Starting off just like I left last season :(

[scootchu]

We opened our 27' AG pool about a week ago and several problems plague me.
We had cloudy water last year almost all season. One day it would be clear and we thought we were doing okay only to have it cloud up again. That's last year, but now I am starting to wonder if we are going down the same road.

First my numbers:
PH - 7.2
CC - >20
FC - 10
Alk - 120
CYA - 80

The PH and Alk were low, very low prior to yesterday and I am afraid that I may have overshot the Alk by not being patient. In any case the pool water is a light green and cloudy. The pump has been running 24/7 for a week and little improvement has occurred. The water was coffee colored when we opened it and it had leaves and acorns at the bottom.

In our defense we were in the middle of building an addition on our home and we were a bit hasty covering it at the end of the season.

We have had the pool 10 years and I have changed the sand once.
I am starting to wonder if the filter is working right and adding to the problem. The filter has great flow, but after a few hours the flow dramatically slows. I backwash and then rinse and it's good for a while longer.

What I wind up doing when problems like this occur is to most likely start to chase my tail so I am asking for some troubleshooting steps or an angle of attack to find out if it's the chemistry, mechanical or a combination of the two.

Why would me flow reduce like this? I haven't opened the filter yet to see what kind of crap I will find.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Watermom]

Your chlorine numbers can't be right. I seriously doubt that you have a CC reading greater than 20. Also, since you have a cya reading of 80, you should be shocking your pool up to 20 (FC that is). I'm not sure if you did shock to 20 and just mistakenly listed the 20 as your CC reading or if you shocked up to 10 or what. Retest and repost. What type of test kit are you using?

I also wonder what you are using for your source of bleach and also what your calcium hardness reading is. You shouldn't need to change your sand. My sand is on its 8th season, I think Al's is on his 13th or so season and Carl has had his sand for a good many years as well. I doubt the sand is your problem. If your pool is green, then you are probably just filtering out a lot of stuff that is clogging the filter. That means it is doing its job. This spring when I was opening my pool, the water wasn't green but had some debris, dirt, pollen in it and my filter pressure was rising frequently. We had to do a quick backwash fairly often and then it would be fine for a bit and then we would do it again. Somebody else may have something else to add about your filter.

Hang in there. We'll help you get it clear.

[scootchu]

Your chlorine numbers can't be right. I seriously doubt that you have a CC reading greater than 20. Also, since you have a cya reading of 80, you should be shocking your pool up to 20 (FC that is). I'm not sure if you did shock to 20 and just mistakenly listed the 20 as your CC reading or if you shocked up to 10 or what. Retest and repost. What type of test kit are you using?

I also wonder what you are using for your source of bleach and also what your calcium hardness reading is. You shouldn't need to change your sand. My sand is on its 8th season, I think Al's is on his 13th or so season and Carl has had his sand for a good many years as well. I doubt the sand is your problem. If your pool is green, then you are probably just filtering out a lot of stuff that is clogging the filter. That means it is doing its job. This spring when I was opening my pool, the water wasn't green but had some debris, dirt, pollen in it and my filter pressure was rising frequently. We had to do a quick backwash fairly often and then it would be fine for a bit and then we would do it again. Somebody else may have something else to add about your filter.

Hang in there. We'll help you get it clear.

I respect your opinion and I also think I flipped the CC and FC, in fact on my paper I have
CC-10
FC-20

The kit is a Poolmaster Basic 4 Test Kit and I am also using test strips for the CYA and the off the 3.0 scale of the kit.

The Calcium reading from what I can rememeber is very low. I will re-check when I go home.

I really should bite the bullet and buy a Taylor kit I suppose, but it would have to be online since our pool stores kit choices stink.

In any case I am concerned with the filter. When I say the flow goes down, I am serious, really drops to about 1/3 of what it was. My guage, as with all guages I have had doesn't work anymore, so back pressure cannot be measured.

When I backwash I get a bit of brown water, but not the green smelly stuff I was always used to.

I feel like a complete novice at this point. I used to be the poolmaster and now... just it's humble servant. I need to learn to be patient, BUT the problem with that is I never know if I am waiting for a turnaround or just waiting for things to get worse. If I could get a glimpse of the future and if I am headed in the right direction I would be as patient as could be. LOL

Whoops forgot. I am using Liquid Bleach, Clorox, and a couple of pucks in the skimmer right now.

[Watermom]

You do need to invest in a good test kit. Definitely worth the money. While you are fighting this, test at least 2 and 3 is better times per day and each time, add enough bleach to get back up to 20. Try to sustain the high reading and not let it yo-yo up and down.

I still don't think your numbers are right, though. I have never seen a CC reading of 10. Retest and repost.

You aren't filling from a well, are you?

[scootchu]

You do need to invest in a good test kit. Definitely worth the money. While you are fighting this, test at least 2 and 3 is better times per day and each time, add enough bleach to get back up to 20. Try to sustain the high reading and not let it yo-yo up and down.

I still don't think your numbers are right, though. I have never seen a CC reading of 10. Retest and repost.

You aren't filling from a well, are you?

The water is half city and half well, refilled last year after a liner replacement. But that was a while ago and city water has been used to top it off, why?

[Watermom]

Sometimes well water has metals in it and thus can cause greenish tint to the water.

[scootchu]

Well good thing you are paying attention because I'm not.

I checked my water again today.

FC >10
TC >10

I was looking at the 20 for Bromine on the test strip chart
PH is around 7.2-7.4
ALK is around 130

I don't have a Calcium test, just a hardness test in which I get low

I have just about got all the acorns out. It's tough when you cannot see them.
The Robo-Kleen has been running and bringing up pollen and crud.

I put a stocking on the skimmer basket which has had to be cleaned twice in 2 hours.

I put another 3/4 gallon of bleach in.

Thanks for sticking with me.

[Watermom]

No problem. By the way, the hardness test is the calcium hardness. Low is fine for a vinyl pool despite what some pool stores will tell you.

[scootchu]

I just ordered the Taylor 2006 kit today. Hopefully it will help me get a hold of things a little easier.

[stma]

WaterMom: But at what point do you start considaring the filter/sand as the culprit ??/ I'm on day 11, and 23 gallons of bleach later. i have seen zero change in my pool water...still green and cloudy..so much to the point I have not vacuumed yet....brushing, yes...but I can't see past 18 inches from the top....
I'm wondering if the WalMart sand I bought (which was 1/2 the price of ANYone else locally) is actually my problem ?? (the old saying, "You Get What You pay For" is starting to ring true for me ???