LAST DITCH EFFORT....and I don't know what to do now

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BoostingSnail said:
Is it safe to say that if I were to pass an OCLT right now that it would be alright to swim in even though it's cloudy?

Using the Taylor Watergram wheel, when I hold the 500 CH at 90 TA, and turn the arrow to 7.4 for pH, the saturation index reads 0.1 for 78* water....I just measured the temp. at 77.5...From what Im reading on the back, it says SI of .5 or greater could cause cloudiness.

I think we may start a water replacement tomorrow to get the hardness down....the CH of our softened well water is 25.
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My bad... I entered your TA wrong into the pool calc. Even with CH that high, your SI is still within range. As long as you swear off the cal-hypo shock and tabs, you should be fine. If you still want to replace some of the water, keep an eye on your CYA level especially if it's going to be a sunny week, but make sure you consult with the senior members here before you add anything.

I think you're just going to need to keep SLAMing. Since you have a sand filter, DE should help expedite the filtering process immensely.

I'd stay away from the clarifier - it's just adding another variable into the equation. It's not necessary, and people seem to have mixed results when using it.
 
Ok, so we expelled some water and replaced it with fresh....it's nothing much at all...only about an inch worth. I put in 1 cup of DE that brought our clean PSI up from 16 to 17.

Today is Day 4 after our CYA broadcast(just enough to bump it 10-15ppm), and it's still reading less than 30. The dot did disappear once I filled it to the tippy top though if it means anything.

Should I get more stabilizer in there? I left this morning with a FC target of 18, and came home to only 7.5. It was partly to mostly sunny today.
 
Hi boostingsnail,
I would give the CYA just a bit longer, maybe 2 more days. If it still reads so low, then add a little.

Regaring the cloudiness when you added the pH increaser. The pH iincrease is very high in pH locally, and when introduced rapidly into a pool, causes the calcium to precipitate out of solution. This is why it went cloudy.

Any time when you add pH increaser it needs to be added very slowly, put a little bit in a 5 gallon bucket, mix it well and pour slowly around the pool. I would recommend to stretch out increasing of pH over a matter of several hours, so as not to have the pool go cloudy.
 
Divin Dave said:
Hi boostingsnail,
I would give the CYA just a bit longer, maybe 2 more days. If it still reads so low, then add a little.

Regaring the cloudiness when you added the pH increaser. The pH iincrease is very high in pH locally, and when introduced rapidly into a pool, causes the calcium to precipitate out of solution. This is why it went cloudy.

Any time when you add pH increaser it needs to be added very slowly, put a little bit in a 5 gallon bucket, mix it well and pour slowly around the pool. I would recommend to stretch out increasing of pH over a matter of several hours, so as not to have the pool go cloudy.
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Ah, ok......that's good info to have. It did seem like a potent powder since I only needed to add 20-24oz(I forget) to bring it from 7.0 to 7.4ish.

Thanks for the input Dave.
 
Oh, one other question. My clean gauge pressure was 16 before I added the DE, and 17 after the DE, can someone just confirm with me what pressure I want to backwash at? Im sitting at 20 right now......I think I will backwash and replenish to be safe for the evening...don't need anymore unwanted surprises.
 
Well, the DE is working it's magic. I am starting to see the floor drain in the deep end and the shallow end is nearly back to it's clear state.

Before I went to bed last night, I checked the FC. It was at 15, and it called for 3 qts. to bring it up to 18. I just put the whole jug in and brought it up to 19. This morning, it's right at 20. So I didn't lose much at all overnight.
 

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Ok, still only loosing 1 ppm of FC overnight. Here's a picture of the low end, and one of the deep end. Should I be able to see the deepend as clear as the lowend? Trying to get an idea as to when I'm officially TFP clear. You can see down the walls of the deepend and where they meet the floor, you can faintly see the floor drain at the top center of the picture.



 
Wow, that is crystal by those stairs. Doesn't even look like there's any water in the pool. Nice! It's not uncommon for their to be a slight difference in the water as it continues to filter-out dead algae and organic material. Eventually that should all settle-down and get filtered and/or vacuumed. Someone once used a description about SLAM clear, and I can't quite pinpoint how they said it. Something like, "Clear, but not crystal as the pool continues to remove the final remnants from the SLAM".

This is from the SLAM page: "Depending on what kind of filter you have, it can take the filter a week or more to completely clear up the water, even after all of the algae is dead. DE filters are usually much faster than that, but require frequent attention when cleaning up algae. Sand filters are the slowest, and cartridge filters are somewhere in-between. While SLAMing, the appearance of the water should improve each day, though perhaps only by a little. If you fail to see any improvement you might have a problem with your filter, or have a higher CYA level than you think, or bad circulation, or have some other more complex problem."

Also, here's was another discussion on this same subject: rationale for clear water criterion for end of SLAM?

Hope this helps. Looking good!
 
You are making wonderful progress!

Deep end-you WILL be able to see it as clear as your shallow end! In fact you WILL be able to read the heads/tails of a coin when we are done with your pool! Oh yeah! You will be able to see the head of your screws in the drain top!

Your pool will look like a jewel! :sun:

Kim
 
Im beginning to think there's a new issue, or it's a bigger issue now...because I'm starting to see some sand settling in the bottom of the low end right where the return jet is. I've always had a little sand in the sight glass when I backwash. Last year when we had the liner put in, I replaced the sand as well. While doing that, there was a crack in the vertical tube running from the laterals to the control valve. While I had it out, I put a bunch of epoxy on it and it seemed alright. Now Im seeing sand again. UUGGGGHH!!!!
 
Oh that is NOTHING! EASY fix compared to what you just went through--------get a new one! I would also look at your laterals real close just in case one or more of them has a problem.

HUGS! It will get better!

Kim
 
Your CYA should be at 30 to help buffer your FC from the sun. If it is lower than 30 yes you should add.

Adding CYA---------put it in a sock (bonus points if it is a cute sock). Use a rubber band to close the top of the sock. Hang the cute sock in front of a return. This is the best way to make sure it does not just get backwashed out like it does if you put it in a sock in the skimmer.

You can/should squeeze it when you are out there by it.

Remember it will not show up on the test until about a week later.

Kim
 
Yep, sounds good. I have been searching for parts for the filter....SP714T Valve, and S220 Lateral Assembly....thinking about just buying them both and be done with it. Anything to watch out for or is there anything else I need to get? I'm assuming when I buy the valve assembly, it's just simply swapping the plumbing from the old head onto the new head. Sounds like it comes with a new sight glass, gasket, and gauge.
 
I was going to say gasket but it looks like you have that covered.

The parts you have listed-----I do not see the pipe. I see the top part SP714T. That comes up as the part that has the handle. S220 is coming up many different listings.

I just wanted to make sure you get the pipe and laterals.

Kim
 

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