Bob_1964

Hi folks - I have 2 problems that I am working through post-opening that I was hoping you could help me with. I had a local pool company open our pool last week. It's a 1 year old (installed July 2009) 11k gal. Gibraltar above-ground with a Hayward sand filter. Once the initial murkiness turned to cloudy blue (about 4 hours), we noticed a lot of white sediment on the bottom of the pool floor along with a significant amount of what looks like sand. I asked the company if the white stuff might have been the opening chemicals they used and they replied "no", more likely that it is dead algae. Is that a likely possibility? Also, in researching the sand part, I have learned that a "bad lateral" could be to blame. Is it normal for a lateral to break after only 3 months of use (July 09 - October 09)? The company that opened the pool this year is the same who closed it last October. Could they have damaged a lateral when closing and moving into my garage? Or could there be other reasons for the sand in the pool floor? I have vacuumed (3 times) and we have about 75% of the white stuff up. It brings the filter pressure from 10 to 20 pretty quickly, so it's a work-in-progress. While vacuuming, the return comes out a little white, but there does not seem to be a noticeable return of white debris to the pool floor. I assume its breaking up and circulating through the filter. After running the filter overnight, the gauge went from 10 to 20 by morning. Any advice for a knowledge-less pool boy? Thanks in advance folks. Bob

Hi folks - I was hoping I could get an answer to what I presume to be a problem. I added 4 lbs of CYA per the instruction of my local pool company, but I applied it incorrectly I believe. I guess I was supposed to add it via the skimmer, but instead, I added around the pool mixed with 5 gallons of water. Now I have the chemical granules all over the bottom of my pool, which is a brand new Wilkes \ Gibraltar. (3 weeks old) My question is 1. are we in danger of damaging the pool's liner (floor), 2. how long will it take to dissolve, and 3. how long should I wait to let the kids swim in it? Thank you for the help folks, Bob K. NH