Intex filtration problems

[teamwir]

Why is the sky blue but my water green? Kidding. I am new to pools and got my 22'x58" Intex up Memorial weekend. We started with guess strips (I will be getting the better test kit tomorrow) and have been taking samples to the pool store and adding chemicals as recommended. We have also added chlorine ourselfs after the guess strips looked like chlorine was low. One issue that I am not sure the best solution for is dirt settling at the bottom of the pool. I have a floating skimmer and vacuum larger debris off the bottom of the pool and have changed my filter four times (I have read about cleaning and upgrading my filters and plan to do so) but cannot get rid of it. The vacuum just stirs up the dirt and obviously most of it is settling instead of being sucked through the filter. I would use the search function and probably find the answer to my question but I have read through all the requirements for new members and it requires me to post a question so here it is. Thanks

[Watermom]

Hi teamwir, and welcome to the Pool Forum! I have never had an Intex pool and thus am not familiar with the vac that they use. But, we do have a lot of members who do have Intex pools so one of them may be able to advise you about that.

Good decision to buy the good kit. You won't regret it. When you get your kit, test the water and then post a full set of numbers for someone here to take a look at.

Hope you enjoy the forum!

[PoolDoc]

membership updated.

relevant to your situation:
+ The OEM cartridges in Intex / Summer Escapes / etc. filters are not high quality. The Intex manuals recommend replacing them completely every 2 weeks. A BETTER option is to replace them permanently with 2 - 3 Unicel cartridges, and rotating them through a cleaning solution. Properly maintained, the Unicel cartridges will last all season AND will filter better. So even though they cost more per cartridge, they cost less per season! Learn to maintain them, by reading this post, Cleaning-your-Cartridge-Filter-wiithout-Damaging-It! (http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?18044)

But, purchasing them is tricky. Amazon does not consistently stock them, and some of the 3rd party sellers are charging high prices and/or high shipping. So, check the Amazon link, but watch out for the prices and shipping costs.

It would be nice if you could just buy them elsewhere, but many of the online pool stores are listing Pleatco or other Asian made low quality filters, as "Unicel C-4607 type" or "fits Unicel C-4607". So shop carefully!

Here are the Amazon links:


Unicel C-4607 Replacement Filter Cartridge (Easy Set Size A or C) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BNPRC2/poolbooks) @ Amazon
Unicel C-5315 Replacement Filter Cartridge for 15 Square Foot Intex B Filter (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0039X2XZK/poolbooks) @ Amazon

[BigDave]

What kind of vac do you have?

[teamwir]

What kind of vac do you have?

The one that came with it. It attaches to my garden hose and has a catch bag. It is only good for larger debris. I would assume I need one that attaches to the pumps inlet so that it filters it through the system. The ones I have researched attach to a skimmer that isn't a factory option for this pool. I'm lookin into adding a universal bigmouth skimmer.

[BigDave]

I used to have just such a venturi vac. I managed to convince it to catch smaller debris by adding a section of nylon stocking. I cut 12-15 inches of the foot of a stocking and lined the debris bag. I matched the open end of the nylon with the open end of the bag and tied them both with the debris bag's string. This caught much finer stuff but still had the problem of filling the pool. Eventually I purchased an above ground pool robot that made the venturi vac obsolete.

[PoolDoc]

Pentair and Jandy make fine mesh bags -- usually referred to as sand and silt bats -- for their products. Usually, these bags are interchangleable. Please note that they will NOT capture algae and pollen dust.

Here are links to those products on Amazon -- the second link is a cheaper no-name version, probably Chinese. It may work fine, but it may also be junk. The Pentair bag should be fine, so long as you understand the limitations mentioned above.

Pentair R211286 Sand/Silt Bag Replacement Leaf Eater 185 Pool and Spa Safety Equipment (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MNJNV2/poolbooks/)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41saEG8mdCL.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MNJNV2/poolbooks/)


PoolStyle PS454 Fine Mesh Leaf Eater Bag (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004VU8FE8/poolbooks/)

[Charlie_R]

Because I'm a cheap son-of-a-gun, and can't see buying a vacuum head for a 15' pool, I bought a 24' long pool vacuum hose and use it without an end on it.

I did buy a universal pool hose adapter so I could use the
Surface Intex Skimmer Small Strainer Hose B Adaptor (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0050KAGOU/poolbooks/) to clean the dirt off the bottom of my pool.

I brush the pool to stir up the fine particles, then a couple of hours later I vacuum what has settled back into the wrinkles in my liner.

Hope this helps!

[teamwir]

Thanks for all the help. The wife picked up a test kit from Walmart but it only had two types of chemical testers in it. We will have to go back to the pool store and get the full kit so I can post up my numbers.

[PoolDoc]

We will have to go back to the pool store and get the full kit so I can post up my numbers.

Don't!

We have NEVER heard of ANY pool store selling the kit you need -- a drops based kit, testing pH, Alk, Calc, CYA *and* FAS-DPD chlorine. In particular, the FAS-DPD chlorine test + the drops based CYA test are essential for managing your pool successfully.

Order the K2006. You don't have to buy using the Amazon link below -- there are other online sources -- but use it to look at what you need. If it's not a Taylor K2006, it's not what you need.

[teamwir]

I have ordered the recommended sock and Taylor test kit. I will post up test results once I receive the kit.

[PoolDoc]

Sounds good. Hope it all works well for you.

[teamwir]

Ok, I hope I read the test right. Here are my results.
PH 7.6
Alk 160
FC 5
CC .6
CH 220

Based on the slide chart my saturation index is .4

Of course this all depends on my doing the test correctly and reading the results properly. Please let me know if these results make sense and what I need to do. Thanks again for all your help.

[teamwir]

I have "liked" the pool forum on Facebook and paid for the $14.99 subscription via PayPal. Can I please get my appropriate access? I used my wife's PayPal so it should be from a "girly" email address. Is there some other way to verify my subscription? I didn't add any notes as to my forum username.

Edit: Sweet! I guess the subscription automatically changed my access. Never mind. I have a post pending for mods to approve with my test results using the Taylor 2006 kit but I will go ahead and post them again since my subscription is activated.
PH 7.6
Alkalinity 160
FC 5
CC .6
CH 220

By the included slide rule my saturation index is .4?

Hopefully I did the tests correctly. How do these results sound?

[PoolDoc]

Is this the the pool you got? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-22-X-52-Ultra-Frame-Swimming-Pool/22474582 (Wow! That's a good price for a 22' AG pool, compared to what people would have paid 10 years ago!)

Your results sound reasonable, but what is your CYA level? That's one of the 3 most critical values (FC, pH, CYA).

[teamwir]

Is this the the pool you got? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-22-X-52-Ultra-Frame-Swimming-Pool/22474582 (Wow! That's a good price for a 22' AG pool, compared to what people would have paid 10 years ago!)

Your results sound reasonable, but what is your CYA level? That's one of the 3 most critical values (FC, pH, CYA).

Yeah, that's the same pool. The wife did the CYA level and said that it was between 30 and 40, closer to 30.

[PoolDoc]

For CYA = 30, your chlorine levels are fine. Everything else is OK, too.

You may want to bring your CYA up, so you can run higher chlorine levels. Doing so allows you to 'store' more chlorine in the pool, so if you are gone for a day or two, you'll come back to a pool that's still fine.