Can find cause of all the dirt/sand in the pool

[nicole12]

[Tredge]

nicole12

Thats EXACTLY what mine looks like. I dont have any DE in my system at all.

[duraleigh]

Nicole,

This thread is rambling all over the place with guesses and no progress.

1. You have never posted any test results....probably irrelevant but it's always a good starting point.

2. Have you actually picked this stuff up between your finger and thumb and determined it's not algae? (gritty, not slimy)

3. Just as an aside, when you put DE in, and then backwash, you are washing the DE right back out.

4. Why do you put DE in your filter? (I know the theory.....I'm interested in why you think this pool needs it and how long you've been doing it)

5. When you fixed the sand issue last year, what was that issue and how did it get fixed?

Those answers will help get us back on track (hopefully)

[nicole12]

Nicole,

This thread is rambling all over the place with guesses and no progress.

1. You have never posted any test results....probably irrelevant but it's always a good starting point.

I did post test results at the beginning of the thread:
FC 12
CC 0
CYA 100+
PH 7.5
TA 110


2. Have you actually picked this stuff up between your finger and thumb and determined it's not algae? (gritty, not slimy)

Yes it's gritty not slimy

3. Just as an aside, when you put DE in, and then backwash, you are washing the DE right back out.

I know I was just trying out a suggestion to add the DE to catch the dust I vacuum since I didn't want to vacuum to waste because my pool is so small that it would only be a matter of minutes to lose and inch.

4. Why do you put DE in your filter? (I know the theory.....I'm interested in why you think this pool needs it and how long you've been doing it)

To help to catch the small particles that the sand can't filter out. Today was the 3rd time that I've put the DE in the sand filter.

5. When you fixed the sand issue last year, what was that issue and how did it get fixed?

The main pipe that the laterals screw into was cracked so that was replaced with a new one, each lateral was checked and was in perfect condition. New sand was added.

Those answers will help get us back on track (hopefully)

Answers are above

[duraleigh]

Hi, Nicole,

Thanks for your answers....helpful.

I believe the dirt is coming from your filter somehow. This may be incredibly difficult to do, but one way I can think of to identify that is to redirect the water so it makes a stop before it goes back into your pool. (Sort of like a white settling tank) so you could identify any very fine particles coming from the filter. The overflow from that "tank" could then be directed into the pool. Are all your lines hard PVC?

Perhaps easiest would be to thoroughly empty all the sand from your filter and rinse it out well and then turn the pump on with no sand (or fine dirt) in the filter at all....If the filter is the source, the dirt will stop. In so doing it would give you an opportunity to carefully inspect the laterals for any small damage that may be letting very fine particles thru.

Those are troublesome experiments but, based on this entire thread and your descriptions, the filter seems to be the logical culprit.

[hrsdennis]

If the filter is suspect, why not just hook the return hose to the top of the pump and bypass the filter for a few days. See if anything changes.

Just a thought, since I hate to empty a sand filter, even if I am getting paid for it.

[nicole12]

I don't have any hard PVC, it's all just regular filter hoses with hose clamps.

If I removed the sand from the filter or tried hooking the return to the pump, how many days could I do that without having an unsanitary pool? Or does that not matter seeing as my chlorine levels are 12ppm due to high CYA levels?

No matter what the outcome, I have already decided at the end of the season I'm going to remove the sand and replace the laterals. I went over those laterals 3 times each to check for cracks, breaks. Maybe something was so small I missed it. I should have just done it last season but really they looked great.

[hrsdennis]

You are correct, running the pump and keeping your chlorine up will keep your pool sanitized.

The other likley suspect with a filter proplem is the valve assembly. In a multi port valve a bad spider gasket will blow stuff into the pool. This is a lot easier to check and fix than a hole in a latteral.

Later, Dennis

[nicole12]

How do I check the spider gasket? Do I take the top off of the filter? I have a document that has all filter parts and they don't list any type of spider gasket. They call the whole top piece the selector valve.

I could be that because when I first had the pool I used to switch the selector from filter to backwash to rinse with the filter running. Didn't know until visiting this forum I was supposed to shut the power off.

Here's a picture of my filter and parts.

[matt4x4]

Nicole, a filter can usually be set to "bypass" or "whirlpool" which will essentially do the same as emptying your sand out of it or removing the hoses to bypass it.
Duraleigh is onto something with the spider gasket.

I can tell you right now, you don't need a cracked lateral for this fine dirt to make it through a sand filter, laterals have relatively large openings in them in comparison to the dirt you are getting, if you had a cracked lateral, you would be getting sand in the pool too - cracked lateral is likely a non issue.

When you add the DE, have you looked at what comes out of your return within the next 5 minutes? If your return starts to eject cloudy water, then the DE is getting into your pool either by pushing through the sand (uncommon) or by way of a bad spider gasket.

When you set your filter to backwash or rinse, do you feel anything coming from the return? If you do, it's a sign of a bad spider gasket.

How far up did you fill your filter with sand? Just wondering if it's over full - this can also have negative effects.

Last but definitely NOT least, since this problem started after adding new sand, logic tells me the problem IS THE SAND ITSELF. Open the filter, grab a handfull of sand and spread it out on a paper towel, if it starts to dye your paper towel brown, it's the sand. By now, the finer particles may have settled towards the bottom of the filter, so if you can get a sample from further down it would be beneficial. Remember to backwash first so you're not grabbing dirty DE mistakenly.
If it's the sand, replace with Zeobrite or Zeolite - IMO - a great product.

Part E has to be disassembled - unbolt all bolts around the top ring, it should come appart vertically (probably also have to remove pin for handle and remove handle before it will lift appart.).