Re: Need some guidance please ... whats the next step?
Well, After the clogged return pipes debacle from me getting over zealous, skipping a step or two not and effectively getting all the big debris from the bottom of the pool before I vacuumed I had the pool go completely green again haha my own dumb fault ... I have now been spending the last few days perfecting the start of the SLAM process and getting my pH down from 8.0 to 7.3, my CYA up from 0 to 40, my FC from 0 into the 16ppm range and my TA at 80ppm.
I have repeatedly scrubbed the walls and the bottom and then used the leaf net to muck up every piece of debris I could gather from the bottom of the pool. After I sufficiently removed all attainable debris I could find I started circulating the return through the cartridge filter (my set up has only 1 cartridge in the filter) at first I was cleaning it literally every 10-15 minutes and now, thankfully its up to about 30-45 minutes before I have to remove the filter, wash it and place it back into the housing... (which by the way I found out is NOT ABS plastic but ...fiberglass ... itchy scratchy spun exposed fiberglass and yeah Ive been all but hugging that cover to get it open... that is until I saw and felt the raised itchy areas on my arms, neck and wrists... haha oh well just another reason to not let this pool beat me down).
So, the pool is holding FC "pretty well" for a few hours at a time only dropping from 16 to about a 12 to 14 and as much as I can I have been circulating the water through to filter ... but ... I can ONLY do this when I have the opportunity to stay on top of it to clean it out all other times it out and the water is on circulate mode.
The water has gone from GREEN to milky clearish blue in just a few days and I can almost see the bottom step ... I am really encouraged with the progress and how quickly it has happened...
Like I said, Ive become pretty adept at starting the SLAM process but Ive never made it this far...
So, whats the next step?
Do I continue to wash the filter until the PSI stays under 10? At some point does it run out of washes and will lose its effectiveness? (They aint cheap)
I know I have to pass the overnight test but what do I do in the meantime to ensure I reach that milestone?
Im in uncharted territory... this hole in the ground my wife still calls her "pool" has never looked this good with all the chemicals as they should be and no obvious algae or debris.
Im cautiously optimistic but as I said, whats my next step to take this process home?
Any and all help would be appreciated.
*EDIT*
Ive been reading old threads about flocculent and I have to admit before the clogged return lines I used it to get the water to clear up and that's how I clogged my pipes by not ensuring the debris wasn't just dead algae. Now that I know NOT to use it and how it may ruin a cartridge filter how will I know if it has compromised its effectiveness?
