Water flo from Jacuzzi 2 pool is slowing & cloudy water?

[Dead Pool]

I have some of the same issues & need advice badly??????????/

I bought this home 2 years ago. The pool is about 12 years old & I am beginning to hate it.

Equipment: 25k gallons. Pump: Purex Triton (whisper flo) model# WFE-8, filter Purex Model # SMBW2060

Problem: The water goes through the Jacuzzi & into the pool. For the last few months the water had algae (gone now) then got cloudy. The pool pressure rises & the flow from the Jacuzzi slows to a drip. I back wash it & it gets better for a day. I cleaned the filter, back washed more, problem solved for 2 or 3 days. Yesterday, I back washed from the pipe opening next to the filter & then ran a hose through it to see if anything was clogged & the pressure got much better (15). Now we are back to 22 today & the flow is slowing a bit which means I will have a drip flow out of the Jacuzzi again in two days or so. I do not have a lot of money to spend & ready to drain the freaking thing. Is there cheap way to take care of this before I drain it & turn it into a skateboard bowl? I am really frustrated right now.

[Denali]

Hi,

Have you taken the filter apart to examine the grids inside? Sounds like it needs to be taken apart and cleaned. If you have done that then the grids themselves may need a mild acid bath to clean them.

If the pool is cloudy then the filter may plug up quickly as it filters out the dead algae etc. My guess though would be that the grids are old and in need of a thorough cleaning that backwashing doesn't give them.

Hope that helps.

[Dead Pool]

Actually, the pool is getting much clearer today, but the pressure is now up to 27! Yes, I have taken it apart & cleaned. There is a small hole that needs to be stitched up which I will do. Mild acid bath? How much acid vs. water mixture or just acid? Do I pull the grids out, pour water & acid mixture on them, and then hose down? Or water & acid mixture wipe &/or brush?

Sorry for my ignorance; but I am new to all of this, and I do not want to destroy anything.

[Denali]

Actually, the pool is getting much clearer today, but the pressure is now up to 27! Yes, I have taken it apart & cleaned. There is a small hole that needs to be stitched up which I will do. Mild acid bath? How much acid vs. water mixture or just acid? Do I pull the grids out, pour water & acid mixture on them, and then hose down? Or water & acid mixture wipe &/or brush?

Sorry for my ignorance; but I am new to all of this, and I do not want to destroy anything.

A mild way to clean the grids is using TSP and warm water. You soak the grids in it perhaps using a trash can as your container. You mention a hole in one grid so the TSP might be the way to go. Any holes in the grids will allow DE and dirt back in the pool. As grids get old you'll see more and more holes.

The pressure going up is normal as the filter cleans the water. It is when it happens with a pretty clean pool that you start thinking more aggressive cleaning.

With the acid bath, you can use a trash can to hold them and use about a 10% solution (10 parts water, 1 part muriatic acid). Always add the acid to the water, not the other way around.

When the filter is perfectly clean, note the pressure on the gauge. As the filter gets dirty the pressure goes up. When it goes about 10psi above the clean pressure, it's time to clean. As I said, if the pool is still being cleaned, the filter will plug up as it cleans the water.

Older grids plug up quicker than newer ones because of calcium buildup. That is what the TSP or acid bath is trying to remove.

If you don't mind backwashing every day for awhile, do that. Get the pool perfectly clean and then take apart the filter and thoroughly clean. Then check to see how long the pressure stays constant before moving up. Summer time you might expect 4 weeks before BW is needed again. Your mileage may vary.

Hope I didn't confuse you with all this. Take care of that hole and look for any others that might be starting.