Hello,
I purchased a house last October with an IG pool and just had it opened for the first time on 5/19. When the company came to open the pool the water level was about 6 inches below the skimmer opening, I was told this was due to my use of the sump pump that drained the water off of my safety cover. The company checked for leaks and installed all the necessary components and had the system running off of the main drain. The pump was fully primed and according to the pool technician everything was looking and running great. I was told that there was a thin layer of algae on the bottom of the pool which was clearly visible and that I'd need to brush and shock the pool. I was also told to fill the water level to a third of the way up the skimmer opening, turn off the pump, remove the plug from the skimmer, run a hose down the skimmer opening for a few minutes to flush out any air, and restart the system. Once the pool was filled to to the correct level and I restarted the system I noticed there was barely any circulation. I am consistently getting readings of 22-25 PSI on my pressure gauge on top of my filter and have tried cleaning and rising the cartridge on numerous occasions since Friday. Every time I do I gain circulation and water flow for a few minutes at lower pressure but the pressure slowly builds back up to around 25 PSI and the water circulation stops. I was also told by the pool professional that my plumbing leading to the system may need redone and my ball valve leading into the pump has failed.
I've been running the pump since Friday but the water is very still and is very cloudy. When the pool was first opened I could see clearly down to the bottom but now I cannot see more than 3 feet down. This being my first time with a pool I'm not sure what to do. I called the pool company to ask about having them back out to fix the plumbing but they suggested I wait and "tinker" with the system to see if I can get it running before I spend money of bringing someone out.
As far as chemicals go I went to Costco over the weekend (my local store had a big sale on chemicals) and purchased Clorox shock and 3" tabs, 25lbs of baking soda, and Clorox pH up and down. I also purchased a clorox test strip bottle which has the ability to scan the strip on a phone app and provide readings (although I'm not quite sure how accurate it is.) I also asked the pool company on my call yesterday if I should start with the chemicals knowing that I'm currently having an issue with circulation and they told me to go ahead and do so. I started yesterday afternoon by adding baking soda and pH down and then came back after sunset and added 3 lbs of shock. My readings there morning were as follows. TH = 500 / TC = 0 / FC = 0 / pH = 8.4 / TA = 180 / Stabilizer = 100.
I know that's a lot but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The water is still very cloudy with a slightly green tint and circulation is still very poor. Some questions I have are below;
1. What can I do to lower pressure in my system?
2. Should I keep adding chemicals knowing that the water circulation is poor? Will the water clear up even if the pump/filter system isn't running optimally?
3. How can I get the water to begin holding chlorine?
4. What are the best recommendations for alternatives to expensive pool chemicals?
Thanks!!!!
I purchased a house last October with an IG pool and just had it opened for the first time on 5/19. When the company came to open the pool the water level was about 6 inches below the skimmer opening, I was told this was due to my use of the sump pump that drained the water off of my safety cover. The company checked for leaks and installed all the necessary components and had the system running off of the main drain. The pump was fully primed and according to the pool technician everything was looking and running great. I was told that there was a thin layer of algae on the bottom of the pool which was clearly visible and that I'd need to brush and shock the pool. I was also told to fill the water level to a third of the way up the skimmer opening, turn off the pump, remove the plug from the skimmer, run a hose down the skimmer opening for a few minutes to flush out any air, and restart the system. Once the pool was filled to to the correct level and I restarted the system I noticed there was barely any circulation. I am consistently getting readings of 22-25 PSI on my pressure gauge on top of my filter and have tried cleaning and rising the cartridge on numerous occasions since Friday. Every time I do I gain circulation and water flow for a few minutes at lower pressure but the pressure slowly builds back up to around 25 PSI and the water circulation stops. I was also told by the pool professional that my plumbing leading to the system may need redone and my ball valve leading into the pump has failed.
I've been running the pump since Friday but the water is very still and is very cloudy. When the pool was first opened I could see clearly down to the bottom but now I cannot see more than 3 feet down. This being my first time with a pool I'm not sure what to do. I called the pool company to ask about having them back out to fix the plumbing but they suggested I wait and "tinker" with the system to see if I can get it running before I spend money of bringing someone out.
As far as chemicals go I went to Costco over the weekend (my local store had a big sale on chemicals) and purchased Clorox shock and 3" tabs, 25lbs of baking soda, and Clorox pH up and down. I also purchased a clorox test strip bottle which has the ability to scan the strip on a phone app and provide readings (although I'm not quite sure how accurate it is.) I also asked the pool company on my call yesterday if I should start with the chemicals knowing that I'm currently having an issue with circulation and they told me to go ahead and do so. I started yesterday afternoon by adding baking soda and pH down and then came back after sunset and added 3 lbs of shock. My readings there morning were as follows. TH = 500 / TC = 0 / FC = 0 / pH = 8.4 / TA = 180 / Stabilizer = 100.
I know that's a lot but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The water is still very cloudy with a slightly green tint and circulation is still very poor. Some questions I have are below;
1. What can I do to lower pressure in my system?
2. Should I keep adding chemicals knowing that the water circulation is poor? Will the water clear up even if the pump/filter system isn't running optimally?
3. How can I get the water to begin holding chlorine?
4. What are the best recommendations for alternatives to expensive pool chemicals?
Thanks!!!!