Need filter help ASAP

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utmom

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Jan 2, 2017
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Utah
we're new first time pool owners--owner built pool--so there is no one to "call". We are cleaning out the filter basket (of the pump) and I'm sure we're missing something totally obvious, so don't laugh :) Our pool is simple--no spa etc... when we try to refill the basket the water just keeps draining again (presumably back into to the pool). So which setting should we have the the valve turned to? We are thinking turning it to the vac side then the cap will hold?
My husband also took apart the DH filter to clean the filters. Maybe that's part of it too? It has to be closed to complete the seal (I don't know if he had that off at the time of noticing the basket water kept draining back)? Please offer any tips. ;-)
pool 6.jpg
 
Sounds normal. You can only fill the pump basket to the level of the inlet pipe. Then gravity takes over.

Just turn on the pump. You'll instantly see white churning through the lid, and it'll take a few seconds -- which feel a lot longer -- to catch prime, then it will surge and gasp and change pitch and after what feels like an eternity but is only about 5 seconds, the needle on the filter gauge will start flickering. And shortly after that you might hear the return jets start farting in the pool. The pump will get going good, the water level in the lid will rise, and the pressure gauge will start climbing. You can open the air bleed and release some air. The bubbles in the pump lid will shrink and the gauge pressure will go up to normal and hold steady. The returns will stop farting, and the motor pitch will be steady. Bleed air again, and then go add the DE via the skimmer. By the time that's done, probably all the air will be out of the basket lid and you can record your clean pressure. You'll probably be unable to help yourself from trying to bleed more air out the tank.
 
It worked, thanks so much. When you're new at this, the little things seem so large and worrisome. Now we are adding the salt (it's been 30 days since plaster). I read to leave the salt gen off for 24 hours after adding salt, so I'm hoping that's accurate. Then I guess we fire that up tomorrow and see what happens, hopefully no surprises. Of course feel free to chime in if there is something we should know. Thanks again.
 
So we dumped the salt in....everything went fine. I checked my chemicals prior and they were fine too, however the chlorine was very low. So we added the salt. About 2 hours later I remembered that the chlorine was low so I figured I'd better add some bleach to help the levels get to where the need to be until the salt gen kicks on the next day. I poured 1 gal of bleach in and closed the cover. About 30 minutes later I opened it back up and the entire pool was GREEN!! Not a little green---like a tree--the whole thing! It was clear, but undoubtedly GREEN! The pic below is from the next morning. It's started to change a bit lighter by then. I took a water sample over to the pool store yesterday for testing, they were out of the metal test; but speculated there must have been a reaction to the fillers in the bleach. It's the same bleach I've been using for the past 30 days--but it's true--there is 90% of unknown fillers in there. The water was not cloudy--just GREEN. This morning I opened the cover--it's for sure improving. The pool store water test numbers were so much different than mine from my TF test. The biggest difference was the calcium levels--maybe I'm doing that test wrong?? I've have such high levels (525 yesterday) so I tested it right off the hose--slightly lower, but not much (still really high). I'm wondering if I'm doing that test wrong--it says to drop until the water turns "blue". Well, first it turns "purple" so I keep going--about 5-8 more drops makes it "blue". So should I stop at the purple? I think if I stopped at purple, it would be more normal results.
My test numbers: Pool store about 2 hours later:
PH 7.1 --- 7.4
CH 525 --- 180
TA 100 --- 140
CYA 100 --- 60
pool pic 2.jpg
 
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