Getting ready to open 40k gal pool AKA "the Swamp"

[KJohnston]

The pool is still cloudy but clearing up. I have been vacuuming a lot and I have what may be white mold. At first I thought I had killed a bunch of frogs because it kind of looked like frog skin (very disgusting!), it was slimy snotty some was green some more white/pinkish. I have been keeping the chlorine 20-30 ppm but I swear this slimy stuff is just multiplying! So do I need to add anything else for that or just keep bleaching? Also, I have 32 boxes of borax. I was going to get the pool clear then add the borax but should I go ahead and add it now to get some borates in there?

[Watermom]

For now, just keep the chlorine high and keep the pump running. I would worry about getting the pool cleared first before adding the borates. I'll ask Ben to take a look at this thread and see if he has any other suggestions for you.

[PoolDoc]

The "slimy stuff" may be the oxidized remnants of goo and leaves left in your pool.

Have you ever brushed and vacuumed the pool?

1. Do not add the borax yet. Do keep the chlorine up.

2. Brush the ENTIRE pool. Everything. Even if it doesn't seem to need it. Even if you can't see it perfectly.

3. Wait a day, and then vacuum the entire pool.

4. Tell me what kind -- make / model / size -- of filter you have. Odds are, you'll need a new cartridge.

5. Don't get unrealistic expectations: you chlorinated on the 15th; today's the 19th and you are showing evidence of physical debris left in the pool. Don't expect clear water before the 26th; don't expect crystal clear water before the 1st -- and not at all if your cartridge needs replacing.

6. Next time you clean your cartridge (right after you vacuum!), take pictures and send them to [email protected] That way I can do more than guess about whether it needs to be replaced. Notice the brand, if you can: if it's not Sta-Right, Unicel, or Filbur . . . it needs to be replaced.

[KJohnston]

We have been brushing and scooping out goo since I put the chlorine in the first time. Yesterday was the first time to vacuum. I am pretty sure I need new cartridges, I've already priced some and will order soon. Should I get them in there quick or wait til the goo is gone before putting the new ones in? My filter is Sta-Rite System 3, S7M120, it uses the 100 square foot and the 200 square foot cartridges. My pump is Hayward Northstar 2.5 hp. I have replaced the t-ring and have ordered new drain plugs for the pump and a new o-ring for the tank of the filter and a drain plug for it too. Thank you so much for helping me!! I know you all can help me get my pool clean and clear!
Edited to add: I've bee vacuuming with the leaf vacuum thing so it hasn't been going through the filter. Next time I vacuum I'm going to try putting some panty hose under the bag to see if that will catch more dirt. We have a dirt road right behind our backyard(wasn't there when the pool went in!) and now our pool gets a lot of dirt in it, yay
I'll take pics and send them as soon as I clean the filter.

[KJohnston]

I worked on the pool all afternoon, I scooped lots more leaves and grossness out then cleaned the filter then brushed the whole pool. I took pics and will send them but I know you will say I need new ones! After all of that I checked the water and got FC: 12.5, CC: 0.5, pH: 7.2

[Watermom]

See what happens to your chlorine readings overnight. If you can test within an hour of sunrise before the sun is really on the pool too much and let us know what you get, it will be helpful.

[PoolDoc]

I assume you pics are the ones from the iPad? If so, I need bigger pics to be sure, but I believe that your cartridges are shot. Notice how the pleats are clumped together? That turns 10 pleats into 1; your EFFECTIVE filter square footage may be 1/5 of the original value!

Do NOT put the new cartridges in, till the goo is gone. (Cloudy is OK, goo-ey is not.)

The System3 cartridge filter is very badly designed in my opinion. They can work very well in arid areas with year-round pool operation -- no leaves, no thunderstorm debris, and no swamps. But if you let them get dirty, the force of the water trying to push through the filters will collapse the pleats as yours has done.

This is VERY common with System3 cartridges, so:

1. Be careful to keep the flow rate BELOW the maximum.
2. NEVER let the pressure increase more than 5 psi above the 'clean' pressure.
3. Always vacuum sludge with your OLD cartridges.

A single episode of a 10 or 15 psi filter pressure increase can ruin $400+ worth of cartridges.

Some folks here, who have them in S. Calif or Arizona love them. I utterly despise the things; I think they are hands down the WORST general use filter on the market. I suppose they'd be OK if they were ONLY sold in markets where they could work well, and with adequate warnings about correct usage.

[KJohnston]

Yes those were my ipad pics, I don't know how to make them bigger but yes, I agree that the cartridges are not good anymore. We replaced them in 2011, so they are 3 years old and have been through a few swamps. Our PB picked the equipment and then kind of left us to figure it out on our own, he wouldn't answer his phone for questions. So the first year, 2007, I pretty much had to figure it all out on my own. Some things I figured out better than others! We are going to price covers for the fall, in hopes that we could open next year to a clean pool. After I posted my last message I went out and added 4 more jugs of walmart bleach, so the 8.25%. I will test again before the sun comes up and report back. Thanks for your help!

[KJohnston]

Ok, so at 8:30 pm I added those 4 jugs to raise the FC to 21(per pool calculator). So now at 5:15 am I checked and the FC is 20.5 and CC is 0.5. Things are looking better! I plan to vacuum, clean the cartridges and brush again this afternoon. Let me know if I need to do something different. Thanks again!