Pump slowly losing prime

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PoolStored said:
Can you post a picture of your pool? Is it a green swamp?

Can you fill out a bit more information on your pool in your signature? Don't want to assume it is a plaster pool, in-ground. Size/make/model of your filter makes a difference.

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With a DE filter, and a very green pool, it may be that you need to baby sit it more frequently...
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Basically yes, it is, its dark outside so cant take a picture now.

Yes I believe it is a plaster pool, in ground. Ill check the filter info tomorrow morning and add it to my signature.
 
Use the poolmath app to tell you how much of everything to put in. Go a little lower then it recommends. Always easier to add a little more later then overshoot. Walmart has been having the best prices on Pool Essentials liquid chlorine lately. Check the julian date code on the bottles to make sure it's fresh. You got this! (y)
 
So I was talking to a co worker. Would it make sense to just drain the pool and start from scratch? The pool is older so I could get it looked at if there is any issues with the plaster. My light is broken so I could fix that too. Would that end up cheaper and easier than trying to fix the pool chemistry?
 

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Chemical update. CYA is at 60 after 24 hours, waiting to re-test again tomorrow. FC - TC test (just dropper test not powder) is still showing 0 for total chlorine, 1-2 for FC. I added 3 gallons of Bleach per PoolMath yesterday. Should I be adding more again? after entering results this afternoon it says I should add another 4 gallons.

Thanks!
 
Hi All,

First of thank you all for you help. The pool is now clear, pump holds prime until the filter pressure rises, that weirdly is still happening about every 24-36 hours. I did replace all the DE Grids as I believe they are older and I figured it wouldn't hurt.

A couple of things, there is still some small spots of green/black at the bottom of the pool. Should I continue to keep the FC high until those spots are gone (See attached)

If No to above, should I wait for FC to come down before trying to fix alkalinity and PH? If Yes to above, should I wait until the Green/Black is gone, then wait for FC to drop before fixing alkalinit and PH?

Current numbers:

FC -> 10+
PH -> 7.2
TA -> 110
CYA -> 80
 
Ignore alkalinity and PH for now. PH testing isn't accurate with chlorine levels that high anyway. Sounds like you're not done slamming your pool yet. Close, but not quite.

You're not done slamming until you pass all 3 criteria:
crystal clear water
pass OCLT
CC <1

If your CYA is truly 80, your SLAM level chlorine is far too low. It should be up near 31 and you must maintain it as much as possible until you pass OCLT. Green/black spots is possibly still living algae. Right now at around 10+, you're at maintenance levels and it's very easy to drop too low during the day. That let's algae get a foothold again. You may not see it, but it can be there and growing.

When you brush, does really fine dust "poof" away? That's dead algae. Do the OCLT. If you don't pass, get the chlorine back up to SLAM level, brush those spots thoroughly and then the whole pool. Everywhere. Steps, returns, skimmers, lights, everywhere water can go. Keep SLAM level until you can pass the OCLT and your CC are =<1. Keep it for an extra day as insurance. Then you can let the chlorine drift down naturally.

Read this to understand the CYA/chlorine relationship and see where you should be keeping your chlorine. CYA/Chlorine

I think the filter pressure is rising that fast because it's still trying to filter out dead algae. Much less than before but it's still getting it and algae clogs up DE filters quickly. The pump starts losing prime because the filter is dirty and it's working a lot harder to move water. The very first sign I have a dirty filter is bubbles accumulating in the pump pot. I normally have no air in the pump pot but that extra effort causes just enough added strain on the system that I get a tiny air leak somewhere.
 
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