New Owner - FolsomEJ

[FolsomEJ]

Hello TFP!

I have spent a good bit of time reading and absorbing the information here. You helped convince me to perform a partial drain and refill to remove CYA due to the previous owner's heavy use of pucks and powdered shock. I completed a ~50% drain and refill yesterday and completed the overnight Chlorine loss test.

Results: (Before/After drain)
pH - 7.5 / 7.4
TA - 90 / 60
FC - 11.5 / 5.5 (this morning 5.0)
TC - 11.5 / 5.5 / 5.0 (always 0 CC)
CH - 450 * / 280
CYA - >100 (diluted to show 160) / 75
Temp - 80 / 73

* there was a lot of specks in this test as I approached completion. More so in the first test, but it was visible in the second test too. Is this normal?

My water is clear and if I run the filter for >8 hours it really sparkles. I did a Polaris 380 tune-up and replaced the worn tail and backup valve. I've cleaned the cartridge filters and have about 8 lbs of pressure now. Previous owner used the Frog system and a Rainbow auto-chlorinator using pucks. I shut down both and removed the Frog insert. I might want to switch to a SWG later, however I'll need to do some creative plumbing to make that happen.

My problems / goals:
1) I have a lot of water-line build up of very hard white materials. I'd love to get that cleaned up.
2) The floor and walls have a lot of dark patches and white patches. Ditto on the cleanup. (They do not brush out.)
3) I want to use the BBB method and would like to control my own water. Also, we will be water metered starting in 2012, so I'd like to get past the "drain/refill" as much as possible this year.
4) What suggestions do you have based on progress so far?
5) Living in Northern CA, I am not really clear on what "closing the pool" really means. We don't freeze. This question can wait.

Thanks for this great resource and for the advice!
EJ

 

[FolsomEJ]

I forgot to say that I plan to add a jug of bleach this morning, which should bring TC to 7.7 from the calculator.

I expect swimmers today.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Your CYA is better, but still kinda highish for a pool that isn't running an SWCG. I would probably drain and fill a little more to see if I could get that down some more.

CH looks better too. Yes, it's normal to have those little specks floating around in the sample tube.

Cleaning the waterline tile can be accomplished using a dilute muriatic acid mixture. There are also some products out there made for that purpose that you can find at a pool store.

Your stains that you mention that you can't remove could be from a couple of things. They may be organic stains from the tannins in leaves or they may be from metals in the water. You can find out which one it is by try a couple of simple tests. First, try scraping the stain with a chlorine tablet. If the stains lightens or disappears, it's organic and will clear with chlorine in the water. If it doesn't lighten, then try scraping a vitamin C tablet on the stain. If the stain lightens with the vitamin C tablet, it is a metal stain and you may need to do a metal treatment.

 

[FolsomEJ]

So, I accomplished another partial drain and refill of the water.

My test results (6/24):
FC 5.5
CC 0
pH 7.7
TA 50
CH 200
CYA 50
Temp 74

Based on the readings, I added 6 oz of MA, tested, then added the remaining 5 oz of MA to drive to a 7.4 pH (per calculator). My late night test showed ~7.3, so I think that is good. (Colors for pH are hard to measure exactly...!)

I assume my next step is to increase my TA?

Also, I have calcium buildup on all my rock/title and I have darker stains on the bottom of the pool. I think I should ignore CH for now, focus on pH and TA while maintaining FC - is this correct? A low CSI plus some diluted MA is my next maintenance item for the pool. Any pointers?

I don't plan to drain further to reduce CYA, since I may add a SWCG later in the season. No sense in driving it completely down, just to raise it later. Also, I will be away for 1.5 weeks late in July, so I think I should raise FC and add a few pucks before we leave. Comments?

 

[257WbyMag]

That looks much better.

Yes, if you raised your TA to 70 or 80, your CSI would be nicer.

With your CYA at 50, I would only use tablets for the 1.5 weeks that you will be gone and no longer than that.

 

[FolsomEJ]

EJ here again - I've made several changes and I have a few more questions.

As you can see in my signature, I've swapped my pump and added a SWCG. I'm really amazed with the new pump - no question, this was a good choice!

The IC40 is set at 60% and with my pump run time (~10 hours) is driving FC up. I plan to decrease the setting.

My current numbers:
7/3 6:20am
FC - 4.0
CC - 0
pH: 7.8
Added 20oz MA (31.45%)

7/4 6:15am
FC - 5.0
CC - 0
pH - 7.8
TA - 70
CH - 200
CYA - 60
Temp - 78
Added 24oz MA and 32oz baking soda
Lots of swim time on the 4th.

7/5 7:30am
FC - 7.0
CC - 0
pH - 7.5
TA - 90 (Did I over do it with baking soda?)


Q1: Is 40% the logical next setting for the IC40?
Q2: My pH seems hard to keep at ~7.5. What is "normal" acid usage weekly? Should I be concerned?
Q3: Planning ahead, we will be gone for 1.5 weeks later this month. The SWCG should take care of things while we are gone. What other steps should I take before leaving and upon return? (We don't plan to have anyone check in on the pool.)

Thanks for the advice so far!

EJ

 

[257WbyMag]

Since you are now running a SWCG, your CYA is no longer considered high. With a SWCG and a CYA of 60, you can target a FC of 4 very reasonably so turning it down a bit would be a good idea.

You didn't overdo anything on the baking soda. Running the SWCG means more frequent acid additions so this will be okay for you. You may use lots of acid to keep your pH down. There isn't any way of knowing how much you will use because everyone's pool is different.

Since you still plan on going out of town for 1.5 weeks, you are going to need to look at that. True that the IC40 will handle your chlorine needs while you are gone, but your acid needs won't be addressed. This is why I would suggest turning the SWCG off before you leave and throwing in a tablet floater for those 10 days. With trichlor tablets, you'll get the benefit of having chlorine continually added, as well as the benefit of the acidity of the tablets to keep your pH from climbing through the roof. Also, the small addition of CYA to your pool from the tablets wouldn't hurt you since you will normally run a SWCG and this requires anywhere from 60 to 80 ppm of CYA to work well. So I think that tablets are a win-win for your vacation.