Is this channeling? Pool hasn't cleared much last 2 days...

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Regarding the danco grease - I really like it much better than pool lube but the tube is tiny (which is fine, you don’t need much).
The pics on the internet are a little deceptive & I had a hard time locating it in the store because I was expecting a larger tube so I passed it over multiple times.
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Use unions designed for pool use, don't grab something from Home Depot. You can find CMP Pool Unions at Leslie's and other retailers.
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Okay, I was just re-reading a blog here and came across this line... So I was going to get these at ACE because that's the best option in my area, but now there is this question: is the Homewerks Schedule 40 1-1/2 in. Slip X 1-1/2 in. D Slip PVC Union 1 pk okay to use? I was not under the impression there were material differences other than sch 40 vs 80. Thank you again!
 
VinylDelight said:
Curious to know why does the forum discriminate big box pvc vs pool store pvc?
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If you examine the two you'll find the union designed for pools has slightly less restriction to flow even though they use the same size pipe. Also, the unions designed for pools are usually smaller than big box unions for the same size pipe, makes plumbing a little easier. As far as pipe and standard fittings it doesn't matter where you purchase. Not necessarily "pool store" stuff as many buy specialty parts like unions online.
 
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VinylDelight said:
Curious to know why does the forum discriminate big box pvc vs pool store pvc?
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Newdude said:
Personally, I despise them for plumbing because it takes 7 trips, to 4 different stores, to locate 3 common plumbing parts.
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Consider yourself living in luxury if you have 4 options to shop in nearby! :D
 
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Alright... so newb mistake here regarding a prior step. This week I read (and actually processed) that when you add Diatomaceous earth it is NOT supposed to be food grade. I wish that was in bold, and maybe I wouldn't have done it (maybe lol) but it seems like when I added the "pool" grade DE that the effects were what was expected -- pressure quickly rising after adding half a cup, plus better filtering. So this week I have done some progress via vac-to-waste and filtering with the "pool grade" DE. However, my pool is quite... "glacial" is perhaps the best way to describe it now. I can no longer see any of the shallow end despite the pool really not being too brown, if at all. My guess is all that Dang foodgrade DE is either in solution or suspension now in my pool, and I am worried that to resolve this might not be an easy fix... so here I am now with a new problem seeking advice! Thank you again...
 

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If so -
You should definitely backwash immediately, then deep clean the filter (again)
Then use filter fiber/cellulose fiber to help catch what is suspended in the pool.
It is added the same way as de.
Here’s a thread about the same situation

The wrong diatomaceous earth

Out of desperation, due to cloudy pool water and inability to find "heat treated" or "pool grade" DE, I used the garden variety DE. And now, of course, it seems the pool is never going to clear. Is pool grade DE the answer? Now I see an online source for the pool grade DE, but it's in a 50 pound...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Mdragger88 said:
So you added food grade DE? You’re sure?
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It was the only one at the walmart and I just never considered that "food grade" was anything bad, and unfortunately it was right near the pool stuff/outdoor area. It only hit me while re-reading that blog post, and afterwards I bought some stuff online and it was pool stuff.

Here is the stuff I originally added, which from my earlier posts you may recall I said I had to add multiple cups to see any change in PSI. Harris Products Group Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade Natural, 4 lb. - Walmart.com

Reading just a couple threads I found one where someone made the same mistake I did, albeit less food DE added, and they were recommended Fiber Clear, which I just bought on Amazon. I'll figure out how to use it hopefully before I mess that up lol.
 
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Fiber clear is cellulose fiber- it’s added the same way as DE.
Add a diluted cup at a time to the skimmer until you see a rise of 1psi. Replace after each backwash.
In the interim you can use the pool de - it should help some.
Put the food grade stuff somewhere else. It has a myriad of home & garden uses just not IN your pool .
 
Mdragger88 said:
Fiber clear is cellulose fiber- it’s added the same way as DE.
Add a diluted cup at a time to the skimmer until you see a rise of 1psi. Replace after each backwash.
In the interim you can use the pool de - it should help some.
Put the food grade stuff somewhere else. It has a myriad of home & garden uses just not IN your pool .
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I'm going to take the food grade DE to a shooting range and take care of it there. I might sign up for boxing lessons and make a speedbag out of it.

As for the fiber clear, and the DE as well, how important is it to dilute it first? Ive heard you simply throw in a handful but also to dilute it. So what is best and assuming that is dilution, how much DE to water are we looking at? Thank you again... so much... hopefully I get to use this thing soon...
 
I use a gallon tea pitcher of water & put the cup of de in - mix it up with my hand & pour it slowly into the skimmer then add more water to the pitcher to get the rest that stayed in the bottom a couple times. I have never used cellulose fiber but I believe it’s the same process. This way you don’t risk a clog or any overwhelming your filter & coming out the return or something.
Once you know how much it takes to get the 1psi rise you can just add that same amount to the pitcher/bucket then skimmer each time after backwashing.
As mentioned earlier- be sure you’ll be around to watch the filter pressure & backwash as needed because it can jump quickly when you’re dealing with algae/cloudiness etc.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
I use a gallon tea pitcher of water & put the cup of de in - mix it up with my hand & pour it slowly into the skimmer then add more water to the pitcher to get the rest that stayed in the bottom a couple times. I have never used cellulose fiber but I believe it’s the same process. This way you don’t risk a clog or any overwhelming your filter & coming out the return or something.
Once you know how much it takes to get the 1psi rise you can just add that same amount to the pitcher/bucket then skimmer each time after backwashing.
As mentioned earlier- be sure you’ll be around to watch the filter pressure & backwash as needed because it can jump quickly when you’re dealing with algae/cloudiness etc.
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Thank you. That is right about the rising pressure. The first time I did it I was sure to monitor and it was rising rapidly, so I didn't even run it overnight... it was making a huge difference and quickly.
 
If you won’t be home just don’t add any after backwash so you can still filter without worry, you can do it again when you get home.
After you’re all done with slam you can continue to use de/cellulose fiber if you want. Under normal conditions it does make you have to backwash a little sooner but its not nearly as quickly as with algae/cloudiness.
 
Ok, so as the season started I finally got my pool back... and I don't need help (yet :laughblue: ) but for future searches I wanted to update this thread because the search results on using the wrong food grade diatomaceous earth was surprisingly sparse. Not sure what that says about me lol!

Anyways, my pump was getting loud ever since the flood soaked it so we had a pool guy replace it (he said he doesn't even repair them, and sadly he just replaced it with a similar type without talking about it at all such as variable speed etc). He did that while replacing the sand, which is where I left off after the laterals fiasco - there was apparently no damage even though I pulled them up through the sand bed entirely. I simply didn't have the time versus pool season/family coming and wanting to swim to DIY after yet another setback.

So that new pump probably helped speed up things but at first I was trying the cellulose fiber and it really wasn't doing much (if anything) to clear the cloudiness, but then I remembered I had the pool grade 50 pound bag of DE sitting in the corner and that was the ticket. Quickly after adding the half a cup or so the pressure rose and it would rise so fast I would backwash before going to sleep and not add more DE because I didn't want the pressure to rise so much that it couldn't pump. My guess that turned out to probably be right is that it was finally filtering out all that food grade DE since the clarity was returning.

At this point I was still slamming as well and adding the DE during the day. It worked a charm and now it's been maybe a month since the sand change/laterals issue and the pool is probably crystal clear or close enough. My CYA tanked hard though so I went back to costco to buy some tablets... I know I know... I will get back to liquid chlorine! But this is working well and My CYA was under 30 which is less than ideal given the intense heat we're getting in the south!

Swim on!
 
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Glad to hear a positive update!
As for the tabs - be sure to keep an eye on your ph & ta as you use them.
Its easy to think they aren’t making a dent in a large pool but they will & it can sneak up on you.
That said - you may still need to use liquid chlorine too. The tabs may not put out enough fc to offset daily losses. Which can be 4ppm/day or so in the hot south.
Same with cya - since they take time to erode. Many down here find they need around 50ppm cya to help protect more fc from the sun.
I use them sparingly to help give me a little bump of fc (help my undersized swcg out) & help keep my cya up once its where I want it in the heat of the summer. About a tab a week. Anymore & I screw up my super stable ph & ta.
You don’t want to be riding minimum
FC/CYA Levels
We know where that leads!
Tabs aren’t evil but blind use is unwise.
The key is knowing exactly what each thing you use will do - beforehand.

Here’s approx what each dissolved tab will do in your pool
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