losing my mind

[ke263565]

Hi there,

Live in Florida - new pool owner and i got it running after some initial help but then amtree fell in it right after i got a new pump and vinyl liner so that was cool. I got that fixed but just cannot keep my pool clean. Its driving me nuts. I have a 15 x 30 vinyl in ground pool with a hayward catridge pump and filter. I work like 70 hours a week and my nights are spent in the dark messing with the pool every day.

I've been combating algae ever since i got the pool up and running and finally got a new filter after constantly de-greasing and cleaning the old one. I think it was just done so i bought a new one and its been great - was sparkling clear and the best its been i. My levels are good but with the heavy rains here every day, my pool is just an algae center and sex dungeon for frogs. I have a big oak tree (pending limb removal) and get tons of leaves that require daily or every other day vacuuming if i can get the time to do it. The rain puts an inch or two of water in pool weekly so i constantly have to drain it.

Here are my latest numbers. The pool store says my phosphates are too high but i thought when you an ungodly amount of chlorine in there, that should prevent algae or at least kill it. Leslies says my FC and TAC is high (they actually said dangerously high and don't swim in it) - poured like 3 gallons of liquid chlorine two weeks ago to kill the last attack.

FC 1- 4 ppm - i have 10 apparently
CH 200 ppm
CYA 90 ppm
Total Alkalinity 100 ppm
PH 7.8
Phosphates 300 ppm - should be below 100 apparently -

How often should I be shocking - weekly- maybe 2 bags because of the rain here? I have an inline chlorinator that seems to be working now that the new filter is allowing water through. Previously, my psi was close to 30 35 after cleaning my filter so it was just terrible. Now, its around 12 psi. Both jets seem to be circulating the water and i run the pump at about 8 hours a day.

Maybe its just summer time and this is normal? I dont see many people going to brush their pools twice a day everyday to get rid of algae.

 

[head gamez]

This is my first attempt to help, as I have only been a pool owner since April.

First of all, unless you tested your own water with a quality test kit I would not trust those numbers. If indeed those numbers are correct then you will have a hard time getting chlorine to be effective with a CYA that high (would require higher chlorine PPM). I would start by ordering a quality test kit. I ordered the TF-100, and as a newby back in the spring it was truly easy to use. Also, keep in mind that "Shock" should not be thought of as a "product" that you buy. "Shock" is a process that you follow. Check out pool school....

For the veterans..... how did I do?

 

[ke263565]

i'll order one of those test kits. I guess i can just drain the pool about a 1/3rd and refill - i've read about that in the past. I think because the stabilizer i dumped in about 3 months ago probably screwed me there. During my first few weeks, I just dumped stuff in and hoped. Now that i've found the forums, i'll just read the pool school stuff.

Does anyone else suggest just refilling some water?

 

[zea3]

This is my first attempt to help, as I have only been a pool owner since April.

First of all, unless you tested your own water with a quality test kit I would not trust those numbers. If indeed those numbers are correct then you will have a hard time getting chlorine to be effective with a CYA that high (would require higher chlorine PPM). I would start by ordering a quality test kit. I ordered the TF-100, and as a newby back in the spring it was truly easy to use. Also, keep in mind that "Shock" should not be thought of as a "product" that you buy. "Shock" is a process that you follow. Check out pool school....

For the veterans..... how did I do?

 

[zea3]

i'll order one of those test kits. I guess i can just drain the pool about a 1/3rd and refill - i've read about that in the past. I think because the stabilizer i dumped in about 3 months ago probably screwed me there. During my first few weeks, I just dumped stuff in and hoped. Now that i've found the forums, i'll just read the pool school stuff.

Does anyone else suggest just refilling some water?

Hi, welcome to TFP! You want to keep your CYA in the 30-50ppm range. You need to drain and replace about 50% of the volume of the pool. Since you have a vinyl liner I would recommend a series of small drain and refill cycles. Drain to just below the skimmer and refill about 5 times then have the CYA tested again. Stop using dry chlorine (pucks and powders). They will add more CYA to the pool. Use liquid chlorine to complete the shock process and maintain your FC level when the process is completed. Read shocking your pool, and defeating algae for more information on the shock process.

 

[ke263565]

just ordered my TF100 - im going to try the whole reduce your CYA thing by refilling the pool and re run the numbers next week when i get my kit. is there a general consensus on here that pool stores are terrible? I've pretty much developed that opinion on my own - my fiance got sucked into a 45 dollar bottle of phosphate REMOVER on Monday that that my phosphate levels rise apparently when she went in there yesterday.

thanks for the help - still a noob

 

[Bjarni]

is there a general consensus on here that pool stores are terrible? I've pretty much developed that opinion on my own - my fiance got sucked into a 45 dollar bottle of phosphate REMOVER on Monday that that my phosphate levels rise apparently when she went in there yesterday.

thanks for the help - still a noob

For the most part pool stores make money selling chemicals. They also tend to have people working for them that really don't understand how the chemicals they sell work. When you get the test kit, read and re-read the pool school and then apply that knowledge, I guarantee that you will have the best looking pool possible.
Also the people who populate this forum are extremely knowledgeable, supportive and nice. Its a win-win here!

 

[duraleigh]

is there a general consensus on here that pool stores are terrible?

As a life-long small business person, I was always reluctant to support that position and in years past made some attempt to defend the retail pool business.

No longer. They simply provide way too much invalid information. They should be the authoritative source for pool info but it turns out they are far too often the opposite.

 

[yeggim]

is there a general consensus on here that pool stores are terrible?

As a life-long small business person, I was always reluctant to support that position and in years past made some attempt to defend the retail pool business.

No longer. They simply provide way too much invalid information. They should be the authoritative source for pool info but it turns out they are far too often the opposite.

Dave, you are as always the consummate gentleman. I too used find some of the comments assigning ulterior motives to pool stores somewhat off-putting. But the degree and scope of the misinformation, whether intentional or unintentional cannot be denied.

I once went to my local pool store to buy some stabilizer. I was convinced that low stabilizer was the reason for my algae. The owner tested my water and told me that my CYA level was good and that I didn't need to buy any. It was 50 ppm according to their test results. I think to myself "that's refreshing--not being sold something I don't need". Owner says I need to shock and hands me five 1lb bags of DiChlor. I didn't know any better at the time, so we all know how that went.