Cloudy water

[poolpuppy]

Hi ---I'm new here and hope I've used the right area to post. I opened the start here link and couldn't find a post button there.
I have a 15' round above ground pool with a 1000 gpm intex filter and this will be season #3 for it. Over the winter the cover came off and lots of leaves and dark matter got in it. We drained it, cleaned what we could and refilled it and it was green and we ran the pump a lot, used some chlorine and let it run for awhile. I took water in for testing and it was within all ranges except for stabilizer which we added. Waited 2 days and added chlorine and still not clear so pool store said to add clarifier which we did 4 days ago. The whole little packet which is made for up to 10,000 gallons but my pool only holds 3700 gallons. The chlorine is definitely holding now but the water is still cloudy. I got my pool cleaning brush out and started cleaning the inside walls while standing outside and about 1 ft down where the cloudiness really begins, the pool wall was very rough and not smooth like the top part. Not much gook came off tho and I could not get the roughness out. Any ideas what is going on?
I have a new 2500 gpm pump and am waiting for the adaptors so I can connect it to get better circulation.

[PoolDoc]

Yeah, Intex filters aren't the best. The bigger filter will help. What will also help -- and we are beginning to have reports that it helps a LOT -- are replacing the Intex cartridges with Unicel. Ironically, it will also save money, because a pair of Unicel cartridges will last all season, and the Intex cartridges are supposed to be replaced every 2 weeks!

I'll leave this thread open -- I have to go right now -- and post the links to the cartridges on Amazon this evening when I get back. In the meantime, look and see whether you have Intex A, B, or C cartridges. Matching them up is tricky, and it will save time if you can tell me which you have.

[poolpuppy]

Hi!
I just joined as a member. Was having a hard time figuring out where things were posted. Still have cloudy water after 3 days of adding a gallon of bleach each evening but it's bluish now and not green. I have not gotten a good test kit yet and not sure about the CYA. Added a pound of stabilizer 2 weeks ago but it says not to clean the cartridge filter for 72 hrs after adding stabilizer and I want to change it constantly to get the algae out and it's almost gone now. The test I have is showing deep yellow to orange so think it's working. How long should I keep adding the chlorine for?

Second issue---Had Intex 637 for 1000GPM pump and installed a 2500 gpm yesterday and the spray from the output hose was unreal (10ft or so).........for about 1 hr. Then it started slowing down. Checked the strainer and no blockage....released air from the pump but no change. Today, it's hardly flowing at all....less than the old filter I had. Has anyone had this problem? The plunger valves are both open.

[PoolDoc]

I would call Intex; they are polite and try to be helpful, and you haven't much to loose. Do you have their number?

[poolpuppy]

I called Intex yest. and they emailed me some papers to fill out and are willing to send me a new pump. BUT, I decided to rinse out the cartridge filter and by jove, the output flow was good again.......for an hour! I rinsed the filter again and the same thing happened. I will try to post pics of the cartridge (guess I didn't subscribe for that) anyway. it wasn't that dirty (to me anyway--it has some brown stuff on it in places but not covered) compared to the green algae that covered the old cartridges on my 1000 gph pump when I first opened pool which were nasty and still allowed the out take to flow ok for hours!!
Also reposting a q I had in earlier post
Hi!
I just joined as a member. Was having a hard time figuring out where things were posted. Still have cloudy water after 3 days of adding a gallon of bleach each evening but it's bluish now and not green. I have not gotten a good test kit yet and not sure about the CYA. Added a pound of stabilizer 2 weeks ago but it says not to clean the cartridge filter for 72 hrs after adding stabilizer and I want to change it constantly to get the algae out and it's almost gone now. The test I have is showing deep yellow to orange so think it's working. How long should I keep adding the chlorine for?
.

[aylad]

You need to keep adding the chlorine for the whole time the pool is up....but you need to keep it at shock level until the green is completely gone and you are not losing any chlorine overnight (testing in the evening and again in the morning before the sun hits the pool). At that point you can let it come back down to normal levels, but you really need to know if you have a CYA reading because that's what your chlorine levels are based on (see the "best guess chlorine chart" link in Pooldoc's sig).

[PoolDoc]

The vBulletin attachment feature is BROKEN from the factory; it seems to loose all the pictures every time I have to do an update. Do NOT use it.

If you have a Flickr or Picasa or other image account, you can post the pictures OR you can email them to me at poolforum@gmail.com . Either way, I'll eventually move them to the PoolForum Picasa account, since that way I don't have to worry about the pictures getting lost.

Most Intex owners put their stabilizer in an old sock, and hang it in front of the return where water re-enters the pool.

[BigDave]

... the output flow was good again.......for an hour! I rinsed the filter again and the same thing happened... This is good! it's getting the crud out of your water - wash the filter every time it slows down. Have you considered Ben's suggestion about getting Unicel filter carts? Also you need test kits. HTH 6-way from wall mart is a good start (if your wall mart has it) and do order a k-2006; you'll be happy you did.

[poolpuppy]

Got a sock with stabilizer in it floating in front of output. Going to order Unicel cartridges and test kit. Right now I just want to make sure there's nothing wrong with the pump or plunger valve. I say this because the cartridge doesn't look anywhere as dirty as the ones I had with the old 1000 gph pump when first cleaning out the pool and the output didn't dimish then. They were completely covered with algae from top to bottom.
Sent pics to Admin so hope he can post them.

Also noticed a bit of water on top of the output plunger valve...not a leak, just standing water on the top. Is it possible there is an air leak in the gasket of the valve that would eventually slow down the pump output? It does not leak when the plunger valve is closed and pump off tho.

I had some HTH 6 way strips that were testing the water so far off from what the pool store tested it at that I took them back. The strips showed my levels too high for alkalinty (240) and a couple others showed colors that weren't on the container. The pool stores test showed these to be in normal ranges. Guess I got a bad batch. Expiration was 5/12. Also want to stay away from pool store so joined here.

[BigDave]

You didn't get a bad batch of strips, they just don't work - none of the batches.
This filter is working better because it's catching smaller stuff the other just passed through. It's a pain but you are cleaning the water. When the stuff is out of the water, the filter won't clog.

[poolpuppy]

Thank you. I sure have hope now. I'll keep it up and see what happens. It's Memorial Day weekend in Florida and I want to get in the pool:):):) Thanks for all your help. Will keep you posted.

[poolpuppy]

Is there a guide for how long stabilizer lasts in different sun conditions? I've searched but couldn't find anything. My pool now has no algae and is blue but still cloudy. I have the new 2500 gph pump running for over a week now, kept the chlorine at dark yellow to orange but after putting a pound in a sock over the side of the pool a week ago, it's not holding well now. Not much crud on the filter cartridge anymore and the pump doesn't slow down water output now. I want to order the 2006 kit but new tires took that $ out of my wallet:) so any help would be appreciated.
I don't want to add stabilizer

[PoolDoc]

Stabilizer does not deteriorate in amounts you'd notice, so long as the pool is algae and slime free.

Unfortunately, without knowing your current stabilizer (CYA ppm) level, there's no way to answer your other question, about how much chlorine you need -- since the answer to that depends on your CYA level.

[Watermom]

Walmart sometimes stocks an HTH 6-Way kit that can check CYA. That will suffice until you can order the K-2006. If they don't have it, can you let a pool store run the CYA test but just don't let them sell you a bunch of stuff! (Not a test with strips, but the "disappearing black dot test.") Then, report that back here.

[poolpuppy]

Thanks. Will take water in to test tomorrow since you said the CYA shouldn't disappear that quickly.

[PoolDoc]

Will take water in to test tomorrow since you said the CYA shouldn't disappear that quickly.

Get a test kit!! Pool store testing of CYA is massively unreliable; some stores are fine; some are totally random. We constantly recommend the K-2006 (see page in my sig) and I can't recall any negative feedback (except, "this is kinda complicated", but there's no way round that one.) However, if Walmart's in your area have them the HTH 6-way drops kit is ALSO made by Taylor and is a great place to start. It DOES include the CYA test.

[poolpuppy]

Water tested at pool store shows
TC 9.9
FC 9.9
CC 0.0
PH 7.4
TA 125
CH 130 low what's recommended to get this up?
CYA 50
Dissolved solids 650

NOTE: Stopped at Dollar Tree and stocked up on Bleach as it was only #1 there but noticed when I got home and read label it only has 2.75 % sodium hypochloride. I looked at label from one I got at Winn-Dixie and it didnt have any percentages on it. Guess I thought 6% was standard but will surely check from now on.

[Watermom]

6% bleach is standard but it is not uncommon for some of the dollar store type places to have lesser percentages of bleach so it is not always a good deal.

You do NOT need to raise your calcium hardness in an Intex pool.

[poolpuppy]

I read about the calcium in BBB method after I posted. See, those pool stores tried again:):):) I think he was surprised when I walked out without his recommendation.

So do the numbers I posted look good and should I just keep adding the bleach and cleaning the filter?? It seems to be getting a teeny bit clearer but this has been going on over 3 wks now. We've been getting a lot of rain in FL tho.

[poolpuppy]

I can see the whole skimmer hose......WOW, it's starting to clear. Just wanted to share some good news.
One more question. Has anyone thought of doing or did disconnect the skimmer hose from the bottom of the skimmer basket and let it go to the bottom so it would intake water from the bottom of the pool? It's easily reattached to the skimmer basket to get stuff off the top.

[Watermom]

I can see the whole skimmer hose......WOW, it's starting to clear. Just wanted to share some good news.
One more question. Has anyone thought of doing or did disconnect the skimmer hose from the bottom of the skimmer basket and let it go to the bottom so it would intake water from the bottom of the pool? It's easily reattached to the skimmer basket to get stuff off the top.

Wouldn't it just be easier to attach a vacuum and do just that instead of disconnecting the skimmer hose?

Glad it is starting to clear up!

[poolpuppy]

I am glad its clearing too and thanks to you guys and gals I think "I fought the pool and I won":)
When I don't have time to vacuum it just thought detaching the skimmer hose and putting it on the floor of the pool would help and it could run for hours that way. I was just concerned that it could pull too hard on the vinyl lining if it reached the bottom. I was just wondering if anyone had done it.

[poolpuppy]

One more question. Has anyone thought of doing or did disconnect the skimmer hose from the bottom of the skimmer basket and let it go to the bottom so it would intake water from the bottom of the pool? It's easily reattached to the skimmer basket to get stuff off the top.[/QUOTE]

Should I repost this in the Intex Pool section since I've had no responses here?

[BigDave]

I think you may be the first to try it (or at least post about it). This is an Intex forum so it seems like the right place to me. Maybe if you left the skimmer housing on the hose (not the basket or float) you could reduce the risk of catching the liner in the suction.

[poolpuppy]

Tried putting the whole skimmer housing, per Dave's suggestion, on the floor of the pool today and it seemed to get the cartridge filter dirtier. Been able to see bottom of pool for few days now but still a little cloudy
Should I continue with 1/2 to 1 gal bleach per day til completely clear?

[Watermom]

You haven't posted a new set of water testing results since June 5 so I really can't comment on what you need to do from a chemical standpoint. Also, give us an update on what the water looks like.