Green Swamp progression to question

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stryfer33

0
Jul 7, 2016
55
Londonderry/NH
As quick as possible, here's what's going on.

Moved into new home with 20x40 IG Pool. Took cover off to find this:


Got plumbing connected and started to SLAM. Had a hard time maintaing my SLAM numbers for a couple of days. (My own fault, wasn't diligent and only checked a couple of times a day to find very low FC levels. After a couple days, got better at maintaing 12 FC [CYA of 30]).

After a few days, obviously some improvement:


A Little while longer to get to this one:


Continued maintaining SLAM levels until today. 2 weeks and 1 day later, this is where I am now:


My levels as of this afternoon were.
FC-12.5
CC-0
PH (Didn't test due to high FC, was 7.4 when started SLAM)
TA-160 (down from 180 when started SLAM)
CH-260 (Down from 320 when started SLAM)
CYA-30

My question is: How clear is clear? Anything I can do to help it along the final way. The shallow end is obviously all cleared up. The deep end I can see the bottom and drain very easily when you are close to it. It's still just a little "murky". As I'm sure you are all aware, it is very frustrating to be looking at it everyday for the past two weeks and have my daughter asking everyday, "Can we go in yet?"

I am only using 8.25% Bleach from our local grocery store (Market Basket). Up to 48+Gallons so far.
Feel free to fire any questions at me and I'll do my best to answer them.

Just currently feeling defeated and looking for support I think. Thanks all!
 
We got another keeper thread everyone! Great work Ryan! :goodjob: Very inspirational. As for the clarity in the deep end, we typically say clear to where you can tell if a coin is heads or tails, or the type of screw head on a drain cover. That kind of clear. Now if you are passing the OCLT, then it may simply be a matter of time where the sand needs to do some final filtration. If that's the case, you might consider adding a small amount of DE to the sand. Pool School - Add DE to a Sand Filter If you've never done a deep clean of that filter, you might consider that as well. Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

Other than that, you can swim as long as you don't go over your SLAM (FC) level. You've earned it! :swim:
 
Thanks Pat!
I haven't actually done an OCLT because I didn't think I was meeting the Clear Criteria so I was never too specific on the times of my testing.
With that being said, I'll have my wife do a check tonight after the sun goes down and I will get up early tomorrow to see the results.

I have used the DE a couple of times, but it spiked my pressure quickly (after the standard 1PSI increase) and was backwashing often. I assume that means it was working. I can try again too. As for a deep clean, I have not tried that yet, but that will have to wait til next weekend when I have more time available.

So Pat, your saying it would be safe to swim even though its a little cloudy in the deep end? That sounds great to me :kim:.


Just for fun - This is the pool I left for the people who purchased my old home - Perfect TFP pool!!
 
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I have used the DE a couple of times, but it spiked my pressure quickly (after the standard 1PSI increase) and was backwashing often.
Click to expand...
That sounds about right. Sometimes, owners jump to the DE too soon and it really creates a backwashing nightmare. But when you're at the tail end just trying to gain some clarity, it can help. Yes, as long as you make make-out the deep end and there are no sea monsters down there, and you don't go over your SLAM FC level, hop in. :swim: In fact, give everyone a brush and make them earn their swim time. :) Judging your previous pool, I suspect this one will be TFP clear soon as well. :)
 
Fortunately, Nessy is not hanging out in the bottom of my pool (But I do have a dolphin who likes it;)). Thanks for the help. I think I just needed some moral support. I will wait to pass the OCLT test tonight, and hopefully be in tomorrow. I'll keep this updated til it is perfect!
 
Stryfer:

I think you may get away with DE this time, as you have a 24" inch sand filter. My filter is 27" and I added Fiber Clear (2 cups), a little more than the bag recommended and my pressure has stayed very steady. Chose this product instead of DE. The clarity appears to be a lot better. I am betting your frequent back washing with the AGP was due to a smaller system, but I could be wrong. Or you could work with .5 psi increase, instead of 1 psi just to get a little boost after your pool has cleared up. Pool looks great.
 
sorry Catanzaro, may be some slight confusion. The picture of the AGP was only to highlight the fact that I'd used TFP to success before (my last house). Never used DE on that one and it had a cartridge filter.
New house - the inground pool is the issue with the extra backwashing. I will try to add the DE again in the morning.
I appreciate the feedback though.
 
stryfer33 said:
sorry Catanzaro, may be some slight confusion. The picture of the AGP was only to highlight the fact that I'd used TFP to success before (my last house). Never used DE on that one and it had a cartridge filter.New house - the inground pool is the issue with the extra backwashing. I will try to add the DE again in the morning. I appreciate the feedback though.
Click to expand...

Ryan:

No apology needed. How far apart is the back washing in the new pool? Also, what is your starting pressure and ending pressure? In addition, is the water clarity that much better? I was merely suggesting less DE. We all know that Sand Filters will filter up to a certain level, then cartridge and DE being the best. There is too much conflicting information to get into Microns, but if you use half the amount, you will go longer with backwashing and be right around the filtering capability of the cartridge.

As I mentioned before, my sand filter (27") with 2 cups of Fiber Clear (Owner recommended 1.5 cups),and I did not see that 1 PSI increase, but a little less, has made my water look even better than before, and I have not had to backwash and pressure has risen only so slightly. I am wondering what elements (tree's, etc.) you have around you, and in addition the bather load that is causing this type of quick increase. If you are backwashing only monthly, that is one thing. If you are back washing every week, that is another thing.
 
Cat:
PSI starts at 10. The times that I've back-washed the PSI reached 18/19.
The water is a little clearer today than it was yesterday, so I'm still seeing daily improvements.
I think the last time I backwashed might have been on Thursday (7/12)

Although, I did add some DE this morning (a little less than the cup I have been using in the past).
There are a lot of trees in the area, but haven't really had to deal with many leaves. And nobody has been in the pool since I've owned the house (2+ weeks)

Unfortunatley, I did not pass my OCLT. :mad:

Maybe tonight/tomorrow?? I Hope.
 
Ryan:

How many days or weeks apart do you have to backwash with DE? At 10 PSI, you really should be back washing at 13 PSI, which is what we recommend. Although, if you have steady pressure, waiting a little longer is fine. What about the OCLT? At what levels did you test and how far off are you with failing the test?
 

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when I had previously put the DE in on two occasions, I was backwashing later that day. I decided not to add anymore for a few days. That was until this morning when I added some again.
Last night, my wife took a sample of 13 FC and 0 CC. When I checked it this morning, it was 9.5 FC and 1 CC (I wasn't out there at first light, but it shouldn't have dropped that much if all was good.)

I know I should have been at 13 PSI (25%), but would usually see it around 12, then the next time I saw it would be 18 or so. My own fault, not staying diligent on it. My last pool had no issues after my pool store mishap at the first startup. (still learning the curve on this one.)
 
when I had previously put the DE in on two occasions, I was back washing later that day. That was until this morning when I added some again. Last night, my wife took a sample of 13 FC and 0 CC. When I checked it this morning, it was 9.5 FC and 1 CC (I wasn't out there at first light, but it shouldn't have dropped that much if all was good.) I know I should have been at 13 PSI (25%), but would usually see it around 12, then the next time I saw it would be 18 or so
Click to expand...

Ryan:

Something is not adding up. Adding DE and having to backwash in the same day seems extreme unless the filter is becoming clogged that quickly. You may have mentioned how old your Sand Filter is, but maybe it is time for a Deep Sand Cleaning (not sure). There may be so much junk in there, that this could be causing the problem. Maybe you can find out from the old homeowners if they ever cleaned the sand properly and/or used clarifiers, which could have caused this problem.

Regarding your wife testing and you testing, the overnight loss is possible, but she tested "0" cc and you wound up with "1" CC, which still does not sound right. Also, has the filter been running all night long and you are keeping the level during the SLAM where it needs to be?
 
Wife tested last night at 8:30pm and I tested at 7:30am this morning. Sun was still behind the trees. She had a reading of 14 FClast night with .5 CC and I had a reading o 11.5 FC and .5 CC. Is it just too much time between tests for the OCLT? Should I be testing later at night? Probably definitely earlier in the morning. 2.5 FC loss. FAIL!!

Pool guy: still no one in yet. Will post update photo later today with better clarity (once the sun is really shining on it).
 
The higher the FC, the higher the probability of testing error. I would test at 10 p.m. (bring sample inside of course) and then at 6 a.m. in the morning. Allow your levels to drop under 10 ppm to the end of the night (if you can) and even slightly lower is fine. If you have been testing, how much are you loosing during the day? So test in the a.m. and then add enough for the day to bring you right around the 10 ppm mark. You could be slightly over or slightly under. A lot of members fail at levels right around where you are overnight continuously, and this is all based on higher levels, and more importantly testing error. Often the SLAM is not done. Once you pass your test, you may want to keep the pump running for another 48 hours and bring the pool back up to SLAM level. This does not mean you have to perform the test again, just an extra precaution.

Testing daily (for about 2 weeks) should be done once the pool is past the SLAM point. After that, test weekly with the extended kit to get a feel of your pools chlorine consumption. Now that I have my pump running only 7 hours per day (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), I am finding that my TC consumption is almost double. Must be that the pool sits in the a.m. for at least 3 hours prior to the previous years. In addition, SWG constantly produces chlorine at the cell, while when I was dosing manually, the addition of 2 ppm at 7 a.m. each morning made a big difference in the daily consumption. I am still trying to get a feel of the SWG, and in addition the day was hot yesterday.

Moral of the story is that you will need to truly understand your pool and only your pool. Do not listen to any others beside people on the forum. And the only way to have a trouble free pool, is with the TF-100, which you already have. It never seems to amaze me how people spend a fortune on pools and have no clue on what to do, let alone the amount of money wasted over time. Keep us posted!
 
11 hours is a long time for an OCLT. We try not to get too hung-up on "Was it too long?" or "Was it too short?" But I would recommend about 6-8 hours. Not too short, not too long. Of course we're reminded you've come a very long way from how that pool first looked, so hang in there. I see two possible items that may be hindering your completion: Still need to do a filter deep cleaning, and the main drain. Have you had a chance to inspect the drain? We've seen others that had gunk trapped under the cover and it definitely showed on the FC results. So you might keep those two things in mind.
 
Is testing inside that important? I’ve always done my testing outside right next to the pool. I will let the levels drift down a little today and try to keep them under 10 for tonight. Thanks for the advice.
And to answer a previous question, pump has been running 24/7 since 6/30.
 

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