Splatt

Hi there, just wondered if anyone could shed a little light on my ongoing pool problem.

When I vacuum the pool it goes a bit cloudy afterwards, this takes a couple of days to clear. Also the pressure meter on my filter has dropped from 1 bar to .7 bar, still in the green but at the bottom end.

I've opened up the filter to see if there was any clumping of the sand but it seems OK.

PH and alkalinity are fine and I try to keep the chlorine at a reasonable level (OK on the test strips). I put in flocculant tabs every week too.

I have been advised by a pool shop to put loads more chlorine in as we seem to have August weather in June and the chlorine is burning off too fast, however I don't want to put too much chlorine in as I'm aware that it's a nasty chemical and my 3 year old loves a swim.

I've had a feel around the worm wheel part of the pump and it doesn't feel to have any blockages, maybe I need to strip the pump down?

I was also wondering if perhaps the sand in the filter needed changing?

Anyone with any experience of these symptoms?

Cheers muchly,

Ste.

jdr

Do you backwash and rinse before and after vacuuming ?

Fred James

It's ultimately the filter if the dust comes back into the pool while cleaning.

We had the same problem when the road outside was a track and the dust was just too fine to be trapped by the filter. This was when the pool was new so I couldn't blame the filter.

Floc didn't help a lot so I just cleaned to waste - I still do now even though the fine dust is no longer there (they made up the road!).

One product that does work is called "Miraclear". It is a small blue block of gooey stuff which you put in the pump filter basket. It slowly dissolves and coats the sand in the filter making it more effective with fine particles. It costs about €5 and really does work. It lasts about 4 weeks. The water really does have that sparkle after using it.

More info on the Internet but have a look here

http://www.lo-chlor.com/pool_chemicals/gelcap.php

On the other hand it could be that the sand needs replacing but try this stuff first. You should be able to get it at a decent pool shop.

jdr

But the same thing happens if you do not backwash and rinse, that is why I asked.

Fred James

But that would cause the pressure to increase as the filter gets blocked - his has gone down very slightly.

jdr

I watched a proffesional pool company not backwash and within five minutes all that had been vacuumed up was back in the pool.
If he does backwash then it could be a broken or loose pipe in the filter and the sand and gunk washing through into the pool, less restriction so less pressure, dirty water returning could point to this.
Then he would need to strip out the sand filter and have a look.

Dxf

Hi

Try all the easy things first; then if it still doesn't work feel free to do things like removing the sand from the filter!

Flocculent only really works if you leave the pool over night and clean to waste - most filters do not take out the flocculent just mix it up

Davexf

Splatt

Thanks for the input. I'll definately try a backwash and rinse before my next clean, probably tomorrow. I think I'll also try increasing the filtration hours up from 6 to 8.

I'll try the miraclear too, mainly to see if it increases the pressure, if not then I think I need to investigate closer the pump and filter.
I did have problems a while ago with the pump filter basket developing a crack and some vegetation getting stuck in the motor, I think I prbably need to strip down and clean the pump next.

It's quite a big pool so I think I need all the muscle I can get to move the water over the 11m length.

Thanks chaps,

Ste.

jdr

Filtration you need to work out the volume HERE then see how much your pump moves per hour, then multiply that by hours you need to completely filter your pool.
In this heat you do need more chems and longer filtration times than normal.

snikpoh

Stupid question but have you cleaned the basket in the pump as well?

My only input would be;

1) Backwash regularly and until the water in the filter AND the water in the sight on the matrix go clean (from yellow).

2) Add more chlorine. At this time of year and in this heat, the chlorine level needs to be almost off the scale - about 3.0 At this level, it's still OK for children.

lynnxa

but will it turn blonde hair green?

what's the highest level that this won't happen - and is that still enough?








I - know - it's probably the same as asking how long a piece of string is - but thought I'd ask anyway!

poolboy

do all the above & add a block of copper sulphate (an ice cube block in case of ambiguity).

Your water will be so clear you can see the imperfections in the grout.

Don't exceed the dose but you can lower the cloro level as the 2 work together.

mikeoc

Chlorine doesn't turn blonde hair green, it's copper that does that.

Oh and too much flocc can be a cause of cloudiness

lynnxa

I always thought it was the chlorine!!


so the pool guy is putting copper in the pool?


edit - seems it's the chlorine causing the copper to oxidise therefore turning my kids' hair green

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_yo...ming_in_a_pool

so does this mean there's too much chlorine in the pool or not?

jdr

It`s very hard to put too much in, get a test kit and keep a check on it.