Cloudy Water

[chrisandtim]

Thanks Janet. From your first answer it sounded like you had some other suggestions before going the DE route? You had also asked for pump & filter info:

Hayward 1.5 HP Hayward HP Power-Flo economy pump for above ground pools
Filter is a W. Cooper Industries Ranger Series Sand Filter Model RS1815 & the multiport valve model number is TM-12-L. (needs new pressure gauge)

From the paperwork I have the valve size on this model is 1 1/2", tank diameter is 18" & the turnover rate is 12,760 gallons per 8 hours. My pool has 11,000 gallons of water.

[PoolDoc]

+ The impeller thing is a long term fix . . . for later, not now.

+ Your pump is too big; your filter is too small. This is SNAFU for AG pool installations: it's not your fault, but it is (now) your problem.

+ Your cloudy water is (probably) algae; you've made the situation much worse by adding clarifier and floc, and then forcing it through the undersized filter with the oversized pump, breaking the floc particles (if they existed). Now the floc and clarifier are acting to KEEP the goo in the water, instead of helping you get it out. With these additions, you have moved from state SNAFU to state FUBAR. (This is why we usually don't recommend those products -- people do the "some is good; more must be better" thing, and end up where you are.)

+ Your water won't clear, unless you can filter. It appears that you can't filter, but we're not sure. That's why we suggested the DE test.

+ You have three options that we know of:
1. you can drain and refill -- of course, this can destroy in-ground liner pools, and is risky with above ground pools, unless you know what you are doing.
2. you can test your filter, and fix it if necessary -- that's what the DE will do initially. If your filter is OK, the DE will help filter the fine particles . . . but at the cost of a LOT of backwashing.
3. you can get a new, bigger cartridge or DE filter and clean up your pool rapidly, especially with a LARGE DE filter. Here's an option available on Amazon:

Hayward C12002 Star-Clear 120-Square-Foot 2-Inch FIP Pipe Pool Filter

You can probably clear the pool in less than a week with that -- even with the floc and goo -- but you'll need a valve to throttle back flow: pressure loss will be so low on that filter, that you'll overload up the pump if you don't. After that, your pool will be clearer than you've seen it before.


We really don't have anything else to offer you.

Sorry.

[chrisandtim]

That's fine - just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something else & posted the size of pump, etc. just to make sure it was an oversized pump/undersized filter problem.
I'll make sure CH is not high and assuming that it is not, I will start with the DE test & see where that leads.

[PoolDoc]

just to make sure it was an oversized pump/undersized filter problem.

We're sure your pump is too big and your filter is too small; but we're not 100% sure that is "THE" problem here: that's why we want you to check your filter!