Hi all - first post here, so if I am posting in the wrong location or leaving anything out please feel free to push me in the right direction.
If I set up my signature correctly, it will have all of the details of what I have. We bought a house last year that came with a 27' AG that was left uncovered for the winter. I am a DIY kind of guy, so naturally when it came time to tackle this beast I started doing some research.
Unfortunately, we wasted a little $ in the beginning (before I found this forum) on poor shocking techniques. Taking the pool store advice of shock,flock, rock and drop (or something along those lines), we were left with the same thing. Beautiful green water.
So, this week I start the BBB method. I have not ordered a 'good' test kit yet, as I was trying to make due with the $30 worth of strip tests that we bought prior to reading TFP.
With that said, I started by testing the status with the strips, and got:
TH=250
TC=2
FC=0
pH=6.8
TA=20
CYA=0
so, we added 4# (sock) of CYA, and started adding 6% bleach (big bottles) as instructed. Following the 'how to shock' post and the 'turn your green pool' stickys, we continued to check - add - check (while brushing the sides).
At the end of the day yesterday, I was at;
TH=250
TC=2..5
FC=0
pH=6.2
TA=0
CYA=0
Of course, we underestimated the needed chlorine so I sent the wife off to get more bleach. I also asked her to have the pool store to check the water and to write down the levels for me as i was not trusting the strips that I had. By this point, there was a noticable difference in the water. It was no longer green, but hazy grey - so i felt that I might have more FC that I was showing.
(warning - beginning a mini rant here)
So my wife goes to the store for chemicals and swings by the pool store to get the water checked. The lady at the pool gave my wife the generic answer; "your water tests good. you need to go home, add 2 bags of shock tonight then add algaecide tomorrow morning and leave it alone for two days and the water will be crystal clear".
Now, my wife is confused. She gives a brief description of what we have been doing (BBB) and thats when the pool lady goes off. She basicall made my wife feel like an idiot, told he we would ruin the liner and that the water would never be clear doing it the 'dumb way'. She talked my wife into buying some algaecide, along with 250# of pool sand (all not refundable, of course). Needless to say, I called he back and gave her my opinion aling with a 'last time you get my money' speech...
(/rant)
So, before the pool lady ruined our relationship she did give me the numbers from her test (sample taken at 10 am, CST / pool under shade till noon).;
FC=.06
TC=1.27
pH=6.92
CH=103
TA=45
CYA=32
This is a huge difference from what i was reading.
With that said, I am looking for advice. I can guess that most will suggest that i get a good test kit (i was thinking TF-100) which i will gladly order (if so advised), but that will not likely be here until next week (being Friday afternoon as i type this).
I am also looking for advice to help get my wife more comfortable with this. She really got rattled by the pool lady (who told her who are you going to believe - me, or a bunch of idiots on the internet?)
I hope this is enough info to help you help me. My goal is to be posting clear water pictures on here in a week (and, i will be emailing them to the pool lady as well
)
Tony
If I set up my signature correctly, it will have all of the details of what I have. We bought a house last year that came with a 27' AG that was left uncovered for the winter. I am a DIY kind of guy, so naturally when it came time to tackle this beast I started doing some research.
Unfortunately, we wasted a little $ in the beginning (before I found this forum) on poor shocking techniques. Taking the pool store advice of shock,flock, rock and drop (or something along those lines), we were left with the same thing. Beautiful green water.
So, this week I start the BBB method. I have not ordered a 'good' test kit yet, as I was trying to make due with the $30 worth of strip tests that we bought prior to reading TFP.
With that said, I started by testing the status with the strips, and got:
TH=250
TC=2
FC=0
pH=6.8
TA=20
CYA=0
so, we added 4# (sock) of CYA, and started adding 6% bleach (big bottles) as instructed. Following the 'how to shock' post and the 'turn your green pool' stickys, we continued to check - add - check (while brushing the sides).
At the end of the day yesterday, I was at;
TH=250
TC=2..5
FC=0
pH=6.2
TA=0
CYA=0
Of course, we underestimated the needed chlorine so I sent the wife off to get more bleach. I also asked her to have the pool store to check the water and to write down the levels for me as i was not trusting the strips that I had. By this point, there was a noticable difference in the water. It was no longer green, but hazy grey - so i felt that I might have more FC that I was showing.
(warning - beginning a mini rant here)
So my wife goes to the store for chemicals and swings by the pool store to get the water checked. The lady at the pool gave my wife the generic answer; "your water tests good. you need to go home, add 2 bags of shock tonight then add algaecide tomorrow morning and leave it alone for two days and the water will be crystal clear".
Now, my wife is confused. She gives a brief description of what we have been doing (BBB) and thats when the pool lady goes off. She basicall made my wife feel like an idiot, told he we would ruin the liner and that the water would never be clear doing it the 'dumb way'. She talked my wife into buying some algaecide, along with 250# of pool sand (all not refundable, of course). Needless to say, I called he back and gave her my opinion aling with a 'last time you get my money' speech...
(/rant)
So, before the pool lady ruined our relationship she did give me the numbers from her test (sample taken at 10 am, CST / pool under shade till noon).;
FC=.06
TC=1.27
pH=6.92
CH=103
TA=45
CYA=32
This is a huge difference from what i was reading.
With that said, I am looking for advice. I can guess that most will suggest that i get a good test kit (i was thinking TF-100) which i will gladly order (if so advised), but that will not likely be here until next week (being Friday afternoon as i type this).
I am also looking for advice to help get my wife more comfortable with this. She really got rattled by the pool lady (who told her who are you going to believe - me, or a bunch of idiots on the internet?)
I hope this is enough info to help you help me. My goal is to be posting clear water pictures on here in a week (and, i will be emailing them to the pool lady as well
)Tony
I wish I could take every one of y'all with me to the pool store, for back up, after the way she made everyone in that store think I was a complete idiot. She yelled at me like I was her kid that had just run out into traffic, because I told her we had poured gallons of bleach in last night. The hubs called her and took care of it....but I'm still embarrassed about how she made me look.(Small town...I knew everyone in there. :? )
