Recent content by mikech

It looks like I have the wrong Phenol Red. Tftestkits are sorting it. My bad for not checking the label sooner. And it was my error when placing the order. Mike

I added 2 drops and it went almost clear, 3 and completely clear. I can only get a matching color if I add 8 or 9 drops of R-0014 Phenol Red on a normal test. Doing this, I get about 7.8, so as a test I added enough acid to bring it down to 7.2, which should be an obvious color change. Adding 5...

The pH Plus (Suncoast brand) was about 2 years old but always kept in the dark, and it is probably just Borax anyway. The Phenol Red was brand new from TFTestkits - - - Updated - - - I'll try that tonight - thanks

I'm getting a 'light', looks diluted colored purple on the pH test for almost 2 weeks now, making it difficult to read. If I add a few more drops it does shift to reddish, but this must be a false read. I know high FC can cause this, but that's not the case. I rarely have an FC above 7, and I...

Haven't posted for a while, 2 years of owning the house and using TFP with no algae or balance issues. TS Hermine filled the pool, and after draining a couple of times, I let it overflow into the French drains as the yard is totally saturated. I noticed I started losing water when the rain...

Haven't posted for a while, but here's a couple of pics of my Sunday smoking and grilling extravaganza. Smoked beer can chicken, smoked jacket potatoes, grilled veg.

Nope. I see the cornerstone of TFP as knowing what you are doing to your pool, and knowing your pool. Many on here do not test daily, including me, as we know our pools and how they react and behave to chemical need/addition. I test once every 2 to 3 days in summer, once a week in the relatively...

The beauty and variety of diatoms in their natural state was one of the reasons I got interested enough to take Microbiology as a degree. Their cell walls are made of silicon dioxide, very resistant to breakdown and perfect for fossilization. Pool DE is probably harvested from deposits that have...

Nothing to do with the pool, but I noticed on the plans there is an area of lanai that will be re-painted to match the new screen. I don't know if it's already been painted, but be careful on how this is done as it may not last with the FL sunshine & humidity. The previous owner of our house had...

Ditto to what Richard says. Pressure slowly climbs from clean to backwash pressure then boom! I think the cellulose starts degrading and really clumps up. I do a full clean on the filter each time. Unfortunately for me it's every 6-8 weeks. What brand cellulose do you use? I have a screened...

I have 2 returns and no eyeballs. Everything seems to be good with circulation luckily, as it looks like when the pool was re-plastered (don't know when exactly), the plaster went a little into the returns and they didn't bother to clean it out. So no eyeballs for me as I'm not going to attempt...