AA Treatment questions

[gwar9999]

I'm curious, since I have an Aquabot Turbo T-Jet that filters the pool water (~5000 gallons per hour), I could remove its filter bag so it's strictly circulating the AA. So in theory, I could treat my 13k pool in about 3 hours rather than running filter for 24 hours. Is there a reason I should instead use the pump/filter during the process?

Also, can I start the treatment if the FC is 0 but the TC is 2 or so?

One more question for good measure... I've had my water tested and there are currently no metals (copper or iron). I had added a few capfuls of Metal Free prior to the test, so perhaps that is why there are no metals. Could there be any other reason for the pin-sized brownish stains in my fiberglass pool, other than metals? I've been able to lighten/eliminate some of easily accessible ones (ie. on the steps) with a vitamin C tablet which is why I think the AA treatment will effective.

 

[JasonLion]

It has nothing to do with gallons of water moved and everything to do with clock time, so it will take 24 hours regardless of what you do with the Aquabot.

You should deal with your CC level first. Leaving that until later is going to cause complications and increased chances of getting algae.

If the stains/metals are on the pool surface, they are not in the water, so it is normal for the metal level to read zero. If the vitamin C removes the stain where it is applied, the AA treatment will remove the stains from the entire pool.

 

[tphaggerty]

Also, *DON'T* run your T-Jet without the filter bag!!!

If you do that, anything in your pool can go through the T-Jet impeller, and it only takes a couple of leaves to jam it up tight. I know, one of my sons ran my old Pool Rover (basically the same as a T-Jet, I now have both) without a bag. Took me an hour or so to work out all of debris from the impeller area...

 

[gwar9999]

Thanks for the reply Jason.

So I need to get the CC down to 0 before starting? The instructions on the AA treatment post are vague and just say: "Take your chlorine down to 0" so I'm not sure if that is FC, CC, TC.

Also, the instructions on the AA treatment also states "Put the filter back on filter and leave it on 24/7" and probably should just be "... leave it on 24 hours" since 24/7 implies running the pump every hour for an entire week. I already pay my electric company enough!

I don't believe the instructions state what the starting pH should be (or whether it matters) other than that the AA treatment will lower it. If it's toward the high end, 7.6, then lowering it to 7.2 shouldn't be a problem. My pH is typically 7.6 because of the SWG so I add dry acid weekly.

 

[CUTiger78]

A bit off-topic, but I love the title of this thread! When I saw it on the list of new posts, I wondered which of us was on the wrong web site.

Cheers! (pun intended)

 

[gwar9999]

Also, *DON'T* run your T-Jet without the filter bag!!!

If you do that, anything in your pool can go through the T-Jet impeller, and it only takes a couple of leaves to jam it up tight. I know, one of my sons ran my old Pool Rover (basically the same as a T-Jet, I now have both) without a bag. Took me an hour or so to work out all of debris from the impeller area...

I've done it with the AquaJet (also similar the Turbo T-Jet) many times w/o a problem. They even documented this aspect in the manual or website when I bought it. FWIW, I've only done this after the pool was cleaned so that might be why I've had no issues.

 

[JasonLion]

You have to lower FC down or you will end up wasting some of the ascorbic acid (AA and chlorine destroy each other very quickly). You don't *have* to lower CC, but having a non-zero CC level is going to cause problems and it is best to avoid those problems by dealing with CC first. You should never have CC above 0.5, and if you do, lowering CC back down to 0.5 or lower should always be your first priority.

You will want the pump running continuously for several days, though probably not an entire week. Run the pump at least until you can maintain a consistent FC level after the treatment and the water is clear. That might be as quickly as two days but is typically four or five days, as the water often clouds up for several days after the treatment.

You want the PH down around 7.2 when you start. The AA treatment will lower the PH below that and you can only raise it back up very slowly after the treatment (which in practice mighty mean adding acid to prevent the PH from coming up as quickly as it otherwise might).

 

[gwar9999]

Thanks for the advice Jason. I'm not going to get a chance to treat it until the weekend, at the earliest, so in the meantime, since most of the stains are in the same area, I'm going to put some AA in a sock and see if that can get rid of any w/o the full treatment. I had success on the steps with a vitamin C tablet, so hopefully the AA + sock will get the bulk of the stains out and then I can wait until we're out of the swim season to treat it fully.