Just bought house with pool---probably hasn't been opened in 3 years...

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Also...I have been running the filter on FILTER. Backwash when it gets 8-10 over the normal level of pressure. Then rinse for a minute, then back to filter.

Question: when should I use the RECIRC setting?
 
I would add enough to get about 30 CYA in the pool. That will help protect your chlorine during the day. This would be about 6 lbs in your pool, but use Pool Math to calculate for yourself. SOCK METHOD in front of a return. Once you put the socks in, squeeze them every so often to get it to dissolve. Once all is dissolved, you can test in a week to verify concentration. Until then, ASSUME the CYA is at 30 for SLAM level targets.

Recirc is for when you want water flow, but want to bypass the filter. In some multiports it's actually called Bypass. You might want to do this to get water circulating but don't want to filter the water. I don't think I've ever used it on mine.
 
Regarding the volume calculation, vinyl pools typically have very angled walls once you get below the 3-4' vertical side walls. So the volume would be significantly lower than if you were working with a cube (l x w x h). The foot print of your actual deep end is much smaller than the outside pool dimension. You could probably take 15-20% off of the calculation if you assumed vertical side walls. Our pool is an 18' x 38' rectangle and 3 - 8 1/2' deep (gunite - so fairly vertical walls) and the volume is around 27,000. Ours does have a lot of benchwork though which reduces volume down to the 27K. I suspect yours is in the in the 20K range if your dimensions are similar. Over time you can key in on it with various types of chemical additions and analyzing the actual vs. expected testing results. One piece of advice is to document all tests and miscellaneous "data" in a notebook and do so going forward in perpetuity. It allows for tracking and reference which you will be glad to have both now and at times in the future.

Watching from afar.
 
Day 3 Slam

Still looks the same but I am not seeing any more sludgy mess when I stir it up, so that's good.

Also, added 5.5 lbs of CYA.

I have only been testing for FC...should i be doing any other tests during the Slam?

day 3.jpg
 
Testing for FC is really all you need to be concerned about for now. Check your CYA in a week or week and a half from now. You won't be able to test pH with FC levels above 10ppm so forget about that. CH and TA will be something to worry about after the SLAM.
 
Slam Day 4

Pool really looks the same:

day 4.jpg

How long do you think it will take before we see a little more clear water?

Also, we are backwashing about 4 or 5 times a day. We are not getting anything out of the leaf rake anymore, so we are just using the broom to scrub the walls and bottom and stir things up. Question: Does anyone think I need to change the sand in the filter? It's gotta be getting icky in there by now. And, I have no idea when it was last changed. If you think we should change it, should we stop SLAMMING or wait until the Slam is complete?

OH...I thought I would get an early start on it today and did the scrubbing BEFORE breakfast. Not good...wasn't paying any attention where I was standing and I fell in. Not the first swimming experience I was hoping for!! :oops:

- - - Updated - - -

or should we be using DE? I just read somewhere that Hayward says that the sand doesn't really ever need changing?
 
Only backwash when your psi raises enough or you notice low flow coming out of the return. Sand filter work better with dirty sand. Make sure you are rinsing after backwash for at least 15 seconds. I do it for 30 seconds to a minute.

- - - Updated - - -

DE added can help clear, but you need to be home so you can keep an eye on the psi as it will rise fast since the DE catches more than sand. I would wait until day 7 or so to do DE.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
We backwash when the psi raise 8-10 over normal. We backwash for about a minute, then rinse for about a minute. We did it for about 4 minutes the first time and just watched the water level drop.

If DE can help clear this swamp, then I am all for it! Ill get some and add it on a day when I can keep an eye on it. Thanks Azgirl!
 
Your welcome. It will be slow and you will have to backwash a lot but as it clears there will be more time between backwashes. I made the same mistake the first time I backwashed too.

- - - Updated - - -

You can get Pool DE at Home Depot
 
My pool is 4 years old and I changed the sand last year because I had a rouge issue that had escaped all other methods. My sand was not "bad" I had channeling in the sad that I think was causing my issues.

There is a post in deep cleaning a sand filter on the forum. Search for it and I would absolutely do that. I would wait until you are more clear than that to add DE. It will catch a lot more and I bet just sand is still getting a workout right now. I added de to my sand filter but did it when my water was crystal clear.

You are getting closer, keep at it!!!

Looking good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's going to take time to filter out all that material. The pool didn't get in that condition overnight (years) so even if the process takes a month, it's very quick in comparison to how long it took to get in this state. Keep brushing and stirring it up.

You could examine the sand in the filter by opening it up. If it looks really nasty and caked, I would try the deep clean procedure first. http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/73192-Deep-Cleaning-a-Sand-Filter

DE is useful, but I wouldn't go there yet. Get some on hand if you want to try it later but wait until the water is more or less cloudy and you can start to make out the bottom.

:testresults:
 
For days 1 & 2, i was just writing everything down on little slips of scrap paper. Got organized by day 3. :)

photo[1].jpg


I am overshooting (adding more than needed) when I know I will be gone for a few hours.

- - - Updated - - -

JVTrain said:
It's going to take time to filter out all that material. The pool didn't get in that condition overnight (years) so even if the process takes a month, it's very quick in comparison to how long it took to get in this state. Keep brushing and stirring it up.

You could examine the sand in the filter by opening it up. If it looks really nasty and caked, I would try the deep clean procedure first. http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/73192-Deep-Cleaning-a-Sand-Filter

DE is useful, but I wouldn't go there yet. Get some on hand if you want to try it later but wait until the water is more or less cloudy and you can start to make out the bottom.

:testresults:
Click to expand...

OH please say it won't take a month!!! ;-)
 
We don't know how long it will take.

Keep SLAMing the pool and it will get there.

Keep taking pics and posting them here everyday so you can go back and look at them. You will see the pool change everyday.
 
Hulligan,

Look at your water bill and see what it would cost to fill up the pool with the hose. $300-$400? $50 to rent a pump from home depot to drain it. I had a problem with algae and water chemistry, BEFORE I FOUND THIS SITE, and fought it with money and chlorine for a year. I wish I would have just drained the pool and filled it up right from the beginning. I poured 50% bleach and 50% water out of a watering can all over the sides. Pool has been crystal clear for a month, and before that the best I could get was a week.

BUT, I am a new guy here. You seem to have spent a ton on bleach already. Save yourself the headache. This way you know what is or is not in that thing.

I basically did this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jABArTZmgRg


ALSO - a big problem for me at first was that there was a hole in my sand filter, one of the plastic tube parts underneath the filter that had a hole in it. So that when I was filtering the water, it was just blowing a lot of it back into the pool. I could see that when I was vacuuming that it looked like dirt particles were coming out of the jets. Nothing should look like it is coming out of the jets. That should be filtered water returning to the pool. If you haven't, take that filter apart and look for holes in the connecting pieces or cracks. If you got a home warranty with a pool warranty, not sure if you did with an estate sale, you might get a 'free' DE filter like I did.
 
j_m...we are on a well. Not sure if it's drilled or bored, so not sure if filling it would be a good idea. Plus, if we emptied it, we would have to wait until the chlorine dissipated, since the water would drain into our lake. It's not a huge lake but I'm sure the chemicals would kill some fish.

We might end up doing that, but for now I want to keep slamming. At least for a month. ;-)
 
You should not drain because you have a vinyl pool and unless you're replacing the liner, you could ruin it.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply