New owners of an old pool

[AguiarHouse]

Hi! I just found this forum and it looks so helpful! We are trying to figure out this pool ourselves but we might hire a service if needed. We just bought the house last month so please bare with my lack of knowledge about the pool, or about pools in general.

Here's what I do know:
- Location: Walnut Creek, CA (about an hour east of San Francisco) mild weather year around, average temp 55-90F
- In-ground plaster, full sun most of the day until late afternoon then shaded
- Roughly 18,000 gallons (if my calculations are correct)
- Solar heater only
- Pool inspection done last month: Inspector said everything was fine and we had approximately 6-8 years left before we need to re-plaster.
- Pump: Pentair SuperFlo. Older but working, pool inspector said to use it until it dies.
- Filter: Cartridge, PurexTriton Clean & Clear

Last test results from Leslie Pool Supply (2 weeks ago):
- FC: 1
- TC: 1
- CH: 200
- CYA: 105 (I know this is really high. Emptying the pool isn't really an option due to California drought. Should we use BioActive?)
- Total Alk: 100
- pH: 8.2 (added 1 qt of Muriatic Acid after this test)
- Acid Demand: 3
- Copper/Iron: 0
- Total Dissolved Solids: 700
- Phosphates: Not tested this time. High last time so we cleaned the filter.


Some yellow/green algae has appeared a few weeks ago around the step edges, we brushed it off, cleaned the filter and shocked it. I just noticed it again so I shocked it again today (i.e. dumped one package of Clorox Shock Plus in the deep end). We won't be using the pool anymore until next summer.

Any tips on chemicals or equipment needed?? Or should we just hire a pool guy?? Thanks so much!

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Skip the bioactive, we've had lots of people try it and very few with any luck. Your CYA will drop 2-5ppm per month.

Skip the pool guy. TFP pools are better and cheaper. By a LOT!

This is how we kill algae, SLAM Process

Do some reading in Pool School
Here, ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
And here, Pool School - Getting Started

You'll need a good test kit. I use the TF-100 from TFTestkits.net. It is the best value, here's why, Pool School - Test Kits Compared

 

[MarianParoo]

Welcome! Congrats on the new home and POOL!

 

[Rollercoastr]

Welcome! If you're willing to stick around here, I'm sure you can maintain that pool without the "help" of a pool guy or a pool store.

Make note as you read the ABC articles that the recommendation for CH in a plaster pool is 250-350. It took me a while to believe that pool store testing is as inaccurate as my new TFP friends say it is. CH is where my local store really steered me wrong. I highly recommend getting a test kit as PoolDV mentioned. Determining the actual CH and taking corrective action as necessary will extend the life of your plaster.

 

[triptyx]

You're in good hands already.

Step 1 - STOP using solid chlorine products. Since you can't drain the pool, you are entirely at the mercy of what goes into it. Hard Water (CH) and Cyanuric Acid (CYA) will build up over time. As mentioned, CYA will "burn off" very, very slowly, and also drop a little when it rains and you have to remove some water, and when you're in the pool splashing around and have to add more water to it. The calcium (CH) will only ever go up. This means it is crucial that you are not adding any additional CYA or Calcium to your pool. Solid chlorine products, like the shock you're using, WILL add one or the other.
Step 2 - Get a bunch of plain, unscented, concentrated bleach. Use that to chlorinate from now on. You'll have to add it daily during the summer, and maybe every few days during the winter. Liquid Chlorine, like bleach, only adds a little salt, and you have a lot of room to build up the salt levels.
Step 3 - Get a recommended testing kit from TFTestKits.net (a TF-100 or K-2006C). The pool store usually doesn't know what it's doing when they're testing, and you need good, reliable, solid numbers. They'll also try to sell you all kinds of things you don't need - some of which might cause you massive problems (like copper buildup).
Step 4 - SLAM. You're going to need to go through the Shock, Level, and Maintain process using bleach and your new test kit. That's the only way you're going to get rid of this algae, and once its gone, simple maintenance with bleach and a little muriatic acid from time to time will keep it away.

A pool service will very likely use solid chlorine products, and since you can't drain, you're going to be in a world of hurt in short order if you're not careful.

This all sounds complicated, but it really isn't, and we can help you have your pool sparkling and awesome in no time. Just stick around and ask all the questions you need to.

In the mean time, with a suspected CYA of 105, you're going to want to grab some bleach, and raise your FC Level to around 12-14ppm. Do not let it drop below 8ppm or you're encouraging algae to grow. The 12-14ppm certainly won't remove the algae you have (you need to SLAM for that), but at least you can greatly slow it down and keep it from spreading. As you might guess, you'll need a good testing kit with a FAS-DPD test in it to even test for chlorine at those levels.

 

[xyz]

There are Reverse Osmosis services. ~600 bucks; but your water will have essentially zero anything in it. OR, you can ask them to do half the job, charge you less and knock everything down by 50%. There is some water loss in this process.