Help

[jaindesi]

I am new to the pool. Recently bought a house with a in ground pool. Hired someone to open the pool for this season. Everything was going well until I went on a 4 day vacation and water started to get cloudy. Now I am not able to get it to be crystal clear. I am using 3" puck tablets in floaters. I have two floaters with two tablets each.. Not sure If that's too much. There is some stuff on the bottom of the pool floor that needs to be removed. Polaris robot is not picking it up. Not sure what is wrong with it. I just replaced the reverse valve on it as well. Also using DE filter which hasn't been back-washed since I purchased the house in December. Pressure on the gauge is above 15 PSI. Is that normal? I even try putting the filter in backwash mode and dump out water for about one minute. Water looked clear. Didn't see any dirty water coming out. Do i need to add more DE powder for the filter help clean out the cloudy water? I wanted to maintain the pool myself so I bought 50LB 3" chlorine tablets, vacuum hose, DE powder 200LB (WAY TOO MUCH), TFtestkit TF-100(Don't know how to use it). Also I feel like water level keeps dropping. I try to keep the water level half way up in the skimmer area. But after about two/three days I see water level going down. What can I do about the water level? Is it evaporating or is there a leak?

 

[HeyEng]

Many others will chime in shortly, but I wanted to share the "extended directions" for the TF-100.

Extended Test Kit Directions

Extended Test Kit Directions These directions are for use with test kits based on Taylor chemistry, such as the TF-100 from TFTestKits.net, the Taylor K-2006, and the Leslie's Chlorine FAS-DPD Service Test Kit, and also for a few other tests that are commonly recommended here at TFP. Over the...

www.troublefreepool.com

You will soon find out that the TFP method doesn't support the use of pucks except in very limited circumstances. Spend a few hours reviewing "pool school" (links on left side of your screen) and post your test results so others can help diagnose your issues.

 

[Richard320]

Okay, first up:

Yes, you need to add DE back to the filter after backwashing it. The DE is what actually filters. Picture a bunch of kitchen sponges torn into chunks and then layered on a window screen. You pour water on top and it finds its way through the holes in the sponges and drains out the bottom. That's your DE filter, but microscopic. Without the DE, stuff just blows right through. I can't find a manual anywhere online that says how much DE to add. Going by grid sizes, I'd guess about 2.5 lbs of DE needs to be added. If there's a label on the filter, use that. If they left a manual, even better. It will say. All you do is measure it out. mix it with some water, and pour it through the skimmer while the pump is running.

Now, to the cloudiness. You need to do something about it quick or your pool will turn green. To that end, you must learn to use that test kit of yours. There's instructions in it, or you can use these Extended Test Kit Directions Archives - Trouble Free Pool

or watch the videos TF100TestKit

But you MUST get some test results. Your own, not from a pool store. If one of us went to your house to fix your pool, we'd start by testing the water. Since we can't, you have to do it for us. I suspect you're going to find the CYA is far too high and that you need to SLAM. What does this mean? Glad you asked.

These videos will explain it quickly and save me a lot of typing.

Trouble Free Pool

With over 200,000 members, TFP is the largest and most influential pool & spa website on the Internet. The reason is simple: TFPC (Trouble Free Pool Care) is...

www.youtube.com

And @HeyEng, you know these answers! You could be doing this as well as me.

 

[jaindesi]

Thanks you all. All this looks really simple just need to some time in my daily routine.
I also added one pack of Shock yesterday. Pump runs for 8 hrs. Is there a good time when to run the pump either day or night time? What about water loss? How can I troubleshoot this?

 

[Richard320]

Water loss doesn;t sound exceptional. If it's warm, and especially if it's windy, you can lose ¼" to ½" a day. Evaporation and refill is why CH levels climb. It's a given.

The pump is best run when the rates are lowest. But it also needs to be run at least half an hour before you test and stay running at least half an hour after you add any chemicals. So if you're gone from 6 AM to 6 PM, it does no good to have the pump run 8 to 4. Pick something that works for you.

 

[HeyEng]

And @HeyEng, you know these answers! You could be doing this as well as me.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am still VERY new to this and am cautious as to not offer bad advice. I am still the student/apprentice and am working towards my apprenticeship title. As an example..I know NOTHING about DE filters!

 

[jaindesi]

So vacuum the bottom of the pool added shock to the pool. I removed the chlorine pucks and ran the pump 24 hours. Water is sparkling clear. I see that you don’t recommend using the pucks. Can I just use bleach? Is it standard bleach we use in laundry or is it pool grade? Also should I be adding the shock once a week? Also look at the timer pic I attached here. I am confused as to how to use this. It’s labled filter timer and pool cleaner timer. If I set either to off position it turns off the entire system. I thought my Polaris 280 cleaner runs on a separate timer. Is that what pool cleaner timer is? Look at the link to my setup here. New video by Kunjan Shah

 

[Pretz]

Get a Taylor speed stir from amazon. Only reason to use the vial from test kit is for PH. I personally would invest in SWG, if that's not feasible liquid is the way to go even for shock. Keeping correct water chemistry you should not have to shock but a handful of times in your life. I've only shocked my pool once since I've owned it due to SWG cell failed and Hayward warrantied it after a month of use.

 

[Richard320]

Bleach is bleach except for the strength and the additives. It is getting increasingly difficult to find strong bleach without additives like scent and splashless and cloroxmax. So if you can find pool chlorine, use that. There are threads about bleach prices that will furnish you names of stores.

Someone would have to pull the shield and study the wiring on your timers to figure out who did what and why. Maybe they didn't know you could find extra timer dogs to run the pump in two segments? Maybe there's an electric valve somewhere? It's beyond me, especially at a distance.

 

[jaindesi]

I also feel like there is some suction issue. Maybe a clog in the pipes or filter needs to be washed down? Right now it’s running at close to 20psi based on the gauge on top of the filter. Should I be worried? Is my system working hard? If you look at the video link I posted, the water fall feature is not gushing fast water. Not sure if that rate is normal?

 

[mknauss]

What was the clean filter pressure?

 

[jaindesi]

I am not sure when the de filter grids were hosed down with a cleaner. When I open the pool this season it was running close to 15 psi.

 

[mknauss]

You need to clean the filter. Even based on your 15 psi, which may not have been a clean filter pressure, 20 psi is way over a 25% rise from 15 psi.

 

[jaindesi]

Backwash or open the cover and take the Friday out and wash it?

 

[mknauss]

If you have not broken down and cleaned the filter this year, then a full clean out would be appropriate.