Recirculate or filter

[brucelieb]

When opening my pool..I read the sticky but I am unclear about the sequence that I should use with the filter. When to to recirculate switched to filter?

It is a black vinyl pool, it seemed algae filled and cloudy when I took the cover off.
I have a sand filter and I started by shocking and recirculating the chemicals? But when should I turn it to filter the cloudiness?. It is eating chorine... I added water brushed and shocked...then I added clarifier recirculated and then vaced
. it is in day 3...It is cloudy now so I re-shocked last night ran on FILTER. The chorine level is up still . Yeah it is good this morn but it is still cloudy. How am I doing?

[Me...]

Recirculate is really a troubleshooting position more than anything. If your circulation appears to be dropping off you put the dial valve into the recirculate position and if the circulation improves you know your filter media is the culprit. And remember to always turn off the pump when switching the dial valve. As for opening a pool, it is not uncommon to spend a good week getting the water nice.

[brucelieb]

Thanks Me...... so I should be running on filter the whole time until it is sparkling clean? Can a filter run 24 hours 7 days a week or should it be turned off for a rest/cool down? I'm not saying it is hot but I'm new at this.

[Me...]

You should run your pump/filter as long as it takes to keep the pool clean. Some pools have great circulation combined with low use, therefore run times can be quite short. Other pools have lousy circ systems and huge bather loads and even 24/7 filtration has trouble keeping up. Don't worry, most good pool equipment is made for 24/7 use. When I quote a new motor I sometimes get informed about the much cheaper motors down the road. Remember a Pool Pump runs 24/7 under full load. A bench grinder motor runs a few minutes occasionally and half that time is spent free wheeling, not the same at all.

AND

Chemistry is a major part. Get a good test kit that does Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer). Use it every day until you understand whats going on. Believe me, it will pay off. You might use a ton of test reagents but in 2-3 weeks you should be testing way less. You will probably find you test calcium once or twice a month, alkalinity once or twice a week, stabilizer once a month but chlorine and pH are pretty much ongoing. Depends a lot on your system, your use and your fill water.

[brucelieb]

wow, thanks again.... is there a testing kit you all recommend? and should I be afraid of messing with the stabilizer. I am using a paper strip that says the stabilizer is low - cmv? ( I am not at home so it is a memory issue)

[Me...]

Taylor, LaMotte are good but on the expensive side. Rainbow makes some that also work. Its all in the use. Use it regularly and properly. Keep the reagents and test vial(s) clean and uncontaminated. Keep the chemicals sealed. Having a super high end accurate kit you only use once a month wont do any good. Using a cheap one all the time will net much better results. Not sure why you would be worried about the stabilizer. If its an outdoor pool you need to keep about 30ppm in the water. Your chemical supplier/pail should instruct you on use and dose.

[brucelieb]

I have been using an Aquacheck strip tester...so far at least. the bottom chart is stabilizer. My reads low
so I figured that is one reason my pool requires so much cholrine.

[pappt1229]

Hi,
I just got back from the pool store. Trying to get my pool clear. They instructed me to set the valve on recirculate and add flock to the water and run for 2 hours. Do I need to attach a hose to my filter in order to do this? New pool owner. The pool was given to us and we don't have any of the instruction manuals.

[Denali]

Hi,
I just got back from the pool store. Trying to get my pool clear. They instructed me to set the valve on recirculate and add flock to the water and run for 2 hours. Do I need to attach a hose to my filter in order to do this? New pool owner. The pool was given to us and we don't have any of the instruction manuals.

Recirculate is a setting on a multiport valve. Not all filters have them. Do you know the make and model of your filter?

[brucelieb]

hayward filter sand