HELP! BABY POWDER ISSUE !

[jlo75]

Hi, I could really use some help from somebody who knows their chemicals when it comes to above ground pools. I have a BESTWAY vinyl pool with the steel bars. It is oval and 22 ft long by 12 ft wide. It has a sand filter pump. This is my third year with the pool and each year when I've taken it down I have used baby powder on both the inside and outside to keep it dry. The mistake is that this summer I put it up without rinsing the baby powder on the inside of the pool and filled it with water. All chemicals are fine. I know all about shock, clarifier, and pool maintenance. I have a test kit and tested every day. Come to find out baby powder is not water soluble. Even when it goes through the sand filter you can't get rid of it. Rather than empty the entire pool water what would be your best suggestion for getting the cloudy powder out of the pool. I know for a fact that's what it is. We use a handheld vacuum that has a net to catch the debris cuz we couldn't afford a fancy vacuum. I'm not sure if I can vacuum to waste with a vacuum that has a bag to catch the debris. I use a pool sock rather than the cheap bag that came with my handheld vacuum the vacuum is hooked to a hose. Can I vacuum to waste with this type of vacuum? Might of flocculent work better than a clarifier? The clarifier doesn't work. Could I safely add DE to the sand in my filter would that help? Any suggestions from anyone that actually has experience would be very helpful. Ty so much

 

[kimkats]

Hi and welcome to TFP! Sure sounds like there is trouble in your pool so let's work on getting it clear!

Which test kit do you have? What are you test results?

Yes you can add DE to your sand. See this link: Add DE to a Sand Filter

Please note you will need to "babysit" the filter until you find how much is just right for your filter.

You can also put a t-shirt or such in the skimmer basket make sure there is still good water flow through it to help catch some of the powder.

Show us your equipment set up so we can see if you can vacuum to waste.

 

[kellyfair]

Hmmmm. Wondering if poly fill could also help? Similar to what people use to remove iron from the pool water.

 

[Mdragger88]

You could get a small micron filtering bag & put it on your returns.

filter bag | Duda Diesel Alternative Energy, Chemicals & Industrial Supply Store

A google search reveals that baby powder is 20 microns. So a skimmer sock on the returns, in the skimmer basket, & in the vac just might do the trick at a low cost.
DE captures particles down to 3 microns so adding some to your sand filter should help as well.
Sand filters alone only capture particles of 30 microns or greater.

Chock it up to lesson learned & next year just rinse it all down and vac the baby powder water to waste. You can use the siphon method to accomplish this.