new home owner -- new pool owner -- clear as MUD

[Watermom]

With the CYA in a sock that is hanging in front of a return, backwashing won't flush it out.

Andy -- If your pressure is 25, you need to backwash. Please reread my post #6 above for more about that.

Did you find how to enable things so you can see signatures?

[Andyman33]

signatures are there...so is the last step to get in my pool and even a little of the bottom is showing!!! woohoo!! I have been checking every hour to two and finally getting some free chlorine in there!! TC is 5.0 (I need to dilute 1/2 strength with distilled that I bought on next check to see if it is really more like 10 or something even higher). However the strips (i know not ideal) are showing just less than 5.0 so I think its gotta be around there...and the FREE chlorine finally gave some readings!!! 3-4 range!!! woohoo...gonna go out to dinner and retest it all when I get back and probably add even more chlorine in...why the huge demand? that bad from the algae bloom that must have developed?
also I backwashed until it was clear (well as clear as the pool at least ) then did rinse and restarted filter (after cleaning skimmer basket in the pump as it was really dirty)...readings still at 25 pressure. Does that mean sand is gunked up from previous owner having a pool service and putting god knows what in...there was quite a bit of pool store stuff on the shelves ...do you think I need new sand? I'll do a search on how to do it later.
Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

I'm so glad you asked -- I get to use my shiny new photos of Hayward's sucky old chlorinator!

Here's what I think you have:


and, here's what may be your problem:


and another photo, in case you miss the point:


Unless your CL200 is on a bypass circuit, you are trying push the entire flow of your pool pump through a hole a quarter won't go through!

Hayward makes some great products . . . but this is not one of them! In my experience, the metering valve doesn't usually work, either.


Of course, it could be something else. Send pictures of your pump, filter and piping to poolforum AT gmail DOT com, and I'll take a look!

[Andyman33]

so, we can finally see the bottom of the pool except in the very deep end...there are lights in the pool that I didn't know were there haha. In any case, I don't understand why putting in the amount of chemicals that I am is not getting me the correct increase in ppm. For example...I've put in almost 4 pounds of cya...still not registering on the test -- and I am sure I am doing it right. ALSO, when I have put in a LOT and I mean a LOT of bleach (20 gallons in 2 days) the highest I have gotten on total Cl is 4-5 and FC is 3-5...it sticks around for a bit but based on calculations it should be getting 10ppm on the chlorine when I add in 182 fl oz x 2 of walmart brand unscented bleach -- instead I'm getting only about 3-4 ppm -- I've thought it was 16k gallons(pool installer said this based on freeform they use a conversion) but the pool calculator (3.5 ft deep shallow end, 5.5 ft deep end) 18x36 free form...pool calculator gives is 21000 or so gallons based on rectangle shape ... Any further advice there?

[PoolDoc]

When you have a sludgy pool, you've got all sorts of active biological processes going on. Until your sludge is 100% dead -- and it doesn't sound like that's happened yet -- it's impossible to predict what will happen when you add chemicals, because there's no telling what the sludge will do. For example, the right kind of sludge will eat your CYA (literally) and poop out (pretty much literally) ammonia -- which consumes HUGE amounts of chlorine.

Beyond that, it appears you are still using 'guess strips' , which means neither you nor I know what ANY of your readings are, really.

[Andyman33]

combo of guess strips(just to see if we are getting any FC readings) and drop tests for TC, pH, cya, TA etc...hopefully amato industries will ship soon!!!

[PoolDoc]

combo of guess strips(just to see if we are getting any FC readings)

That's the best use of 'guess strips' -- to get a very rough idea of what's in the pool!