sand filter clogging very quickly

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E

ethyloh

0
Jul 9, 2015
13
MA
Hi all,

I have a Hayward sand filter (20x40 inground). I opened the pool 10 days ago and it is still very dirty and cloudy.

I have the Taylor kit and have been keeping the chlorine/pH/alkalinity/etc... all exactly where they should be.

My problem is that as soon as I start to vacuum the bottom, within 5 minutes the pressure on my filter spikes to 20psi and I lose all suction. I then backwash, and I can see dirty water in the viewport on the filter, so I know it is filtering.

The issue is that it happens so fast. I've had this pool for years, and I can't remember it ever clogging this fast. I could vacuum to waste only, but I'll lose a HUGE amount of water.


For reference:

1) The pool takes me exactly 2 weeks every year to get it crystal clear. I don't see that happening 4 days from now.

2) I just replaced the sand 2 seasons ago.

3) I've removed all the leaf/pine needle debris from the bottom

4) I used my backpack leafblower before opening, and I'm afraid I may have blown a ton of dirt/sand in the pool (I have a mesh safety cover).
 
Even though you say levels are "all exactly where they should be", what you are describing points us to a potential issue with chemistry, at least at first. Since you have a Taylor kit, can you confirm which one it is (K-2006?) and post a full set of test results? That would be our first course of action before going down other areas.
 
If you've got a layer of silt on the bottom, it's going to clog the filter in a big hurry. Compare the diameter of the filter to the square footage of the pool floor. A hundred times bigger, maybe?

You might as well start filling now and get the water as high as you can and then vacuum to waste. You'll probably ending up losing the same amount of water either that way or by backwashing every 5 minutes.
 
Texas Splash said:
Even though you say levels are "all exactly where they should be", what you are describing points us to a potential issue with chemistry, at least at first. Since you have a Taylor kit, can you confirm which one it is (K-2006?) and post a full set of test results? That would be our first course of action before going down other areas.
Click to expand...

k-2006

FC = 10ppm

pH = 7.2

TA = 80ppm

CYA = 20ppm

- - - Updated - - -

Richard320 said:
If you've got a layer of silt on the bottom, it's going to clog the filter in a big hurry. Compare the diameter of the filter to the square footage of the pool floor. A hundred times bigger, maybe?

You might as well start filling now and get the water as high as you can and then vacuum to waste. You'll probably ending up losing the same amount of water either that way or by backwashing every 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I figured.

I literally blew all the sand from my patio into the pool by accident with my leafblower.
 
k-2006
FC = 10ppm
pH = 7.2
TA = 80ppm
CYA = 20ppm
Click to expand...

Thanks for confirming and ruling that out. :goodjob: Good you are maintaining that elevated FC level. I suspect all the vacuuming to waste is lowering your CYA, so be careful about that. We normally try not to waste chemicals, but with all the backwashes and vacuuming you're doing to remove dirt/sand, some of that may be inevitable.
 
Ok I'm about to just fill the whole thing in with concrete. :mad: I've NEVER had this much difficulty opening a pool (and I've been doing it for years).

In the past 9 days, I've been maintaining my levels exactly where they should be. The pool is blue, but it is still cloudy. I can see the bottom of the low end, but I can't see down in the deep end.

I've been running my Kreepy Krauly every night for 6 hours. There is nothing on the bottom of the pool - no leaves, dirt, or other debris. Then I brush the walls and leave it to filter overnight. My filter has been running 24/7.

Over the past 18 days, I've spent close to $600 on chlorine, wasted water and electricity. When it is finally clean, I estimate my per swim cost to be approximately $100. :eek:


On a more serious note, is it possible that there is something wrong with my filter? I can't imagine there is because I keep seeing silt/sediment in the observation port when I backwash, and I noticed that I could run my kreepy krauly continuously after I removed all the debris by vacuuming to waste.

Should I try adding a clarifier to agglomerate the fines?
 

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ethyloh said:
I've been slamming it daily.

3-4 gallons of chlorine every night for the past 3 weeks.

I've already used more chlorine in this time than all of last year.
Click to expand...
Just adding chlorine every night is not a SLAM Process, it is what a pool store calls "shocking". A SLAM Process involves multiple tests of the water each day and bringing the chlorine level back up to shock level each time. Plus, brushing the pool once a day is included.

Are you following the entire SLAM Process procedure?
 
ethyloh, are you now just waiting for the cloudiness to clear? no more frequent backwashing?
it can take a while for the last cloudiness to clear up. you might try adding some DE to help with that (search for how to do that). First of course you want to be sure the pool is balanced and that you dont still have something eating up your FC. From all the seemingly extra junk in the pool this year, you might want to try deep cleaning your filter (search for that also). it is possible there is a channel in your sand that is preventing effective filtration.

sorry for a couple of mr. obvious comments:
1. try as much as possible to aim your leaf blower 45 to 90 degrees away from the pool. i know this requires holding the blower out over the pool, and can be tiresome.
2. i also have a mesh cover. the first thing in the spring opening after getting the pump working is to vacuum as much stuff from the bottom as possible to waste while you have the excess water collected over the winter. you probably cannot see the bottom while you are doing this, so it is just going by pattern. empty the skimmer and pump strainer frequently while doing this. i find that i can usually traverse the whole bottom before the water level drops below the skimmer opening. that is when i stop vacuuming to waste. then i let the filter work on the main water but do not vacuum to filter. the next day when things have settled a little, look for the big piles that you missed the first time and vacuum those to waste. once most of the junk is out, then you can use your suction cleaner to filter. By taking these steps you will drastically reduce the amount of stuff that gets to your filter.

Good luck
 
Just wanted to follow up on this thread.

For the heck of it, I tried a bottle of Leslie's Clear Aid water clarifier on Friday night.

By Saturday morning, the pool had cleared considerably. By Sunday, it was nice and clean.

My pool looks like a glass of springwater right now.
 
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