opening pool, cloudy water

[dalejanus]

We have 24ft round x 4ft AG pool. This winter, the cover slipped off one end and so the leaves on the top mixed well with the pool water. So we bleached and bleached, vacuumed, ran leaf sucker with garden hose, brushed, all the things we are supposed to do. Water change from brown to jello sea foam green color pretty quickly. But we can't get the water clear.

To make things more complicated, the basket in the skimmer is partially broken, the eyeball on the return dos not move(so I took it off), and I broke my brush. I ordered a bunch of replacement stuff, and sure enough, the online pool store lost my order. They did say they shipped it on 5/25, even though I ordered on 5/16.

Anyway, this morning was the first time I held chlorine overnight.

FC 5
cc .5

ph 6.8
alk 80
cya 0

I seem to be having trouble with my vacuum. When just vacuuming and and filter set to filter, there is very poor suction. Sometimes it comes loose from the skimmer. If I vacuum to waste, then the suction is very strong. But because the extra long waste hose did not arrive yet, I hate to vacuum to waste because it floods my yard.

So what is wrong with my vacuum that it is weak unless I vacuum to waste?


I have 2 gym socks and a nylon hose with CYA in it, but they sure aren't dissolving very fast. I usually raise ph by aerating with the return eye, buy mine has not arrived yet! GRRRR! I have some PH Raise I bought from a local pool store last year (or 2 years ago?) but I have not put any in yet. (sometimes you have to support them) There is no marking on it so I don't know what it really is.

Any suggestions on anything I should be doing differently?

Since we aren't swimming yet, we stained/sealed the deck today, and it sure looks good.

---Dale

[aylad]

We have 24ft round x 4ft AG pool. This winter, the cover slipped off one end and so the leaves on the top mixed well with the pool water. So we bleached and bleached, vacuumed, ran leaf sucker with garden hose, brushed, all the things we are supposed to do. Water change from brown to jello sea foam green color pretty quickly. But we can't get the water clear.

To make things more complicated, the basket in the skimmer is partially broken, the eyeball on the return dos not move(so I took it off), and I broke my brush. I ordered a bunch of replacement stuff, and sure enough, the online pool store lost my order. They did say they shipped it on 5/25, even though I ordered on 5/16.

Anyway, this morning was the first time I held chlorine overnight.

FC 5
cc .5

ph 6.8
alk 80
cya 0

I seem to be having trouble with my vacuum. When just vacuuming and and filter set to filter, there is very poor suction. Sometimes it comes loose from the skimmer. If I vacuum to waste, then the suction is very strong. But because the extra long waste hose did not arrive yet, I hate to vacuum to waste because it floods my yard.

So what is wrong with my vacuum that it is weak unless I vacuum to waste?


I have 2 gym socks and a nylon hose with CYA in it, but they sure aren't dissolving very fast. I usually raise ph by aerating with the return eye, buy mine has not arrived yet! GRRRR! I have some PH Raise I bought from a local pool store last year (or 2 years ago?) but I have not put any in yet. (sometimes you have to support them) There is no marking on it so I don't know what it really is.

Any suggestions on anything I should be doing differently?

Since we aren't swimming yet, we stained/sealed the deck today, and it sure looks good.

---Dale

I don't know the answer to your vaccuum problems, but I would raise your pH immediately with either the pH up that you bought, or plain Borax. A pH less than 7.0 can damage your pool, and with yours being 6.8, which is the lowest most scales go, it actually could be much lower. Raise your pH ASAP, then add enough chlorine to get to shock level, and hold it there for a day or two. In the meantime, keep the CYA dissolving.

Glad the deck looks good--encouraging news is always welcome, huh?

Janet

[mbar]

Do you have a bottom drain in your pool? If you have the drain on the bottom open when you are trying to vacuum you will not have good suction. You have to close off the bottom drain . There should be a lever in the skimmer, under the basket. If you don't have a bottom drain, I am not sure of what else to check - hopefully someone else will chime in:)

[dalejanus]

Do you have a bottom drain in your pool? If you have the drain on the bottom open when you are trying to vacuum you will not have good suction. You have to close off the bottom drain . There should be a lever in the skimmer, under the basket. If you don't have a bottom drain, I am not sure of what else to check - hopefully someone else will chime in:)

There is no bottom drain, only the skimmer.

[waste]

How's the flow (pressure gauge) when not vac-ing? Sounds to me like a clogged filter, since it rips on waste - which by-passes the filter.:)