30 year old pool completely transformed with TFP help

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EngineerNerd

Gold Supporter
May 9, 2021
34
Houston, TX
Pool Size
16000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
First and foremost, big shout-out thanks to all the TFP site help! Our pool has never before been so consistently clear and algae free during the past two months, and we’ve had this pool for 27 years (30 year old gunite pool and Jacuzzi).

You are welcome to laugh either with me - or at me - for how I treated this pool for many years prior to adopting TFP practices:
  • Summer - ran filter pump 6 hours/day (20 GPM) and Polaris 2 hours/day, put 4 or 5 Trichlor tabs in skimmer basket weekly; shocked (1.5lbs. weekly and after rain) with Cal-Hypo
  • Winter – ran filter pump 3 hours/day and Polaris 1 hour/day; really didn’t need shocking and only monthly brushing during the handful of cold months we get in Houston, TX
  • CYA was 160 in April, 2021, when I decided with the ever increasing cost of Chlorine products at the pool stores, I simply must find a better way – which now I have J
In summary, here’s what I’m doing now that is working so much better:
  • Following TFP guidelines for maintaining FC with liquid chlorine and a wee little bit of Muriatic acid every now and then
  • CYA level is currently ~40 (Richard Falk aka Chem Geek said on TFP that this was the level he runs)
  • Testing a lot (for now anyway) using TF Pro w/ speedstir test kit (TF-100 w/ large bottles); love the speedstir
  • Tried the inexpensive TF pH meter and did not like it; upgraded to a much more expensive Apera pH and solids tester, which seems to work very well
  • I’m running a Pentair Intelliflo VF pump at a low speed (20 GPM) 18 hours/day which includes the entire time the sun is up I feel that this helps prevent the shallow Jacuzzi water from heating up as it does without circulation, that that causes chlorine to be lost more quickly.
  • I run the pump at 40 GPM when using the robot which is once per week + any day after a big rain (to get all the earthworms that have jumped in the pool)
  • I’m brushing weekly (for now), but may back off; I see zero dust when brushing these days with the clear, algae free water and the robot doing its scrubbing with flapper action over the floor, walls, and tile line (Polaris VRX iQ+, a branded clone of Polaris Alpha iQ+ robot)
  • Listening to what some pool stores say to do after performing a free water test is most of the time rather silly and self-serving (for the pool store), whereas some pool stores provide much better advice; I really like having both Lamotte and Taylor pool store tests to compare with my own testing; Lamotte SpinTest is pretty good for all except one test (calcium hardness is flawed, even according to LaMotte tech. supt.); When I was still learning how to use the TF-100, I would test at home, pool store w/ Taylor lab, and pool store w/ Lamotte spintouch and compare all the numbers); CYA at pools stores is definitely a Crud-shoot, since it is sooo subjective.
  • Patience is key; don’t overdo anything, wait hours, re-test, treat gently again and repeat; keeping a test log is helping to understand our pools demand personality, so at this point nothing at all is bouncing around chemically day-to-day now
With engineer and nerd in my username, one might assume, and be completely correct, that when I tackle something like trying to really understand pool water chemistry, I’m not simply going to follow the “what” - I’m going to want to understand the “why” too J. And I know now after a deep dive into this site as well as some other www resources geared for commercial pools, there is a whole lot more than meets the eye when it comes to pool water chemistry.

Here are some tips that I can share that work for me that I did not get from TFP:
  • I much prefer using a grabber tool to grab my pool water samples (RMS Featherlite “the original reacher” 26-inch grabber tool) vs. going past my elbow (as recommended) when wearing a nice shirt
  • Local water company (Sugar Land, TX) informed me that depending on the day the water being provided to our home the water might be surface water, treated water or a blend of the two; and, they are very different makeup! (one has FC, other has CC, something about “sounds like” Chloramides). Possibly knowing this before doing a drain/fill to reduce CYA could have maybe resulted in having better fill water if I could have done it on a particular day.
Future plans:
  • Soon… Convert from manually adding liquid chlorine to dosing with a Stenner pump (15 gal. Stenner system is on order and will be set up to dose automatically by Pentair IntelliTouch system)
  • In a year or two… Major pool refurb and remodel (plaster, tile, coping, pool deck, and most likely much more)
Please reply with comments, questions, suggestions, or even jokes (I’m an Aggie, I can take it) regarding how clueless I was in taking care of our pool for 27 years J.

Thanks again to all the help here!

Jim
 
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The fill water difference is a very good point to make. Many water providers have begun using both well and surface water sources. Assuming fill water chemistry can throw you a curve ball with FC/CC as you stated but also TA and CH.
 
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