New to Washington from Florida, inherited 2 yr swamp

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If you're now 3-ish weeks into the slam and clearing phase and the water isn't clear I think there's definitely a problem with the level of filtration going on. I know you've said the filter is undersized but are you running the filter 24/7 still? I know you also mentioned electricity cost concerns at one point but this is not the time to reduce filtration in any way. ;)
 
Unfortunately this pump is on an extension cord (on a gfci exterior outlet) and the homeowner isn't willing to run the pump overnight, or when no one will be able to empty the skimmer for 4 hours during the evening winds that completely clog the skimmer basket and water flow. So perhaps it is more useful to think of 3 actual weeks as 1.75-2 weeks pump running time. I am grateful for your comment, because if duraleigh had not investigated my equipment with me, you would have helped me learn what a tiny sand filter this is for this sized pool, and how my PSI is oddly low for the horsepower checked on the pump sticker. I plan on collecting serial numbers and calculating the effective numbers and then make a determination on whether to make due or upgrade when I have a slab poured further from the pool, electric run out to the slab, and hard plumbing installed. I'm also curious about a larger skimmer basket and/or an additional skimmer/return since the wind pushes surface debris to the other end of the pool many hours of the day and the water circulation can't compete.

I can now see the edges of the vac head quite clearly when at the bottom. Others here think two days before it's crystal, but I think it will be another week or longer, however long it takes for another backwash. The gains that happen during the dirty sand filter days are TREMENDOUS! I can see how clogging the sand with DE or CF would speed this up. Essentially skipping the first 10% PSI gain which takes the longest by far. Getting right to the trouble makers.

I miss my cartridge filter!!! That being said, I do kinda see how low maintenance the sand can be after you get it clear. Still though, I usually just listened to music while cleaning the cartridge. It was messier and 15x longer than a backwash though. I wonder if either of the DE technologies are simple as sand. I assumed my future pools would just have massively oversized cartridges... but if there is a DE version of a sand filter, roughly speaking, that could be pretty great too.
 
Yesterday's backwash was beautiful! Feel free to pop some popcorn and watch the video here. (Backwash, rinse, backwash, rinse) White printer paper provided for contrast.

Photo of vac head at bottom.

Water clarity improving ever so slightly and steadily. I was waiting for crystal clear water to try an OCLT, but heck, I might as well run one. If it passes, well I guess I'll seriously consider giving DE or CF or who knows maybe even ***gasp*** FLOC a go. I'll research CF, but if it checks out, I'm curious about it most since I'll be back washing the aid directly into my yard. I've read that the cellulose fiber might not backwash out as cleanly as DE, but honestly, that kind of sounds more like a benefit than a disadvantage. Forever smaller filtering capacity? Yes please. Only downside is backwashing more often - yay? I like getting it out of my pool.
 
That was some *yummy* looking water you started with on the backwash! LOL

Look at that cute little vacuum head hanging out down there! That is a sight for sore eyes for sure! You are doing a great job! It is almost clear enough to :splash:

Kim:cat:
 
Water really making clarity gains now. I can see debris at the bottom fairly clearly as opposed to blurry. I can see seams in the liner at the bottom now. Water getting more sparkly midday.

PSI finally up just under 10% yesterday, then awesomely up to just under 20% today, so nearing another backwash. To be able to skip the 4-5 days it takes to gain 1 PSI by using DE or CF is remarkably tempting.

I'm wondering what to bring my CYA up to after this SLAM is done and the backwash frequency slows. I don't mind the extra dose of bleach to get to the new shock FC. I bought another 11 gallons of the $2.50 rollback 10% with date in April. Poor store still had a dozen jugs with the Feb date. Water temp still too cold for comfortable swimming, but most days are clear and sunny. Pool only gets shade later in afternoon. They have a small bucket of pucks, so I'm thinking after each or every other backwash they can float enough to replace and simultaneously help lower the ph of the fill water some. I've still got MA for them too.

Fun fact of the day: hth algaecide is $32 bucks. Just but bleach instead.

Another thank you to everyone still following this.
 
Tom, I am going to give you what I give new pool people. Does the owners of the pool have and use a computer? Maybe they can sign up and start learning while you are still there?


Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

I think the "recommended levels" link will answer your question about the CYA level.

Kim:cat:
 
BattleOfYakima said:
Water improved again. The pinhole leak tripled when I touched it. That whole are of the hose looks sun rotted, if that's a thing.

There are kids in the back yard a few times a year, 2 small dogs a cat daily. This is my first non-pvc plumbing pool. It is weird! There is so much more shaking and vibrating and the pump slides sometimes when the filter basket lid is on tight. While I knew the filter basket, pump, and filter were all seperate apparatus, in all my other pools they felt like part of the pool. Here, it is like the pool has a parasite with two fangs in deep.

I doubt I'll move it until September, family vacation/wedding this summer takes discretionary spending priority first, then time to save up again. Current setup is working, but I'd rather make it proper before selling the house next year. It just doesn't seem right to run something off an extension cord that has a sticker that warns not to use an extension cord.
Click to expand...

My neighbors hose cracked after two years. I'm pretty sure it was because she puts pucks in the skimmer. When the pump is off, it builds up in the hoses, deteriorating them more quickly.
 
I believe that! I just put the tricolor pucks on the scale and each puck of the size I have is just over 6oz each. Two pucks in my pool lowers ph almost 0.3, so I don't care to imagine how low the pH in the line would be without circulation!

Backwashed again today... It was very different. Discoloration was much less drastic, and not for long in comparison. Pressure dropped back to clean PSI, so I'm happy, but very surprised. Less tree debris has been falling, so I'm sure that's a big part. Water clarity is improving constantly, less murkiness/cloudiness and more sparkling. The contrast paper was destroyed before backwash, but the video of first 17 seconds of the backwash is here.

I'll try 40 first for CYA, thank you.

Tomorrow or Wed I'm going to research maintaining, testing, and adding CYA with sand filters, specifically with attention to the measurements/strategies of compensating for backwashes. I'm wondering if I can just streamline it to something simple like, " each time you backwash float .5 pucks until dissolved, fill pool water until waterline is just below screws in the middle of the skimmer basket housing, additional 8oz to daily bleach add. Test FC to confirm, of course)
 
What you are seeing is dead and dying algae! That means you are starting to win! I bet your water is a different color in the pool........trending towards gray? After gray comes faint signs of blue..............

The water level is easy LOL as is the FC (with testing) It is going to be interesting to see how the CYA does. I think you will backwash for a shorter amount of time as you get towards blue so that will change the amounts. I would test the CYA every other time if not every 3rd time. Let us know what you find works the best and we will use that for others as they come along.

Kim:cat:
 

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Woke up to find the pool water level down roughly 2 inches in 15 hours. I walked the exposed perimeter and see no moisture at all. One side of the pool is against a deck, so I didn't see that though. Pump is off, which is good since the water level is below the minimum line on the skimmer basket housing.

I brushed and vacuumed yesterday and I am assuming I disrupted an old patch on the vinyl or perhaps made a new tear. At least this is happening now after I've got the bottom visible fairly clearly. I don't see any current or obvious liner damage. I'm going to search for leaks in vinyl now, but wanted to update here first in case anyone had anything I should start with, or in case anyone has an explanation other than leak. I suppose a helicopter could have scooped it, but it seems like too small an amount missing.
 
Is the water just below the edge of the skimmer and has not got any lower? If so, it would indicate to me at least that the issue is somewhere on the suction side of the filter setup. If it was on a return side you would probably still see water leaking from one of the Jets, and if it was a hole in the liner you would probably see the water level still slowly dropping.

If you don't see any obvious leakage I would recommend refilling the pool above the skimmer level again and then check the suction side with the pump both running and off and see if you can locate the leak.

As for your water clarity, honestly you should've had crystal-clear water by now given your progress, however not running the pump 24/7 is really working against you with this one last hurdle.
 
I wished to let it be to see if it dropped lower, but I was overruled by one of the permanent residents. She says this pool often loses lots of water when it is scorching during the day then cold at night and windy, which was true of yesterday. She added water and turned the pump back on, not wanting to lose any progress. It was within an inch of the bottom of the skimmer basket water opening, letting water in the basket, but not sufficient to prevent sucking air when the pump was on. I've marked the water line after filling and will compare later.

As far as clarity goes, this may actually be clear for a vinyl liner, I'm not sure. I'm only really used to IG plaster pools where the water is so clear you can see the grain of the plaster. Additionally, the sky/lighting here in Yakima, Washington is really quite different than Central Florida. I'm not sure if what I see as cloudy/murky is really just NorthWest gloomy being reflected. I'll take some pictures... maybe I'm just striving for the unobtainable.

Photos from 6/2/16 are here, I'll go take some in a bit.

Just now 6 3 16 photos
 
There's no way it looses so much via evaporation in a matter of hours that the suction side runs dry. There has to be a reason for it somewhere - now that it's full again and the pump is running go through all the plumbing...and add enough water that the pump isn't sucking air, that'll just end up with cavitation in the pump and the aeration can also play havok with your ph and ta.

And I looked at the pic, it will get much (much) better but that filter needs to be running 24/7 for a few days. Unless you can convince the people that were pooh-poohing that before otherwise you might end up chasing water clarify indefinitely - it will *not* clear without a lot of filtration.
 
I'll try harder to run it as much as possible. It is clearing up, it is just slow. Is now the time that cellulose fiber can be added in the same manner as DE to the sand filter? To get that first 1 PSI raise in 30 minutes instead of 3-5 days? Or am I not there yet?

I don't need to rush things, but I'd like to be going as fast as is suggested.

I've also read about people vacuuming to waste daily during this phase, with strong blue but cloudy water. Is that suggested?
 
After an accidental algae bloom in the past where I've dealt with water that cloudy, honestly, the solution for me was filtration....filtration...filtration. My timers and energy saving efforts went right out the window and my pump ran 24/7 until the water cleared, usually 2-4 days. No bask washes until after it was clear - there's an argument to be made that a slightly dirty sand filter cleans better than a freshly back washed perfectly clean one. ;)
 
I think now WOULD be the time to try the fiber in the sand......that might be the final push to clear for you. Make sure you are there to babysit it for a while.

Mark he is working on a family pool and running the equipment with an extension cord. He knows this is not ideal but is doing the best he can with what he has to work with.

Kim:cat:
 
Water loss repeated. Confirmed leak to them finally. An old patch is indeed missing, but seems to be stuck another place. They think they should leave it in the new place, not yet to pull it off. Thoughts? The place the patch was originally put was located via water outside the pool in the ground, which is not the case this time, leaving them unsure if it is the culprit. Additionally we found another spot that the liner isn't tight to the ground at, feeling loose. Both are at the bottom. This is getting real fun.
 

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