Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I drain?

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I have some Bioguard Sparkle Up (from one of those costly trips to pool store weeks ago) -- is this okay to use since I do not currently have any DE. Do I have to go to a pool store to purchase DE or is it possibly carried at Lowes?

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Another question -- when should I add the muriatic acid and how much since I do not know exactly what the PH is currently. Also, what order should I do this while in the shocking process? Test first for FC, add some MA to lower PH, what how long before adding additional chlorine? Thanks again for the help.

 

[Txmat]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Test FC then if 10 or below test PH then use pool calculator to determine how much MA and bleach you need to add. You can add bleach about 30 min after the MA. With a vinyl pool I would not worry too much about PH. Something I have not seen mentioned are leaves. If you have any in the pool get them out. They will delay clearing. Another thing you can do to speed the process is brushing. Brush often and it will help expose any algae to the chlorine.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

pH is still important in a vinyl pool. If it is high and your CH is high you can still get scaling. Low pH can fade the liner and damage equipment. Out of range either way can irritate skin and eyes

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[Txmat]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Agree Jason, thanks for pointing that out. I just mean it is not as crucial as with a plaster pool and I would not let the chlorine level drop below shock level in order to check PH. If the level dropped to 10 or lower by all means I would take the opportunity to get a PH reading and make adjustments.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I have some Bioguard Sparkle Up (from one of those costly trips to pool store weeks ago) -- is this okay to use since I do not currently have any DE. Do I have to go to a pool store to purchase DE or is it possibly carried at Lowes?

i would not add it you can find DE at lowes but make sure it is DE for pools there are 2 or 3 different types. mix it with pool water and pour it into the skimmer slowly and watch your pressure gauge you are looking for a 1 psi pressure increase and remember after your pressure rises 25% backwash and rinse and then you will have to add more DE because you lose it to backwashing......Mike

 

[BadOleRoss]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I would not worry about the CYA levels or the PH (unless you have a low FC point and can test it) until after you have gotten through the shocking process. Even with rain, your CYA will not change that much. After you are done shocking and the pool is clear you can retest and fine tune your CYA. While shocking, your PH test will not be accurate and again this can be adjusted after shocking. Your focus needs to be on maintaining your FC at or just above shock level until you pass the overnight test. Maintaining FC at shock level is key in getting your pool right. Adding DE to the filter is great advice on helping the sand filter clear out the dead algae.

 

[BadOleRoss]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I have some Bioguard Sparkle Up (from one of those costly trips to pool store weeks ago) -- is this okay to use since I do not currently have any DE. Do I have to go to a pool store to purchase DE or is it possibly carried at Lowes?

Yes, Lowe's has DE with the pool chemicals. It runs about $20 for a box that should last you several seasons.

 

[yeggim]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I have some Bioguard Sparkle Up (from one of those costly trips to pool store weeks ago) -- is this okay to use since I do not currently have any DE. Do I have to go to a pool store to purchase DE or is it possibly carried at Lowes?

Sparkle Up is just cellulose. It's fine to use instead of DE. Its downside is cost. It's much more expensive than DE. If you already have it then by all means use it.

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I have stayed on top of the pool this weekend maintaining shock level but without much change in clarity. I did add the Bioguard Sparkle Up since I already had some. My filter runs at 14 psi and since adding a small amount of the Bioguard, it has been running at 16.5psi since Sat. FC did drop Sunday afternoon to 11 since we had a lot of sun, so I went ahead and checked PH as well as all other tests. Below are those results:

FC - 11
CC - .5
CYA - 30
CH - 650
TA - 80
PH - 7.2 - 7.4

I have been trying since Thursday to keep shock level at 18 or a little higher thinking maybe I should be treating for mustard algae since I am not getting results at 14 or 15 FC. Last night I tried the overnight test -- tested right at dark -- FC 16 put in bleach per the pool calculator to raise it to 18-- waited 90 minutes and tested again -- was puzzled by the FC -- test said FC was 22 CC .5 and I only put in 1 96 ounce 6% bleach?? I checked it this morning before sun came up and FC was 20 CC .5?? I have never seen this happen since I have been testing with the TF100 kit. I went ahead and put in another 96 ounces before leaving for work at 9 to take it through the day since I knew it was going to be sunny and in the low 90s and I would not be home until evening. I checked when I got home at 8pm and the FC had dropped to 11 with a CC 1.5?? That is the first time my FC was 1.5 -- why is that after testing at .5 so many times? Should I keep shocking at 18? I have already been through 74 bottles of 96 ounce bleach and I have been a cloudy blue since last Tuesday. Is my CH level going to keep it this cloudy? I have a bottle of Bioguard Powerfloc that the pool store actually gave me (I guess since I had spent so much this summer without any change in my pool). I have not wanted to do this which is why I have been holding on to it and then found this site and decided to try the BBB way. I wonder since I have this size pool, if my pump and filter are going to be able to clear it. I went through my pool purchase packet but was unable to find the pump/filter details -- horsepower and filter size. I will get that tomorrow in the daylight. I plan to check FC levels again tonight and in the morning but I wanted to post this for any advice on flocking and/or flocking since I am not seeing any improvement in the water clarity.

Thanks for any advice on how to proceed as my family is telling me to drain at least some of the water and see where we go from there -- I have just been on a mission to whip this pool into shape before there is no summer left. I know if I flock, I will get out a lot of water and refill which will bring down my CH level but I wanted to check before moving in that direction.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

The FC drop in the OCLT and the high CC reading indicate you need to keep it up at shock level.

You should be seeing the water clearing some each day. How often have you had to backwash? Seems like when people are adding 1psi of DE, their pressure is going up with a day or so from clearing the water.

 

[Txmat]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

To answer your question about flocking i have a couple of questions. What does your water look like and are you brushing often?

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

When I first added the Sparkle Up on early Sat. morning -- I guess I added too much because the psi went up to near 18 in 2 hours - so I backwashed and added just a smaller amount and it went up to that level by late afternoon. I backwashed again and then added a smaller amount and it has gotten to the 16.5 in the last 2 days. I know I read on here that it is better for a sand filter to run at a little higher than normal psi and be a little dirty so that it will clean better. But I have still not seen any change in the water. I will keep at the shocking level as best as I can with work this week but I was sure hoping to see something positive by the end of the week -- I know that I need a little POP (so does my family as they think that I am losing my mind as well as the battle . Thanks for helping me.

P.S. -- I just checked the FC at I raised it to 18 at 9:00 and it is just showing 14.5 -- I will check before daylight to see what it shows.

 

[linen]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Add enough sparkleup or DE to raise your pressure 1 psi. This rise should happen just after you add. Then monitor psi unit it goes up 25% of your "clean" pressure plus the 1 psi for the sparkleup.

 

[Txmat]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

What color is your water and how deep do you think you can see? The lost of 3.5 in two hours at night indicates you have some killing to do. The chlorine is doing what it is supposed to do. I think flock is useful when you have killed all the algae and your waiting on the sand filter to clear. But, before then it can make the algae worse, because you have to cut off the pump off and stop circulating chlorine. When your trying to clear a pool the things that slow you down are: 1. Organics present in the pool (leaves, etc.) 2. Not being able to keep FC at shock level 3. Not brushing. To the extent you can take care of these things you will minimize your down time. Keep up the good work - you will get there.

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I did not get a chance to brush today but this is the first day that is has not received a good brushing. Just had a longer day than I had planned My daughter actually got in the water yesterday afternoon and brushed the bottom well and told me that is did not feel slimy at all. I have been taking pictures each day but have not been able to post them yet. I will post some pictures in the morning once I figure out how, but I cannot tell any difference in clarity since last week once I got the green/brown color gone. I even took out the ladder Sat. thinking that it would help it to clear faster and be easier to brush everything. I will say that a lot of brown/yellow water came out of the ladder (I could not get it out fast enough before some of that went into the pool so that is probably what I am fighting now). I guess that I am just hoping to get clear water before the end of pool season and also not have to spend a ton more on bleach as I have spent so much already. I know -- didn't find this site soon enough so I got taken to the cleaners with the pool stores -- wish I had found this site much earlier because all of the information has been a blessing.

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

I checked the FC before sunrise and it was 14 with CC .5. It was 14.5 whenever I checked at 10:30 last night so I didn't lose much more -- did I really lose 3 FC in 2 hours where I checked and added at 8:30 last night or had it just not had a chance to completely register? I do get a water sample completely across from the water return. Below are some pictures of my water that I have taken early each morning for documentation. The first is from last Wed. morning and the last 2 are from this morning. Since I took out the ladder to hope the pool will clear faster, I put the brush in the water to that you can see how far down you can see (which is not much). Color of water does look clearer for the overall pool but just wanted to get some feedback. Thanks again and I hope I am getting to the turning point.
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[Txmat]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Yes, I believe you lost that much chlorine. Of course, it does depend on how effective your pump is, but in my experience the chlorine is pretty well mixed within an hour. You can test this the next time you add CL by waiting an hour and testing both sides of the pool and if different test again after another hour and so on. I am not sure about the color. Why don't you run another overnight test tonight and lets see where you are in the morning.

 

[Swampwoman]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

The third criteria to the "okay to stop shocking" test is crystal clear water. So I'd be inclined to say you want to continue shocking and letting the filter get the dead algae out for a bit still. Nonetheless good work -- looks quite a bit better.

 

[Cokesbury1]

Re: Fighting with pool all summer -- any advice before I dra

Thanks for your comments -- will keep up the shocking process -- Just have to go buy more bleach tonight I am shocked that the people working at Aldi have not asked me why I keep coming in and buying such large quantities!! I can tell a difference in the first picture and the last picture in the color of the water now that I have them side by side so that gives me hope that I am moving in the right direction. I guess I am worried about with my high level of CH that I am going to still have calcium cloudiness since I have read about that in several other posts. The past several days, I have been looking for a successful clearing of a pool with a situation similar to mine to try and get an idea of what all they went through and how long it took. I have found several successes but not any with transformation pictures on a similar situation as mine. If someone knows of one, I would appreciate a link to review.