Pool filter balls

[beaverplt]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but have had a pool for 28 years. When my pool filter stopped filtering and my pool turned the color of dead algae, I decided to try replacing sand with pool filter balls, I followed all the instructions by removing every grain of sand and cleaning the inside of the filter before putting in the new balls. It's been 9 days since I made the switch, and my pool is still the same color. Backwashing doesn't look very dirty. Did I make a mistake trying these things?

 

[mknauss]

A list of threads -- Filter Balls

A sand filter should use sand.

 

[dfwnoob]

Filter balls are another great example of the "pool industry" attempting to reinvent the wheel. Like Marty says, your sand filter needs sand.

I am a bit concerned about about your water color changing.. barring the filter breaking in some way and literally dumping a bunch of sand and garbage in your pool, the way you filter should have no effect on the color of your water. Do you have a good test kit (Taylor K2006-C or TFTestKits TF100/TFPro) you can give us results from?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Your original sand may have channeled, or just needed a good deep cleaning.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

I'm concerned you've got a chemistry imbalance if there are odd colors in your water?
Can you provide a full set of test results?
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt if applicable?

Maddie

 

[beaverplt]

I use a Taylor test kit and have for years. Usually I test FC and PH every day. Last night I was at FC of 2. CC of 0, PH was a bit high at 7.4. I tested CYA a week ago and was under 30. I put 4 lbs of acid in and will probably need 4 more soon as we have a main drain leak that requires us to add water frequently. I'll run a new batch of tests tonight after work.

 

[wireform]

Other then the MD leak there's no reason to check the PH daily but 7.4 is definitely not high. You will be depleting all the chemistry in the pool with a leak. No mention of salt so is it a chlorine pool then you need a minimum of 30 CYA.

 

[beaverplt]

Here's my results
FC; 5.0
CC; 0
PH; 7.8
TA: 125
CH; 275
CYA; 30

Last night I added 128 oz of 12.5% chlorine. I'm somewhat baffled as to the much higher PH in one day. I added a quart tonight and will check again tomorrow.

 

[PoolStored]

Here's my results
FC; 5.0
CC; 0
PH; 7.8
TA: 125
CH; 275
CYA; 30

Last night I added 128 oz of 12.5% chlorine. I'm somewhat baffled as to the much higher PH in one day. I added a quart tonight and will check again tomorrow.

The pH rise is due to your TA being 125. Continue to manage pH to keep it in the 7s. If you are accurate with your Muriatic additions (When you make an addition, you get expected results), then you can lower pH to 7, let it rise to 7.8 and repeat. Over time your TA will come down and pH rise will slow.

 

[beaverplt]

My TA has always been around 100 to 125. Sometimes 150, but that's usually when I open the pool. But even at 125, my pool had always been clear and easy to keep up with until late last year. Since then, I can get my numbers where I always had them in the past. But now I have consistently green water even after getting my FC up to over 30. I will admit that I probably made a mistake in my research about my problem by straying from advice I used to get on another pool forum. Unfortunately, that forum seems to have dried up. In looking for a sand replacement, I found the filter balls. Most reviews were good, so I thought I would give them a shot. I now wish I had found you folks a month ago. I'd have deep cleaned my filter and would probably be back to the norm. In a roundabout way, I think I've gotten my answer about filter balls. No one yet has come back with a thumbs up on them.

 

[beaverplt]

The experiment with filter balls is definitely a failure. Considering everyone's comments as well as other posts I've seen, I'm going to go back to sand. Is any pool filter sand acceptable? When I looked up brands, I found everything from Quikrete brand at about $10 a bag up to some brands at over $40. Could I put some of the old sand back in?

 

[mknauss]

Quikrete sand is reported to have issues.

If the old sand is available and can be cleaned, use it.

 

[Mdragger88]

Have u done an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out organics? Definitely a good idea to do one as well as going back to sand.
No filter can overcome an algae problem by itself. That requires the SLAM Process too.
I got my sand to replace the zeolite mess the installers put in from the local pool place (it had a palm tree on it - palmetto brand maybe? ) so long as it says #20 pool sand & isn’t quickcrete u should be good.
It wasn’t really anymore expensive than the quickrete stuff which is not recommended & its all they had at the Home Depot/ lowes around here.

Sand Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[beaverplt]

I'm absolutely sure there are organics in the pool considering that right now it is as green as it usually is when I open it in spring. When I changed from sand to these stupid balls, I slammed the pool and got minimal results. I kept the pool at about 40ppm of chlorine for a couple of days, but all I got was a lighter shade of green and went through a couple of gallons of acid because the PH kept spiking. Backwashing never had any signs of dead or living algae. At this point, I'm going to keep chlorinating to hopefully kill a bit of the algae. I'm also keeping the PH around 7.2-7.4 even though it's taking a lot of acid to do that. My next day off will be dedicated to putting sand back in the filter. My local Ace carries, or at least can get HTH sand. I should be able to salvage and clean 100 to 150 lbs of the old sand.

 

[mknauss]

You should not be adding acid with FC above 10 ppm. There is no need. If there is CYA in the water, there is little effect on FC by pH.

 

[Mdragger88]

With a cya of 30ppm SLAM Process fc level is 12ppm. Maintaining that level is the key to eradicating algae.
Going higher just risks damage to equipment, liner & swimmers. It also wastes liquid chlorine as it burns off exponentially faster at higher levels.
As @mknauss mentioned don’t test ph or adjust it when fc is over 10ppm - it renders the ph test invalid & u can overdo the acid.
Stick to the Slam process & hopefully u will see some improvement after going back to sand.

* For a successful SLAM Process you need to continue to MAINTAIN Slam level fc for your cya until you meet ALL 3 end of slam criteria-

You are done when:

CC is 0.5 or lower;
You pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
AND
the water is clear.
(Crystal Clear w/no algae dead or alive)

*Check & scrub every nook & cranny where it may hide (light niches, drain covers, ladder handrails, skimmer throats/weirs, etc.)
*Run slam level water through all water features & lines for at least a couple hours a day during the SLAM Process.
*Brush & or vac daily (this breaks up biofilms that algae uses to protect itself from chlorine)
*Backwash/clean filter when pressure rises 25%over clean pressure.

 

[beaverplt]

Great info. Until I get the sand back in, I'm just keeping a FC level of about 3-5. Muriatic Acid to keep the PH from going through the roof. Once I castrate my filter, the SLAM will start.

 

[beaverplt]

Ordered the sand yesterday and was planning on putting it in tomorrow night or my next off day on Thursday. Then one of my coworkers got covid. Guess I'll be working until he's back. Thank goodness I wasn't near him or I'd be quarantined.
I did castrate my pool filter.

 

[Mdragger88]

What was like in there?

 

[beaverplt]

What water was left after draining was dark olive green. The balls themselves ranged from almost as white as they went in at the top of the filter to dark green at the bottom. Interestingly, I found a piece of somnething that I don't recognize as a pool part in the sludge. I'm attaching a couple of pics of the balls to give you an idea of what they came out like. Plus a pic of the part I found. It looks very familiar, but I can't put my finger on what it could have came from. It's not from anything in the filter. I went through all the parts inside and everything looks good.

 

[Mdragger88]

Eeew
What kind of sand filter do u have? Perhaps we can find the parts diagram