[FONT="]I need to vacuum a pool that was in the middle of a landscaping job and looks like a dirt bomb went off nearby. I have been reading about flocculants. Do I need to purchase the expensive bottles branded for swimming pools or can I go to my garden store and just purchase a bag of aluminum sulphate? I need about three pounds for my 27K-gallon pool, and the difference in price is potentially significant.[/FONT]
Using aluminum sulphate
- Thread starter Rick Altman
- Start date
Floc's aren't normally used for things like dirt. A manual vacuum to waste or a robot should be able to clean up landscape debris just fine. If you ever use a floc make sure it does not get into your filter.
This is an extremely fine dirt and my understanding is that these types of products will help coagulate the debris and send it to the bottom of the pool. Understood that I would keep the water still once I apply it. My original question stands: Can I use aluminum sulphate from Home Depot or must I use the pool-specific products?
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
Use it as a last resort. Sometimes it doesn't "fall out" and then you also have a bunch of floc in your pool along with the dust. It is also incredibly acidic.
In order of preference:
1. Regular filter
2. Regular filter + DE or stuffing something in the skimmer (paper towels, pillow stuffing, etc)
3. Replace water (drain and refill, in stages if necessary)*
.....
689. Alum floc
*I recently had a similar situation with concrete dust and after realizing it was going to take FOREVER to filter out I drained about 60% of the water and refilled and it's back to perfectly clear.
In order of preference:
1. Regular filter
2. Regular filter + DE or stuffing something in the skimmer (paper towels, pillow stuffing, etc)
3. Replace water (drain and refill, in stages if necessary)*
.....
689. Alum floc
*I recently had a similar situation with concrete dust and after realizing it was going to take FOREVER to filter out I drained about 60% of the water and refilled and it's back to perfectly clear.
The answer to the the question you are asking - if you insist on adding it to your pool, use the pool branded stuff. But, with that being said almost everyone here is going to tell you not to do it.
But, in the end it is your pool and your choice.
But, in the end it is your pool and your choice.
If you are determined to do this (and no offense but I don't trust your interpretation that it is the only option, normal soil rarely is impossible to filter out of a pool) then use the pool brand. You don't know how pure the alum is in the garden section. Besides that, the fairly modest price of floc should not be that big of an issue for a 1-time application.
Before you do anything, you have a means to vacuum to waste, right? If not then you can't do this, period. Finally, have you tried just turning off your pump for a day? You might just find that this is plenty to allow dirt to settle to the bottom.
Before you do anything, you have a means to vacuum to waste, right? If not then you can't do this, period. Finally, have you tried just turning off your pump for a day? You might just find that this is plenty to allow dirt to settle to the bottom.
This is the cheapest Alum I found that I had used experimentally for a po4 and iron removal proceedure. It worked fine. It is tech grade, not food grade. You must be able to vacuum to waste to use this product or any of its kin. You must be able to set your system on circulate bypassing the filter. And you will need to do several patient passes to get it all out...over a few days.
This particular mfg recommends raising the ph, likely to offset the way it will drop the ph. I however found it forms better without adjusting ph upward. Water temperature may affect the formation of floc...eg cold water may slow down formation. It will work best abve 70 degrees F. But you must not run your heater during treatment.
If you are comfortable with all the caveats, plus the knowledge that sometimes for reasons unknown floc fails to sink, here's the link. Your dosage estimate is IMHO low. 2-8 lb per 10000 gal is the application rate, dependent on volume of solids to remove.
https://www.amazon.com/Alum-Clean-Swimming-Pools-Gardens/dp/B01H7TOMG4/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1523387643&sr=8-35&keywords=Alum
This particular mfg recommends raising the ph, likely to offset the way it will drop the ph. I however found it forms better without adjusting ph upward. Water temperature may affect the formation of floc...eg cold water may slow down formation. It will work best abve 70 degrees F. But you must not run your heater during treatment.
If you are comfortable with all the caveats, plus the knowledge that sometimes for reasons unknown floc fails to sink, here's the link. Your dosage estimate is IMHO low. 2-8 lb per 10000 gal is the application rate, dependent on volume of solids to remove.
https://www.amazon.com/Alum-Clean-Swimming-Pools-Gardens/dp/B01H7TOMG4/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1523387643&sr=8-35&keywords=Alum