Thanks for everyone’s help! Just ran another test after topping it off to try to get it to shock level and I am now at FC-14. So needless to say I’m very happy that we are on our way. I will update everyone as progress continues or I have additional questions.
Newbie...about to SLAM my newly acquired very green pond
- Thread starter Classic
- Start date
Use 10ml of water for the chlorine test so each drop is 0.5ppm to save reagents if you are not currently.
Quick update and a filter question:
Slam seems to be going well as I am currently able to maintain shock level without excessive amounts of LC and we are seeing some definitive color and clarity improvements.
The question relates to our cartridge filter. The base “clean” pressure (just after changing the filters) has gone up or jumps quickly after turning the pump back on. When we started this journey last week the base pressure after it was filled with water again and the pump was running was around 11 psi and would move up to about 14 after a few minutes of running/circulating. The pressure would build and eventually flow would be reduced enough that the waterfall would stop running and the swirl in the pool was getting fairly stagnant with the pressure moving to about 20 and I would change the filters and clean the others.
Fast forward a few days into the slam and now the base pressure is closer to 18 on initial fill of the filter, jumping to about 20 psi after running for a few minutes and finding a steady state around 28-30 psi, at which point there is virtually no movement/swirl in the pool.
Im not worried about the labor part of changing the filters, just concerned we are not getting the best possible situation to get the pool cleaned up. Is there a way to backwash or clean the piping? All filter baskets (including the basket in the pump) are clean. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.
Slam seems to be going well as I am currently able to maintain shock level without excessive amounts of LC and we are seeing some definitive color and clarity improvements.
The question relates to our cartridge filter. The base “clean” pressure (just after changing the filters) has gone up or jumps quickly after turning the pump back on. When we started this journey last week the base pressure after it was filled with water again and the pump was running was around 11 psi and would move up to about 14 after a few minutes of running/circulating. The pressure would build and eventually flow would be reduced enough that the waterfall would stop running and the swirl in the pool was getting fairly stagnant with the pressure moving to about 20 and I would change the filters and clean the others.
Fast forward a few days into the slam and now the base pressure is closer to 18 on initial fill of the filter, jumping to about 20 psi after running for a few minutes and finding a steady state around 28-30 psi, at which point there is virtually no movement/swirl in the pool.
Im not worried about the labor part of changing the filters, just concerned we are not getting the best possible situation to get the pool cleaned up. Is there a way to backwash or clean the piping? All filter baskets (including the basket in the pump) are clean. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,727
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I would suspect the filters are being clogged to the point normal cleaning is less effective. You could try soaking them in a TSP solution. Read Re: How to clean a cartridge filter
Cartridges are just not made to clear swamps. Hopefully you can struggle through with the current filters and then you probably will need to buy a new set.
Cartridges are just not made to clear swamps. Hopefully you can struggle through with the current filters and then you probably will need to buy a new set.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try the additional cleaning steps on the two sets of filters I have now and I ordered a new set this morning since I have no idea how old the two sets I have are anyway. Progress continues as I can now see our fourth step, the sides of the walls from across pool. Still can’t see the bottom but can at least see down a few cloudy feet.
Update -- with pictures. As of today we have good clarity in the pool as we can now see everything down to the bottom of the deep end. In fact, last night I was able to clearly watch a frog dive from the surface all the way down to the bottom of the deep end and back up. We still have a ways to go, but the family is getting excited now that it doesn't look like a pond. Following the Unicel filter cleaning method of TSP and then muriatic acid worked like a charm for both sets of filters. While they are not bright white by any means, the flow rate has jumped dramatically. I will say that the muriatic acid didn't seem to do much as there were no reactions after putting the filters in (no bubbling, etc.) so I actually skipped it for the second set of filters.
Anyway, here are some pictures. We still have some staining/growth. I'm not sure what it is yet as I haven't been able to test with a puck or vitamin C, but it does not seem to respond much to brushing. More work to be done over the weekend!
Today:
Work left to be done:
Progress tracker thru yesterday (note, the first picture was after some work had already been done):
Anyway, here are some pictures. We still have some staining/growth. I'm not sure what it is yet as I haven't been able to test with a puck or vitamin C, but it does not seem to respond much to brushing. More work to be done over the weekend!
Today:
Work left to be done:
Progress tracker thru yesterday (note, the first picture was after some work had already been done):