Is this sand from my filter or just dirt???

[ctowsley1]

Every day I get these dirt patches and lines on the bottom of my pool. Whether it had been used or not. I vacuum the whole thing, and not even 10 seconds after I finish there is another one!! Is this normal? Or is there something wrong with my sand filter? I appreciate any help or experience!!

(Trying to figure out how to attach an image on my phone...)

 

[ctowsley1]

There, I think I got my picture added here.
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Also, I realize after posting the photo that you can't really see it very well because it was in the sun with my shadow over it. The pool is actually very clear and it's definitely not green like algae or anything, so I know it's dirt or sand.

 

[AftonJeeper]

Tie a sock around your return jets. Vacuum your pool and see if the sand reappears. If no sand check the socks and see if they are full of sand. If the socks caught the sand then your laterals are probably going bad.

 

[zea3]

Actually, it looks a little yellowish where the floor meets the wall. See if you can collect some of the material. If it is gritty it is dirt or sand. If it poofs away it is dead algae or pollen. Also post a complete set of test results. It could be you have a nascent algae bloom. That means you have the FC high enough to kill the majority of the algae but not all of it. You might need to bump the FC up a little.

 

[ctowsley1]

FC: 6.5
CC: 0
PH: 7.5
CH: not tested
CYA: 40
I have the TF -100 kit

I'm trying to secure a sock to the return and will post if I get any sand in it.
When I brush it, it dusts up like a cloud for a second and settles right back on the bottom, unlike algae which I've seen always tend to float around some more. That's why I'm pretty sure it's sand or dirt. Hoping its not from the filter!! But I'll post back my findings.

 

[ctowsley1]

Ok, so every time I turned the pump on, I would get a nasty looking cloud around the pantyhose sock that would clear up after a few seconds of having it on. I turned it off, and turned it back on again, and same thing. Nasty cloud for a couple seconds. At first I thought I just had dirty laundry! But after it kept doing it, it's definitely coming out of the return. But no sand stays inside the sock! So either it's not sand, or the sand particles are small enough to go through the hosiery.

I did a backwash for about about a minute, and about 30 second rinse. And it still did it after. Am I doomed to have to take apart my sand filter? Ugh....

 

[jwhop3]

Try adding some diamataceous earth to your sand filter. Slowly add one cup into your skimmer while in "filter" mode, so that the dust will be added to your sand filter. It will form a top-layer and will trap particulates that are getting through your sand. Do this after a thorough backwash, then monitor your pressure while adding the DE. Once the pressure jumps 2-5 % above your normal pressure, let that filter for a wile. If the pressure maintains or drops a little, add some more. You want to gradually get your pump pressure up to 10% above normal pressure, this should tell you that the sand is catching those dusties. Once you see 10-20%, or your return pressure drops, it's time to backwash.

Whenever I add new sand, I try to dust the top of it with DE until I can't see any sand, then add a little more. It really does work.

Also, try clamping a diesel fuel filter from McMaster.com to a threaded hose adapter that will screw into your return port. Run this filter bag overnight and see how nasty it is in the morning.

 

[Topher55]

The poofs of dirt at startup sounds a lot like channeling to me. I would deep clean the sand filter. There is a sticky in the filter section.

I had this happen to me when I first bought the house. Deep cleaning fixed the problem. I now do it annually whether it needs it or not. The amount of stuff that comes out of the filter right after a back flush is astonishing.

 

[ctowsley1]

Thank you! I'll look it up and attempt it! Hopefully this fixes my problem, thank you! I did buy the house last year so who knows if the filter has ever been deep cleaned...

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I've done DE before for clearing it up after SLAM, I'll give it a shot if all else fails! Thanks!

 

[JamesW]

I think that it's likely to be mustard algae.

I would do a SLAM.

 

[slinkyra531]

I have the same exact issue as you. I live in the country on a dirt road and always just considered it to be either dust from the dirt road behind my house or pollen. I am fairly certain it is not algae because my water is crystal clear and nothing seems to be consuming my chlorine at a tremendous rate. My solar cover gets particularly dusty when we have a long stretch of dry weather and it just dumps into the pools. If I move my foot over it the spot on the floor of the pool disappears from there and then reappears shortly after I move away. I have a little electric vacuum that I use every time I get in my pool yet I still have the same spots no matter what I do. For 4 years I have had them so I've just grown to live with it.

And I deep clean my filter every year.

 

[ctowsley1]

I think that it's likely to be mustard algae.

I would do a SLAM.

Good idea, won't hurt! I was going to deep clean the sand filter and then I'll do a slam after that.

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I have the same exact issue as you. I live in the country on a dirt road and always just considered it to be either dust from the dirt road behind my house or pollen. I am fairly certain it is not algae because my water is crystal clear and nothing seems to be consuming my chlorine at a tremendous rate. My solar cover gets particularly dusty when we have a long stretch of dry weather and it just dumps into the pools. If I move my foot over it the spot on the floor of the pool disappears from there and then reappears shortly after I move away. I have a little electric vacuum that I use every time I get in my pool yet I still have the same spots no matter what I do. For 4 years I have had them so I've just grown to live with it.

And I deep clean my filter every year.

i haven't deep cleaned my filter yet, so that will be my first check for sure. But if it's just environmental like yours, I'm totally ok with just dealing with it. I just want to make sure my filter is working right! But I do live on a dusty road and the solar cover gets dirt and pollen on it a lot too. So if it's normal, I'll be cool with that! Only my 2nd year of pool ownership so I feel like I've been to college on this page! Lol.

 

[jwhop3]

Mine is under a heavy cover of red oaks and hickories, so there is a constant pollen dusting. I keep my Mamba running through the day and set up my diy slimebags in the return jets. As long as I maintain my FC of 9, I'm crystal clear.

My Taylor K2006 was the best thing I ever bought for my pool.

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Wouldn't a stubborn mustard algae eat up your FC pretty quick? If he's keeping high FC with a moderate CYA level, I would think that would eliminate the possibility of mustard algae, but I've been lucky enough to not experience it either.

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Whenever I have to replace a lateral in my PacFab, I always order a complete set, so I have extras in my tool box. Nothing like discovering a busted spider in the middle of swimming season and having to wait 5 days for your part to show up in the mail.

 

[domct203]

Perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to determine if this is just dirt in the pool, or dead algae.

If you fail the OCLT, time to SLAM.

 

[JamesW]

This type of mustard can often pass an OCLT.

 

[ctowsley1]

This type of mustard can often pass an OCLT.

�� hmmm, tell me more about mustard algae, I don't know how it's different. I will for sure bump up the FC because I'm gonna take apart the filter for who knows how long this is gonna take! But if I can see it physically coming from the return, wouldn't that mean a filter problem mostly? (Note... I did a backwash yesterday and it was yellow coming out of the waste line at first) �� My CC was definitely 0 when I tested it yesterday so I wasn't thinking an algae problem... but could totally be wrong.

 

[JamesW]

Algae doesn't create CC.

There are two types of mustard algae. The common yellow that covers large areas and the much less common olive-green.

I'm pretty sure that you have the second type.

It looks and acts a lot like sand.

It's very fine and will blow through a sand filter.

I think that you will find that it goes away with a full SLAM.

The yellow is a sign of mustard algae. It's from beta carotene. It's the same chemical that makes carrots orange.

The beta carotene helps protect the algae from oxidation because it's an anti oxidant.

This type of mustard is very slow growing and does not react with chlorine at the same rate as other algae.

 

[Topher55]

A deep clean should only take like 45 mins. Maybe a little longer the first time because you have to figure out how to open it up. It takes me longer to vacuum my pool...

And be careful around the laterals in the bottom of the filter. If you break one of those you'll have an all day chore of switching it out....

 

[ctowsley1]

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Ok. So I'm on almost 2 hrs of deep cleaning the filter. ( I turned the hose off for a bit to let the well pump catch up) WOW! Still junk coming up. But not surprised considering last year's swamp debacle (new home, pool abandoned for at least 2 years... there were lots of tadpoles). Also, so much yellow cloudy nastiness coming out the top. I wish I did this when I opened the pool this spring! Now I know. Hoping the laterals are all in good shape too, and that I haven't damaged any. I've been pretty careful. But, just in case, how would I know??

Thanks everyone for all your help and expertise!!

 

[zea3]

If the laterals are cracked the filter will spit sand into the pool while the pump is running. You will be able to collect it in a sock. There will be no doubt it is sand. It will have the same look and texture you are seeing while deep cleaning the filter.