Hi all, we have a 24 x 44 lazy L pool way up in Edmonton, AB. Crazy place to have an outdoor pool because we only use it about 3-4 months of the year but it came with the house. With a very small number of residential pools in the city, it is almost impossible to get professional help even if you ask for it as they spend their time doing commercial jobs. As such, I have tried to do most of my own maintenance over the past 10 years. Last year I snagged a crazy good deal on a new filter and pump so I switched out our old sand filter for a Hayward c3030 that came with the Hayward filters and another nib set of 4 Pleatco filters. I had some issues at the start of the season that had me struggling to get things working properly and so i made a mistake and dumped some coagulant into the pool to help clear it. In hind-sight I don't think I needed to do that and it seemed to plug up the Hayward filters prettty quick. I tried washing them as instructed with TSP but never did use acid. Even after washing they would jump up 8 psi in 3-5 days so I swapped them out for the new Pleatcos. Those went about 4 weeks then the PSI jumped again so I washed them and put them back and I was lucky to get 3 days before the PSI was up again. I washed them in TSP but it did not help at all. My pool has been extremely clean and well balanced all year with no issues at all other than I am burning up really expensive filters and have no idea what I am doing wrong. I can try the acid wash but I am wondering if there is something else that I am missing or have missed that would cause me to have this problem?? Thanks so much in advance.
New to TFP, puzzled by cartridge filters.
- Thread starter TKFiks
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,736
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
I know you said your pool water is 'balanced', but nearly 100% of the time when a new member comes here saying their filters are plugging up quickly, they have algae in the pool. You may not see it yet, but it is there.
I know getting proper test kits is a challenge in Canada. But you need one to properly manage pool water chemistry.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
I know you said your pool water is 'balanced', but nearly 100% of the time when a new member comes here saying their filters are plugging up quickly, they have algae in the pool. You may not see it yet, but it is there.
I know getting proper test kits is a challenge in Canada. But you need one to properly manage pool water chemistry.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
Thank you for your response. I probably should have stated that a little more carefully. I should say that the pool has been exceptionally clear all season and that may be more of a statement on the previous sand filter which was difficult to keep clear water with. I guess it's possible to have an algae problem even with clear water and maybe I have just never experienced that before. I will invest some time and energy into the water chemistry for sure. Having said that I am curious if I could actually have clear water and yet enough algae in there to plug 4 filters in a day or am I also not getting them clean enough when I soak them in TSP and hose them? Do I also need more water pressure for cleaning? Also, any specific test kits that are favored?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,736
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
It would be unusual if the water is crystal clear - such that you can call heads or tails on a loonie in the deep end - to have enough material to plug the filters.
You said 'coagulant'. Was that floc or clarifier? Did you run it through the current filters? TSP is used to remove oils. If plugged with floc, there is no recourse - you need new filters.
We recommend a Taylor drop based test kit such as the K2006. Below is a previous thread from folks in Canada about obtaining a kit.
www.troublefreepool.com
www.troublefreepool.com
You said 'coagulant'. Was that floc or clarifier? Did you run it through the current filters? TSP is used to remove oils. If plugged with floc, there is no recourse - you need new filters.
We recommend a Taylor drop based test kit such as the K2006. Below is a previous thread from folks in Canada about obtaining a kit.
Yet another, Test Kits in Canada Thread
Oh yes... another thread for all us Canadians! Long winded post here. After spending a lot of time reading how important it is to test your own water (no test strips....and not pool store testing), I decided it was time to get myself a test kit. This is my third summer owning the pool. I wanna...
www.troublefreepool.com
Pool Test Kits - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com