Pool was clear then cloudy after vacuum

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T

TSpa

0
Oct 16, 2017
19
Somerset, MA
I opened my pool in May, when I removed the winter cover the water was crystal clear thanks to what I learned on this site. I am diligent about checking chemicals and check every 1-2 days to ensure I'm in range and adjust as needed.
Water has been clear since opening but recently noticed some sandy, brown substances beginning to pool up in various spots on the floor liner. Decided to vacuum it on Friday 6/28 evening. While vacuuming noticed return jet looked very cloudy, by the time I was done vacuuming pool it was all cloudy. I can still see the bottom of pool but can't see about 10 ft out while underwater. I have an oversize cartridge filter less then 1 year old. Filter pressure barely raised at all throughout vacuuming. After vacuuming I checked certain chemical: FC = 3 so added chlorine to get me to 7. CYA was 20 so added granular stabilizer using sock method to raise CYA to 35.
24 hours later (6/29 6PM) tested water again: FC = 8, CYA = 35, pH = 7.4, TA = 90. Pool still cloudy. I have a vinyl liner and town water, don't ever bother with salt or calcium.
Next morning (6/30 10AM) tested chlorine and CC to make sure I was not fighting something: FC = 8, CC = 0. I ran this test twice and received same results.
So it does not appear that I have a live algae issue (not losing FC and do not have CC) so SLAM seems not necessary. Is the problem simply that cartridge filters can't filter the type of debris I was vacuuming? Will the cloudiness eventually magically go away on its own? Filter pressure is only about 1 psi higher than when season started so seems necessary to clean out the filter. Not understanding this cloudiness problem so I would appreciate any insight. Thank you!!!
 
Pretty unusual for a cartridge filter to not capture most anything that gets in a pool.

Might just take some time. I suspect the material was dead algae but your quick response kept it from multiplying.

Did you take apart the filter at the start of the season?
 
You might want to check to be sure the filters are properly installed.

Is the clean filter pressure normal?
 
It has one single 150 sq ft cartridge. The clean filter pressure on pump at low speed is 2 psi. After vacuuming it went up to 3 psi so I did not bother cleaning at the time. Earlier today I took apart the filter and hosed off the pleats. The bottom half was gunked up pretty good and the top half was very clean. Almost seemed like the water was only pushing through the bottom half, not sure why. Any idea?
Anyway, its all clean now, reinstalled. Hopefully in a few days will be clear again.
 
Felipe, looks like you were correct. I have waited an extra 3 days and today it looks like the cloudiness is getting worse so I just hosed off the cartridge filter, made sure my pH was good and raised FC to SLAM levels. My CYA is 35 so raised FC to 16. I plan to run my 1.5HP pump on low speed 24/7 during SLAM. Hopefully will see it clear up each day.

One thing I don't understand is how I got into this situation. My FC levels have always been within the recommended range for my CYA levels, all other parameters have been monitored and have stayed within recommended range. As I explained in my original post, after vacuuming is when this cloudiness occurred. How could I get a bloom when I was maintaining all my numbers? CC has been and is still 0, FC decreases daily at the normal slow and steady rate. Was it due to poor circulation at the bottom of the pool? I have my return jet pointed slightly down per normal recommendations. Is there anything I can do from preventing this from occurring in the future? I have no idea at this point.

Thank you.
 
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I try to point my returns in different directions as to minimize no circulation areas. On your raised rails, have you looked under them as to verify there is no algae there? Do you have a light? Is your skimmer completely clean? There might be a spot you are not aware of that is hiding algae. Or just simply your levels dropped off and you just did not notice. I just came out of a slam also as my dogs wrecked havoc on the pool while i was gone for 5 days. Being a member of TPF does not exclude you from the privilege of algae!:ROFLMAO:
Also a robot might help with poor circulation and you get to sip adult beverages while looking at it doing the hard work.
 
TSpa said:
It has one single 150 sq ft cartridge. The clean filter pressure on pump at low speed is 2 psi. After vacuuming it went up to 3 psi so I did not bother cleaning at the time. Earlier today I took apart the filter and hosed off the pleats. The bottom half was gunked up pretty good and the top half was very clean. Almost seemed like the water was only pushing through the bottom half, not sure why. Any idea?
Anyway, its all clean now, reinstalled. Hopefully in a few days will be clear again.
Click to expand...
Do you purge air out of the filter housing? From what you said it seems your filter was only half filled with water.
 

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Felipe, Everything looks pretty clean other than those spots on the bottom that slowly built up the sandy brown stuff that I vacuumed. Perhaps its just bad circulation. I agree a robot would help out in more ways than one. If this happens again, it will help me justify the robot price tag. Thank you for your input.

Fast7, Yes. After cleaning my filter pleats and reinstalling I always open the valve to purge the air. I usually get a steady stream of water in seconds. I usually let it go an extra 5-10 seconds then close it up. I did notice the previous two times that when I open the lid the filter compartment is only 1/2 full of water. Interestingly, a few minutes ago I opened it up again to clean it and notice that there was no water in the compartment. I was surprised by that. When I want to get access to the filter, I turn the pump off, then turn the shutoff valves off at the skimmer and return, then open the filter air purge valve, then open the filter lid. When reinstalling the filter I always make sure its seated good and am careful to screw on the lid properly. In the beginning of the year I applied a thin layer of silicone grease to all the o-rings. After running the pump for about 10 minutes I opened the filter purge valve to see if would get an instant stream of water. Air came out for about 1 second followed by water. I will next wait a few hours and try this again to see if there appears to be more air coming out over time after opening the valve. Not sure if should always be an instant stream of water.

My clean filter pressure is about 2 psi on low speed and goes up to 16 psi on high speed. I only use high speed for disbursing chemicals or vacuuming.

Good news is that since I started the SLAM last night, the pool is already much clearer. I'll go in later today or in the morning to vacuum.

Thanks all.
 
Fast7, Air is certainly building up in the filter chamber over time. If I open the filter pressure valve and purge the air out until a water stream appears, close the valve and wait an hour or two, then open the valve, air will purge out for about 5 seconds followed by water. If I wait about 10 hours then open the valve, air will come out for about 15 seconds then water. Anytime I open this valve water should instantly come out, not air. How could air be getting in and building up? I checked all the lines and do not hear any hissing or see and drips of water. It appears to be sealed up good but I must be missing something. Are there typical areas I should check? When air builds up in the filter chamber like this, I would imagine that only a small portion of cartridge area is being used to clean the water. Is that the major downside of having a vacuum leak? Thank you.
 
OK so after writing the last post I read the great TFP article on suction side vacuum leaks.
www.troublefreepool.com

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
"6. If your pump or plumbing “spits” a little water from somewhere when the pump shuts off, that often indicates the location of an air leak."

I turned my pump on/off a few times rapidly and noticed that the flex hose connection to the skimmer basket was spitting out water. I took the hose off and added a second hose clamp and snugged everything down good. Now that connection no longer spits out water when turning the pump on/off. Hopefully this was the only leak. I'll wait a few hours and see if there is any air when I open the purge valve.

I love this site. Thanks all.
 
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Sorry for the delay. Yes, snugging down that connection did work! It appears that was my only vacuum leak. No more air filling up the filter tank, now when I open the purge valve I get instant water. After 3 days into the SLAM the water was very clear. Waited almost 2 days for FC to drift down to 10 and started swimming. Everything is back to normal. Thanks all!
 
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