Water does not appear to be filtered very well

[leena]

Summary: I think my pump is too large for my 200lb sand filter. Everything shoots thru the filter when vacuuming. I am currently dealing with the problem by holding knee high pantyhose over the return jet while someone else vacuums. This catches all the small stuff except the de powder. I am currently having problems with my pump "freezing up" and I have to pound the housing with a rock to start it pumping. I assume it is going down and I am looking to purchase and properly sized pump for 2 reason: 1. so that it will be able to filter properly using the 200lb sand filter, 2. to save on the electric bill.

NOte 1: When my husband tried to work on the above pump (that had quit working after our 10yr son turned it on but did not pound on the housing to get it started), he realized that it was wired into an OUTSIDE breaker box that went to the garage. Since I had checked the breaker box INSIDE the house, he checked the outside breaker box and yes the breaker was tripped! So with a little pounding the pump is now working again. For now.

Note 2: I am surprised at the difference between the prices of the Whisper Flow and the Hayward. The Hayward is half the price of the Whisper Flo. If I understand you right, however, you are saying the Whisper Flo is better quality and will last longer? We do have a budget but I dont want to skip quality (aka lasts longer?) for this reason....................And it looks like it would be the same price to replace just the motor on my current pump as to buy the smaller Hayward

[mas985]

It depends on which Hayward pump. Pump lines have different performance and quality. For example, the Hayward SuperPump is comparable to the Pentair SuperFlo but not the Whisperflo. The Hayward Tristar series are more comparable to the Whisperflo series.

But since you have AG pool, an IG pump is going to be overkill and probably way too powerful for your setup. I would stick with the Pentair Optiflo or Dynamo pump and a two speed 1 HP or lower.

[Watermom]

I have an inground pump on my AG pool. I like it much better than my old AG pump that I used to have. The pump pot is much easier to get open and it is self-priming. Poconos (Al) picked it out for me when I was in the market to replace my pump a few years back. Just my $0.02. I am not the pump guru by any means.

[leena]

so watermom, is the hayward super pump that you bought, it that the $500+ one? I see a hayward for that price but also one for $250+ but that one is AG and the $500+ is for IG? SO do they make the IG pumps with more quality parts? Because you can get the same HP for either one so thats not why it cost more............

[Watermom]

I'll look and see if I can find my receipt and get back to you in a bit.

[leena]

I finally got the Taylor-K2006 a few weeks ago and have been testing the chlorine mainly because I cant understand why i keep havin algea bloom. This is what happens. My water turns greenish, I raise the FC level for 3 to 5 days (between 7 to 10), then i turn off the pump for 2 to 3 days, the green settles to the bottom, since I cant get it to filter out thru my sand filter I have learned to vacuum using the 5 gallon bucket of water outside the pool. (this vacuums with a softer suction and doesnt swirl the algea as quickly from the bottom plus doesnt waste as much water) Everything gets to lookin good, then a few days later, its greenish again! Today the pool turned greenish and the FC was 7. It had been 9 two days ago. I didnt think that was very much of a chlorine drop if algea was present. So here is a complete test. Please advise me.

FC= 7
CC=0 (a few days ago the water turned a pale pale pink after 5 drops of R-oo3, today it stayed clear)
PH= 7.0
Alkalinity test (water was no longer green at 70, hot pink at 80, actual red at 100) so Im guessing 90-100?
CYA= dot started disappearing halfway between 40 and 30, so 35? I added a little more and it really disappeared, it wasnt quite to the 30 mark...so 32?

[aylad]

The shock level you have to attain to kill off algae is dependent on your CYA level. With a CYA level of 30-50 ppm, your shock level is 15 ppm of chlorine, which you need to attain and then maintain, by testing and adding more chlorine as needed to get back up above 15 ppm, as many times as possible during the day. Hold that level until the green completely clears and until you can go from sundown one night to sunup the next morning without losing more than 1 ppm of chlorine. After you get it all cleared up and have no overnight chlorine loss, then you need to maintain your chlorine levels above 3 ppm at all times to keep the algae from coming back.

I think the problem is that you were never completely killing it off to begin with, so it just grew back when you allowed the chlorine levels to come down.

[PoolDoc]

Some forms of algae can be very chlorine resistant. The easy solution is simply to raise chlorine levels to compensate. Do this:

1. Add 3 gallons of PLAIN 6% chlorine bleach in the late evening. Brush the algae AFTER adding the chlorine.
2. Test the following PM; if the chlorine is ABOVE 15 ppm, skip the dose. Otherwise, repeat add 2 gallons of bleach.
3. Brush every other evening, and continue with the 2 gallons, if under 15 ppm, EVERY evening, for 4 days after NO trace of algae and NO trace of green is left.
4. Do NOT turn the pump off during this period; clean the algae that won't filter AFTER 110% of the algae is LONG dead.

[waterbear]

CYA scale is not linear so if it is near 30 ppm just call it 30 ppm. For the TA (and CH test) you want to keep adding drops until one more drop produces no more color change and then do not count that last drop. For example, if the test started changing at 7 drops, turns red at 10 and an 11th drop produces no further color change then don't count that 11th drop. Your TA would be 100 ppm. Also, just because an vinyl pool does not NEED calcium does not mean you do not need to test for it. High calcium levels can be problematic for ANY pool and evaporation will concentrate calcium over time. You probabloy don't need to test it more than once a month (unless the TA "mysteriously" drops or the pool get cloudy and it is not algae--however, in these cases it is usually too late and if you had known the CH before hand you could have taken corrective action BEFORE these problems).

AS far as filtering out living algae, you are correct. It cannot be filtered out. You have to kill it first.

As far as bleach vs. liquid chlorine, the only difference is (sometimes) the strength (and therefore, the amount needed to achieve a certain ppm of chlorine in the pool). Laundry bleach is sold in 3%, 5.25%, 6% and lately 8.25% strength. Pool chlorine (which many pool tech call "bleach" because it is!) is sold in 6%, 10% and 12.5 % strengths, with the last two most common. 10% is usually sold in one gallon jugs and often spends a lot of time sitting in a warehouse so it might not be 'full strength' when you buy it. 12.5% is usually sold in refillable carboys and, if bought from a supply that sell a lot, is usually fresh. In many parts of the country 12.5% pool chlorine is a more economical way to chlorinate than bleach is but you have to do the math first. Laundry bleach is usually going to be fresh if you buy it from a high volume retailer like Walmart. Both bleach and pool chlorine are exactly the same, sodium hypochlorite.