Former Swamp Water Still Cloudy 15 days into SLAM

[polglazepool]

Hello, This is my fifth year following TFP protocol, which has always been successful! This is my first year with a "swamp-to-oasis" situation, though, as my in-ground vinyl pool sat for 8-weeks after opening with no chlorine or circulation. I did a pump replacement and other equipment/electrical upgrading, which took an agonizing 8 weeks.

I have been meticulously following the Swamp-to Sparkling-Oasis directions, yet the pool will just not fully clear! It looked milky with the initial dead algae and now looks hazy. Still can't see the bottom all, and today is my 15th day of SLAMMING. I see VERY small improvements day-by-day, and I understand with my old Hayward S-200 sand filter, things can be slow, but this seems ridiculously slow. I have been adding a generous 1/8 of a cup of DE to speed things along from one to three times a day. (Depends on how closely I can monitor the filter pressure.) I am backwashing when filter pressure rises 25%. When I backwash now, the water does not even look that cloudy. (It maybe looks cloudy in the viewing glass for 20 seconds?)

I am now getting worried that I have had the chlorine up too high for too long and my vinyl liner might be affected. Also, we can't swim...and it's nearly July : (

Here are my current readings, as of this morning, which have changed a bit from the beginning of the SLAM.
• FC 13.0 (OCLT -- no loss for about the last 5 nights)
• CC 0 (None since day 2 of SLAM)
• PH 7.2 (Was sky high pre-SLAM, added Muriatic acid then. Added 50 oz. by measure of Borax last night, as my pH had dropped to 6.8??)
• TA 60
• CH 50
• CYA less than 20 (Was 30 for most of the SLAM, but has been dropping due to backwashing and water replacement. I will add more today to get it back up to 30.)
• CSI -1.31 (according to Pool Math)

A few other factors that I can mention, and I am not sure if they would affect anything:
-- One of my return jets is not working at all. It is the jet furthest from the pump. I only have two return jets and one skimmer.
-- Tried to get the second jet to work by putting a smaller eyeball on the jet. This shot my pressure up to 22.
-- The skimmer has no door. (Fell off when we moved in and we never replaced it.)
-- I always use a pool sock in my basket as it catches the bugs and pollen so well. The sock was really coated in dead algae initially, but that has really dissipated. Does not SEEM like it is catching dead algae at all now. I clean it every day, and rotate with other socks.
-- Before I add dissolved DE into the skimmer basket slowly, the filter pressure is between 15 and 16.
-- Pool has gotten a vacuum and/or brushing every day. I even pulled out some of the coping and brushed behind it and scrubbed the algae off the coping itself, while it was pulled out.


I think I have told you every detail of this saga! I'm stumped as to what I should do next and all suggestions are appreciated.
~Julie

 

[zea3]

Hi, it does take a long time for the dead algae to filter out. A couple of things you can try, first how long has it been since the filter sand has had a deep cleaning? Gunk that has been trapped in the bottom of the filter might slow things down, and a deep clean also resettles the sand bed so it will filter a little more efficiently. Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

Adding the DE does help speed things up a little. Since you are not seeing loss overnight, this evening bump up to slam level, circulate about 15 minutes then turn the pump off and leave it off overnight. This will allow some of the suspended particles to settle on the pool floor. Vacuum to waste very slowly so you don't disturb the debris while vacuuming. The more dead algae you remove from the pool the faster it will clear. Run the filter during the day after vacuuming. Try this for a couple of nights and see if it helps.

 

[polglazepool]

Thank you for the idea to let the dead algae settle overnight. I did think of that idea, previously, but I only tried it for a two-hour time period and then a six-hour time period. The water didn't look different to me with those times. Probably not long enough. I will try your idea over the next few nights.

Should I still keep the pool at chlorine SLAM level during the day now? Or just "regular" chlorine level?

Should I be concerned that my pH dropped during this process?

And I will re-post about the filter. We did change the sand last year. I can't remember if my husband thoroughly cleaned it though. He should have, but...???!!!

Thanks!

 

[zea3]

If sand was changed last year it is probably not that dirty. I switched from a DE to sand a few years ago because constantly cleaning the DE filter was a pain in the neck, however it did clear a pool faster than my sand filter. I think you can also add a little more DE than an 1/8 cup. You want a nice layer to form on top of the sand, so maybe try a full cup of DE. Keep the pool at slam level until it is clear. Once you can make out the vacuum on the floor of the deepest part of the pool it will be safe to swim, even at slam level. I wouldn't be too concerned about the pH. Slam levels tend to make pH rise, so don't worry about adjusting it until the slam is completed.

 

[jblizzle]

I think you have a good path forward suggested.

Just wanted to add that you should get the weir door on the skimmer replaced as it is very important for good skimming.

 

[polglazepool]

Yep, weir door on the list!

Interesting that you said you switched back to sand, zea3. I have been so frustrated with this process that I was thinking of getting a DE filter, and getting rid of the S-200. It is quite a work horse, though! I'd rather be patient, I guess, than cleaning a DE filter all the time.

About the DE in the sand filter: I would like to add more DE to the sand filter to speed up this process, but when I added the 1/4 cup to see how much the pressure would go up, it went from 15 to 18 in about 5 minutes. Since I was supposed to be testing how much DE it takes to raise the pressure one number, I figured that I needed to scale back under 1/4 cup. That's how I ended up at a generous 1/8 of a cup.

I am putting the 1/8 cup of DE in about 4 gallons of water, mixing, and then pouring about 2-3 cups of the water/DE mixture at a time into the skimmer. Then I count to 30, add the next 2-3 cups, etc. --until it's all in. It probably takes 1.5 hours for the pressure to rise 25% using 1/8 cup. I know this seems like a very tiny bit...

Is there any secret to be able to get more DE in without the pressure shooting up so fast? Maybe stagger putting it in? Half hour increments? Or would that still raise the pressure just as quickly because the DE would all be sitting on top anyway?