Lost my sparkle..

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add 8 boxes of Mr. Sparkle

lots_sparkle.jpg
 
Lol you guys!

I have my sparkle back! The DE is doing as I expected. Now comes the test....can I get ahead of it? I have been here so many times this season.

No issues with the amount of sand or brand? Any thoughts on why I can't get ahead of the back washing? This has been ongoing since opening in March. That is why I quit using the DE two weeks ago.
 
duraleigh said:
Backwash? Has your pressure gone up 25%?
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Always, I am a little rebel and sometimes push it an extra PSI.

I am really trying to understand my filter. I can do basic things but other than that I call my PG. The hubby and I are not DIY people. So here are my observations.

Sand changed in January 200# of Sea Gull Brand, Last year clean PSI was 11, new multi port installed this spring PSI still 11. Over the next few weeks clean pressure crept up to 15 and is still there. I assumed everything was getting sealed up from all the new seals, multi port, sand settling in etc. Now the backwash pressure is 18.5 or 19.

I never had good luck using my manual vacuum I could never get it to work right so I gave up and bought a Pool Master Dustbuster. This year I got a robot so vacuuming was a moot point. Now the robot is out of the picture so I thought I would give this manual vacuuming another shot. PG told me to turn main drain off when vacuuming. So I noticed when I did that PSI went to 11 (the original clean pressure) so I played around a few times and turned skimmer off and same thing PSI dropped to 11. When either one is off PSI drops to 11 but when working together PSI is 15. Is this normal?

I am at 13 hours of two cups of DE and PSI has gone up one. The pool looks back to normal and the haze last night was much better. So it appears I don't get good filtration without the DE but I have to backwash a lot. I can't past back washing every couple of days when running the DE and last year this was never an issue.

A big thank you to everyone who has spent the time helping me. I really appreciate all the replies. This year has been a little rough with this pool. Between all the issues with the muli port, the leaks caused by the robot, the constant back washing and now this filtration issue I am a little frustrated, I feel like I live with a hose in my hand refilling this pool.

Chris
 
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you asked "When either one is off PSI drops to 11 but when working together PSI is 15. Is this normal?"

yes it is. it's kinda hard to explain, but think of it this way. the pump can only do so much work. if it's drawing water from the pool through only one inlet, it has to work harder to do it. so the work that would have been pressing on the filter is being used to pull on the pool instead. with both inlets open, it doesn't have to work as hard to get water. so there is more available to press into the filter.

another thing to note: if your pump basket or skimmer basket get really blocked up you will see your PSI go down, but if the filter gets blocked the PSI goes up.
 
Hi Chris - a while back I was trying to reduce the water level inside my auto feeder and found the swapping the return eyes from 3/4 inch to 1 inch reduced my back pressure at the fliter by 4 psi. I have three returns and I'm sure pump, pipes length and a dozen other factors will make this change in psi vary. But at $15 for all three it wasn't much of an investment to try it out.

Prehaps reducing back pressure will give you more then several hours on between back washes.

Also so wonder if you have to much de in your filter. One cup raises my sand filter just under one psi. Just started using it a week ago but it's held at 20 psi since I put it in. I don't expect to backwash for several weeks.
 
Thanks for the info and suggestions. I appreciate it so much.

I am at 27 hours and holding at 17 psi. I am so excited I haven't held this steady this whole season. I have to say the pool looks amazing today probably the best it has ever looked. The sparkle and reflection is unbelievable and it happens to be the hottest day of the year at 98 with a heat index of 105 and it was so inviting I had to go in without a scrub brush:) Last night I had just the slightest haze even with swimmers until 10 pm.
 
I have found that using cellulose filter media in place of DE in my filter makes my water sparkle better. Just something to consider for the future.
 

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I ended up back washing last night.

I am trying some different things. I don't know if I am on the right track or not.

My thought now is maybe my sand is too clean. When I googled my brand of sand it came up repeatedly that fish people like it because it is so clean in their tanks. I am going to try to let some dirt get in there. I removed the skimmer socks for now and let the pressure go to 23 last night. My thought was a dirtier filter captures more and by running it higher I may get ahead of the stuff. When I back washed it was dirtier than it has been in the past. Not a whole lot but enough that I saw a difference. Last night I had virtually no haze but a lot of floaters. Today the lawn guy comes and the neighbors are redoing their patio so I should get some nice dust and crud going into the filter today.

I also raised the TA to 70 this morning based on a suggestion earlier in this thread.


I also ordered a three pack of the larger eyeballs. Should I start out changing one or go ahead and do all three?
 
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on the eyeballs, I would measure the PSI, change one, measure, change the next and so on. This way you can find out how each swap changes the PSI at the filter. The other consideration is making sure you have good flow to move the water in the pool. So maybe try a few different setups, in different locations to find a balance you like for flow and water pressure. You may want the smaller one to stay where it pushes down towards the deep end.

I know I had to put the smaller one back in by the seat as my wife like the cheap back massage. :)
 
JTDL said:
on the eyeballs, I would measure the PSI, change one, measure, change the next and so on. This way you can find out how each swap changes the PSI at the filter. The other consideration is making sure you have good flow to move the water in the pool. So maybe try a few different setups, in different locations to find a balance you like for flow and water pressure. You may want the smaller one to stay where it pushes down towards the deep end.

I know I had to put the smaller one back in by the seat as my wife like the cheap back massage. :)
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I like the massage as well so the one one the steps is staying Lol. They should be here today :)

A little update....

I don't know the science behind this but I think I was keeping my pool too clean. I decided to let the filter do its job so I removed the skimmer sock, cleaned a couple of clumps of hair out of the impeller, and stopped vacuuming. I think my filter needed some dirt. I limit my use of the DustBuster to every couple of days and run the brush over the bottom towards the main drain trying to get dirt in the filter. I am at a record for the season of 51 hours and the psi has only gone up .5 we have been using the pool a lot over the last few days and the pressure is still holding.

The water looks great, I stood on the diving board this morning and could make out the screw heads on the main drain. I have virtually no haze at night even with swimmers later in the evening.

A couple of adjustments I am doing as well, raised my cya yesterday to 50 from 40. My chlorine usage has doubled and passed an OCLT the last two nights. I am also switching to Fiber Clear. I picked some up this morning ready for my next back wash. All the DE I have been using kinda concerns me even though I use safety measures.

I want to again say thanks to everyone. I read every reply and appreciate all the help.

Chris
 
I want to close this one out.

I am at one week and pressure is at 15 (my clean pressure) with no indication it is moving anytime soon. I have achieved the ultimate in water clarity and sparkle. I cannot believe my water.

I have learned a lot about my pool through this whole process....

She doesn't like or want a big girl robot. They don't play nice together. I am going to look for a toddler robot for my sanity and to help out.

She likes to be brushed once a week thoroughly and spot brushed throughout the week. No more daily vacuuming just a quick run with the leaf rake and she likes to be skimmed on top daily.

She doesn't want her chem levels messed with. She found her sweet spot and she wants to be left alone.

I have also learned my pool is a chlorine junkie when it is this blazing hot. She likes her 4 ppm a day no matter what my CYA level is (I have passed multiple OCLTS). I have gone up in increments from 40-60 and it is the same loss. So if that keeps her happy I am going to do it:)

I switched to Fiber Clear and that really took it up over the top vs. the DE.

I guess my pool is a tomboy and wants to be a little dirty so since I am a huge believer in self expression I am going to give her that:) in return she is rewarding me and my family with hours of family fun and enjoyment so we can sing kumbaya and put this one to bed.

When they say Trouble Free they really mean it.


Thank you so much everyone for all the help!

Chris
 
Chris,

I know that I'm a little late to the pool party but I'd like to add my $0.02 to this discussion. Thanks to this forum, I am borderline obsessive on my pool clarity and can tell right away when something is "just not right" with my pool. When my water gets dull, I have found that a couple of small changes brings back the sparkle. The first thing I do is to raise the chlorine a couple of PPM. I have also found that if my PH is getting too high the water becomes dull. Adding some muriatic acid to bring it down to around 7.5 has a remarkable affect on water clarity. The third thing that I have found is to draw more water from the main drain versus the skimmers. I usually run the skimmers at 75% and the main drain at 25% to keep the surface clean. But, I have found that drawing more water from the main drain really helps water clarity.

I know everyone's pool is different and you have found the sweet spot for your pool. Great job on the clarity!
 
If you get really obsessed about maximum "sparkle", there is always borates. Although the primary purpose of adding 50 ppm borates is to help buffer the rapid pH rise seen in SWG pools, it does also seem to increase the sparkle in the water. Supposedly it changes the refractory index of the water, so that the water reflects the light differently. I just know that my water does seem to sparkle more since I added borates.

That and a DE filter filled with fiber media and every time someone see my pool for the first time, the first comment has the word "sparkle" in it.
 

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