Floc Question

[Enkil810]

I lost my pool during the winter months. It was swamped. I slammed it and it was so cloudy I couldn't clear it up. So I tried Floc. I know stupid move. I should have read the forums before I did it. Vacuum failed. It was getting plugged up with leaves that I can't see. So I went back to trying to net them out. Now it's cloudy again. So how long before I can run my sand filter again? Sorry..I don't know how to attach my signature.

 

[mknauss]

You need to vacuum to waste as much of the gunk you can. Then plan to replace the sand in the sand filter once you have it cleaned up.

Your signature is there. Thank you.

 

[Donldson]

The SLAM Process can be crippled by organic material on the bottom where algae can hide from the chlorine and continue to reproduce. It grows almost as fast as the chlorine can kill it, so the water stays cloudy. It's a difficult situation because the cloudiness prevents you from seeing the leaves, but that's one of the reasons brushing is a part of the job. Brushing mixes things up on the bottom and helps get the algae under control so eventually you can see the bottom and net things out.

So, on to the problem at hand. You have to let the floc settle again and attempt to vacuum it out. If you still have a bunch of leaves in the water (experience tells me that's likely) then you might have to net those and go through this multiple times to get everything out. As for the filter, if you get any floc in to it then you'll want to or have to replace the sand. I've seen it ruin cartridge filters even when it seemed like it was all out of the water. You might get lucky and it doesn't lock up the sand, which is the worst case scenario, but at best it's likely you're going to lose some filtration capability. I'd get the floc and leaves out, get the water as clear as possible with the current sand, and then switch it out.

 

[Enkil810]

That's what I was thinking as well. I have everything shut down to try and let it settle again.

 

[Enkil810]

So does Floc break down eventually? Just curious.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

So does Floc break down eventually? Just curious.

Yes, slowly. If it gets into your filter the floc clogs up the sand, breaks down slowly and then releases the fine particulates that were bound together. It does so slowly such that the filter will constantly release a fine stream of dirty water. This is why sand loaded up with flocculant needs to be changed.