Heavy rain advice

[remania]

Hi, first post! I have a 12,500 gal fiberglass pool and use chlorine tabs/shock/algaecide system. A rainstorm in North Carolina caused clay soil and mud to flow from higher ground into the pool, turning the water into a greenish-brown, pond-like mess. Although I've had the pool for 12 years, this is the worst condition it's been in since it was installed. I joined the Pool Forum to search for cleaning and treatment suggestions.

[aylad]

Hi rmania, and welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you have a real mess on your hands!! I'm sure we can help you get it cleaned up, but a few questions first:
1)What size pump, and what size/type filter do you have?
2)What is the ingredient in your "shock"?
3)What algaecide are you using?
4)What is your CYA and pH level, and how are you testing?

With some more info, we should be able to help you set up a plan to get it cleaned up. :)

[remania]

Thanks! I called my pool maintenance company and was advised to use a floc treatment, which is new to me. We might have more storms tonight, so I'm probably going to wait until tomorrow to try it. Unfortunately, I'm testing using strips (which I've noticed from this forum is a big no-no), so I'll have to get the water tested at the store. I'll also find the other information asap. I appreciate the offer of help!

[PoolDoc]

(Continue to keep your chlorine level up during rain! Also, pool store testing is not necessarily better than test strips -- some are, but you won't be able to tell, till you have the K2006!)

Be VERY careful about using a floc! They may work, but they are unpredictable. Do what big water treatment companies do: use a "jar test" to make SURE your floc will work with your particular dirt (or clay).

****** Do NOT put it in your pool without testing: it will make things worse, if it does not work! *************

1. Get a clean white large bucket -- a 5 gallon chemical bucket is perfect.
2. Fill it 2/3 with pool water.
3. Add an appropriate dose of floc (see below)
4. Mix and cover with a lid or towel
5. Wait 24 hours, then check.
6. If the floc has settled in your bucket -- it's probably safe for your pool.
7. Otherwise, wait 24 more hours.
8. If the floc in the bucket has NOT settled after 48 hours, the 'bucket test' (or jar test) has failed, and the product you have is NOT suitable for the dirt in your pool!

Dosing the bucket:
1st dilution: 1 teaspoon of floc in 1 cup of TAP water. Stir and mix. (1 x 3 tsp/TBS x 16 TBS/cup) 1:48 mix
2nd dilution: 1 teaspoon of dilution in 3 gallons of pool water: (3 tsp/TBS x 256 TBS/gal x 3 gallons) 1:2304 mix * 48

1/2 qt floc => 10K gallons - 1:80,000 mix => 1 1/4 teaspoons of floc dilution
1 qt floc => 10K gallons - 1:40,000 mix => 2 1/2 teaspoons of floc dilution
2 qts floc => 10K gallons - 1:20,000 mix => 5 teaspoons of floc dilution

[remania]

Wow, thanks so much for the valuable caution and instructions! I'm going to follow your advice and start the floc test right now.

[remania]

Hi rmania, and welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you have a real mess on your hands!! I'm sure we can help you get it cleaned up, but a few questions first:
1)What size pump, and what size/type filter do you have?
2)What is the ingredient in your "shock"?
3)What algaecide are you using?
4)What is your CYA and pH level, and how are you testing?

With some more info, we should be able to help you set up a plan to get it cleaned up. :)

Hi, I have some info. I should also have mentioned that I use a Nature 2, so a new one was installed a week ago at pool opening.

1. The pump is Hayward 3/4 hp, Model C48J2N131B1. The filter is Pro Series Model S220T, the only size I could find is that it holds 250 lbs sand (unless I'm looking in the wrong place).
2. I use GLB SuperSonic shock, active ingredient is 73% calcium hypochlorite.
3. For algaecide, I have 4 oz left of Clear Result Polyclear 60, and the pool company brought me Aquabrite Quad 60 Algaequell to start next.
4. Using a BioGuard strip, I just read total alkalinity 125, pH 7.4, and both free chlorine and bromine at 10.

Thanks in advance!

[PoolDoc]

C48J2N131B1

That's the pump MOTOR number, not the PUMP number.


Clear Result Polyclear 60, and the pool company brought me Aquabrite Quad 60 Algaequell
Same product -- polyquat = Buckman Labs WSCP -- in two different brand bottles.

[remania]

^Oops, I guess it shows that I've had 11 mostly carefree years! Checked pump again and found Hayward Super Pump Series Model # SP2605XT. It was installed in 2009 to replace my original.

Peeked at the AquaChem Sink & Sweep bucket and it looks good so far.

[remania]

Quick update in case it can help others. The Sink & Sweep worked very well. I ended up doing two treatments/vacuums to waste, but found out later from my pool servicer that floc stays in the water a while, so the second dose might not have been needed. After round two, I let the water settle a few hours and it looked clear enough to restart regular filtering. In all, it took five days to completely get the clay out, but surprisingly, I only need some minor balancing. Thanks again for the advice.

[PoolDoc]

Remember to maintain chlorine levels while it's raining.

For reasons I've never really understood, a lot of people to think that if there's chlorine when it starts raining on Monday, there will still be chlorine in the pool when it stops on Friday. Instead, they find algae on Friday, and then will post here asking why rain always causes algae to start in their pool?