Inherited a pond, trying to turn it into a pool!

[Yeggim]

Thanks for the encouragement I don't mean to be pedantic (and feel free to call me a pompous ass if I am - my boss does, regularly!), but when you say kill it "and then" filter it, do you mean once it's all dead, or filter as I go?

My filter currently clogs in minutes rather than hours, even after stripping it down, hosing the fingers clean, and adding minimal DE - I understood from Ben's earlier post here that live algae will clog a DE filter very quickly, so I've just been recirculating while I try to kill it all off; planning to start running it through the filter when most of it is dead. Water replacement is not a problem, so running the dead stuff to waste is an appealing alternative to back-washing every half an hour!

Hey if you can't filter yet then you can't filter. But you definitely have to keep circulating your water. If I had to break down and clean a DE filter every hour, I'd be at my wits end. Don't abandon trying to filter but if it has to be one or the other, keep it on recirculate. If you stay on top of the chlorine you'll be able to run the filter for longer periods once you kill all the algae. After you filter the dead stuff that's suspended in the water you will be able see the stuff that fell to the bottom.

Another thing--the word SHOCK is meaningless. Chlorine is chlorine. It's the amount you put in that determines if you're shocking or not. As they say on this great forum, "shock is not a noun, it's a verb."

[barma16]

Hey if you can't filter yet then you can't filter. But you definitely have to keep circulating your water. If I had to break down and clean a DE filter every hour, I'd be at my wits end. Don't abandon trying to filter but if it has to be one or the other, keep it on recirculate. If you stay on top of the chlorine you'll be able to run the filter for longer periods once you kill all the algae. After you filter the dead stuff that's suspended in the water you will be able see the stuff that fell to the bottom.

That's the plan - looking forward to turning the filter on... but not quite yet. I'm on recirculate 24/7 at the moment.

Another thing--the word SHOCK is meaningless. Chlorine is chlorine. It's the amount you put in that determines if you're shocking or not. As they say on this great forum, "shock is not a noun, it's a verb."

Amen

[barma16]

I can see leaves!

At least, I can see in the shallow end where some of them are are. I've been sustaining 15-20ppm FC, and it's starting to pay off. I can now run the filter with a couple scoops DE in it for an hour or more between backwashes, which is progress!

I accidentally bought Muriatic acid at the pool shop instead of Cyanuric, and can't return it since the bottles aren't sealed. The woman at the pool store said I could use it to clean the element in the filter (Hayward DE4820) - is this wise?

Thanks,
Mark

[BigDave]

I don't know about cleaning your DE filter element or what the procedure would be but be careful - don't just dump it on - wear gloves and safety glasses/goggles, stay upwind of the fumes, avoid splashing. Always Always Always put Acid into Water (A->W). NEVER put water into acid. Muriatic acid can hurt you.
That said, It is great for lowering pH (you don't need to now if your pH is still 7.4). I read a post somewhere here that suggested storing the bottle(s) in a 5 gallon plastic pail with lid fastened to contain any possible spill and store the pail (acid and all) in a cool place out of harms way. It's not a good idea to store it with other chemicals or near metal objects as the fumes can cause corrosion.
To put in in your pool (if you need to), wear gloves, eyewear, stay upwind, hold the bottle in the pool with the lid just out of the water, remove lid, pour acid into pool keeping opening as close to water as possible (to avoid splashing), replace cap, rinse the whole closed bottle (and anyhting else that touched the acid) in pool before removing.

[Yeggim]

I can see leaves!

...I accidentally bought Muriatic acid at the pool shop instead of Cyanuric, and can't return it since the bottles aren't sealed. The woman at the pool store said I could use it to clean the element in the filter (Hayward DE4820) - is this wise?

Thanks,
Mark

You can use the acid to clean mineral deposits off the grids of the filter. But it's the last step in a chemical cleaning procedure. Here's a great sticky on DE filters.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...ng-a-DE-filter

Note the addendum in red by POOLDOC. If and when your grids need more than just rinsing, make sure you degrease the grids before the acid wash.

I gotta hand it to you brother. A lot of folks would have had second thoughts by now or been pool stored and start to dump everything but the kitchen sink into the pool. It would start to sound like a Three Stooges routine. I say that with no disrespect or to mock and I genuinely feel for these people but that's the pattern it forms.

Pool Store Guy: I know what's the matter -- you haven't got enough anna canna panna san.

Mother In Law: Wait a minute, -- what that needs is a mixture of enol, plus anna sanna pacan scram.

[barma16]

LOL, thanks! I'm very glad I found this place early, otherwise I'd have spent a lot more money for a lot less progress, and had really no idea what was going on. You guys have all been a great help and kept me positive. Of course, it helped that the weather was nice over the weekend. Hanging out by the swamp with a beer and a test kit wasn't the worst way to spend the time...

That DE Filter sticky is excellent - from the description I don't think I need an acid wash yet, just more time with the filter running.

FC was 16ppm this morning, and still 16ppm at lunch when I ran home to check the level. Does this mean most of the algae is now dead?

[Watermom]

Sounds promising .......... especially if you don't lose too much the rest of the day and if you don't lose more than 1ppm overnight.

BTW --- You don't need a swamp to hang out by the pool with a cold beer!

[barma16]

BTW --- You don't need a swamp to hang out by the pool with a cold beer!

Who knows - once it's a pool and no longer a swamp perhaps I'll be able to persuade someone other than the dog to come through the gate