Helping a friend: This should be a good one
- Thread starter Mr Bruce
- Start date
At the risk of getting flamed, I will share a couple of things that I have used successfully over the years. This was prior to BBB and TFP when I did not understand water chemistry or the CYA-Chlorine relationship. My pool was originally Baquacil so I spent quite a few years on that debacle. I had a sand filter, switched to DE then back to sand. I switched back to a sand filter and chlorine 10 years ago after a liner change out and then suffered (and learned) for a few more years until I found TFP 3 or 4 years ago.
As I said, I have been maintaining my pool for 20 years now and a few times over those years I used alum to clear my water when it got like that. I have not had to do it since BBB and TFP but I have done it.
It has been so long that I forget what the dosage is now but I remember that I mixed it in a 5 gal bucket and distributed around the pool. I would then run the pump on recirc for 2 hours I think and then shut it down. I would let the stuff settle for 12-24 hours and then carefully vac to waste. I would have to vac to waste 2-3 times because the vac motion would disturb the settled material on the bottom each time. You also need to fill the pool as high as possible BEFORE you start so you have water to vac to waste. I would vac the area near where my water hose entered first so the bottom would be clear there and then I would add more water while vac-ing to waste. This is tedious but it worked for me.
As I said I only had to do it a handful of times in the 20 years but it some times was necessary.
About 10 years ago, I bought something called a Slimebag. This is a filter bag that I would connect to my return and then I would vacuum the pool on filter. The theory here is that the fines that are not trapped by the filter get trapped by the Slimebag. After the vac session, i would generally leave the Slimebag on for another 24 hours to make sure I got all the fines. They are still around at The Slime Bag | The Easiest Way To Maintain Crystal Clear Pool Water. although they look more expensive now. I think I got all three bags for $50. You can clean the bags by pressure washing them or using a higher pressure deck cleaning hose nozzle.
Your pictures look like my pool did a few times and I used the above alum process after becoming frustrated with not being able to clear the pool.
I will reiterate that since adopting the BBB and TFP methods and learning a lot from lurking on this forum, I have not had to floc with alum or use my Slimebags and my pool has been pretty good.
Bill
As I said, I have been maintaining my pool for 20 years now and a few times over those years I used alum to clear my water when it got like that. I have not had to do it since BBB and TFP but I have done it.
It has been so long that I forget what the dosage is now but I remember that I mixed it in a 5 gal bucket and distributed around the pool. I would then run the pump on recirc for 2 hours I think and then shut it down. I would let the stuff settle for 12-24 hours and then carefully vac to waste. I would have to vac to waste 2-3 times because the vac motion would disturb the settled material on the bottom each time. You also need to fill the pool as high as possible BEFORE you start so you have water to vac to waste. I would vac the area near where my water hose entered first so the bottom would be clear there and then I would add more water while vac-ing to waste. This is tedious but it worked for me.
As I said I only had to do it a handful of times in the 20 years but it some times was necessary.
About 10 years ago, I bought something called a Slimebag. This is a filter bag that I would connect to my return and then I would vacuum the pool on filter. The theory here is that the fines that are not trapped by the filter get trapped by the Slimebag. After the vac session, i would generally leave the Slimebag on for another 24 hours to make sure I got all the fines. They are still around at The Slime Bag | The Easiest Way To Maintain Crystal Clear Pool Water. although they look more expensive now. I think I got all three bags for $50. You can clean the bags by pressure washing them or using a higher pressure deck cleaning hose nozzle.
Your pictures look like my pool did a few times and I used the above alum process after becoming frustrated with not being able to clear the pool.
I will reiterate that since adopting the BBB and TFP methods and learning a lot from lurking on this forum, I have not had to floc with alum or use my Slimebags and my pool has been pretty good.
Bill
swoopman
0
I've read on the forum that filter bags from Duda Diesel work just as well as slime bags and are much cheaper. The recommendation I saw on the forum was to use 1 micron.
filter bag | Duda Diesel Alternative Energy, Chemicals & Industrial Supply Store
Another forum member, mrramsey, found this article on using them:
How I De-Slimed My Pool
filter bag | Duda Diesel Alternative Energy, Chemicals & Industrial Supply Store
Another forum member, mrramsey, found this article on using them:
How I De-Slimed My Pool
Wow. Nice job swoopman. I checked out both links and the Duda Diesel method is much cheaper and easier to clean. The idea is the same -- use some kind of final filter to get the fines out -- algae or fine grained material like clay -- and put a polish on the water before it goes back into the pool.
swoopman
0
Not to hijack this thread, but how exactly do you use these Duda Diesel bags?
swoopman
0
You attach them to the returns. This post shows another attachment method:
SlimeBag for 1/10 of the price, yes you can!!
Oh my goodness! My husband is TRULY going to think I'm a fanatic now. I love my TFP pool, the downside is I can see every little speck of "whatever" on the top of the pool now. Our pool is shared by two dogs, and a lot of "country" stuff. I am going to have to find a way to convince him that I need this - LOL! Again sorry for the hijack!
@pogueld -- Please checkout swoopman's message, the second link that says "How I de-slimed my pool". That link has a lot of pictures showing how the guy did it.
The answer for the originator of this whole thread is that it looks like since his water is as balanced as it is going to get and he still has fine particulate suspended in the water, he could try using a flocculant to coagulate and settle the fine materials which can then be vacuumed out. Then by using a filter bag after the regular pool filter (Slimebag or Duda Diesel bags or whatever) you can vacuum through the pool filter and not to waste which saves water. The filter bag will catch a lot of the fine material and not just let it flow back into the pool where it will be in the water again.
I used this method only in special cases and not on a regular basis.
The answer for the originator of this whole thread is that it looks like since his water is as balanced as it is going to get and he still has fine particulate suspended in the water, he could try using a flocculant to coagulate and settle the fine materials which can then be vacuumed out. Then by using a filter bag after the regular pool filter (Slimebag or Duda Diesel bags or whatever) you can vacuum through the pool filter and not to waste which saves water. The filter bag will catch a lot of the fine material and not just let it flow back into the pool where it will be in the water again.
I used this method only in special cases and not on a regular basis.
DaninFLA
0
The TFP method pertains to the chemistry of water. the reason FLOC isn't recommended is that for some reason people want to use to remove algae and clear up the water. the SLAM process and filtering will handle that issue. what the OP is dealing with is different, he isn't dealing with a chemistry issue, he is dealing with fine silt/particulate in the water that was caused from a previous owner using play sand. his sand filter cannot filter the small size particulate that's in his pool. in this case FLOC should work.
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
View attachment 40014 Done 
Time to drain. This has gone on WAY too long. I wish we had a way to see into the future so this pool was done.
There is nothing left to do. I am SO sorry!
Kim
Time to drain. This has gone on WAY too long. I wish we had a way to see into the future so this pool was done.There is nothing left to do. I am SO sorry!
Kim
DaninFLA
0
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
If by work you mean sink the particles to the bottom then no. It's quite possible I did something wrong.
I added 20oz of this Pool Time 32 oz. Sink to Clear Flocculant-23716PTM - The Home Depot
Pump ran for 2 hr in recirc then off all night and today. Picture above is from lunch. So, 18 hours.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,788
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
The amount of time, effort and expense of running a pump 24/7, I'm with Kim. This one may be a lot quicker, easier,and less expensive to just drain and refill. We don't lose too many battles here, but this one should be declared a loss and move on. At least we know the cause (play sand) and have that corrected.
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
If there is a bright spot, at least we didn't drain and fill twice, which is what we would have done if we had drained from the beginning.
I will put the submersible in the pool this evening and start draining. Unfortunately I am going to have to run a hose from the pool to the street which is quite far. We will see how it goes.
Drain down to one foot remaining in the deep end, yes?
I will put the submersible in the pool this evening and start draining. Unfortunately I am going to have to run a hose from the pool to the street which is quite far. We will see how it goes.
Drain down to one foot remaining in the deep end, yes?
DaninFLA
0
wow, that sucks man. good luck with the refill. when you get to the end, I would recirculate the water to get the rest of it out. meaning, put a hose in the pool and keep it on while you pump out to keep diluting that last bit of water to get the silt out. are you going to put new sand in the filter too?
Drain down to 1 foot in the shallow end. Don't want to float that bad boy after all of this!
Kim
- - - Updated - - -
I would drain with the hose in the deep end to try to get all of the yuckies out. I like his idea of adding water at the same time.
Kim
Kim
- - - Updated - - -
I would drain with the hose in the deep end to try to get all of the yuckies out. I like his idea of adding water at the same time.
Kim
DaninFLA
0
can you check your water table to see how deep it is. would stink to do a 2/3 water change, refill it and still have the issue.
I haev heard that the rule of thumb is if you have a vinyl liner and want to drain, drain below the second step, but never never let the water level get to the bottom step surface.