New Owner, Old VERY Neglected Pool

[DorsalSpine]

That depends. Algae is in suspension so it's not going to settle. Vacuum to waste will get any solids on the bottom but you were not seeing much of that the last couple of times you vacuumed. I'd just keep adding LC for now.

You can use a clarifier or a flocculent but they come with their own set of risks. They are usually a last resort. They have very specific instructions that if you don't follow you can trash your filter (trash as in major damage). We don't usually recommend them. I'd leave well enough alone for a couple more days.

You are making progress. I wouldn't want to rush it now and mess things up.

 

[TurbineTester]

That depends. Algae is in suspension so it's not going to settle. Vacuum to waste will get any solids on the bottom but you were not seeing much of that the last couple of times you vacuumed. I'd just keep adding LC for now.

You can use a clarifier or a flocculent but they come with their own set of risks. They are usually a last resort. They have very specific instructions that if you don't follow you can trash your filter (trash as in major damage). We don't usually recommend them. I'd leave well enough alone for a couple more days.

You are making progress. I wouldn't want to rush it now and mess things up.

Gotchas I'll keep it up with the LC and backwashing and raking. I would also like to be brushing the walls, steps and bottom etc each day but my son dropped the brush in the deep end ?

 

[frogabog]

Algae ain't gonna kill a boy. Tell him to go swimming.

 

[TurbineTester]

Tonight's test results
FC: 13.5
CYA: 43
Added 1.25 gallons of LC. Installed booster pump, connected Polaris, left running for the night. Polaris seemed to work just fine except that the bag was torn. I left it running to stir things up of the bottom so the filter can catch stuff. Booster Pump motor seemed to be getting rather warm. I could still place both hands on the motor, but would not want to do so for longer than about 7 seconds.

 

[DorsalSpine]

It sounds like you need to limit the Polaris runtime. I'm not familiar with them but that seems pretty hot for a motor. Any changes in the clarity of the water?

 

[TurbineTester]

It sounds like you need to limit the Polaris runtime. I'm not familiar with them but that seems pretty hot for a motor. Any changes in the clarity of the water?

There is a working timer box that apparently does that. I left it running when I left the house around 10 pm, and the timer had shut it off by 1130 this morning. The filter had gone from 12 psi up to 25 psi. I back washed and then vacuumed to waste for about 30 minutes and pulled out about three skimmer baskets of leaves. I then got a couple of parts for the large leaf bagger. I used that leaf bagger for a few minutes and got about 1 bag full. I put about 2 gallons of LC into the pool, even though I didnt test the water, I could just tell it was low and I had also just finished back washing and vacuuming and refilling.

 

[DorsalSpine]

I hate to rain on your parade but it seems like there is still a lot of stuff at the bottom of that pool.

 

[TurbineTester]

I hate to rain on your parade but it seems like there is still a lot of stuff at the bottom of that pool.

There was a lot more coming up the vacuum than I thought there should be, but we had a lot of wind yesterday and I think it blew quite a bit of debris back in the pool that I had pulled out and left to dry on the deck. I should have been tossing it out in the garden. I'm going to go back again this evening and use the leaf bagger till I'm getting nothing.

 

[DorsalSpine]

New leaves still need to come out but that's better than old rotten leaves in the bottom.

 

[TurbineTester]

Well I had quite a chore today raking and using the leaf bagger. Pulled up nearly a recycling bin full of leaves (95%) and dying algae gunk (5%). Filter is getting up to 20psi when the pool is stirred up. I backwashed, tested and added chlorine to keep it at least at SLAM until tomorrow. Found the leaf rake with the vaccuum and got it on the pool deck at lunch, then promptly accidentally kicked it back into the deep end. ?

CYA 45
FC 18.5

Added 1.5g of LC.

 

[mguzzy]

That's quite a helper you got there... water slide test pilot on final approach!

If that is the kind of goop that is on the bottom.. the slam will take forever until you get it all scooped out!. you are competing with a full fledged biology experiment there,... yeech!

 

[Flying Tivo]

You can not test 45 cya with the test kit, round up to 50 and adjust shock levelFC/CYA Levels.

 

[DorsalSpine]

Hang in there, you are making progress.

 

[frogabog]

OK. probably wouldn't send that guy down to retrieve stuff he dropped in.

My boys are much older. No issue sending them down to the depths of the deep...

You need to clear the debris. It's super hindering you. All your chlorine is attacking real organics, in the form of leaves and junk. You have a difficult pool on your hands, but once you get that debris out you'll see results in the water. Keep leaf raking. The debris is hindering your progress as long as it's in there. People have not cleared pools with much less organics. Get it out, and know we understand how hard it is!

 

[TurbineTester]

OK. probably wouldn't send that guy down to retrieve stuff he dropped in.

My boys are much older. No issue sending them down to the depths of the deep...

You need to clear the debris. It's super hindering you. All your chlorine is attacking real organics, in the form of leaves and junk. You have a difficult pool on your hands, but once you get that debris out you'll see results in the water. Keep leaf raking. The debris is hindering your progress as long as it's in there. People have not cleared pools with much less organics. Get it out, and know we understand how hard it is!

Here's the thing: I know there is some amount of debris in the pool, but I do get every bit that I can out each visit which at this stage is usually twice per day. The "sludge" which I'm getting is new each day, And accumulates on every horizontal surface in the water that doesn't have great water flow. So places like steps and dead zones get a NEW batch of dead [algae?] each time the water settles in these areas. This is why I've been asking about "super chlorinating" the water so that I'm not just barely staying ahead of new algae growth, but rather killing most or all of it at once or over the span of 1-3 days. I've detected the most notable change in water clarity the day after such a super chlorination. But for last three days or so since we saw the third step, I feel like I've really just been at a plateau. I'm not a chemist, so defer to the judgement and wisdom of those here who have spoken in this thread and on this topic and stated clearly there there is very little benefit to FC levels above the SLAM ppm. It sure is tempting to take a 2.5g jug of LC (I get 6 at a time for $34) and dump it in once per day when the pool is in the shade of late afternoon and won't see sun for another 18 hours. That seems like a LOT of time for a LOT of free chlorine to do a LOT of work towards killing algae and breaking down organics.

With the Polaris now running and stirring up the bottom 1-2 times per day, the filter pressure is getting up to 20-25 psi over the normal (just backwashed) 12.5 between backwashed. I feel like the filter is now able to do a better job of getting more gunk out of the pool with the settled matter now going into suspended and then soon after getting snagged in the sand filter. Obviously I have read and understand that it would be better to backwash more often at 15 psi in my case, but unfortunately my office just doesn't exist inside this house.

I'm getting a bit discouraged and about ready to just get drastic, rent a couple of sump pumps, hook up some shop vacs to the liner sag locations to hold the liner in place for 2-4 days while I drain and refill. Since my invesent at this point has been largely one time expenses like pentair pump, booster pump, test kit, leaf rake, pole, brush, nets etc I feel like I'd only be out 200-400 in chemicals if I threw in the towel on this water and dumped it to refill. The only things stopping me are my concerns about the liner, and my stubborn habit of rarely quitting once I commit to a course of action.

 

[TurbineTester]

Lunch test
FC 18
Added 2 quarts of bleach to raise to SLAM level of 20

 

[DorsalSpine]

Your call on the dump and refill. It was suggested early on but we understand your concerns about the liner. Figure $5,000 - $7000 to have a new liner installed and go from there.

How deep is the deep end? When I needed to change water I ran the shallow end down to about 12". That kept the liner stable enough for the 24 hours it took me to have the pool filled again. I have water trucked in at 2,000 gallons a truck load so once I started in an hour or so it was full. Not a lot of time for the liner to move if it was going to.

If you pump it down shallow enough you can stand in the shallow end and try to clean out the sludge in the deep end. Depending on the size of your deep end you are looking at a 30% - 50% water replacement in addition to the clean out. A lot risky but much quicker.

It's your call, don't let us push you into spending big bucks if the liner fails. I doubt telling buyers they have a new liner will get you much to recoup the expense. How much time do you have to flip the house? For a quick turn it might be worth the risk. If it's down the road it's only chlorine.

 

[TurbineTester]

Your call on the dump and refill. It was suggested early on but we understand your concerns about the liner. Figure $5,000 - $7000 to have a new liner installed and go from there.

How deep is the deep end? When I needed to change water I ran the shallow end down to about 12". That kept the liner stable enough for the 24 hours it took me to have the pool filled again. I have water trucked in at 2,000 gallons a truck load so once I started in an hour or so it was full. Not a lot of time for the liner to move if it was going to.

If you pump it down shallow enough you can stand in the shallow end and try to clean out the sludge in the deep end. Depending on the size of your deep end you are looking at a 30% - 50% water replacement in addition to the clean out. A lot risky but much quicker.

It's your call, don't let us push you into spending big bucks if the liner fails. I doubt telling buyers they have a new liner will get you much to recoup the expense. How much time do you have to flip the house? For a quick turn it might be worth the risk. If it's down the road it's only chlorine.

I'm on no hurry to flip, but wanted my family to enjoy the pool until my workers started and then finish the house. I'm fine if it doesn't happen overnight, but I just don't want to be making 2x daily visits to the house for the next two weeks for marginal improvements.

 

[DorsalSpine]

You are seeing the water clear slowly so you are making progress. When you get over the hump it will clear quickly. I noticed that you dropped under your target value a little. No harm in being a couple of points over the SLAM level so you don't drop below. It's being a lot over that can get you into trouble.

How much did you drain it down the first time? That seems to be a safe level. Not sure how much that small of a change will help you but it won't hurt. Every little bit helps. Honestly, it's more about managing your expectations at this point. Slow and steady or a take a big risk for a fast turn around. Go back and look at your first posts and compare them to where you are now and see if that helps you decide how much risk you are willing to take.

 

[TurbineTester]

Also this is all I got with the leaf bagger today, and there was no brown gunk blowing around the pool while I was using the bagger. Barely anything in the skimmer.