Struggling, about to throw in the towel! ?

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angecarl

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Jul 23, 2012
17
I have a 20k gallon SWG(replaced this year) in-ground pool and getting a very late start due the passing of my mother this month. I'm struggling to get my pool clear and never have had this much trouble EVER. The water is blue but can't even see the bottom on the shallow end due to cloudiness. This is also the first year we did not have a cover on it this past winter. Before my mother passed I removed about 10 gallons of debris and started the SLAM process but had to stop due to her health goin downhill. One week ago today I started the SLAM process again and can't stop emptying Walmart shelves of bleach. I have kept the FC above 10 for the whole week and dumped well over 30 bleaches this week and it has yet to remove the cloudiness. On Thursday I did check my CC which was 1 but today was 0.5. My SWG is also running because I was having a hard time keeping FC above 10 with only checking it twice daily. I have gotten my mother-in-law involved since Wednesday and able to check 3 times daily now.

Current levels:
FC 12
CC .5
pH 7.2
TA 160
CH 110

CYA less than 30 ( was 45 on Thursday)??? I have added about 4lbs since the starting the first SLAM where I had to quit in late May and this week.
I'm struggling to keep CYA up to.

Please help me and keep motivated because I just wanna throw the towel in.

Thanks in advance,
Carl
 
Sorry to hear of your loss.

I assume you have your own test kit. The dropping of the CYA level is concerning. But first, we need some data about your pool and equipment. Can you fill out your signature?

If you have a DE or sand filter, are you backwashing a lot?
 
Not sure how to edit signature on mobile, but will do it when I get to a PC.
Taylor k2006 test kit
CircuPool RJ30
Sand filter with 1 cup of DE added twice this week after backwash. Backwash every evening. Scrub sides once daily. Very minimal debris stirred up with scrubbing sides. Also blindly vaccum'd pool to remove what I could.

Can I get a false on CYA during SLAM?
 
Back washing every evening is impacting your CYA level.

Based on a 30 CYA, follow the SLAM Process. Cloudy water is slow to clear with a sand filter. Other option is to drain a sizable amount and start over. If vinyl liner do not drain below leaving one foot in shallow end. Draining does pose risks.
 
So after backwashing filter, pressure is around close 8psi. Adding 1 cup DE increases to about 10psi. So I need to backwash less often to not affect CYA. Which is only when pressure increases by 20-25%? Clean pressure or DE pressure?
 
You are adding too much DE if the pressure rises by 2 psi. Try adding less and just getting a slight pressure increase.

You should backwash when your filter pressure rises by 25% over clean pressure.
 
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I would say 25% over the clean pressure + 1psi of DE. So if your clean pressure is 8, you add 1psi of DE=9. I would not backwash until the filter was 11.5.

Too much backwashing is unnecessary. A slightly dirty filter actually cleans better. And as Marty says, you're washing away your CYA with all that backwashing.

Can we see a pic of the pool? Taking one daily over the same spot (such as the stairs) really helps monitor the progress.

Maddie :flower:
 
I noticed today there was a white scaly buildup on the pool liner at the water line to 1ft below. It felt like sandpaper. So I decided to take the advice above and drain the pool to 1ft in shallow end. I have scrubbed the sides to remove buildup. I will start refilling the pool throughout this week. My concern the pool water is still very cloudy, can't even see the bottom drain still. When adding water back, is there anything I can or should do before pool is at operating level?

Much obliged,
Carl
 

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That sounds like scale. But the test results you showed above are not scale producing. Was the pH and TA much higher recently?
 
The pH was greater than 8 before I started trying to go from green to clean. That's been over a week ago now tho. The TA I last checked is the highest it has ever been since I have been checking it. In the past it usually stays in the 110-120 range.
 
High pH could deposit scale.

Try scraping some of the material off and put a drop of acid on it. If it fizzes, it is scale.
 
Seemed to be a lot of issues with high pH from last winter.

You have the pH under control now. The cloudy water is due to organics in the water -- or hopefully dead organics ----
 
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