Help on getting dirts out of my In-ground pool

Hi,

This is my first (and long) post. Thanks for reading.

My 14K gallon pool was built by Shasta Pool (AZ) and has a in-ground cleaning system (A&A). The filter is 10-yr old Hayward cartridge C3030 filter (cartridge replaced 2yrs ago) and pump is Hayward Northstar 1.0HP full-rated (motor re-built 4mons ago).

The pool is surrounded by tress so it gets lots of leaves, debris and dirts so cleaning has been a headache for me.
My problem is with the dirts specifically. After 10hrs of continuously running the pump the dirts are still there at the same 3'x2' area. So proper setup of in-ground cleaning system is my 1st issue.

During pump operation, I do see the dirts got blown up towards other area and I am not sure why it always circles back to the same location. Occasionally the dirts got sucked into the main drain so it should be filtered. However the dirts always come out again on the next day or two. So maybe the dirts are too fine to be properly filtered by cartridge? This would be my 2nd issue. BTW I cleaned up the cartridge but that didn't help.

I am thinking about replacing to D.E. filter for finer filtration. A contractor came by and gave me estimate of DE 36ft $1300 including everything (parts+labor+tax). I think that's kind of high..

My question to the forum is -
1) am I doing the right thing to switch to D.E. filter?
2) am I asking too much on my in-ground cleaning system to properly clean up the dirt?

Thanks.
Pete

I can't help with the cleaning system -- I've never worked with them. (Have heard of them, but mostly bad stuff!)

However, you can test your filter to see if it's catching dirt properly, by adding DE powder -- just a couple of cups -- to the skimmer while the pump is running. If there's a hole in the cartridge, or some location allowing unfiltered water to return to the pool, it will show up when the DE returns to the pool, and makes the incoming water cloudy.

Hello Pete --

I realize this thread is a few months old, but I haven't visited the forum in about that long. My pool is only 10,000 sq. ft, but I have the same pump, filter, and in-floor system as you; and, I have the very same dirt problem too, except that the it covers the entire floor of the pool rather than just a small area.

The research I've done suggests that the in-floor cleaning systems are excellent when first installed, and gradually deteriorate to being pretty much worthless when 6-7 years old. I can vouch for the latter.

If you are still around, I'd be curious to know whether you ever determined the source of the problem, and how you decided to proceed.

Thanks!

Scott

I have a relatively new in ground pool. There is a hose cleaning system available which I have never used, but I also have a polaris robot that runs 1 to 2 hours every couple of days. It cleans the bottom and off very well. Small to larger fist size leaves are sucked away. Every couple of days I empy the trap out and let it run again. Technology has changed a lot over the last 7 years and the designer seem to know how to make it less work for the pool owner.

Unless Ben's test reveals a hole in your filter, that is clearly not the source of your problem. While I am not a cart fan, if it is correctly sized and functioning correctly, it should filter superbly...I am not up on the sizing of carts vs your 1 HP full-rated pump.

Here is another easy test. The simplest and oldest cleaning system is an old-fashioned vacuum that you plug into the skimmer. If you can vacuum the pool clean with that,nthen the problem is in your cleaning system not your filter system. Then your choices will be to attempt to fix the built in cleaner or abandon it for an alternative.

Carl