Newbie in the progress of clearing up algae

[Christine14]

Hi all, I've been lurking on here the last four days trying to figure out how to clear up an algae bloom in my 21-foot above ground that was here when we bought the house last year. I was definitely victim of pool-store quick fixes and an inept pool service. BUT I'm happy to report that I can now see the bottom of the pool -- and parts of it are even BLUE -- after four days of testing, brushing, and bleaching (I've got to be on some sort of watch list at Walmart with all the bleach I've purchased this week)!!!!!!!

But here's my question: I read on one post that when I vacuum I should be sending that water down the drain, not into the filter? I feel like this should be obvious but.... how do I do that???? I don't have a center drain or anything, and the suction of the vac is generated by the pump which is connected to the filter....

To this point i've just been taking the filter cartridge out once a day and hosing it down.

Thanks for any help you can provide!! (and thanks for all the help that you've already provided through lots of other posts!)

[aylad]

Hi, Christine, and welcome to the forum!!

Congratulations on making progress clearing up your pool, stay the course and it'll all be worth it!!

I'm assuming you have an Intex pool with the combined pump/filter--I don't think you can vacuum to waste with the equipment you have, I think you have to go through the filter. If I'm wrong, I'm sure other Intex owners will chime in here and set me straight. Pools with sand and DE filters have a "waste" mode where we can turn the flow of the water to direct it straight out of the system, bypassing the filter--but I'm pretty sure on an Intex pool with a cartridge filter, you don't have that option. Sorry!!

Janet

[Christine14]

Thanks for the quick response! The pool is an Escape, by Aqua Leader. I think the pump and filter are both Hayward... Pump is "Flow Max"-something? Does that sound right? It is definitely a cartridge filter, though.
Thanks a bunch!

[aylad]

Just keep cleaning the cartridge off as often as you can--I know it's a pain, but unfortunately, that's the only way out of the pool for the dead algae.

Glad to see you around the forum!
Janet