Opened today, lots of sediment in pool

[mrgalati]

New TFP user that signed up at the suggestion of my trusted pool guy.

Second season with pool after purchasing home in April 2018. Since we originally viewed and had inspection during winter, we didn’t have a clear idea of what to expect with the pool and sellers didn’t disclose issues.

Upon opening last year, discovered that there was a major leak from underwater light and the liner was very faded and lifted in a number of places. Finally got a new liner installed for July 4 and managed to enjoy the pool for a couple of short months.

We wanted to get a head start to enjoy the full season this year, so we opened up today with hopes that conditions will be ideal by Memorial Day.

Once the cover was removed, we discovered very muddy water due to significant rainfall all winter/spring and the less than ideal grading towards the pool.

Came here to get some advice on steps to remedy. Went to the local pool supply shop for a test and was basically told to vacuum to waste multiple times prior to trying to treat the water. Otherwise, the results of the test were:

40x20 pool, approx 31k gallons

Free chlorine - 0.2ppm
Alkalinity - 35ppm
pH - 7.1
Calcium hardness - 70ppm
Cyanuric acid - 20ppm

Photos of the pool are here:

https://imgur.com/a/Zm5P7F6

Any suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mendy48]

Welcome!

You're in the right place. What kind of pool do you have? Could you add a signature to your page so we have an idea of what we are working with. Look at mine for an example.

Are you testing your own pool with your own kit? Or are these results from the pool store. If you don't have your own kit, we recommend you get one because pool store testings/results aren't as reliable as one might think. You can get your own test kit from TFTestKits.net. We recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K-2006C. I would stay away from the Taylor K-2006 as it doesn't have enough of the FC test reagent, especially if you have to SLAM right away (which it looks like you do need to SLAM).

If you don't have your own kit, and you go ahead and order one, you can (in the meantime) clear your pool of debris using pool tools such as a brush, vacuum, pool net , etc. If your pool is really dirty, it is recommended that you vacuum to waste to avoid clogging up your filter. I know your pump allows you to vacuum to waste because you mentioned it in your original post. Scoop out as much junk on the surface as well as on the bottom. Add about a half a gallon of 10% liquid chlorine or bleach until you get your kit. That will add close to 5 ppm FC per day. Please get the plain bleach - no splashless, scents, or polymers. No Clorox or cloromax - no additives.

Once you get your test kit, please post your results here for FC, CC, CYA, CH, TA and pH.

Here are also some links that may help you as well...
Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis
Pool School eBook

 

[Texas Splash]

Once the cover was removed, we discovered very muddy water due to significant rainfall all winter/spring and the less than ideal grading towards the pool.

Ugh! That stinks. Well, welcome to TFP! Others before you in the same muddy boat needed to clean the filter many times over a period of several days, followed by perhaps some good prescription medication. Just kidding, but be patient. Heavy dirt sediment removal is a slow process. Get as much out as you can before you start to chemically treat and you'll be fine. Take a pic each day to monitor the progress. It will be a neat transition. Good luck!

 

[mrgalati]

Welcome!

You're in the right place. What kind of pool do you have? Could you add a signature to your page so we have an idea of what we are working with. Look at mine for an example.

Are you testing your own pool with your own kit? Or are these results from the pool store. If you don't have your own kit, we recommend you get one because pool store testings/results aren't as reliable as one might think. You can get your own test kit from TFTestKits.net. We recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K-2006C. I would stay away from the Taylor K-2006 as it doesn't have enough of the FC test reagent, especially if you have to SLAM right away (which it looks like you do need to SLAM).

If you don't have your own kit, and you go ahead and order one, you can (in the meantime) clear your pool of debris using pool tools such as a brush, vacuum, pool net , etc. If your pool is really dirty, it is recommended that you vacuum to waste to avoid clogging up your filter. I know your pump allows you to vacuum to waste because you mentioned it in your original post. Scoop out as much junk on the surface as well as on the bottom. Add about a half a gallon of 10% liquid chlorine or bleach until you get your kit. That will add close to 5 ppm FC per day. Please get the plain bleach - no splashless, scents, or polymers. No Clorox or cloromax - no additives.

Once you get your test kit, please post your results here for FC, CC, CYA, CH, TA and pH.

Here are also some links that may help you as well...
Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis
Pool School eBook

Mendy,

Thanks for the response. Per your suggestion, I updated my signature with some basic info - can add in pump details at a later time.

The test numbers that I posted were completed by my local pool store, but I do have a very basic test kit (Hydrotools 8420) that tests for chlorine & pH. Per your suggestion, I have ordered the TF-100 kit.

The pool is mostly clear of debris (at least that I can see), otherwise the water is just very muddy. I can see the top step and that's about it.

While I wait for the kit, I will brush, vacuum to waste, then add bleach as suggested.

Since I cannot see the bottom of the pool, is there any issues in brushing/vacuuming in the slight chance that the liner has lifted due to groundwater? I'm optimistic that it hasn't, but that was a known risk when we had the new liner installed last summer (see photos in my original post for pool location).

 

[mrgalati]

Ugh! That stinks. Well, welcome to TFP! Others before you in the same muddy boat needed to clean the filter many times over a period of several days, followed by perhaps some good prescription medication. Just kidding, but be patient. Heavy dirt sediment removal is a slow process. Get as much out as you can before you start to chemically treat and you'll be fine. Take a pic each day to monitor the progress. It will be a neat transition. Good luck!

Thanks for the response - the only medication that I currently need are the ones that aren't quite legal in Ohio yet

I'm going to follow the suggestions from Mendy in a previous post, but please see my questions regarding the vinyl liner and brushing/vacuuming while I cannot see the bottom.

While I'm definitely a bit anxious about the condition of the pool, I feel fortunate that I've got ~1 month to work on it before I intend to be swimming - at least I didn't discover the condition at the end of May and lose valuable time in June.

 

[Texas Splash]

Since I cannot see the bottom of the pool, is there any issues in brushing/vacuuming in the slight chance that the liner has lifted due to groundwater?

Should be no issues with gently brushing & scooping anything off the bottom as you prepare for opening. If you think there's any chance the liner could actually be lifting from the bottom, I might wait on vacuuming just so there's no suction that would further aggravate separation. Seems like a stretch, but that's not normally my area, so others my have a comment on that.

 

[Mendy48]

Since I cannot see the bottom of the pool, is there any issues in brushing/vacuuming in the slight chance that the liner has lifted due to groundwater? I'm optimistic that it hasn't, but that was a known risk when we had the new liner installed last summer (see photos in my original post for pool location).

Hey there... To be careful, I would wait on the vacuum. You don't want to make things worse if there is (in fact) a chance that the liner has lifted due to groundwater. It would really come down to what you'll like to do though. However, if that's a concern of yours, I'll stick to just brushing until you're able to see the bottom of your pool by following my original suggestion.

 

[mrgalati]

Update...a few days later.

I've now brushed my pool daily and attempted to vacuum once (Monday) night - still no significant improvement in water clarity since day one and filter has been running 24 hours a day since we took the cover off.

My TF-100 kit should be arriving today, so I plan to do a full test and will post the results.

That said, my initial plan of action:

• Test water
• Add DE to my sand filter, per this link) - is this worthwhile? I'm hoping it'll give my filter a boost since it doesn't seem to be making much impact
• Increase pH (on 4/27, store test showed it was 7.1 - will bring to between 7.2-7.5)
• SLAM (I'm not fully understanding the Chlorine/CYA chart for my correct shock level, but based upon the store recommendations that I received, I'm guessing that my target FC should be 4-6 with a shock FC of 12 - open to input from TFP members on this)
• Continue to brush daily
• Vacuum daily/as needed, once I can see the bottom of the pool - as of 5/1, I can still only see the first step

Any input is appreciated. Working from home today so that I can try to get the SLAM process kickstarted vs trying to work on it in the evening at dusk.

 

[splashpad]

I've now brushed my pool daily and attempted to vacuum once (Monday) night - still no significant improvement in water clarity since day one and filter has been running 24 hours a day since we took the cover off.

Can you add your filter details to your signature please? Thanks!

My TF-100 kit should be arriving today, so I plan to do a full test and will post the results.

It's best not to do anything until you can perform your own full set of tests

That said, my initial plan of action:

• Test water
• Add DE to my sand filter, per this link) - is this worthwhile? I'm hoping it'll give my filter a boost since it doesn't seem to be making much impact
• Increase pH (on 4/27, store test showed it was 7.1 - will bring to between 7.2-7.5)
• SLAM (I'm not fully understanding the Chlorine/CYA chart for my correct shock level, but based upon the store recommendations that I received, I'm guessing that my target FC should be 4-6 with a shock FC of 12 - open to input from TFP members on this)
• Continue to brush daily
• Vacuum daily/as needed, once I can see the bottom of the pool - as of 5/1, I can still only see the first step

1. Yes! Test water
2. Not yet... Add DE to my sand filter, per this link) - is this worthwhile? I'm hoping it'll give my filter a boost since it doesn't seem to be making much impact
   • Unless you are babysitting the filter, no need to add DE until you have cloudy blue water
3. Possibly... Increase pH (on 4/27, store test showed it was 7.1 - will bring to between 7.2-7.5)
   • This depends on your test kit results
4. Yes! SLAM
   • SLAM Process Print, Save PDF version, read and read again With your dark water, this will be a bit
   • It's recommended to add a "shock level" (per FC/CYA Levels) and recheck the FC &CC levels in 10min.
5. Yes! Continue to brush daily
6. Yes (see bold)... Vacuum daily/as needed, once I can see the bottom of the pool - as of 5/1, I can still only see the first step

Any input is appreciated. Working from home today so that I can try to get the SLAM process kickstarted vs trying to work on it in the evening at dusk.

Awesome! Stock up on liquid chlorine/bleach and get ready for "action"!

 

[mrgalati]

@splashpad, @Mendy48, & @Texas Splash -

Thanks again for you input so far. In addition to my most recent post above, my TF-100 kit came today and I just completed the first test:

FC - 8ppm (I added liquid chlorine on Sunday)
CC - 0.5ppm
TC - 8.5ppm
CH - 100ppm
TA - 40ppm
CYA - less than 20 - the CYA cylinder tops out at 20 and I could still barely see the black dot at the top
pH - less than 7.2, but not by much. Pool store tested 7.1 on Saturday, so I'd say we're in the 7.0-7.1 range.

Advice on next steps in order to cross off SLAM prerequisites would be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[splashpad]

Great job, You're welcome!

@splashpad, @Mendy48, & @Texas Splash -

Thanks again for you input so far. In addition to my most recent post above, my TF-100 kit came today and I just completed the first test:

FC - 8ppm (I added liquid chlorine on Sunday)
CC - 0.5ppm
TC - 8.5ppm
CH - 100ppm
TA - 40ppm
CYA - less than 20 - the CYA cylinder tops out at 20 and I could still barely see the black dot at the top
pH - less than 7.2, but not by much. Pool store tested 7.1 on Saturday, so I'd say we're in the 7.0-7.1 range.

All look good (TA is slightly low, but I wouldn't worry about it until after clear & SLAM Process )

Advice on next steps in order to cross off SLAM prerequisites would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Since you have FC holding & some CYA, I would add (per PoolMath) FC/10, recheck in 30min, if it's close proceed with SLAM Process
If you are expecting lots of sun, you *could* top up your CYA with 5ppm (to bump it to 30) but no need, again unless it's sunny!
Be sure to save/print the FC/CYA Levels, it's handy!

 

[Texas Splash]

Good notes above. Great job on your first TF-100 testing. You are officially in control of your water.

 

[mrgalati]

Update - opened the pool 1 week ago tomorrow. So far, very little to no progress.

Filter running 24 hours/day, frequent backwashes, and brushing daily, as possible (lots of rain this week).

Bumped FC to 10ppm a couple of days ago and the level has mostly maintained, so I added another gallon of chlorine tonight to raise it to 12ppm.

Any other suggestions? I get that this is a slow process, and there’s plenty of time until we swim, but this is incredibly frustrating. Was hoping for at least some noticeable change.

 

[splashpad]

Any other suggestions? I get that this is a slow process, and there’s plenty of time until we swim, but this is incredibly frustrating. Was hoping for at least some noticeable change.

You can now keep raising FC/12

CYA (Stabilizer)	Minimum FC	Target FC	Shock FC
30	2	4-6	12

edit because mobile dropped the table format

 

[Mendy48]

Yeah! You will have to practice a little "Pool Owner Patience". I'll keep my pool SLAMed at 12FC, with a CYA of 30. Be patient... just hold it at 12 until the pool is crystal clear and it also passes the other 2 criteria.

 

[mrgalati]

I’ve been adding stabilizer and hope to be at FC 12, CYA 30 later today. Will maintain that, as instructed.

One more thing that I’m now curious about. I’ve read that sand filters take the longest, but my pressure is consistent it in the 22-23 psi range, even after backwash and rinse. Perhaps this is the normal range for the filter (year 2 in the house, admittedly didn’t pay much attention last year), but I’m now wondering if perhaps the filter isn’t running as efficiently as it should be since most “normal” ranges that I’ve read are closer to 10 psi.

Should this be concerning me? Any easy way to check on the sand without dismantling the filter?

 

[splashpad]

Should this be concerning me? Any easy way to check on the sand without dismantling the filter?

Can you post a picture of the filter?

 

[Texas Splash]

Should this be concerning me? Any easy way to check on the sand without dismantling the filter?

Not really. Even if you decide to do a really good "Deep Clean", you have to open it up to push a garden hose to the bottom. But sometimes that works as opposed to sand replacement if you don't know the history of the sand before before.

 

[mrgalati]

Can you post a picture of the filter?

Currently on baby duty, so I can’t take a new pic, but here’s one of the label that I took a few days ago to update my signature.

I am now seeing the 10psi call out in the backwash instructions...

 

[duraleigh]

For sure, your problem is primarily filtration and not lack of chlorine. Vacuuming to waste in a pool that size with suspended sediment seems very counterproductive to me......You will consume a TON of water.

I would open up the filter and inspect the sand bed. You are hoping it will be unclumped and about 2/3 full.....not more than 3/4. If it is a complete mess, I think you should perform a deep clean.....article in Pool School on how to do that.

Your psi of 20-22 is what gives me suspicion that your filter needs deep cleaning. Report back what you see when you get it opened up. I can't read the numbers on your label. What is the circumference or diameter of the filter body at it's widest?