So …I finally got my battery operated vacuum charged and ready to go…one hour in the pool…this is what she found…
WOWOWOWOWOW…As you know, we replaced the pump and the old sand filter. The first pool guy noticed the sand wasn’t in rough shape, but the lateral was severely cracked. My initial thought is that this sand has to be from the old filter. The wife thinks it looks a bit ‘new,’ but there is no way our brand new filter would spew out this much sand…is there AN EASY way to look inside our filter!!!
Our newest pool results from after vacuuming…
We’re getting there…floor feels so nice…since it’s not clear, I went in to feel around with my feet to make sure it got everything…
Can’t wait to see that quarter!!!
You are indeed getting there, but keep that chlorine up!
There is no easy way to check a sand filter lateral unless you pop the multiport valve off the top and notice that the sand is lower than it should be or wait a couple of days and see if you get fresh sand on the floor - that would indicate a broken lateral. Your filter pressure not rising could indicate that as well.
My inner old crabby guy says: Your pool store results illustrate why I don’t trust them. You haven’t done anything to lower your calcium but the level is half of what it was when you started. Your phosphate levels are also zero, but I think you may have mentioned you added something to lower them. A properly sanitized pool can’t grow algae no matter how high your phosphate level is. I’ve maintained many, many pools over my lifetime and have never tested/treated for them. Only add chlorine, baking soda (alkalinity adjustment), acid (pH adjustment) to your pool. Nothing else! Gunite pools need calcium; vinyl-liner pools rarely need calcium.
I appreciate you!!! My life loves to trust the “Pool People!”
I’m 100% with you ride and die, but sometimes the wife wins…im like chlorine all the way…just let it ride, it’s only been 7 days since we got the pump running and it’s gone far thus far…let’s not rock the boat…baby steps!!! trust the process…
I’m working a pickleball tournament all weekend, so at the end of the day, it’s on her to make it happen…shes so paranoid it’s our brand new filter, but there is no way it is…filter lateral doesn’t just crack in a week…
thank you
We just shocked the pool.
Wife still thinks that the sand we got is from our new sand filter. I came home, two days since vacuuming, and the floor is still smooth. She said if the pool isn’t clear by July 1st…game over…
I’m hoping 3-5 days of just letting chlorine do it’s thing…we should be able to see that quarter…all our numbers our good…except for Chlorine, but just put two backs of shock in this late evening…
fingers crossed…(havent had to backwash in a long time too, so I’d like to think the pool is pretty clean)…
say a prayer for us, Rich!!!
Numbers are good, chlorine is high…just wait it out a few days, let it ride it’s course? Do I need to scrub the walls and floor and vacuum???
PSI holding steady at 5 on LOW…haven’t had to backwash for a while…feel like the pool is ‘clean’ ---- color looks good…just cloudy…
What’s the game plan this week??? The pool store peeps laughed at my wife when she told them her husband wants the chlorine at 10 ppm + …
Look who else is restless and wants to get in…
Lol! I hope your backyard visitors don’t decide to dive in!
Yes, keep that chlorine level up. Be careful about buying shock, since it may or may not be chlorine-based and might not stick around very long. You are better off with liquid bleach.
Pool store employees laughing at the wife? That’s not good to hear. Get your own test kit and you can kick them to the curb.
Head to troublefreepool.com and see all the comments from folks who were “pool-stored”. Some places are better than others, but some only want to keep selling magic potions to make your pool “better” even though most of them cause issues that keep you going back for more.
I bought 8 bottles of 12.5%…
Should I be scrubbing the walls and floor and vacuuming too??? Wife is concerned that the pool and liner is so old, not to scrub the walls with a brush, but rather with a sock…
Or do I just let it ride for a few days with just the pump on low for 24-7?
I think the deer wants the quarter as bad as I do, but won’t jump in til she can see it!!!
What’s your thoughts on trying this on Father’s Day?
No no no no no no! Stick with bleach. The clarifier will plug up your sand filter.
You can “scrub” the walls and vacuum whenever you are ready. It will help get rid of the algae on the walls and floor that, hopefully, is already on its way to that great green smoothie in the sky.
Your good old bleach will do the trick - keep it up!
Two bottles of liquid chlorine a night?
Walls were filthy…no idea about the floor…but could actually see the vacuum bag today…not much debris came up…i used a white towel to scrub the walls with a little elbow grease.
Do I need to add a stabalizer to get the CYA up???
Ok Rich,
The wife is starting to pressure me to get this #$@# figured out…she has little patience…I have no problem with slow and steady…she has thrown in the towel and given me 100% reigns of Operation Clear…
Talk to me like I’m a 4th grader…
How do I get to the finish line here…the world is dying to know if it’s heads or tails…give me the step by step from here on out…
Thanks!!!
Just found out the wife dumped some algaecide in late last night too…not sure what that does to the plan…
That doesn’t do much to the plan, but algaecide is more of an algae-preventer than an actual killer, but, as long as your chlorine level is where it needs to be you should never need it. Are you keeping the free chlorine up? Adding stabilizer will also raise the level of chlorine needed to finish this up.
You should be adding chlorine at least twice a day and testing the water before adding it. Maintain the chlorine at the SLAM level! From Google:
SLAM is SHOCK LEVEL AND MAINTAIN, as in the shock level of chlorine needed.
How many days am I doing this?!!?!?
How many bottles do I need to maintain 12ppm?
So I can’t check chlorine levels often…work full time…I can test when I get home…if chart says 12 ppm…should aim a little higher then???..I can test after work…I will dabble with the Taylor kit this afternoon for the OCLT, but man oh man…you would think it could be a little easier…powder…then drops then shake them diffferent drops then math…wowow…walls and floor then vac then pray!!!
As I left this morning, I put Alexa on repeat playing Jelly Roll’s Need A Favor on repeat as a last ditch measure as well near pool…Hoping the Pool G-ds will take a listen…
