Removing Pops Ups on In Floor Cleaning System

[BK MAC]

Helping a friend while he's on vacation. Before he left, he asked me to come over and look at his pool which was a bit hazy. I started a SLAM and it removed a high level of CC's and got it clear rather quickly. Unfortunately, I can't pass an OCLT. I just checked this AM and I'm still losing 2.5 ppm of FC overnight. In addition, I lost about 7PPM during the day yesterday. Pool is 30K, Vinyl, Cartridge filter, single speed pump. It has a Paramount In Floor Cleaning System that has been mothballed. The wall jets have been capped and has never been used by the present owner. Thus far, I have removed the ladder which had algae under the steps. I also removed his robot until it can be taken apart to see if it is also harboring algae. I have brushed everything. My remaining areas of concern are two lights, the floor drain, and the in floor pop ups (about 9 I think). Am I correct in thinking these old pop ups could be harboring algae? If so, is there any harm in popping them out to check? I can't locate a tool on premises, so any suggestions on how to remove them or what tool I need would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[proavia]

Armed with the 2 pics you posted, you should be able to find a removal tool locally or online.

You may wish to consider also opening those water distribution valves. No telling how poorly the IFCS was abandoned. When the pump is on, do either of the water valves show pressure on the gauges?

 

[BK MAC]

Not that I recall, but will double check. What is exposed once this pop up comes out? Am I opening up into the old abandoned plumbing? I'm concerned about opening the gates of Hades into this pool.

 

[JamesW]

It has a Paramount In Floor Cleaning System that has been mothballed. The wall jets have been capped and has never been used by the present owner.

So, how is water getting back to the pool?

I would not start taking things apart.

I would just maintain a 15% FC/CYA ratio for a week or two.

 

[BK MAC]

So, how is water getting back to the pool?

I would not start taking things apart.

I would just maintain a 15% FC/CYA ratio for a week or two.

The water returns through 2 regular eyeball returns. I looked at the pad more closely. It would appear all valves to the in floor system are closed off and there is no pressure to the system. I agree, no benefit to messing with anything. I took a skinny brush(used for straws) and worked it in where I could on the pop ups. Then I used a dental irrigation syringe(while wondering what a bit of compressed air would do) to blow out some of the nasty stuff that had settled in. Hopefully running FC on the high end will remedy the situation. Thanks for the input.

 

[BK MAC]

Just a final follow up on this one. The floor drains ended up being the culprit. As suspected, they were capped when the cleaning system was abandoned. To see if anything was in the drains, I taped a hose on a telescopic pole and blew all kinds of green algae and debris out of them. I waited a few days but could not pass an OCLT. I had a hunch I wouldn't, but I was trying to spare myself the aggravation of working on the bottom of the pool. Ultimately I positioned a 20lb kettle weight between the drains to give me something to hold onto while I worked on the drains. I removed the covers and gave the drains a major scrubbing. After that, I taped a vacuum hose to the telescopic pole and sucked any remaining debris from the drains. While I had been running an elevated FC all this time, I pushed it to SLAM level after cleaning the drains and stirring up more mess. I gave it about two days and finally passed the OCLT this AM. All I ever did with the pop ups was brush them a bit and shoot a stream of hose water into the crevices. While I think they may have harbored some algae, the floor drain was the biggest issue. Problem solved without messing up my buddy's pool. Thanks for the input.

 

[NeuronBasher]

I just want to say we should all be so lucky to have friends like you. Well done!