Flocculant?

[Slowride]

Ok, had some trouble a few weeks ago with balanced, yet green, water. Turned out to be a need to replace filter sand due to the ongoing use of floc and that degrades the sand somehow. I've replaced the sand and will soon need to add floc (the original owner of this house put the pool along a maple tree line and I've fight the ongoing battle of leaves this time of year. W/O floc, i would be backwashing near daily to keep the filter clear.

So, how do i properly use floc to increase the life of the filter/sand? Or is this just my cross to bear every 5-7 years of sand replacement? thx, SR

 

[Texas Splash]

As long as floc is allowed to hit the sand, it will be trouble. For residual material falling from the Maples, are you using a skimmer sock? Is the pump running long enough to pull debris to the skimmer? I would hate to depend on floc for any reason, not to mention on a regular basis.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yowsa.... I can't imagine paying for that on a routine basis. We don't even recommend it on TFP except for one really unusual basis, that I won't bother mentioning.

Sand gets gummed up by pool store potions, but if never used and the sand cleaned deeply every few years if needed, it should last forever.

Using skimmer socks will help collect debris before it even hits the filter, so that is one step you can take. Using a robot will help too-- you can set it to go daily for a week and then empty its basket and put the little beast to work again.

How do you maintain your sanitation? How do you test your water?

Maddie

 

[Bperry]

Ok, had some trouble a few weeks ago with balanced, yet green, water. Turned out to be a need to replace filter sand due to the ongoing use of floc and that degrades the sand somehow. I've replaced the sand and will soon need to add floc (the original owner of this house put the pool along a maple tree line and I've fight the ongoing battle of leaves this time of year. W/O floc, i would be backwashing near daily to keep the filter clear.

So, how do i properly use floc to increase the life of the filter/sand? Or is this just my cross to bear every 5-7 years of sand replacement? thx, SR

If you had green water that’s a lack of chlorine problem and not a filter problem. I have tons of leaves, some maple, some oak, some mulberry, etc that fill the pool daily right now. I would turn your pump speed up to skim a little more and go net them out. I also have a robot that gets whatever doesn’t stay at the surface which I’d recommend. I would not use floc.

Are you in an area that closes the pool for the winter? A cover might be a better option.

 

[Newdude]

SlowRide…….. take it ease-y …….

Don’t make any excuses for the Maple. I had 80 oaks on an acre dropping crud 365 days a year. Early and late season I got a tad cloudy but the filter just needed time to do its thing when the pollen or tree snots were crazy. As said above, skimmer socks will get most of it before it gets to the filter, greatly prolonging you cleaning intervals.

If you find you still need frequent cleanings, you need a bigger filter, not Shock, Flocc or some other crock.

 

[Newdude]

*also worth pointing out that SOOOOOOO many members find themselves here with filter clogging issues. It’s almost never the filter and always a chemistry issue. Algae blooming in the water gets removed by the filter faster than you can clean it. Chances are, your filter is working amazing. Algae blooms exponentially and the last couple of growth cycles are the difference between clear water and full blown swamp. Listening to your pool let’s you keep the upper hand when it’s brewing.