I am a new comer to BBB. After a horrible month messing around with the pool water, I'm finally close to totally clean. I have been using a decent test kit but am awaiting delivery of the one recommended here. A month ago, after a week or so of simply not being able to hold a chlorine level, and seeing green algae, I got a test done at my local pool place. The phosphorus level was very high so I took their advice and added a good dose of phoslo and shocked the pool. A debacle ensued, lol. They didn't tell me that it would start the worst pool experience of my short poolowner life. Even adding clarifier and repeated cleaning of white powdery gunk out of the filter did not clear up the totally cloudy pool. Had a retest after a week of frustration. Well the phosphorus dropped from 3000+ to 600, but it still wouldn't hold a chlorine level. I told the pool place that I would never add phow low again and that I just wanted to superchlorinate the pool. They sold me a 75 pound container of powder shock and had me adding 3 lbs of chlorine powder as often as every 4 hours. Still cloudy, still gunked up filter. I used at least 50 lbs of the stuff. Added a little more phoslo. Fast forward.
I got a new filter, I am using liquid chlorine bleach and liquid Muriatic acid. The water is clear, but there is still a gray/white powder on the bottom in places. When brushed, it makes a dark grey cloud. I am brushing it a couple of times a day, and may vacuum it soon. It is decreasing. Chlorine levels somewhere over 4. pH 7.5, Alk 120. Balanced easily with BBB/Acid techniques. I'm curious what the CyA level is going to show and the Calcium level.
Comments: is the grey powder calcium deposits from the breakdown of all that powdered chlorine or is it still the chemically combined ex-phosphorus w/ dead algae? And is it likely that the 50 pounds of the powdered shock is going to give me a horrible CyA level? Or do only the pucks do that? Needless to say, the solids on the pool bottom was too much for my old cartridge filter, even spraying it off (jet setting) very frequently. I'm going to hose the new filter down, too, when the powder is all filtered out. Old filter soaking in TSP now, and I may also soak it in acid. (The old filter was working fine till the algae bloom/phoslo drama.) Should I add some clarifyer to help congeal the powder?
I got a new filter, I am using liquid chlorine bleach and liquid Muriatic acid. The water is clear, but there is still a gray/white powder on the bottom in places. When brushed, it makes a dark grey cloud. I am brushing it a couple of times a day, and may vacuum it soon. It is decreasing. Chlorine levels somewhere over 4. pH 7.5, Alk 120. Balanced easily with BBB/Acid techniques. I'm curious what the CyA level is going to show and the Calcium level.
Comments: is the grey powder calcium deposits from the breakdown of all that powdered chlorine or is it still the chemically combined ex-phosphorus w/ dead algae? And is it likely that the 50 pounds of the powdered shock is going to give me a horrible CyA level? Or do only the pucks do that? Needless to say, the solids on the pool bottom was too much for my old cartridge filter, even spraying it off (jet setting) very frequently. I'm going to hose the new filter down, too, when the powder is all filtered out. Old filter soaking in TSP now, and I may also soak it in acid. (The old filter was working fine till the algae bloom/phoslo drama.) Should I add some clarifyer to help congeal the powder?
44,000 gallons. That is one big pool......do you have pictures posted on the site?