Water Clarifier to get rid of fine dirt?

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FC at 1 is too low to perform an OCLT. We usually recommend raising it to 10 first.

I agree with jblizzle. Your pool is cloudy because your FC is too low and algae is trying to take over. Get at least 30 ppm of CYA in there ASAP and then get your FC to 12 before you worry about anything else. Then read pool school on how to perform a SLAM.
 
jblizzle said:
Why would you leave the FC that low and not raise it?
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As soon as I get some CYA in there the FC will start to come up via my SWG.


jeffchap said:
FC at 1 is too low to perform an OCLT. We usually recommend raising it to 10 first.

I agree with jblizzle. Your pool is cloudy because your FC is too low and algae is trying to take over. Get at least 30 ppm of CYA in there ASAP and then get your FC to 12 before you worry about anything else. Then read pool school on how to perform a SLAM.
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I performed the OCLT because it was recommended here. I posted on here for advice. Like I said I'm going to put the stabilizer in ASAP and bring the chlorine up.

My FC didn't change over night, doesn't that mean there's no organic material (algae) in there?
 
I think your thinking about the FC level is flawed. The longer you leave the FC too low, the more likely algae will take hold and cause problems.

And you should not wait for the SWG to raise it.

The OCLT was designed to be performed at shock FC levels ... although we have since lowered that requirement. I think it should be at least 5-10ppm to start with.
 
jblizzle said:
I think your thinking about the FC level is flawed. The longer you leave the FC too low, the more likely algae will take hold and cause problems.

And you should not wait for the SWG to raise it.

The OCLT was designed to be performed at shock FC levels ... although we have since lowered that requirement. I think it should be at least 5-10ppm to start with.
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Ok my water is starting to green today and I'm freaking out a bit. Should I start a SLAM?

My current chlorine levels:
FC: 1
CC: 1
TC: 2
 
Take a deep breath!! No dumb questions. Before you start the SLAM you need to drop your pH. Use Pool Math to find out how much muriatic acid to add to gt you down to 7.2 Once you get there, then you can start the SLAM. Please note: pH that high might actually be much higher so it may take a few times of testing and adding before it comes down.

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Here is some reading for you: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
You might want to print it out so you can refer to it at need.
 
pabeader said:
Take a deep breath!! No dumb questions. Before you start the SLAM you need to drop your pH. Use Pool Math to find out how much muriatic acid to add to gt you down to 7.2 Once you get there, then you can start the SLAM. Please note: pH that high might actually be much higher so it may take a few times of testing and adding before it comes down.

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Here is some reading for you: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
You might want to print it out so you can refer to it at need.
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Thanks for the link, I have it bookmarked ;)

I brought my PH down to 7.2 as suggested and started the SLAM with two 128oz 12.5% bleach bottles. Here's some pix I just took: Algae - Album on Imgur

How soon after adding the bleach should I test my FC?

I just tested my FC and it's at 13 currently.
 

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See what I'm doing? :) :thumleft:

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One note: Since you are going to be adding liquid chlorine, you might as well lower the % on the SWG. It has a limited life and you might as well give it a break while you are SLAMming.
 
pabeader said:
See what I'm doing? :) :thumleft:
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LOL, sorry, I need to calm my nerves a bit. This is new to me and I don't want to mess anything up. Thanks again for everyone's help!!

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pabeader said:
One note: Since you are going to be adding liquid chlorine, you might as well lower the % on the SWG. It has a limited life and you might as well give it a break while you are SLAMming.
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Yup, I just asked my wife to turn the SWG off for now based on the SLAM instructions:

The best solution to this is simply shut off the SWG, Liquidator, injection pump, etc. and use liquid chlorine only for the duration of the SLAM
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remixmark said:
I just backwashed 3 days ago and a lot of dirt came out, but I'm still having the murky issue. I'm trying to avoid having to pay another $350 for another water refill so I'd rather not backwash unnecessarily if I can avoid it. This is the first time I've ever backwashed it. Here's what Pentair says about backwashing my filters:


Cleaning Frequency

1. The filter on a new pool should be backwashed, and cleaned after approximately 48 hours of operation to clean out plaster dust and/or construction debris.

2. There are three different ways to identify when the filter needs backwashing.
a. The most accurate indicator on pool systems with a flow meter is to backwash when the flow decreases 30% from the original (clean filter) flow. For example, if the original flow was 60 GPM, the filter shouldbe backwashed when the flow is reduced by about 20 GPM (or 30%) to 40 GPM.
b. A more subjective and less accurate indicator is to observe the amount of water flowing from the flowdirectionals located in the wall of the pool. The filter should be backwashed once it is detected that theflow has been reduced by about 30%.
c. The most commonly used but less accurate indicator is to backwash when the filter gauge readingincreases 10 PSI over the initial (clean filter) reading.

3. It is important not to backwash the filter solely on a timed basis such as every three days. It is also importantto note that backwashing too frequently actually causes poor filtration. Factors like weather conditions, heavyrains, dust or pollen, and water temperature all affect the frequency of backwash. As you use your pool, youwill become aware of these influences.

4. If at any time the starting pressure after backwashing the filter indicates 4 to 6 PSI higher than normal startingpressure, it is time to perform a chemical cleaning procedure.
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Mark,

Wow, a lot has happened since I replied... keep up the SLAM and you should get rid of the green pretty quickly. A word of caution. Don't be tempted to take shortcuts. You really have to keep FC at SLAM level all the time. Frequent testing and adding chlorine to be sure and brushing are needed. If you do it right it will be over quickly. If not, it can drag on. Some people try not to use all the chlorine due to cost but it costs more in the long run since the SLAM has to last longer.

Back to your filter issue. If your filter is loading up that's actually good. You may have to bite the bullet with a couple of backwashes on short cycles and this may be the best way to reduce the cloudiness. I don't know why pools with high water costs end up with sand or DE. Cartridge filters waste almost no water and they work fine; the filters last years. But you can't change that now.

One last thing that may help. You'll get a lot of advice and everybody giving help have great intentions. Sometimes recommendations conflict with each other. When that happens I suggest weigh moderators and experts higher than others. But keep in mind everybody has best intentions.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 

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