Using 1-25 Micron Bags in Skimmer

[ransomedbyfire]

My husband and I are both disabled, and we're finding that we cannot stay on top of keeping the filter cartridge clean. Since we've been trying to tackle an extremely green pool, the filter ends up needing to be cleaned more than once a day. And it's just not happening.

I am "able-bodied" but legally blind. So, my main challenge is the intricacies of removing the lid from the pump and then replacing it. I haven't tried to do it, but my husband says it can be difficult for him to line everything up properly, even with normal vision.

So, I was wondering, could we ease the load on the filter by putting a 1-25 micron bag like this (http://www.amazon.com/Micron-Singed-Polyester-Filter-PESP1S/dp/B004F9IH0C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-2&keywords=5+micron+bag) in the skimmer? And, if so, which micron rating should we use? Would 1 micron put too much strain on the pump?

Like I said, I'm able-"bodied". So, I can clean a skimmer sock all day if I have to as long as there are no small details like screwing something back in place.

[CarlD]

Hi:

Frankly, I think you are asking the WRONG question, dangerously wrong for your health and your husband's. The question I think you should be asking is:

"Why is my pool green and what can I do to prevent it, so it stays clear, clean and sanitary?"

IOW, your pool is probably infested with algae, and the algae's presence means you don't have sufficient chlorine to sanitize your pool, kill all the nasty, dangerous bacteria that can make you very, very sick or worse. Algae is the canary in the coal mine warning of unsafe bacteria in your pool.

But if your green is not from algae, then it's from excessive metals, mostly copper, in your water and that needs to be addressed as well.

Trying to filter this stuff out is about as effective as spraying deodorant on dog droppings.

[ransomedbyfire]

I've been putting bleach in the pool and testing it, even shocked it a few times. We can get the green to subside, but the filter clogs so quickly it's disheartening. The filter stops pumping anything, the chemicals stop circulating, and I give up. Then, the algae starts coming back.

We can't just get away with leaving the filter so dirty the pump doesn't run at all, can we? If we can, I'll just go about my business with the bleach, borax, baking soda, and stabilizer. Otherwise, it just feels like a lost cause.

[CarlD]

I strongly suggest you start reading our sister-site, PoolSolutions.com and start learning how the BBB system works. It's more of an idea of effective simple techniques rather than a dogmatic use of bleach, borax and baking soda. I use bleach, liquid chlorine, occasionally Tri-Chlor tablets and Di-chlor powder, but principally use my SWCG for chlorine. I'll use Borax or Washing Soda to raise my pH, almost NEVER use Baking Soda (because my Total Alkalinity is, for various reasons, rarely a problem).

The BBB system is based on 3 things you MUST control:
1) Sanitation. That's your chlorine and if you have algae, the chlorine is being spent killing that and not the dangerous and even deadly microbes that can get in your water.
2) pH: This is how acidic or basic your water is. Acid attacks your pool walls and you. Basic water inhibits chlorine's ability to kill bacteria and algae. So you must balance it.
3) Stabilizer (aka, CYA for Cyanuric Acid): This is like sunscreen for your chlorine. Without it, UV rays from the sun can break chlorine down in as little as 15-30 minutes. CYA protects the chlorine BUT it is a 2-edged sword. It slows chlorine's break down, BUT you therefore need more chlorine to balance that out. It's a relationship and we use our "Best Guess Table" to tell us the best chlorine level for a given CYA level.

http://poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html

But none of it works without a good test kit and we recommend the Taylor K-2006 or K-2006C as the best home-owner kit. There are a couple of equivalents, but they cost the same or more. All are only available on-line.

Here's the link to the Taylor kits: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php/14994

Without good testing and a knowledge of what those tests mean, you are flying through a fog, but with no instruments to guide you. You are guessing and your persistent algae means you are guessing wrong.

I'm sorry to be so blunt but I believe you are putting yourselves at a terrible risk with what you describe. Without good testing and effective chlorination, your pool won't be, IMHO, safe to swim in.

With what you describe, there is no easy answer or magic bullet to fix it, and anyone who tells you there is cannot be believed.

But the fix is not complicated or magic. Test, adjust pH, add stabilizer, chlorinate heavily to KILL the algae, vacuum, brush the walls, and be patient and persistent.

Best I can do. The rest is up to you.

[ransomedbyfire]

I have read a bit on that site. And I do test regularly, albeit with a cheaper test.

This may be a dumb question, but when should I shock, when should I vacuum, and at what level should I keep the chlorine while the filter is constantly getting clogged?

I do not feel able to vacuum the pool without getting in it. So, it seems like I have to do one or the other but can't do both.

[CarlD]

I cannot keep saying this: You need to give us test numbers on your chlorine, pH, and CYA levels.
You need to read our stickied threads on dealing with algae.
And if you have algae you need to be shocking two or three times a day. You cannot filter your way out of an algae bloom. You must kill it.

[PoolDoc]

I think Carl is trying to communicate this:

==> You need to KILL the algae, BEFORE you worry about anything else! <==


As he's pointed out, we need other info, to give more specific advice, info that you are finding it difficult to supply.

I'll suggest an alternative approach:

1. Tomorrow night, REMOVE your cartridge or "filter sock" (??), replace the lid, and then turn the pump back on. THEN, add 2 gallons of PLAIN 8% household bleach for each 10,000 gallons of water in your pool.

2. The following day, if the algae is ALL dead, add 1 gallon of bleach per 10k gallons, brush the pool, and test the water with a cheapo OTO / phenol red kit. If the algae is MOSTLY dead, repeat the dose. If the algae is NOT mostly dead, add a 3 gallon dose.

3. The third day, if the algae is ALL dead, add 1 gallon of bleach per 10k gallons, brush the pool, and test the water with a cheapo OTO / phenol red kit. If the algae is MOSTLY dead, repeat the 3 gallon dose. If the algae is NOT mostly dead, add a 4 gallon dose.

4. Keep walking the dose up, each evening until the algae is dead. THEN, we can worry about filtering and such.

[CarlD]

Thanks, Ben! That's EXACTLY what I was trying to say!

BTW: Don't freak out if all you find is 8.25% bleach, rather than 8%. It's the same thing. Just use the 8.25% EXACTLY as Ben says as if it's 8%. EXACTLY AS HE SAID!

[ransomedbyfire]

I am disabled and poor. If I cannot find a way to manage filtration issues myself, there is no point in wasting my meager income on bleach. This is why I asked this specific question. Why start or continue a task there is no way for you to finish?
.

[CarlD]

You don't seem to understand:

If you don't kill the algae, your water is not safe no matter WHAT filtration you use! You cannot filter your way to sanitary water! Better off to drain the pool and not use it.

I cannot help you if you will not listen to what Ben and I have to say and I will not attempt further to help you. We are all volunteers here and give of our time freely.

Best of luck to you!

[Mustang3944]

I am disabled and poor. If I cannot find a way to manage filtration issues myself, there is no point in wasting my meager income on bleach. This is why I asked this specific question. Why start or continue a task there is no way for you to finish?

Thankfully, I have Googled the issue and found some useful info on using filter bags to aid or replace a cartridge filter at WWW.TroubleFreePool.com.

Let me see if I can help you. I was in the exact same position as you just 2 days ago, I was so frustrated that I was about to give up and fill the pool with dirt. My pool was so bad that I had tadpoles swimming around in it. Today I could see the bottom of my pool and the water was crystal clear.

I too was frustrated with my cartridge filter my water was so bad that it would clog with in 30 minutes of cleaning it and I am healthy and could have done that for days but seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere.

Take the cartridge out it won't hurt anything and you wont have to clean it every 30 minutes. You will put it back in once the algae is gone. Right now you just want to kill the algae, we can worry about getting it out of the pool once it is dead.

The reason they keep asking for your test result is so we can tell you how much bleach you need to kill the algae. Or you can use Ben's approach but you maybe using way more bleach then you need and that would be a waste of your money.

I am willing to walk you thru how I got mine from tadpole heaven to safe to swim in 4 days if you like but you will have to answer questions along the way.

[Watermom]

@Mustang, that is very kind of you to offer to help.
@Ransomedbyfire --- what kind of test kit do you have?

[PoolDoc]

I am disabled and poor.

Unfortunately, neither are problems we can fix.

It sounds like you are up against an issue we cannot solve: we can NOT make pool care cheap enough for everyone. We help people take care of there pools MORE easily and MORE cheaply than they would otherwise. But pools aren't cheap, and pool care isn't always easy, even when you do everything correctly.

I'm sorry you find yourself in that situation. But if you can't afford 10 - 15 gallons of bleach . . . you probably need to be looking for information on closing your pool up permanently, rather than on how to clean it up.

Good luck!

[ransomedbyfire]

For anyone with the same question I had, I went ahead and bought a 5-micron filter bag and fastened it to the pump's water output yesterday afternoon with the pump cartridge removed. By the time I got up today, the water was clearer than it's ever been since we inherited the pool. I could even see the sand on the bottom, which I will be going after soon with the same filter bag and our cheap Intex "pool vacuum". Granted, the water wasn't completely green when I started, but this $6 (plus $7 shipping) bag has done more than a cartridge ever would have, and with virtually no maintenance.

Now, it feels like there is actually a point in maintaining the pool since I have found a way that is almost easy enough to do with your eyes closed and is easy enough for me to do all by myself.

[ransomedbyfire]

Pooldoc, I did not say I can't afford bleach. What I said was that I cannot afford bleach to put in a pool I can't filter, just like most people can't afford to pour several gallons of bleach down their toilet. If, however, I can get the pool officially running, my husband can use it for water therapy that would cost over $200 a month otherwise to help keep his pain levels down.

[CarlD]

I'm sure everyone here is happy that's working out for you. I've heard of such products like the "Slime Bag" that filter at the return.

But you still must concentrate on ensuring your water is sanitary, and I've seen no indication that you realize that, even though the water is clear. You haven't posted any test results, nor indicated your plans for chlorinating your pool. Without it, your husband might as well be taking his water therapy in, to continue your analogy, a toilet.

The microbes and bacteria are still there and you must kill them for his safety. I understand the need for constant P/T. I've had both hips replaced and regular exercise is critical to controlling and even eliminating ongoing pain. And, if you can do it on your own without expensive therapists, that's even better.

But what we always tell people: It's YOUR pool, not ours and the final responsibility for it is ultimately yours. We can only suggest courses of action that have worked for others here and elsewhere.

Good luck.

[ransomedbyfire]

Carl, please don't mistake my lack of questions about chemistry for apathy about it. Honestly, I'm a nerd. I love cooking and math and researching the chemistry of OTC and prescription meds. When I learned how drop kits work, it excited me. (And it sounds like they'd be easier for me to use than the strips anyway.) Things are coming together. I am almost out of stabilizer and will be looking into pure dichlor on amazon soon, maybe even today. Perhaps, I'll look into a better test kit while I'm there.

P.s. Hip replacements are tough. My husband had both replaced, 6 months apart, right after we got married in 2007. Bless you!

[FormerBromineUser]

You will not regret one penny spent on the Taylor K2006. Promise.