Newbie clearing cloudyness & struggles with a sand filter

[HappyClimber]

Hello everyone I am excited to be here. Bought a house 2 years ago with a pool, never had a pool before. Tried to work it out last year then gave up. Started in april trying to find help and tackle this learning curve. Found you guys a few weeks ago. 14k gallon above ground pool vinyl liner. Literally in the middle of an oak hickory forest with limbs overhanging the pool and acorns dropping in it. When I gave up on getting it open last year we put in feeder fish to eat the mosquito larvae and now have about 80 fish from the original 12. Dont worry they are no longer in the pool. Pool had a winter cover which had holes but kept some of 2 seasons of leaves out. So I started with a swamp. Tried pool guy and pool store and finally found you guys before I messed things up too badly (I think). I had added baking soda and lots of chlorine and worked on vacuuming and brushing. Tested with taylor 2005 kit plus fas dpd reagents 10 days ago.

Fc 8.5
PH 7
TA 100
CH 0
CyA 50

I had added some pool conditioner before these readings and had pucks in skimmer as cya was 0 when I started.
I added 51oz borax for pH and started slamming with a 56% cal hypo because it was on sale and my calcium hardness was 0 so I thought it would be an ok choice. I have been as vigilant as I can some days only 2 chlorine additions other days 5 or 6. Last night lost 1.5ppm chlorine overnight and had 1ppm cc this morning. Slamming to 20 ppm.

Put ladder in at start which sounds like was bad idea it wasn't very clean.
Been adding de to the sand filter which I think might be a little undersized and I may need to clean the sand. Psi 14-14.25 after a backwash then after adding 2 cups de and waiting 2 minutes it will not quite reach 15psi. It was going up 1 psi after 3/4 cup de a few days ago i thought. If I backwash, add 1.5-2 cups, plug in aqua bug vacuum in skimmer the vac with zip around for a few minutes then stop and after about half an hour pressure is up to 17 or 18 psi. I need to disconnect vac to see pressure as once vac is plugged into skimmer pressure goes down to around 10.

So my questions
How big is this sand filter?
Is that really small for this forest wonderland pool?
Do I need to clean the filter (flush with hose-I read that article a few times)?
What else can I do to get rid of this cloudiness and closer to the kids in the pool instead of hearing them ask constantly if they can swim yet? I can see about halfway to the bottom.

Sorry for the long post but from lurking on the forum it looked like more info is better.
Pictures of pool before cover taken off, filter, pump, and pool today.

Thank you soooooo much!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! A few things about your situation:
- Don't mess with the DE just yet. Save that for last (water clarity) If it's even needed.
- Sand deep clean? Probably needed since you may not have prior history of the pool.
- With a CYA of 50, your SLAM FC level should be 20, so you need to maintain that elevated FC level per the FC/CYA Levels.
- Normally there's a mark to indicate which filter the label applies to, but I don't see that on yours. Either way I suspect the filter is adequate for your pool. If you really are curious, you can take a circumference measurement and compare it to the specs of each filter model on the label to confirm.
- Remember algae removal is primarily a chemical process (correct amount of chlorine) and not just a filtration issue. The better you maintain that SLAM FC level of 20 the more effective your SLAM Process will be.

Pool Care Basics

 

[HappyClimber]

Welcome to TFP! A few things about your situation:
- Don't mess with the DE just yet. Save that for last (water clarity) If it's even needed.
- Sand deep clean? Probably needed since you may not have prior history of the pool.
- With a CYA of 50, your SLAM FC level should be 20, so you need to maintain that elevated FC level per the FC/CYA Levels.
- Normally there's a mark to indicate which filter the label applies to, but I don't see that on yours. Either way I suspect the filter is adequate for your pool. If you really are curious, you can take a circumference measurement and compare it to the specs of each filter model on the label to confirm.
- Remember algae removal is primarily a chemical process (correct amount of chlorine) and not just a filtration issue. The better you maintain that SLAM FC level of 20 the more effective your SLAM Process will be.

Pool Care Basics

Thank you, so basically I need to wait for the chlorine to clean everything up and cant do much about clarity until that's over? I would like to get it clear enough to swim while slam continues.

 

[Texas Splash]

so basically I need to wait for the chlorine to clean everything up and cant do much about clarity until that's over?

Basically yes. While the chlorine attacks the algae, you brush, vacuum, and clean the filter as needed. Once you can see the bottom of the pool, you can be in the water as long as you do not exceed the SLAM level - in your case 20. Many people do that. Put on some swim trunks, grab a brush, and do some pool housekeeping.

 

[Lake Placid]

That filter is the S166T based on the model/serial number shown. At 1.4 sF of filter media it’s likely just enough for a 14K gallon pool. Others can chime in more definitely on sizing.