pool dust solved, A thanks will do!

[law1120]

I've been fighting this problem since last season. I'm definately going to try this.

[Debbiebe]

O.K. here we go... I read somewhere a sand filter should be 3/4 full. ours requires 200 lb,which is not quite 1/2 full. Last night we added another 50 lb for a total of 250. I was also not aware that every time you open your large filter and small filter you have to lube your O rings. (lubing the O rings seals it better), we took the sock off and let it go full force last night, , Today there is less dirt on bottom and the flow in to the pool is like the first year we had it, strong flow. My neighbor took his filter apart and laterals were O>K> so we did not go through all that, I'm going to put the sock back on and be happy, for now.
For the person whose pipe does not extend out enough to hook a sock on it ,A House hold vacum extension bar may fit it perfect or a plumming pipe cut a few inches long, . I used some womens white socks that i did not like for me . theyre just tightly woven.
I talked to Recreation Warehouse and Leslies Last night, Had blank look on all their faces??? This is too common a problem. I was told to add some DE also everytime I back wash and that might help, but I should not have to do this, I also think a crack in the laterals might be some thing to it but right now I wan to float in my pool and relax and worry about it later. Deb

[Debbiebe]

Posted on: Wed 06 Jun, 2007 07:57 Subject:
O.k> i could not leave it alone, big storm last night I got in and Cleaned the pool this morning , I decided to leave the sock off all day, It seems adding more sand to the filter has solved my problem of pool dust there is none after 12 hours running the filter on high, as for my previous post. the sand filter I have calls for 200 lbs of sand which is not quite half full, we added another 50 lbs and the problem is gone, 3 years of searching for answers, yeaaaa!, try it you have nothing to loose...good luck

[Katobow]

Yes, the sock totally works. One of mine finally broke so, low and behold, the dust returned. I'm going to try the extra sand, since it's not so expensive, and a little DE as suggested and see what happens. You wouldn't believe all the stuff these socks are catching. I've been dealing with this same problem and tearing my hair out for the last 3 years. I guess sand filters are only good for 3 years. And yes, I was also told this was yellow algea but treating it never helped; not a bit.

[Debbiebe]

My sand filter is 5 years old and running like a charm now that I added more sand, I have not added any DE. I reached in to the filter and before adding sand it was less than 1/2 full, it is now about 2/3 full and I swear no pool dust at all for 7 days, no more socks..... I threw them away..keeping my fingers crossed for you... :P

[Tom E]

Pool Dust.
I hook up a water fountain to my return, that ended my pool dust.
I pick up the fountain at a local pool dealer for around $ 50.00.
I had a sand filter and I am using a DE filter now. I was still getting the poolbrown dust with the DE filter without the fountain hook up.
I am going to try the sock method. this has been going on for 3 years.
I will write back the results.
Tom E

[kstacey]

I FEEL YOUR FRUSTRATION WITH "POOL DUST" OURS STARTED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO - THE 1ST YEAR WASN'T TO BAD, LAST YEAR IT GOT A LITTLE WORST - WE THOUGHT I WAS OUR EARTH FILTER KICKING BACK EARTH...EVEN HAD SOMEONE COME OUT AND LOOK AT THE "POOL DUST" HMM...DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, CHEMICALS PERFECT...WATER CRYSTAL CLEAR!!! MUST BE THE FILTER. HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS OVER THE WINTER (SEPERATE PROBLEM-MAIN DRAIN CRACKED AND ALMOST ALL THE WATER LEAKED OUT...FIXED CRACKED PIPE AND PER POOL SUPPLE CO. FILLED POOL UP..."DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOW GREEN IT IS...NO NEED TO DRAIN...JUST SPEND HUNDREDS OF $$$$'S TO GET IT CLEAR. ANY WAY POOL IS NOW CLEAR - PERFECT CHEMICALS AS I STATED BUT GUESS WHAT...POOL DUST AS YOU CALL IT IS BACK - EVEN WITH THE NEW FILTER, IN FACT IT SEEMS WORST. TRIED SOCK...AFTER A FEW DAYS RETURN WATER PRESSUER IS SO GREAT IT BLOWS A HOLE IN THE SOCK. WE HAVE TRIED VACCUMING SLOWLY, USED AN AUTOMATIC VAC. WHILPOOL AND TURN MAIN DRAIN ON. LOOKS GREAT FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR THEN WHEN WATER SETTLES..."BROWN DUST"!!!!! I AM GOING CRAZY!!!! THINKING OF JUST DRAINING THE POOL NEXT SEASON AND JUST STARTING OVER???? OFFERED TO PAY POOL SUPPLY STORE TO COME OUT AND LOOK AT PROBLEM...NO ONE MAKES HOUSE CALLS. DO I SOUND FRUSTRATED??? THAT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A SMALL WORD FOR THE CRAZY PERSON THIS POOL IS TURNING ME INTO!!! SOMEONE H E L P!!!!!!

[pk4217]

"BROWN DUST"? are you guys using zeolite in brown color? I replaced zeolite(in green) for few customers since last year, all worked great and none of them had this problem.

according to my supplier, if you're replacing silica sand with zeolite, don't replace all the silica sand, left about 1/3 of the old silica sand in the bottom of the filter to cover the laterals and preventing the smaller zeolite entering the pool through the laterals. or you might get new set of laterals that is fine enough to support zeolite. same goes with new filter if it's not design for zeolite.

sand filter should only be filled to about 3/4 full, leaving space on top of it for trapped particles and backwash purpose. and after every few years(depends on how frequent you need to backwash it), you'll lost some filter media(sand or zeolite) due to backwashing, so you'll need to fill it up to about 3/4 full. I had just helped a new customer who had about 1/3 of the sand left in the filter after just 4 years, and it turned out he had a bigger pump for the filter, and every backwashing will push a lot of sand out of the filter.

after filling in the zeolite, you need to backwash and rinse it few times to remove the dust before setting to filter.

[Guest]

I noticed that when I get those lovely piles of brownish powdery substance all around my pool what I have to do is fill the pool very high and while still filling it vacuum to waste, this will get alot of the stuff out without having to go thru the filter. When you are done, you will see a difference but because you will be shaking things up in the pool, after things settle again, you might have to do this one or 2 more times.

[markswz1]

Lol !! ??I tried Condom ..it works fine ...

[Zyriak]

A solution to this problem can be to try vacuming on rinse
then you suck up the fine-dust and pumps it right out of the pool

Just a suggestion

[bear1962]

How do you get rid of the dust if you use a DE filter??

[bobbob]

Using a sock is the best method I have found too. I used to place a kitchen sponge inside the vacum bag, so the sponge sat over the water inlet. This would scoop up most of the dust but there would be a load that remained.

When I use the sock I fold it over the vacum water inlet so the toe and heel provide two layers of filtration. The water pressure from my hose is sufficient to keep the dust inside the sock, but not enough to push the sock off the vacum. All that needs done when finished is popping your sock in the wash, just remember to tell the wife why one white tube sock is in the wash!

[GregoryG]

I have a 33' round above ground pool (3 years old). Had no trouble with the brown dust until this year. I was also told by the pool store I needed extra chemicals, pump repair, etc. I backwash weekly and ensure all the chemical levels are good. Still was getting the algae at the bottom of the pool. When I vacuumed the pool I was using the filer setting on the pump. Extremely stupid. After reading the manual for the pump, I began vacuuming the pool using the "Waste" valve on the pump. After the first vacuum, a much smaller amount accumulated in about 3 days. After vacuuming again, using the "Waste" valve, the algae disappeared AND HAS NOT RETURNED (3 weeks now). I hope someone out there will learn from my stupidity.....

[tucsonJ]

Hi.
I have seen some dust on the bottom of my pool too. There is a frog system on my pool. It is all enclosed and I wonder where I must install the additional filter and socks?

TucsonJ