POOL FLOCCING PROBLEM
7/7/13 SundayIt started with having fine orange dust in the pool, July 3rd. which is clay orange fine dirt from living in
Lititz. Could not get it out. Don’t have a picture of the original nice clear water with just the dust lines
you could see on the bottom at first. For some reason could not get that fine dust to vac out.
This is what that dust looked like distributed all thru the water after vaccuuming,
the yellow tint is in the water thoroughly mixed and seems to just be recirculating back in and
settles again later on the bottom.
7/7/13 2:55 pm
Sunday, 7/7/13
I went to Anthony & Sylvan about it and the counter person said to try Floccing.
I never heard of that. He said it clumps the fine dirt so it can get vaccuumed. Cool I thought.
Per my pool, it takes one full bottle. Plus I bought some other white powder that is Sand helper
just in case it was too fine. I should not need that as the sand is all new last summer.
One bottle Floc went in and 1.5 cups sand helper were both put in that day.
Directions on the sand helper are minimal and surely not enough.
Syl Floc directions say to broadcast the product over the whole pool surface. Which I did.
Then run the product an hour to distribute it thru the filter, (mine ran 2.5 hrs)
Then shut the pool off for a day. This allows the gathered clumps to settle to the bottom
so you can then vaccuum it. Sounds simple.
7/8/13 11:26am Monday
Next day I woke up to a still pool with this mess:
CLUMPS DID NOT SETTLE to bottom, They are floating in SWAMPS different
heights from some on the bottom, all over different midheights, and on the top like
lily pad blotches.
Flipping out now, I have never in years of having the pool seen anything like it. Never ever.
I'm losing my mind and my back now vaccuming twice a day before this issue, but now how
is this going to get out? WHEN YOU MAKE ANY WAVE even NEAR IT,
IT BREAKS INTO A MILLION LITTLE OILY BALLS....LIKE MERCURY.
Scatters EVERYWHERE, and cannot get near it.
I call A&S and get a girl who tell me the bottle directions, (WHICH I ALREADY READ)
and reads it to me.....
"In rare cases, it may not settle to the bottom and use a hose to 'push' these blotches
toward the skimmers." I tell her, just putting your finger in the water or making a wave scatters it."
I said, I don't know WHAT this chemical is, but I want it OUT.
There is NO 800 number for the chemical maker on the bottle, which is outright disturbing.
There is NO chemical makeup list for the product either. I have NO idea what I just put into
my pool, but YOU sold it to me, and I want it out ASAP.
MIDDLE OF A HUGE HEATWAVE, cannot use the pool.
I ask her what happens if it can't get out?
She says 'worst case, you'd have to get rid of that water and replace it.".
OMG, NOW that is not coming out of MY pocket. I am flipping.
I start taking pictures and photo and video recording this entire process now at this point.
7/8/13 2:32pm This picture is a few hours later after vaccuuming. Got some of it,
but the rest is still a LOT and dispersing back into the water not filtering.
Since SOME of it came out and the needle went up only the first time, I assume it was the
sand helper. However, it never helps again after that first backwash.
7/9/13 Tuesday
Now I can't figure it out and why it doesn't all filter. I call my pool service, who replaced all
my sand and filter to brand new last mid summer and opened the pool this year and all was
fine till the dust came in. They squeezed in an emergency service to come open the filter up
and check it, then they vaccuumed some with thier vac, then the rest with mine. He said
all we can do is keep filtering it till hopefully it all comes out. They never suggest flocking.
OR if they would it would go in the skimmer w jets to the bottom and never broadcast it,
they think that is why the clumps were all over. Just their opinion.
Costs me a $150 service fee, the extra on this slip is for an O ring I ordered a month before
for something else.
So I do what he says, and let it filter a day, and I vaccuum, same repetitive thing happens and it is
not leaving, and the needle pressure does not go up, and I am backwashing and refilling for no reason.
7/11/13 2.43 pm. Thursday
I take these pictures. I left it sit after yesterday to see what has filtered.
DISAPPOINTED AGAIN. Now we've all vacced, backwashed and filled countlessly.
I sent an email to anthony and sylvan so everyone including Jonas could see what is going on still from the beginning to the end. They call me and said even the chemist was STUNNED at that horrible blotchy
mess picture. I do not believe that as the bottle says....on 'rare' occasions, it doesn't all settle.
They ask me to bring a water sample down, which I do. Plus I am now taking videos that show
that the slightest movement of the water will SPREAD and BREAK UP all clumps to oblivion that float
all over. I take a bottle sample down, Plus we slowly placed a drinking cup in and quickly tried to snatch
a blob of the clumps. Of course it spread thru a gross mixed mess you can't see through.
When I showed Alex Blake the cup, I was clearly upset, and believe me, I like this man.....
but I handed him the cup and asked him if he would drink that.
Because I WOULD NOT allow this to be ON, or INSIDE my kids eyes, ears or mouths.
NO one on earth would swim with this product. No one has yet to give me an answer on what
the chemical makeup of this product is................even to this day.
I JUST WANT IT OUT. AS MY EMAIL TO THEM STATED.
The answer was they do not know how to get it out. We all have to wait for the chemist.
who if they dont get back tomorrow we'll have to wait over the weekend cause they are off.
7/12/13 11;21am Friday
I am now going to let it completely settle now. I went out and took these pictures.
Not hearing anything and about to lose the weekend on top now again in this over 100 heat index,
I called MY OWN WATER expert. He is on vacation till Monday. AArrrgh!!
7/13/13 11.51 am Saturday
I can't take it anymore. Now thinking it can just sit to get this thick...
why won't it filter out???? I can't take it.
LEFT IT SIT 2 DAYS thinking this gunk will come up!!
It is making me nothing but upset to have this problem!!!
Also videoing all of it to show how it runs from you.
SATURDAYs videos
Looking at this makes me ill, I had it and put my suit on and walked SLOWLY for an HOUR
using the GARDEN HOSE to make downward waves thinking if I could get at least half of it down at the bottom drain........maybe I can QUICK SUCK THE HECK OUT OF IT FAST WITH THE VAC.
I got HALF of it down to the end when it seemed like I just about had it, I turned and alot looked gone to the end, but when I got out I saw that a light coating still settled all behind me.
UUUUGGGHH!! But I got alot of it to the drain and turned it off to drop.
Then vacced again. Threw another cup of the Sand helper in, which I think helped,
however, due to the instructions on the bottle, I am afraid to put too much in and blow up my filter.
???????
7/14/13 Sunday
The plan is to just let it run. At least I don't have to see that gunk that made me ill.
I am going to just let the filter keep on RUNNING. It's cloudy but better to look at than gunk.
7/15/13 Monday
A&S called at 4pm and said they just wanted to follow up to make the call that the lab
did not contact them yet.
I just could not deal and vacced and LET IT RUN OVER A DAY, which
COMPLETELY EVENLY dispersed it ..hoping something would filter.
MONDAYS videos
Tues video
7/17/13 Wednesday
Wed Morning video
which is the sand helper I have.
I told them I already talked to my water guy who said the same thing. This product is OILY!!!
and non strainable with the sand filter. He told me to use DE in coffee can fulls...basically
turning the filter into a DE filter and it should get it and it will backwash. I only used one full
can of it, but now it is much much better and I will keep adding as I need till nothing is left.
So following HIS directions without A&S or JONAS or my pool service who never uses floc
........the problem got solved. There is still residue but over a weeks time all of it should be out.
THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BY THE PRODUCT MAKER !!
AND WRITTEN ON THIS BOTTLE!!!
So should the correct amount!! which I see online complaints about this in forums that they
suggest such a small amount it doesn't fix a problem. And complaints that clarifiers are not
helping at all after serious doses.
JONAS makes a product with NO chemical information on the bottle, NO 800 number,
and hearing that thier own chemist flipped out seeing my picture is NOT professional at all.
Who claims to be chemical professionals making things to add to your pool without the knowledge
of how to completely remove it as well ???
For a small problem like dirt dust to turn into this was rediculous.
I do not want another product from Jonas. I can't find anyone else who's ever used or suggested Floc.
