Pristine Blue to bbb

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Jeff52

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Jun 6, 2011
19
Hello Everyone.
I just have found this site and would like to go with bbb, but have very little experience w/pools. Last year was my first year with a new old pool, (take down an install was the easy part). With no knowledge I let pool store set me up w/pristine blue and all went ok till opening may 20. My cover was damaged due to storms and pool was a swamp. After cleaning the best I could I finished filling (about 1/3 water) and started vacuuming blindly on waist. Then started shocking w/multi shock as instructed. ( Pool should be 80% clear before adding P/B). It went from green to blue w/no
difference after almost 2wks. I then decided to just go clorine, so I returned P/B and got started with pool store clorine method. Almost 1wk. no better. I found TFP and have ordered my TF100 (should be here today or tomorrow)and my wife is picking up bleach today. I have new sand but didn't want to change until It cleared up. I will post my results asap w/questions. I am so glad I have found you. Gadsden Al. 15x30x52 vinyl 11k gal. hayward power flo lx 1hp. pump hayward vari flo xl 150lbs. sand filter. Thanks, and sorry for such a long post. any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
While you're waiting on your kit, read all you can in Pool School. It's the best place to start. Then you cna use the Google search at the very bottom of the page to search for Pristine Blue and you'll find some interesting reading.

P.S. Welcome to TFP.
 
Hi Jeff, welcome to TFP. We are almost neighbors, I live in Altoona. I found this site a few years ago when I decided to make the conversion from Baquacil. I absolutely love the BBB method! You're not going to believe the transformation your water is about to make. Be sure to take before and after pics and share them with us!
 
Welcome to TFP!
BBB can be overwhelming at first, (I was dealing with a lot of re-occurring algae) just take a deep breath and keep reading here everyday and you will build up your confidence and then it will just click and your pool will be unbelievable looking, will never have a 'Pool Stored' look again! (mild cloudy, sediment on the bottom, etc.)
Post your test numbers here and all of us will try and keep you on track.
I have a pool store 6 blocks away and just buy pool tools and 12.5% liquid chlorine just for convenience.
I bought a dry erase board and mounted inside the porch and I keep a simple log (what I add and how much with side notes like sunny, cloudy, rain) with test results and has helped me have a great educated guess as how my pool is doing.

I went through a lot of regents in my test kit at first, because I was testing a lot trying to understand what my water was doing.

Hard to understand at first, but becomes simple when the results become unbelievable!
Chuck
 
supertune,

Nice post. Very informative and the dry erase board is a good idea! :lol:

Jeff,

The posters above are all on the money. This stuff seems confusing at first but it will fit you like a glove (Not OJ's) in a fairly short time. Post the test results when you get a chance and you'll be on your way.
 
Thanks for all the quick response
I received my TF100 yesterday and did my first test
FC 2
TC 1.5
TA 170
CYA -20
Wife was gone w/pc so I couldn't calculate but I went ahead and added 1 1/2 gal of bleach, brushed, and netted very little debris (just a few leaves) (no slime anywhere). In about two hrs. tested again.
FC 4
pH 7.3
TC .5
TA 140
CYA 20
After calculating I found I should have only added 1/2 gal. bleach. Pool is pretty light blue but can barely see bottom yet.
Not sure if I should Shock or Not. If so I should wait till weekend so I can be there.
This morning before leaving for work I added 32 oz. bleach. Not enough time for testing.
I"ll be shopping for borax and stabilizer to add this evening. Due to using P/B last year I plan on changing sand but was hoping to get it cleared up first.
I really appreciate everyones support!
 
From what I have learned, and someone can jump in here if need be, don't get to crazy about the pH too much (7.3 isn't that bad), worry about your FC in relation to your CYA level.
Your CYA takes about a week to show up on tests. In the meantime, dose for your pool to bring it up SLOWLY, say 10ppm - 20ppm a week until you get to your desired level.
For now look at the CYA / FC chart in Pool School and maintain a shock level for your CYA level (currently 20ppm) until you have an Overnight FC loss of less than 1ppm or your CC tests <0.5ppm. Then keep your FC level in "the range" using www.thepoolcalculator.com. Don't forget to plug in ALL your information (Pool Gallons, Suggested Levels (Troublefreepool), test results (especially FC and CYA)) And then, hit "Calculate". Now you can SLOWLY adjust other chemicals, say pH and TA.
 
I suggest that you begin a log of your tests and what you add to the pool and what you expect based on that addition. That will help you get a handle on what is happening on a daily basis. Later on you can test less but for now test a lot, except for CYA. For that, just assume that what you put in is there even if it does not show on test for a few weeks.
 
Thanks again all
last night tested
PH 7.2
CL 0
FC .5 barely turned pink
CC .5
TC 1
TA 130
CYA 25
I added my bleach, borax, and stabilizer @ 10:00 PM. then tested again this morn. 6:00 AM
PH 7.5
CL 2
FC 2.5
CC 1
TC 3.5
TA 130
CYA 25
Only called for bleach (added). It burns off quick during the day (full sun @ 95 degrees). But I will have more time to monitor it this weekend.
Questions
1. The CYA chart says CYA 20 min FC 2 target FC 3 shock 10 So would I be correct to input 10 or 12 target in pool calculator for the extra bleach needed?
2. Do I increase as my Cya rises?
3. Is pouring bleach in front of return going to fade liner? (about 32 oz. per min.)
4. While waiting a wk. for stabilizer to work would it be advisable to vaccum on filter? (not real bad but could use it) 39 oz. were almost dissolved this morning.
5. Is it OK for kids to swim in it?
Pool is beginning to clear. I could see the floor yesterday and even better this morning.
Testing is getting easyier already! And I am logging everything.
Jeff,
 

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If the water is cloudy and CC is > 0.5 then you should shock the pool.

Yes, your FC targets increase as the CYA level goes up. Assume the CYA is all dissolved after 24 hours, even though it won't all show up on the test for up to a week.

Pouring bleach slowly in front of a return jet with the pump running is fine and will not damage the liner. Don't ever add bleach with the pump off.

I would not swim while the pool is cloudy or CC is > 0.5.
 
Thanks
I did make a typing mistake???
My CYA was 20- last night and 25 this morning. Improving already!
If my CC is above .5 this evening will it be ok to swim?
Also I run pump 24/7.
Jeff,
 
I guess running the pump for now 24 / 7 is not a bad thing. You need to get that FC level up to shock level in relation to CYA. Like Jason said, and he's the expert, you must ASSUME that your CYA level is at the level for which you dosed it. Ex. - Say you started at 20ppm CYA and then dosed the pool to add another 30ppm ... 20 + 30 = 50ppm. That example would mean you need to get FC up to 20ppm (shock level) using this chart in pool school: pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock
Now add your numbers to this example and go to town shocking this pool. Use the pool calculator to help you dose making certain you add your testing numbers for BOTH FC and CYA (assumed) and your "target" shock level (20ppm this example). It will tell you exactly how much bleach (6%) or Cal-Hypo Shock to add. If you have to raise the FC quite high quickly, Cal-Hypo shock may be mre cost effective and convenient.
 
I did as you suggested and and recalculated assuming my CYA was at target (40) which brought my shock level from 12 to 16. I added my bleach and checked FC 1 1/2 hr. later and was impressed, It was dead on 16. I'll check often and continue the course.

Thanks Again
Jeff,
 
I'll usually over shoot my shock level my 3-4 ppm in the evening. Doing it this way, in the morning I won't be below shock level as the chlorine is used up fighting whatever is in the pool overnight.
My CYA is 42 so I shocked at 19-20 ppm and when I was still dropping like 2-3 overnight, I stayed the coarse and didn't let my FC ever drop below 16 ppm.
I shocked until I got 1ppm FC drop and 0 CC on my overnight testing.
I'm now maintaining 5-7 ppm and the pool is perfect and PH stays right about 7.5-7.6.
 
supertune said:
I'll usually over shoot my shock level my 3-4 ppm in the evening. Doing it this way, in the morning I won't be below shock level as the chlorine is used up fighting whatever is in the pool overnight.
My CYA is 42 so I shocked at 19-20 ppm and when I was still dropping like 2-3 overnight, I stayed the coarse and didn't let my FC ever drop below 16 ppm.
I shocked until I got 1ppm FC drop and 0 CC on my overnight testing.
I'm now maintaining 5-7 ppm and the pool is perfect and PH stays right about 7.5-7.6.
Click to expand...

That's a reasonable thing to do, just wouldn't have swimmers right after the slight overshock. And now you're "covering" the overnight loss and the daytime burn off, it's the way to do it. A CYA of 42?? What testing equipment did you use to get such an accurate number?? Pool store? I say that because with the usual test kits you usually can get numbers of say 30, 40, 50, etc. and even 35, 45, 55, etc. if the solution covers the dark circle and lands in between the whole numbers. I have a CYA of 70ppm and maintain a FC of 7ppm and my pH never moves from 7.5.
 
Jeff52 said:
I did as you suggested and and recalculated assuming my CYA was at target (40) which brought my shock level from 12 to 16. I added my bleach and checked FC 1 1/2 hr. later and was impressed, It was dead on 16. I'll check often and continue the course.

Thanks Again
Jeff,
Click to expand...

Don't ya just love the "pool calculator" ?!?! It's dead on and sooo freakin' easy (no caveman references please ... :lol:). I have no clue why my friends and family refuse to follow this method, simply ignorant. Now keep that pool shocked until you pass an overnight FC loss (<1ppm), you have a CC level <0.5ppm and the water is clear. Then you can start thinking about TA, pH, and the like.
 
Well I have taken all advice and have been shocking since saturday calculating fc target at 20 and I feel I am getting very close. I had to leave town tue. morning after adding bleach and returned wednesday evening to 7.5 fc level and have got back on course. Fc is still dropping 2-3 ppm over night, but water is almost perfectly clear and cc varies from 0 to .5 and cya is around 40 now. I have gone through about 17 gal. of bleach so far and still haven't spent $50.00 on bleach yet. My wife is becoming a believer also, now that the pool looks so good for such a small investment. Thanks again! BBB Rocks!!!
 
Welcome to TFP Jeff!

I am new here too and these guys rock! I just finished my shock successfully and am in the process of adjusting the pH, TA and CH... preparing for the addition of borax..

Can you please add the name and description of you pool equipment to your signature? Also your location... This helps the forum understand and advise according to your equipment and weather conditions.

Once again, WELCOME to TFP!
 
Well, I think I'm through shocking! After 7 days and 20 gal. of bleach my FC dropped only 1ppm over night. I thought I would keep it up for a little while today for security purposes. Water is almost crystal clear. It was never this clear last year using Pristine Blue. I assume that I am suppose to let my FC drop until it get's to my 4-5 goal, and then start adjusting everything else? This is becoming a great experince and could not be doing it without TFP and my TF100.
Thanks again everyone!
 

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