In-ground pool help

[Hitman23]

Does anyone here have any experience maintaining in-ground pools or know anything?

Here is the issue.
My g/f's sister had someone come over to open her pool. And they did a terrible job, and charged her almost $400 to do it. So I'm trying to help her with the limited knowledge I have so she's not charged anymore. They tried to rip her off about $800 more saying something was broken but one of the workers went off to the side with her and said the valve was just stuck, he turned it with a wrench and opened it up and it's fine. You just can't do it by hand.

Anyway, the guys neglected to clean the filter nor did they put in chemicals. All they did was hook everything back up that was disconnected last year. There was about an inch and a half of crud on the filter. So I took it out, sprayed it down for about an hour and put it back. They also neglected to put any DE in it, so I dumped 5 coffee cans of DE in each of the baskets where the suction is. I shocked the sh*t out of it and put 3 chlorine tablets in the canister.

Here's the problem. It runs fine for a while, the pressure gauge is around 12. Then after some time it shoots up over 20 and then has barely any movement either through the jets or the suction.

it also has a spa that is lifted up about 2 feet over the pool and off to the side. There is supposed to be a waterfall that spills over into the pool, and that is usually how I gauge the water flow. When the waterfall is strong everything is good. When it weakens I know the pressure has gone up and there is no movement again.

I've backwashed a hundred times but the water is clear and I keep having to put in more DE and that gets expensive.

Again, I am a complete amateur with this, this is all I know and I'd like to figure this out without having to have someone charge her hundreds of dollars again.

Anyone?

(mods, I accidentally created this in TSB, can someone delete it?)

[Hitman23]

from the SB thread

I'm no expert but I think you're using way too much DE. Like 2x. I use 5 or 6 cans. I think they even sell it in bags in the size you need. I think it varies by filter size.

Well there are two intakes, both of which I am told I'm supposed to have DE in. I was also told 5 cans worth was the amount in each. I considered that maybe being too much and thought maybe it was not staying where it should and was clogging up the filter. But I have backwashed and cleaned out the filter and ran it with no DE and the same thing happens. This was one of the first things I tried so I could rule it out.

[JDPNYY]

It's possible that the filter needs to be taken apart and cleaned.

We usually need to do this once or twice a season at the pool at our Nursery School.


This is a good guide to dis-assembly and cleaning:

http://www.troubleshooters.com/pool/...r_cleaning.htm

[johnnyyankee]

from the SB threadWell there are two intakes, both of which I am told I'm supposed to have DE in. I was also told 5 cans worth was the amount in each. I considered that maybe being too much and thought maybe it was not staying where it should and was clogging up the filter. But I have backwashed and cleaned out the filter and ran it with no DE and the same thing happens. This was one of the first things I tried so I could rule it out.

I have 3 intakes...2 skimmers and one in the floor of the deep end. All go to the same filter. It shouldn't matter how many intakes you have. I think you are using too much DE...so much so that it could be caked in the filter even though you backwashed.

[Hitman23]

It's possible that the filter needs to be taken apart and cleaned.

We usually need to do this once or twice a season at the pool at our Nursery School.

Do you mean the moving parts? Or just the part that catches everything? That's where I found that inch and a half of crud, in the paper part that catches everything. I've washed it twice int he past week.

Thanks for that link. I will look it over.

[JDPNYY]

Read the link I sent. It really does a good job explaining what needs to be done, how to accomplish it and why it happens.

[johnnyyankee]

Read the link I sent. It really does a good job explaining what needs to be done, how to accomplish it and why it happens.

Great. Now we can't get him to take the filter apart and put back together 100 times.

[Hitman23]

I have 3 intakes...2 skimmers and one in the floor of the deep end. All go to the same filter. It shouldn't matter how many intakes you have. I think you are using too much DE...so much so that it could be caked in the filter even though you backwashed.

Ok. But since I ran it without and cleaned the filter completely, and it's still doing the same thing, is it ruled out? Or could there be another issue with it.

Damn these pool guys. I was specifically told 5 cans in each intake.

[johnnyyankee]

Ok. But since I ran it without and cleaned the filter completely, and it's still doing the same thing, is it ruled out? Or could there be another issue with it.

Damn these pool guys. I was specifically told 5 cans in each intake.

It may depend on the size of the pool and filter.

[Hitman23]

Great. Now we can't get him to take the filter apart and put back together 100 times.

awesome

[Hitman23]

Read the link I sent. It really does a good job explaining what needs to be done, how to accomplish it and why it happens.

Thank you very much, John. I'm printing and taking it home later.

[johnnyyankee]

Try bypassing the filter and circulate. If that works you've narrowed the problem to the filter area. When the pressure guage is very high and then everything stops....where is the guage when the water stops goinmg through? If it's 0....you may have an air leak. I was having this problem a few years ago and after a list of bad guesses I ran new lines from the skimmers to the filter. That did the trick. I figure one of the lines had a leak or crack.

[Hitman23]

The gauge is never at zero. It's always between 20 and 30 when it runs for a while. Even when the water stops (never completely, just goes tremendously slow) I can backwash or shut off for a bit and then it starts up and stays around 12. But it always winds up going back up in the 20s after about a half hour.

In order to circulate, I have to use that device that I backwash with, right? I think I saw a "circulate" option on it. That's a great idea, thank you.

[theDurk]

It doesn't matter what intake you dump it in. It all goes through the pump. If filter is clogging fast, you probably have an organic load, aka algae population in the water. A major chlorine shock process will resolve that for you. Take your problem here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/index.html

Very friendly and knowledgeable people. They hate pool stores. I haven't had a pool service at our place for anything that did not involve a backhoe for forty years.

[Hitman23]

Sweet. Thank you so much.

[johnnyyankee]

The gauge is never at zero. It's always between 20 and 30 when it runs for a while. Even when the water stops (never completely, just goes tremendously slow) I can backwash or shut off for a bit and then it starts up and stays around 12. But it always winds up going back up in the 20s after about a half hour.

In order to circulate, I have to use that device that I backwash with, right? I think I saw a "circulate" option on it. That's a great idea, thank you.

Make sure you don't change options while the pump is running. It has to be turned off....then switch to circulate...then turn back on.

[Hitman23]

Definitely. Always do when I backwash, so I planned on that.

[Trish]

Make sure you don't change options while the pump is running. It has to be turned off....then switch to circulate...then turn back on.

I figured you'd have a pool guy to do all this stuff.

[Hitman23]

I am still shocked these guys came over, hooked up the pool and did not clean the filter. Isn't that part of the deal? Especially when you charge a couple hundred dollars? Unreal.

[JDPNYY]

I am still shocked these guys came over, hooked up the pool and did not clean the filter. Isn't that part of the deal? Especially when you charge a couple hundred dollars? Unreal.

That's not part of the deal. They charge a whole lot for a whole lot of nothing.

[xenadanielle]

I have no idea what any of this means.

I just wanted to say that if and when I ever have a pool, I am getting one of these.

[Hitman23]

Palm trees don't grow well on Long Island.

[SalingerNY]

I just wanted to say that if and when I ever have a pool, I am getting one of these.

Clean of sum yung gui?

[Ram Man]

Mind you, I'm no expert, but my advice when it comes to in-ground pools? Don't get one or buy a house that has one.

[Hitman23]

Mind you, I'm no expert, but my advice when it comes to in-ground pools? Don't get one or buy a house that has one.

Oh it ain't mine I'm just helping my girlfriend's sister out with her's. With what I've done over the last couple of years with cleaning, maintenance and now this, I never want to be responsible for one. Ever.