Cloudy water- Cartridge Filter

[Watermom]

It has to be a result of all the stuff you put in there last week. Adding bleach will not cause it. Keep at it. I know you are getting frustrated, but don't give up. Also be sure you are running your pump 24/7. We'll stay with you til you get it solved.

[johnnyf0614]

This morning I checked the chlorine level, and it appeared to be around the 8ish level. I did notice that the PH seems to be increasing, although I'm still in the normal level. I assume thats due to the bleach. The pool this morning still had the white foam, and still continues to have the white cloudy color to the water. Still can't see the bottom. As you can imagine it is very frustrating. Thanks for your help

[scotty5x5]

One thing no one has mentioned and that I had to learn the hard way is to add Diatomacious Earth (DE) to your cartridge filter. I have 3 filters at 33 sq. feet each and add 2 1 pound coffee cans of DE each time I wash the filters.
The change will shock you! Your water, if everything else is in balance will be crystal clear!
Also when starting from a messed up pool run the pump for 24 hours straight and then change or clean cartridge and add more DE. You may have to do this another time or two depending on how much algae and calcium and stuff is in your water.
Good Luck
Scott

[johnnyf0614]

What does the DE due to the cartridge filter? How do I add the DE also??

[scotty5x5]

One thing no one has mentioned and that I had to learn the hard way is to add Diatomacious Earth (DE) to your cartridge filter. I have 3 filters at 33 sq. feet each and add 2 1 pound coffee cans of DE each time I wash the filters.
The change will shock you! Your water, if everything else is in balance will be crystal clear!
Also when starting from a messed up pool run the pump for 24 hours straight and then change or clean cartridge and add more DE. You may have to do this another time or two depending on how much algae and calcium and stuff is in your water.
Good Luck
Scott

I forgot to add that you might want to start with 1 coffee can of DE and adjust down or up if needed. If your filter pressure goes up too quickly use less next time but up to that point the more you use the cleaner your water will be.

[johnnyf0614]

Where do I add the DE??? in the center of the cartridge? down the skimmer? I have an Astral 150 Cartridge filter for a 12X18 pool, 1.5 HP pump.....

[RocKKer]

You would mix it with water and add it to the skimmer - for my DE filter I fill a bucket with a couple gallons of pool water and add the DE powder to it so you get a slurry, with the pump on you pour the DE slurry into the skimmer. I would try a gallon bucket maybe half full for the amount of DE that you want to add.

I haven't heard of putting DE in a cartridge filter, only a sand filter (and obviously a DE filter).

Be careful where you wash it off - when it dries the DE will be a powder once again and dangerous to breath.

[nectarologist]

Hi Johnny. I may not be much help but I figured it couldn't hurt to give some moral support.

I have had the same exact problems as you, my pool just cleared up 2 days ago, with the help of this board (thank you so much everyone). My biggest problem was trying to have patientce. I hear ya when you say how frustrating it is, but it will clear, it just takes time (seems to be a lot of it though). My water was black! I figured that running the filter for a couple of days straight would clear it once I had my chems balanced but it took me 2 full weeks to get it crystal clear.

As Scotty said, remember to clean your filter, otherwise it really cuts down on the effectiveness of it. I would clean mine in the am & then the pm initially and it was filthy each time. I also got those skimmer socks which really seemed to help. By the time I got them my water had started to clear to where I could see about 3ft down (4.5ft pool). At this point I was washing the filter off once per day (using a garden hose) & washing the socks at least twice (very dirty each time).

I too tried to vacum and had the same results (stuff being blown back into the pool). You may want to leave that until the water clears a bit more.
I also had the foam (mine was due to cheap algecide, didn't know better at the time). That cleared in a few days. It seems like you'll never get there but one morning you go out & it looks like you're making progress. Just remember to wash down the filter as often as needed (my pressure would rise anywhere from 5-7psi in between cleanings). You'll know when you only need to do it once b/c it won't have so much junk in it as the days go by (plus filter pressure won't rise so quickly, mine says wash when pressure is 5psi over starting pressure). If you still have your old one use that & when you are clear then put the new one back in. I had a one year old cartridge that filtered 2 years worth of junk in 2 weeks (pretty much ruined it) so I just ordered another one to start fresh with. Mine usually last me 3 seasons; I'm in the same neck of the woods as you (now Rockland county, use to live in Dumont, NJ). Good luck.

[johnnyf0614]

Thanks for the advice Nectar. ACtually last night it appeared to have made some progress as I can see some more clarity. Not perfect, and I'm sure the rain we got last night didn't help, but it was definitely an improvement. Thanks again for the advice!!

[scotty5x5]

Where do I add the DE??? in the center of the cartridge? down the skimmer? I have an Astral 150 Cartridge filter for a 12X18 pool, 1.5 HP pump.....

Just dump the DE straight into the skimmer basket with the pump running. I reiterate, this method delivers sparkling clear water much much quicker in cartridge filters. The old man I bought the house from told me to do it but then I read that the cartridge manufacturers don't endorse this method so I stopped. My water was never truly clear again until I started using the DE once more. Just keep an eye on your pressure and rinse the cartridges often until you get the gunk out. The cartridges trap so much gunk with the DE you will be amazed. After that you don't need to clean them any more often than without the DE.