pool opening delayed until i can uncloud my pool

[resp215]

i just checked again. i put it on recirculate and it comes out the same valve that the backwash comes out of. im not sure how this really effects the system. i suppose as long as the filter and backwash work properly it isnt a huge deal?

[resp215]

daily check in. all levels are up, and yup, the pool is still cloudy

lol. i have no idea what else i could do. im starting to feel like at this rate i will spend the whole summer pouring bleach and borax into a huge cloudy washing machine. maybe something is going on in the pool that my test strips dont check for. im half tempted just to drain the pool and start over. itll cost me via the waterbill but i figure if i keep adding chemicals for weeks on end it will pan out being the same cost by the time its up and running. and at least we could enjoy the pool.

meh, im just frustrated, dont mind me. back to adding bleach.

[Watermom]

I hope your kit arrives quickly! By any chance, is there a reputable pool store nearby that you could get to test your water for you until your kit is there? Just don't buy anything! Unless I missed it when I just skimmed this entire thread again, I see no CYA level having been reported. Also, can you tell us how much bleach you have been adding at a time and how often? Did you try adding some DE to the filter? is your filter pressure rising? Is there anything else that you have added to the water?

[resp215]

fwew, man i was cranky this morning. my fiance and i have a 10 week old and i think the lack of sleep is effecting me lol.

watermom thanks for trying to help let me see what i can answer here and give a status update.

ok so yesterday i floc'd the pool. i know the bbb method really doesnt call for it, but i just checked a bit ago and it cleared the pool up! so it did what it said, cool. so i go to vacuum the pool via waste and ...nothing is coming out ahahhaah

so im standing there, trying to figure this out. and someone earlier mentioned that the setup may be reversed. i think they hit the nail on the head. earlier in the thread i mentioned that recirculating the pool came out the backwash valve. so in reality, i think i had it on waste ahahahah omg thats not good. two hours of me running it on waste right back into the pool. so i go and switch it to "waste" and it seems to be recirculating ahahah. ok so now i know that the setup is backwards or the sticker was put on reversed. {good grief}

so my plan is to let it recirc a bit and then let it settle and go out to a nice dinner with my fiance while her mom watches our son. {first night out since his birth, gonna miss the lil bugger}

then i will vacuum tomorrow and check the levels again.


as far as your questions. yup there is a pool place nearby, i will have them check my water for sure and post results.

bleach; it varies a bit. anywhere from 1.5-3 gallons a day. the three gallons was more at first. the sun beats down directly onto the pool all day so i think that doesnt help the chl levels.

borax. i add about two boxes a day. im very green at all this so im not sure if adding borax effects chl levels or vice versa etc. its actually not hard at all to maintain the proper levels {according to my test strips}

i have to read up on baking soda but havent added any yet.

i bought de today and plan on adding it after i vacuum. im going to read up on that as well. i believe i read a quarter cup at a time diluted in a gallon of water. then check the psi levels.

heres something that will make you smile at my expense a bit. when we bought the house the pool was in disarray. we put in a new liner and built a deck around it. the deck goes about 1/3 around the whole 24 ft pool. its pretty big. well i thought that it would be a GREAAAT idea to build the deck over the pump setup, to hide it and make the backyard look much more tidy. sooooo. everytime i have to change the setting on the filter, or backwash, or check psi or etc etc, i have to climb under the deck sorta hands and tips of feet and bearwalk my way to the filter. ahahhaahahh oh man if i ever change to a saltwater setup im moving it over. oh yeah, the handle for the valve on my filter...it sits between the joists for the deck. soooo if i want to see what setting its on i have to squeeze my huge head between a joist and the filter. needless to say i used a sharpie to write the setting positions on the front of the filter.

thanks again for the concern and help. i already started to tell friends about this forum via facebook. its really nice to have forums like this where people can just help each other. with all the con artists and people trying to take advantage of others in this world, its nice to see that there are still people who genuinely just want to help others.

[waste]

Have a good night out with your beloved, you deserve it!

I'm glad to hear the multi is between 2 joists! Reason being that you can cut the deck to make an easily accessible lid for when you have to change multi positions, which will blend in perfectly with the deck

[resp215]

Have a good night out with your beloved, you deserve it!

I'm glad to hear the multi is between 2 joists! Reason being that you can cut the deck to make an easily accessible lid for when you have to change multi positions, which will blend in perfectly with the deck

yup i thought about doing that. already did it to create an access point for the skimmer.

and man that food was good. went to the ale house which is a pretty good steak type place where i live. had some ribs and a nice 8oz filet. its funny to think how weird it feels to go get something to eat for two hours without having kids or a newborn with you. we were laughing about it as we drove to the ale house. "remember the days when we could just say hey lets go get some dinner, and just leave and go eat. ahahhaahaah ohhhh those were the days"

on the way home i went to target and then walmart looking to re up my borax stock. sold out. they dont stock much as it is, and im sure people were buying it for their pools. when i find another store that has it im buying the whole shelf. im stocking up for summer . running to the store every couple of days is for the birds.

[CarlD]

We use OxyClean, but in our laundry. I don't know what else it contains, but, ironically, it contains both Borax and Washing Soda! I'm wondering if just the old-fashioned use of Borax and Washing Soda in may not work just as well as OxyClean?

Carl

[resp215]

Well folks I hate to say it but I'm going to drain the pool. 11 days and no headway being made. Well let me not say that. My levels are good and I am learning a lot on the forum.

So above ground pool with a one year old liner. Can I drain and clean it totally or will that mess up the elasticity or etc. I think I read to only drain two thirds.

Also. Will a sump pump damage a loner if placed on the pool floor.

[PoolDoc]

Draining totally is always a risk. If it were me, with a 1 year old liner, I'd probably drain to leave at least 6" at the shallowest.

And, yes, a sump pump placed directly on the liner can damage it. Don't do that.

Ben

[madwil]

I would not completely drain- 2/3 is max I would do (I would probably only do 1/4 at a time, multiple times- but my well is good, so I got plenty of water with no metals/etc.)
As far as sump pump- make sure it has an adapter on it so it doesn't suck up the vinyl, and it should be fine on the pool floor.
What happened to the warning about another post? my post went straight thru, didn't know Ben had answered already; didn't mean to add to the real expert!
but like Ben said, don't let the suction sit directly on the floor!