high chlorine levels

[sharkhunter]

Hi all, i have an above ground pool and sand filter. I had the pool open over winter but not pumping, with water below return valve level.This year i have chocked/shocked the pool with choc pastilles, quite a lot actually [:$]

Problem i have now is that the PH levels are bob on, is that strange?,but the chlorine levels are way up.It is also milky but getting clearer.  The measuring scale i have is one that you drop tiny tablets into it after filling with water, one red and one white.

My question is will the chlorine levels drop naturally or shall i have to do something else ?

[Poolguy]

What are the chlorine levels then?

Yes they will come down given time, depending on your level of Stabiliser

Andrew

[sharkhunter]

Thanks for your reply, on the scale that is on the testing kit it starts at 0.5 and goes up to 5.0, with 5.0 being pink at the top of the scale. My readings are top of the pink scale.

I looked at the pool this morning and its clearer but not sparkling and PH is still about 7.2 to 7.4.

Hope this helps, Hugh.

[Poolguy]

OK thats fine you have Choc levels of chlorine, so don't swim untill it gets down to below 3ppm

If your water is not 'sparkling' may be there is something else you can do

What sort of filtration do you have ?

Andrew

[sharkhunter]

Hi Andrew, i have a bog standard sand filter, skimmer to pump housing, via plastic strainer encased in pump housing, impeller to sand filter and return to pool. The pipes are all 38 mm corrugated plastic, not solid type and i have recently fitted a new pump.

On that note another thing i may throw into the mix if you don't mind, when i hoover the bottom through the skimmer/hose attachment the impeller seems to suck more water from filter basket than the skimmer hose can supply, i worry that the motor will overheat.

 At the moment the most important thing is the water quality so your assistance in this area is most welcome, the pump problem can be resolved later, again thanks for your help in this mater, Hugh.

[Poolguy]

Yes its fairly standard pump filter set, usually quite feeble giving 6 hour water change or more.

If you want to improve your water quality then there are a few things that you can do. As you have just bought a new pump then I suppose the suggestion to get a bigger system will not be agreeable.

However if you change or stick with the system you have then its sure that you need the best filtration you can get and so change the sand for Zeolite and its be a big help to get your water clearer.

Just a note that unless you have 3 hour water change  you will alway be consuming chlorine at a high rate to keep the water sterilised.

If you want information sheets discussing this then send me your details by PM

 

Andrew

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="sharkhunter"]Hi Andrew, i have a bog standard sand filter, skimmer to pump housing, via plastic strainer encased in pump housing, impeller to sand filter and return to pool. The pipes are all 38 mm corrugated plastic, not solid type and i have recently fitted a new pump.
On that note another thing i may throw into the mix if you don't mind, when i hoover the bottom through the skimmer/hose attachment the impeller seems to suck more water from filter basket than the skimmer hose can supply, i worry that the motor will overheat.
 At the moment the most important thing is the water quality so your assistance in this area is most welcome, the pump problem can be resolved later, again thanks for your help in this mater, Hugh.
[/quote]

How do you know that it's trying to suck more than the hose can supply SH? Does the note of the pump rise?

I have Zeolite in our filter and can say that it works so much better than sand and I would recomend it to anyone with a 'sand' filter!

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="sharkhunter"]Hi Andrew, i have a bog standard sand filter, skimmer to pump housing, via plastic strainer encased in pump housing, impeller to sand filter and return to pool. The pipes are all 38 mm corrugated plastic, not solid type and i have recently fitted a new pump.
On that note another thing i may throw into the mix if you don't mind, when i hoover the bottom through the skimmer/hose attachment the impeller seems to suck more water from filter basket than the skimmer hose can supply, i worry that the motor will overheat.
 At the moment the most important thing is the water quality so your assistance in this area is most welcome, the pump problem can be resolved later, again thanks for your help in this mater, Hugh.
[/quote]

How do you know that it's trying to suck more than the hose can supply SH? Does the note of the pump rise? If that is the case then the pump is actually running faster because it is doing less work. It is the same as putting your hand over the end of your vac hose. The motor is trying to suck, but there is nowt to suck and it has less work to do and runs faster. As long as it isn't running slower and struggling then it should be fine.

I have Zeolite in our filter and can say that it works so much better than sand and I would recomend it to anyone with a 'sand' filter!

[sharkhunter]

Hi JJ, i can see into the filter housing, which is the first visible entry point after the water leaves the skimmer. I have perhaps misled you by saying that the water is sucked out quicker than can be supplied because i believe that the impeller pumps in as much as it sucks therefore it will pump away as much water as it is designed to do eg ; 200 litres per hour. These are not definate figures, just examples, but by default if the hose from the skimmer cannot supply the impeller with enough water, eg 200 LPH then the water level in the basket will drop  lower than it should be.

In essence, i place the hose/hoover attachment into the skimmer, release the plastic cover on the basket housing to prime the hose/pump and start to hoover, occasionally priming once or twice more to ensure all the pipes are full of water and no air trapped. It is at this point that i can see into the basket housing and visibly watch as the water is sucked/pumped out by the impeller and that insufficient water comes into the basket housing via the hose from the skimmer.

PS the pump i replaced worked perfectly well using the same system as above.

Hugh.