Hello everyone!
I am a first time home owner and first time in-ground pool owner at the Jersey Shore. Going from no pool to a massive 32x16 pool that starts at 3 feet and goes up to 9 is a huge change. My house was a foreclosure and the bank wanted nothing to do with the pool so we were super nervous about its condition come this summer. I figured the best course of action would be to hire a company to take care of the initial task. They fixed up my Hayward sand filter, gave me some supplies such as hoses, a vacuum, a skimmer, some testing strips, and got my pool into decent shape. I ended up being super lucky because we found out that our pool was never winterized and had been sitting several years with a ripped mesh safety cover. Thankfully, our pipes were all good! The liner is looking decent except for some staining and a few areas of "drooping". We are considering replacing it next year if we have the money but it would be nice to make it last one more year because we have to pay for a new cover.
The pool company took about 2 weeks and a ton of money to power vac the pool a few times, service the pump, and balance my water. They didn't explain nearly enough to me about water chemistry or how to properly maintain the pool. A week after they serviced it I notice the pool becoming cloudy even though we were vacuuming and backwashing as per their recommendations. We took a water sample to their store and they gave us 3" tablets and 1 bag of shock and said we were good to go. The pool turned bright green within an hour of shocking and stood like that for several days and then miraculously turned crystal clear. It happened a week later again and I went to a different store with a new sample. They sold me 200+ dollars worth of chemicals and a regimen to clear it up but the steep price and fact that I still didn't know enough about what I was doing left me feeling nervous, hopeless, and searching for answers online. I stumbled upon this site last week and learned a TON about pool chemicals and water balancing. I got my pool looking crystal clear again! I am still learning and still need to purchase a new water testing kit (recommendations please!) but I am getting there.
My ph, hardness, alkalinity, and CYA are all in perfect balance however, my chlorine stays low no matter how much shock or bleach I put into the pool (im also using the crappy strips the pool company supplied me with until I purchase a better kit). I know from the pool store that my phosphates are 500ppm which is really high and they gave me something for it but I have yet to use it because I wanted my other levels in check first.
Now, I notice that my water is crystal clear but there is a weird film, on top of the water. It's not a solid film and looks like little pieces of film floating. I also notice that no matter how much I vac the pool (we have an auto vac and a manual one) that this "sand" appears on the bottom the next day or later in the day. I am not sure if it's algae or sand from my pump or what. It tends to be in the creases along the bottom or in "piles" or lines from shallow to the deep end. Any insight into what that could be would be greatly appreciated!
I have attached photos of my pool with the cover on as well as its progression to today. I hope it helps. You can see in the most recent photo that there are piles and lines of that "sand" at the bottom. I just vacuumed it yesterday and it's back again.
Thanks for reading!
I am a first time home owner and first time in-ground pool owner at the Jersey Shore. Going from no pool to a massive 32x16 pool that starts at 3 feet and goes up to 9 is a huge change. My house was a foreclosure and the bank wanted nothing to do with the pool so we were super nervous about its condition come this summer. I figured the best course of action would be to hire a company to take care of the initial task. They fixed up my Hayward sand filter, gave me some supplies such as hoses, a vacuum, a skimmer, some testing strips, and got my pool into decent shape. I ended up being super lucky because we found out that our pool was never winterized and had been sitting several years with a ripped mesh safety cover. Thankfully, our pipes were all good! The liner is looking decent except for some staining and a few areas of "drooping". We are considering replacing it next year if we have the money but it would be nice to make it last one more year because we have to pay for a new cover.
The pool company took about 2 weeks and a ton of money to power vac the pool a few times, service the pump, and balance my water. They didn't explain nearly enough to me about water chemistry or how to properly maintain the pool. A week after they serviced it I notice the pool becoming cloudy even though we were vacuuming and backwashing as per their recommendations. We took a water sample to their store and they gave us 3" tablets and 1 bag of shock and said we were good to go. The pool turned bright green within an hour of shocking and stood like that for several days and then miraculously turned crystal clear. It happened a week later again and I went to a different store with a new sample. They sold me 200+ dollars worth of chemicals and a regimen to clear it up but the steep price and fact that I still didn't know enough about what I was doing left me feeling nervous, hopeless, and searching for answers online. I stumbled upon this site last week and learned a TON about pool chemicals and water balancing. I got my pool looking crystal clear again! I am still learning and still need to purchase a new water testing kit (recommendations please!) but I am getting there.
My ph, hardness, alkalinity, and CYA are all in perfect balance however, my chlorine stays low no matter how much shock or bleach I put into the pool (im also using the crappy strips the pool company supplied me with until I purchase a better kit). I know from the pool store that my phosphates are 500ppm which is really high and they gave me something for it but I have yet to use it because I wanted my other levels in check first.
Now, I notice that my water is crystal clear but there is a weird film, on top of the water. It's not a solid film and looks like little pieces of film floating. I also notice that no matter how much I vac the pool (we have an auto vac and a manual one) that this "sand" appears on the bottom the next day or later in the day. I am not sure if it's algae or sand from my pump or what. It tends to be in the creases along the bottom or in "piles" or lines from shallow to the deep end. Any insight into what that could be would be greatly appreciated!
I have attached photos of my pool with the cover on as well as its progression to today. I hope it helps. You can see in the most recent photo that there are piles and lines of that "sand" at the bottom. I just vacuumed it yesterday and it's back again.
Thanks for reading!
