Need help choosing a second filter for vacuuming

[mknauss]

You will go broke quickly paying that much for bleach.
You do not have a Walmart near you?

 

[CT-Steven]

This might help

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

That is some expensive liquid chlorine!
Check walmart, ace hardware, menards, etc. also call around to janitorial & pressure washing suppliers.
where exactly are you in costal Virginia?

 

[Schwim Dandy]

You will go broke quickly paying that much for bleach.
You do not have a Walmart near you?

I do but thought they'd have the same offerings as Home Depot's pool section.

where exactly are you in costal Virginia?

I live in Gloucester. We have one place that comes up in Google searches but they are never open(maybe out of business). The pool store that installed the pool are over an hour away from me so it's a bit out of the way for supply trips.

This might help

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

That's indeed very helpful. I didn't realize until I read it that bleach without additives would work. I can definitely get that.



If I'm starting with 0 chlorine and am sitting at 13,500-14,000 gallons of water, how much bleach should I start with? I've found calculations but I'm failing to follow through with them, in regards to types of chlorine, ppm, etc.

 

[CT-Steven]

If I'm starting with 0 chlorine and am sitting at 13,500-14,000 gallons of water, how much bleach should I start with? I've found calculations but I'm failing to follow through with them, in regards to types of chlorine, ppm, etc.

I would first test your water and post the results here and let the more experienced users give you some guidance as the test results will be a direct reflection on what and how much of what to add. It won't be long before you get a hang of it and can do this in your sleep.

 

[Mdragger88]

I do but thought they'd have the same offerings as Home Depot's pool section.


I live in Gloucester.

It looks like all the walmarts around you are out. Just get plain cheap unscented bleach , no splashless, no fabric conditioners, no Cloromax technology.
Plain Cloralen in the green bottle or great value plain.
Also check dollar general-

If I'm starting with 0 chlorine and am sitting at 13,500-14,000 gallons of water, how much bleach should I start with? I've found calculations but I'm failing to follow through with them, in regards to types of chlorine, ppm, etc.

I assume this is a completely fresh fill, have you added anything to this fill that has cya in it? Trichlor/dichlor?
If not then you will need some stabilizer/cya (30ppm worth) via the sock method
Until you can adequately test you would just add 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine/bleach per day.
PoolMath effects of adding will show you how much that is based on your volume & strength of bleach

 

[Schwim Dandy]

Hi there guys,

I used my current test kit which is missing a couple tests but the suggested kit is on its way, at which time I'll do another.

Here's the results: PoolMath Logs

The alkalinity was a little tough for me to ensure that I did it correctly. There was no like definitive color change just between 10 and 12 drops. It began to go clear instead of a purple color so I considered it at 120. I do have some dip strips that I used just to double check the alkalinity and it also came out at around 120.

 

[Mdragger88]

The most important reading you’re missing is cya -
It’s number determines what your fc level should be maintained at.

If you haven’t added any cya/stabilizer or cya containing products (Trichlor/dichlor) then it is zero as tap water doesn’t contain cya.
This means any chlorine you add will be depleted very quickly by the sun. So let us know what all you have added.
The 5ppm/day of liquid chlorine recommendation is just to get you by & keep things from getting worse without causing any harm until you can test more accurately.

 

[Schwim Dandy]

The most important reading you’re missing is cya -
It’s number determines what your fc level should be maintained at.
View attachment 523330View attachment 523331
If you haven’t added any cya/stabilizer or cya containing products (Trichlor/dichlor) then it is zero as tap water doesn’t contain cya.
This means any chlorine you add will be depleted very quickly by the sun. So let us know what all you have added.
The 5ppm/day of liquid chlorine recommendation is just to get you by & keep things from getting worse without causing any harm until you can test more accurately.

I see. This reading will be retrievable when I receive my K 2006-C test kit, correct?

If I'm doing 5ppm daily for now just to get by, what would that equal in chlorine bleach (7%) when adding that to a 14,000 gal pool? Am I doing 9 oz or is that incorrect because I'm doing the bleach in liquid oz and not that 7%? Sorry, I'm failing hard at this math.

 

[Mdragger88]

I see. This reading will be retrievable when I receive my K 2006-C test kit, correct?

If I'm doing 5ppm daily for now just to get by, what would that equal in chlorine bleach (7%) when adding that to a 14,000 gal pool? Am I doing 9 oz or is that incorrect because I'm doing the bleach in liquid oz and not that 7%? Sorry, I'm failing hard at this math.

You need nearly a gallon of 7% bleach daily to achieve 5ppm.
9 oz is only 0.4ppm worth.

Have you added any cya containing products to the pool?

 

[Schwim Dandy]

Have you added any cya containing products to the pool?

Unless shock or PH lowering chemicals include it, no I have not. Do I need to wait for my better test kit before adding that?

 

[Mdragger88]

Unless shock or PH lowering chemicals include it, no I have not. Do I need to wait for my better test kit before adding that?

What is the ingredient in the “shock”?

 

[Schwim Dandy]

What is the ingredient in the “shock”?

Shock Max Blue 6 in 1 from Home Depot:



The pool installer had given me some bags of what looked like generic brand shock but I no longer have any of that and don't know what ingredients were in it. As well, I don't have any more of the shock listed above. I started with a gallon of the bleach(sodium hypochlorite) this morning and I should have my test kit today or tomorrow.

 

[Newdude]

Shock Max Blue 6 in 1 from Home Depot:

Almost anything with 'blue' in the name or labeled anywhere on the package will be copper laced.

Many multi cure potions are also laced with copper. Avoid any multi cure potions like the plague, they never solve one of the things they claim, much less all of them.

 

[W.J.Christy]

That shock contains dichlor which has some cya and chlorine bonded together. You probably have cya already in your pool at this point.

 

[Mdragger88]

That’s Dichlor it adds cya - that one adds about 0.63ppm for each 1 ppm it raises your fc.
It is also quite acidic.

 

[Mdragger88]

Hey Schwim, did you ever change out the balls for sand - if not you could just leave them in to help catch the iron. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before!
A giant cotton/poly filter that you already have in place. Backwash as needed when pressure rises 25% over clean or flow slows. Whichever comes first.
You can just replace them with sand when the job is done.
Do you know exactly what they are made of?
Between that, some skimmer socks in the skimmer to help catch the muck, carefully but quite vacuuming the bulk of the sediment to waste & adequately chlorinating it should clear the water of the bulk of your iron.

 

[Schwim Dandy]

Hey Schwim, did you ever change out the balls for sand - if not you could just leave them in to help catch the iron. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before!
A giant cotton/poly filter that you already have in place. Backwash as needed when pressure rises 25% over clean or flow slows. Whichever comes first.
You can just replace them with sand when the job is done.
Do you know exactly what they are made of?
Between that, some skimmer socks in the skimmer to help catch the muck, carefully but quite vacuuming the bulk of the sediment to waste & adequately chlorinating it should clear the water of the bulk of your iron.

Here's what the cotton tails advertise:

• FILTERS TO 3 MICRONS - A tightly-woven network of interlocking, polyethylene strands filters out even the smallest particulants. Cotton Tails' filtration stands up to the best, including costly, hazardous DE systems.
• A LIGHTWEIGHT ALTERNATIVE - This 1.5-lbs. bag is equivalent to 50-lbs. of heavy, hard-to-manage sand. Stop struggling with archaic media and switch to a cleaner, simpler solution.
• LESS BACKWASHING - You'll only need to backwash when your tank's PSI reaches 25, saving you time and money.

They are still in the filter housing, I was going to run them while I sort out the water and then swap sand back in since that seems to be the general consensus of the forum. It's currently running at 20psi and the mfgr suggests backwashing at 25, so I figure once I vacuum, it will be ready for it.

There's a lot of sediment on the bottom as I've not yet vacuumed since the last fill so the bottom is pretty filthy right now.

 

[Mdragger88]

Here's what the cotton tails advertise:

• FILTERS TO 3 MICRONS - A tightly-woven network of interlocking, polyethylene strands filters out even the smallest particulants. Cotton Tails' filtration stands up to the best, including costly, hazardous DE systems.
• A LIGHTWEIGHT ALTERNATIVE - This 1.5-lbs. bag is equivalent to 50-lbs. of heavy, hard-to-manage sand. Stop struggling with archaic media and switch to a cleaner, simpler solution.
• LESS BACKWASHING - You'll only need to backwash when your tank's PSI reaches 25, saving you time and money.

They are still in the filter housing, I was going to run them while I sort out the water and then swap sand back in since that seems to be the general consensus of the forum. It's currently running at 20psi and the mfgr suggests backwashing at 25, so I figure once I vacuum, it will be ready for it.

There's a lot of sediment on the bottom as I've not yet vacuumed since the last fill so the bottom is pretty filthy right now.

Maybe try to carefully but quickly vac to waste so you don’t overwhelm the filter. If at all possible you could attempt to slowly brush the sediment to one spot so you can get the bulk of it quickly with the vac without losing too much water.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE or PET) is the most commonly used thermoplastic polymer in the world and is better known in the textile industry by the trade name “polyester.”
No matter the media - follow the 25% over clean pressure rule.
If I waited until my psi was 25 my filter would probably blow up & I would have zero flow.
My clean pressure is 10

 

[kimkats]

What a great bit of learning you have been doing! Well done! We can help you get your pool clean and clear. You are on the right path with getting the good test kit on the way!