Another First Timer

[mak2]

I am attempting to open my inground pool for the first time. i have gotten the cover off and of course spilled tons of leaves into pool, turning pool from clear to muddy a few days ago. After 6 gallons of chlorine and lots and lots of skimming leaves off with a net the pool was pretty clear and the filter was running. Yesterday evening the filters were full a couple of times, once so full the flow stopped. I dumped that basket out and went to dinner. Today i got home from work and the water was not moving. the pump motor was running but nothing else was happening. I checked the basket and it was clear, so the filter had not ran much since I empted yesterday evening before I went out. I removed teh basket and beneth it are two openings. One was completely full of sand and gravel. Not sand like in the filter but sand like in the creek. The line is filled completely with it. HELP? i gotta go for a little while but I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

upon further investigation I found the gravel was not in a pipe, I removed a plug that went to no pipe, it jsut opened under the pool, I replaced that plug. I back flushed the filter and emptied both baskets. now filter seems to be working.

why would there be only one of the two opening plumed in. Is a balance pipe not needed.

Sorry about posting twice, I did not realize.

[wiz722]

I have a pool, too, and I also work at Leslie's Pool Supplies, and can probably help.

The most important thing I need to know is what kind of filter you have. While this may sound strange in this situation, I want to make sure that if you have a D.E. filter that you added fresh D.E. to it after backwashing.

A sand filter is very spherical, but not a perfect sphere. A D.E. filter is more or less cylindrical, with a slightly rounded top.

If it is indeed a D.E. filter, and D.E. was not replaced, the grids inside can be ruined, since the grids are made to hold D.E., not filter the water on their own. The D.E. is actually what filters the water, not the grids themselves.

Also, the second port in your skimmer is not always used. Usually, it is connected to the main drain on the bottom of the pool, and pulls about 20% of the water through the main drain and the rest through the skimmer basket. My pool also has the second port plugged, and the main drain is connected directly to the pump suction line. In this scenario, the main drain can usually be turned off with a valve, as well as the skimmers.

Also, cloudy water is caused by small particles floating in the water that are removed by your filter, either on its own or with the help of some clarifier, which clump small particles together to make bigger clumps that the filter has an easier time trapping. If your water was very cloudy, it is possible that it clogging up faster than normally would on a pool with not so many contaminates in it. It may just need to backwashed again, but be sure to add D.E. if it needs it (see what kind of filter you have).

If you have any other questions, just let me know.