internet
 
Without seeing, how will we know? I feel like once we get one pocket and think it's over then we find another pile. But I'm glad you pointed that out because we have spent alot of money on chemicals and I rather not if we that's a definite thing.

So I assume by leaf, you also mean the dirt, right?
 
Scooping out stuff causes it to move around, so you will miss some of it each time you go at it. When you have scooped enough so that the next time you come back later and try to scoop up more and you don't really get anything solid you can start vacuuming to waste again. When you vacuum to waste it by-passes the sand bed in the filter so it won't clog up as fast. The more debris you can remove the more effective the chlorine will be on the algae. You don't have to wait until all the debris is out and you can keep scooping after you start the slam.

Do not follow any pool store advice. Stock up on liquid chlorine, either chlorinating liquid from the pool aisle or plain, unscented bleach without fabric protectors. You can have them test a sample of the water if you want, but we have found that pool store testing is not very reliable. Until your test kit arrives add a gallon of liquid chlorine every evening and continue to brush and vacuum the pool. Vacuum before adding chlorine when you need to vacuum.
 
Ok, I'll follow this advice and sit tight until the kit arrives and just add 1 gallon of chlorine a night, vacuum the shallow end, scoop out the center as much as possible.

Some more questions for you:

1--Our breaker keeps tripping, electrician said it's not the power. He's blaming the pump. The pool company we used said it's the electric. Has anyone had this happen? Should we try to get a replacement from hayward? (just purchased in June, not even a month old). The electricians theory was that if we turn the pump off all day and the breaker doesn't trip that proves its not the electric. Is that true? Does that make sense? This adds to the frustration because it trips about once a day at this point so we lose all that time PLUS the lack of the drain.

2--With allllll of that said, is there any hope (you can be honest) of getting this pool clear for a party on 7/29 for two full time working folks that really only get to work on this at night for about an hour and on the weekend (spotty due to the kids). I wan't to know if I should just give up hope and embrace that this pool won't be viable until August (just in time to close it, ha).

Thanks!
 
I'm going to ask someone with more electrical experience to help you with the pump issue, however that sounds odd to me. How long does it run before it trips the breaker? Can you post a picture of the information on the pump motor so we can read it? Also a picture of the breaker box could be helpful if you know which breaker the pump is wired to.

I can't guarantee when the pool will be clear. A lot depends on how often you get to work on it and how the pool responds. We typically say a working person's slam schedule should be add bleach first thing in the morning, right after work, after dinner, and just before bed.
 
D,

Most pump failures that trip a breaker do so almost instantaneously... You turn it on and it trips.

A GFCI breaker can trip for other issues such as moisture at some connection.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that leaving the pump off is going to tell you anything for sure.

Tell us more... Since this is an AG pool, is the pump just plugged into a GFCI outlet or is it hard wired?

Is the pump wired for 115 volts or 220 volts??

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hi Jim,

I'm not sure of those answers, I'll ask my husband when he gets back. But what I do know is that we had everything redone FOR the pool. So the pool power is running on it's own circuit along with a light. I don't know exactly when it trips because it will be on when we leave for work and off when we get home so it can be anytime in those 8 hours, same with sleeping...on at night and then wake up and off. We thought it was the super hot days we were having lately but today its cool and it still tripped.

This is the pump we have: hayward super pump SP2607X10
I think it's a GFCI outlet and I think it's 220V

If our electrician is saying all is fine, not sure who else to turn to because the company that opened the pool is saying it's not them. Getting another pool company out here has been a task because everyone is so busy and no time for new clients.

As for the time it takes to do the SLAM. I'm thinking that the kit will arrive on Wed. I can try to work from home on Thursday and Friday to stay on top of this if you think someone should keep a close eye on it.
 

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