Pool Cleaning Help

[smittysgirl]

Hi,
I've been a member here for 7 years & continue to be a true believer. The one thing I seem to struggle with is getting our pool really clean! There always seems to be some fine debris in the cracks or middle of the pool. Today I spent over an hour vacuuming & skimming. Everything looked pretty good (Pool1 pic) & an hour & a half later you can see the debris ( Pool2 & Pool3 pics) starting to accumulate again. How can I get rid of this stuff?
Thanks for letting me vent & I look forward to your help!
Cecilia

 

[JVTrain]

How many returns do you have? If you have a second return, aim one of them downward more toward the center of the pool. If you have only one, try aiming that one more downward and toward the center. That may help deeper circulation... or it may just move the spot where the particles settle.

Posting a full set of test results as well as performing an OCLT to verify that you have no very small algae issue going on. Your cartridge filter should be filtering all these fine particles very well, so also verify that you don't have a puncture or anything else going on in the filter.

 

[smittysgirl]

Thank you for your response & suggestions.

Here are my current test results:
FC = 6.5
PH = 7.8
TA = 85
CH = 150 *
CYA = 40

The OCLT was CC=.5


* This was done at pool opening on 6/17, my understanding is that CH is not important for above ground pools.

We only have 1 return, so I'll try & direct it more to the bottom & center.

Note: I read somewhere that some of the fine debris gets picked up once swimming begins & the debris has a better chance of going through the filter, rather than settling at the bottom. We are still waiting for the water temp to warm up enough to start swimming, it's currently 78-80 degrees.

 

[Richard320]

I got some bad news for you: you never get it all.

I can spend an hour crisscrossing my pool with the vacuum until I'm positive I have everything, and as soon as I put everything away, I'll spot something I missed. That's one of the problems with crystal-clear water. Even a grain of sand is visible from twenty feet away through six feet of water. People with murky pools don't have that problem. They can't see it.

 

[JVTrain]

Thank you for your response & suggestions.

Here are my current test results:
FC = 6.5
PH = 7.8
TA = 85
CH = 150 *
CYA = 40

The OCLT was CC=.5


* This was done at pool opening on 6/17, my understanding is that CH is not important for above ground pools.

We only have 1 return, so I'll try & direct it more to the bottom & center.

Note: I read somewhere that some of the fine debris gets picked up once swimming begins & the debris has a better chance of going through the filter, rather than settling at the bottom. We are still waiting for the water temp to warm up enough to start swimming, it's currently 78-80 degrees.

Test results look good. 78 degrees isn't warm enough? My kids are in the pool at 70!

I got some bad news for you: you never get it all.

I can spend an hour crisscrossing my pool with the vacuum until I'm positive I have everything, and as soon as I put everything away, I'll spot something I missed. That's one of the problems with crystal-clear water. Even a grain of sand is visible from twenty feet away through six feet of water. People with murky pools don't have that problem. They can't see it.

This is sooooo true. I can see every little thing in my pool. Always a leaf in the deep end minutes after the robot has been pulled out, a whisp of dust on the slope an hour after brushing, a worm in the corner of the pool... Crystal clear water is more maddening than the cloudy stuff!

 

[phonedave]

It could be algae, but I doubt it, given your numbers

I would say it could be one of three things

1) There is some issue with your filter and it is letting fines back into the pool

2) When you are vaccuming, you are stirring up the water, and the fines that have settled out are not getting vaccumed up because you have stirred them up. IF this is the case, try vaccumng VERY SLOWLY and carefully

3) Pollen, pollen, pollen. Around here (Northern NJ) is has gotten better recently, but this was a horrible year for pollen, and it collects in the pool like nobody's business.

-dave

 

[smittysgirl]

Thank you all for your comments & suggestions.

Is the goal with re-positioning the return to prevent any debris from settling in the center of the pool or just to make the area of debris smaller?

What is the expected lifespan of a filter? My hubby seems to think, the older, the better

He also thinks I go too fast when vacuuming & I have made an effort to go slower, but maybe not slow enough!

I probably will be in the pool the next sunny day, regardless of the temperature! It may have been too chilly for the squirrel that took a dip in it a couple of days ago & I found clinging to the side for dear life when I went out to get a water sample! He scared me to death! It took us better than a 1/2 hour & a pool skimmer, tree branch & pool ladder to persuade him to let go & climb out! Not pretty! He got out & caught his breath & took off for the nearest tree!

Cecilia

 

[banditig]

I have a Wanda the wale, leave it in while pumping. Works awesome!