Please Help newbie at it wits ends

[gonzapa]

If it helps here are the reading from the pool store:
CYA 39
total corine 3.1
free clorine 2.4
ph 7.4
total akl 116
total hardnes 175

[PoolDoc]

1. Stop going to a pool store with computerized testing -- they'll sell you stuff you don't need, and that may make things worse.

2. Do not add ANYTHING unless you absolutely need it.

3. Purchase (locally) a cheap OTO / phenol red drops testkit, and test chlorine and pH yourself.

4. Open your filter, and wash it down completely. Backwashing DE filters never completely cleans them. If you are dealing with a cloudy pool, you need FULL function.

5. Make sure you do not have a timer turning the pump off. DE filters can be successfully operated with 2 speed pumps, alternating HIGH and LOW, but many do NOT function well with pumps turned ON and OFF.

6. Order a K2006 kit, so you can get away from inaccurate 'computerized' testing: http://pool9.net/testkits/

7. If you want faster responses, subscribe. The season is beginning to take off, and for the next 2 months, we'll have more questions than we have people who can give GOOD answers.

[Phillbo]

5. Make sure you do not have a timer turning the pump off. DE filters can be successfully operated with 2 speed pumps, alternating HIGH and LOW, but many do NOT function well with pumps turned ON and OFF.

Can you expand on that Doc? I have a DE filter that is on a timer because I don't need to run it 24/7.

[PoolDoc]

DE drops off the grids when the pump is off. When the pump comes back on, it's supposed to be stirred back up and re-coat the membranes, but it never coats as well as it did initially. Some filters perform better than others in this regard.

Definitely, open your filter and check your grids.