One more time for the Newbie?

[beaumatt]

OK, So I thought I knew what I was doing with my pool for the past 9 years until this year. Everything that could go wrong apparently has. I am chin deep into the deepest emerald green swamp a person could have. I even have an aligator, but he is a wire topiary form jokingly given by a friend.

I am at my wits end regarding this algae. I am not a current BBB person, though after reading the posts here, I will soon become one. I have been to three different pool supply stores looking for assistance, and all they do is try to sell me more stuff. Here is what I know, and I am looking for ANY advice I can get.

I am in a Kansas City suburb and we have had a pretty wet spring (if that makes any difference).
I have a vinyl lined, concrete walled pool
I run my pump 24x7 ( does that matter?)
At last check my chlorine is at 3.5 (high due to the shock treatment the pool place recommended)
My ph is 7.2
Alkalinity 90
CYA 40
Phosphate 100

I have done multiple double and triple shock treatments, I have done the copper 'terminator' treatment, I have swept and swept, I have worried that my testing chemicals are bad, I am at my wits end and do not know who to trust any more.

IF, I ever get the algae under control, what steps do I need to go through to convert to the BBB method?

HELP!
Matt

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

3.5ppm isn't high, it's low. Start reading Pool School, particularly this page http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/defeating_algae

It's really not hard to clear up, you just need to understand what to do.

Do not use any copper products in the pool. They cause endless problems that can't be fixed easily.

There is no need to convert to BBB. Just stop buying the overpriced Crud at the pool stores and educate yourself in Pool School. Knowledge is the key to BBB, not chemicals. An important tool to get all the knowledge you need is a good test kit. Dave sells a good one at TFtestkits.net, but the Taylor K2006 is also a good one as well. BBB is really just knowing what is happening in your water and knowing how to fix it.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Matt,

Welcome to the forum. Reread this quote from JohnT above.....

BBB is really just knowing what is happening in your water and knowing how to fix it.

Matt, it is honestly just that easy. You must understand what is wrong with your water. You have a good head start on that by posting those test results. Next, you need to know what to do about it. You'll be on your way to getting that done if you will do what the folks here tell you.

1. Stop buying stuff from the pool store.

2. Chlorine kills algae. Chlorine kills algae. Chlorine kills algae. You simply have not been using enough of it long enough to do it's job. YOu must bring the chlorine to a higher level than (apparently) you have ever done before......about 20ppm, and then you must hold it up there by constantly testing and adding more chlorine.

3. I have a dog in the fight but you either need to get the kit I sell or the Taylor K-2006. Those are the only two kits on the market that will tell you the info you need to get your pool sparkling. Everyone is anxious to start and get the kit later but I suggest you have the kit in your possession first. It will allow you to post very accurate test results so you can get very accurate advice.

Let us know if you decide to make that comittment and your pool will be crystal clear in a few days. It won't be overnite and you will likely get frustrated and stunned about the amount of chlorine you will use but you will end up with a crystal clear pool. Look thru the other threads here on the forum......you'll see folks in the same current boat as you and they now have sparkling pools.

Sorry to be such a bulldog but here's John's post again....

BBB is really just knowing what is happening in your water and knowing how to fix it.

 

[saml]

Hey Matt,

Last year I joined in on the BBB method after fighting issues for years. I kept "shocking" and my pool just stayed cloudy...couldn't see the bottom. Then I found this site and learned real quick that the required chlorine level is dependent on the CYA level. Because I had been shocking with bags of stabilized shock and using pucks for all those years my CYA was off the chart and I couldn't get enough FC to do any good. After much draining and filling, and draining and filling, and draining... you get the point, I had my CYA in a readable range. Then using the Pool Calculator I shocked to the appropriate level using the "How to shock" in Pool School. However, it is very important to get the test kit before doing this. I have the TF-100 from TF Testkits. My experience has been same day shipping if you get in early enough and if you miss the cutoff it goes out next day for sure. My stuff shows up in about 2-3 days but I'm in TN right next door to NC. With that said get a test kit, read up on how to shock, and buy up enough bleach to be ready to go. You should read up on the various bleach discussions. Apparently some pool stores and other sources have 12% sodium hypochlorite bleach. Best I can find is the regular bleach at 6%. MAKE SURE THE BLEACH YOU GET IS REGULAR BLEACH AND STATES ON THE LABEL ITS 6%. IF THE LABEL DOESN'T SAY THE CONCENTRATION THEN ITS MOST LIKELY 3% OR SOMETHING LOWER. You'll need to know the concentration for the Pool Calculator to tell you how much to use. It even ask what size jugs and will tell you by volume and jugs (real handy). Also bleach looses its chlorine concentration in a relatively short time so it needs to be a fresh supply. (More to read up on while you're waiting on the test kit.) All this (and more) I learned from this site and the helpful members. Oh yea, another phrase they use here...POP (Pool Owner Patience). It too is a necessity.

Good Luck

 

[Butterfly]

Hi Matt,

You have gotten wonderful advice.

I suggest you get a water sample test by another source. Your CYA of 40 is suspect.

Ditto on the 'good test kit'. Best investment we made in our pool.
TF100 by TFTestKits.Net is the best bang for the buck.

Welcome to the forum

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I agree with Joyce.

What were the "shock" treatments they prescribed? Do you know what kind of product it was? There is Dichlor shock, which raises CYA, and there is Cal-Hypo shock, which doesn't.

Welcome to TFP!

 

[beaumatt]

I hate to say that I don't even know what they had me use. I just grabbed what she gave me and did it. That is pretty much what I have done for the past nine years, and I am learning here that there is so much more to it than just throwing in whatever expensive product they sell me.

I picked up at Taylor K-2006 test kit last night and I am stopping tonight to buy all the 6% bleach I can buy. Pool calculator says I need 6.6 jugs so I will be buying about 25 of them (thank God the hardware store has it on sale). Hopefully this weekend I can get it somewhat under control because I will have two full days to monitor it closely.

I am totally psyched about this boards whole approach to pool care. I cannot wait to see the fruits of my labor!

 

[beaumatt]

One more thing I forgot, My CYA at 40 is probably pretty accurate (beside the fact that is what the pool center that ran the test came up with, not me) because I have been filling my pool and vacuuming algae to waste for several weeks on at least a twice a week basis. My algae problem started with a patch circling my main drain, so I would treat and vacuum to waste to try and get rid of it (which is what I was doing for the past nine years any time I encountered an algae problem). The actual HUGE issue started when I stopped that and started trying all their gimmicks to fix it. It only took the algae two days to take over the entire pool.

 

[Butterfly]

Sounds like good news on the CYA.

Please post a full set of test results w/your new Taylor K-2006.

Just a reminder - make sure you are buying plain, unscented bleach

 

[beaumatt]

FC 17
CC 18
pH - 7.6
TA - 120
CH - 170
CYA - 70

WHOO HOOO the green is not nearly as vivid as it was before I started the treatments. It is currently more of a minty gray green, much different that the original mossy emerald green. The testing is going much smoother than I anticipated, so I am happy about that. I appreciate everyones help and suggestions, I am much less discouraged now. As mentioned, I am amazed at the amout of chlorine it is taking. I have gone through 18 bottles so far, but the FC is holding pretty steady now and the green is going!!!

 

[reebok]

can you confirm your CC reading? after you did the FAS-DPD FC test, added 5 drops of r-003 I think it is, it then took 36 drops to get it clear again?

 

[Guest]

can you confirm your CC reading? after you did the FAS-DPD FC test, added 5 drops of r-003 I think it is, it then took 36 drops to get it clear again?

ditto. I have never seen cc's that high!

 

[Sallie]

Matt, I went through all of this recently, and it took me a while to get things under control, but now I have confidence that my pool is safe to swim in, and it sparkles. It is such a good feeling after years of just guessing what and how much to put in. BBB is great! And I don't know what I did without the Pool Calculator. I even downloaded it to my iTouch and took it over when I checked my daughter's pool. Good luck to you!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

IF the shock treatments were MPS, the could explain the high CC. Either that or it's a typo?

 

[Guest]

IF the shock treatments were MPS, the could explain the high CC. Either that or it's a typo?

Where is MPS in the BBB method?

 

[reebok]

?
the op said he did multiple "shock" treatments.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Mmmhhmmm....and didn't have the info on what the product was.

 

[Guest]

I was just pointing out that with BBB we don't need no stinkin' MPS.

I know he is a newbie, so he could have been using it.

 

[beaumatt]

Sorry to alarm everyone, the newbie mistook TC for CC. So with my TC being 18 that would have made my CC 1. I don't think I used any MPS, but like I said, I have no idea what she had me putting in. Here are todays numbers as of 10 minutes ago. The pool is still a minty green, but it is SO much better than Friday that I am ecstatic!

FC 20
TC 20
CC 0
pH - 7.6
TA - 130
CH - 210
CYA - 70

Thank you all so much for helping me through this....you are all awesome!

 

[Casey]