Has anyone succeeded at shocking a green pool without using the pump to circulate?

[AnnaK]

I can tell you a little about backwashing. A standard sand filter with a multiport valve will have a "backwash" setting. Select it. Attach a length of hose to the waste pipe and run it away from the pool. Make sure the pool is full as the backwash and rinse cycle can drain a lot of water out. During the backwash process water is forced upward inside the filter, stirring up the sand. Have a white plastic pitcher ready.

Turn on the pump. Dirty water will shoot out the waste hose. Watch it for 20 or so seconds, then catch a little in the white pitcher. If it still is cloudy or has bits of debris in it, let it run a little longer. When the waste water is clean, stop the pump.

Set the valve to "rinse" this is very important, don't skip this step. During the rinse cycle water enters the filter from the top and packs the sand down again. Turn the pump on again and rinse for 30 seconds. I normally do the backwash/rinse cycle twice and I always make sure the water level in my pool is higher than 1/2 way up the skimmer.

Turn the pump off, set valve to "filter", disconnect waste hose. You may get a small amount of sand blowing back into the pool after a backwash. If that happens you either didn't rinse long enough or you may have a leaky spider gasket.

Good job on getting the pump and filter up and running!

There's no way to tell how long "shock" lasts. Depends on how much algae is in the pool and what the final FC and CC levels are. You're done adding high levels of chlorine when the CC stays at under 1 ppm. Clearing up a green pool is a process that can take several days. My preferred chlorine source is bleach or liquid chlorine because with those products all I add is chlorine and I can calculate fairly accurately how much I need to achieve and maintain the desired shock level of FC.

If your pump is solid and reliable then yes, you can let it run during your absence but don't be surprised if the pool is green-ish again upon your return. It's critical to maintain chlorine at shock levels when clearing a pool, it just is not a one time application.

[Watermom]

etbrown4 ---- Since you are already starting to get replies to your question about backwashing, etc. here, I am going to delete your second duplicate post.

[AnnaK]

<Sigh>

I could have saved myself a lot of time, typing, and thought if I had realized that etbrown4 is running an identical thread on TFP, asking identical questions (looks like a copy-and-paste job) and—not surprisingly—is getting identical answers.

[PoolDoc]

etbrown4 is running an identical thread on TFP

Now, that I know it, I'm closing the thread, and freezing his account.