Hey thanks everyone here for the great information. I am a 4 year veteran of a pool using traditional pool chemicals and have never had major problems until this year. The year started out great with the water staying stable and very minimal tablet usage along with weekly shocking. Then we went on a 1 week vacation, before we left I brought the pool up to 8 ppm of chlorine and turned my inline chlorinator up. I had been able to run close to 2 weeks on a full chlorinator so figured I would be just fine. We got home from vacation and walked by the pool and my wife about vomited. The smell was awful and smelled like a sewer. We opened the pool and the pool was so green it was black with carpet growing on the surface.
I took the traditional route of clearing this up by throwing 8 lbs of cal-hypo shock and then reshocking repeating every 12 hours for 3 days. During this time I back washed multiple times and then when the water was just cloudy I used a bottle of clarifier. I brushed the walls and vacuumed a couple of times and after about 5 days the water was clear but still could not detect any chlorine on my strips (I know, I know don't use strips) or DPD tablet tester. After shocking and having my chlorinator maxed out, going through about 10 pucks every couple of days and fighting this for a few of weeks I figured it was time to go to the LPS. I live an hour away from the nearest pool store so had a trip down with a water sample and walked about with another $100 in shock and the instructions to add 6 pounds every two hours until my FC was 10 ppm. I was told I had "chlorine demand". I did this and made it through the $100 of shock and still could not detect any chlorine. So off to walmart to buy a Crud ton more shock. I did this again and still could not get it up, the chlorine that is :lol: .
I finally got so annoyed I searched the web and low and behold I find a link to the BBB method on TFP. I read through it, the pool school and many of the other posts in the forum. After thinking about it for a few days I said what could it hurt to buy some bleach. So after looking through the pool calculator and putting in the latest numbers provided by the LPS I went out and put in 9 gallons of bleach per the pool calculator. Now I was showing about .5 ppm on my DPD tester. I was bummed because it still didn't work. So I did more research and then found some posts about the cyn acid testing by LPS. They had mine listed at 90 and said I would have no problems. So after more :blah: :blah: :blah: from the LPS over the phone I purchased a TFT-100 test kit yesterday took another water sample into the LPS and then put the new numbers into pool calculator and adjusted my cyn acid level up figuring they were low. It was showing as 120 this time and again the LPS said it was just fine. I said ok and went back to the BBB method. I put in another 6 gallons yesterday and tested again and I had 10 ppm of chlorine. Finally and this morning went and bought borax and baking soda because my alkalinity was at 73 and my pH was 6.6. Overnight I checked the chlorine drop it dropped about 4 so this morning I added the new chemicals in a few steps this morning. I have now stabilized my FC and my pH is back at 7.5 and alkalinity is at 110.
My new test kit should arrive by Wednesday so I can accurately check my water and now I am an BBB convert and so far love it. Thanks for all the great posts by people on the site as I was able to answer all my questions by searching the posts. Sorry about the rambaling but I wanted to express how I became a BBB convert and appreciate all the great information.
Now is anyone on here familiar with a Jandy Lite NG heater. I am having problems with mine not firing even though it has a new pilot generator and has continuity through all the switches and stuff.
cheers
I took the traditional route of clearing this up by throwing 8 lbs of cal-hypo shock and then reshocking repeating every 12 hours for 3 days. During this time I back washed multiple times and then when the water was just cloudy I used a bottle of clarifier. I brushed the walls and vacuumed a couple of times and after about 5 days the water was clear but still could not detect any chlorine on my strips (I know, I know don't use strips) or DPD tablet tester. After shocking and having my chlorinator maxed out, going through about 10 pucks every couple of days and fighting this for a few of weeks I figured it was time to go to the LPS. I live an hour away from the nearest pool store so had a trip down with a water sample and walked about with another $100 in shock and the instructions to add 6 pounds every two hours until my FC was 10 ppm. I was told I had "chlorine demand". I did this and made it through the $100 of shock and still could not detect any chlorine. So off to walmart to buy a Crud ton more shock. I did this again and still could not get it up, the chlorine that is :lol: .
I finally got so annoyed I searched the web and low and behold I find a link to the BBB method on TFP. I read through it, the pool school and many of the other posts in the forum. After thinking about it for a few days I said what could it hurt to buy some bleach. So after looking through the pool calculator and putting in the latest numbers provided by the LPS I went out and put in 9 gallons of bleach per the pool calculator. Now I was showing about .5 ppm on my DPD tester. I was bummed because it still didn't work. So I did more research and then found some posts about the cyn acid testing by LPS. They had mine listed at 90 and said I would have no problems. So after more :blah: :blah: :blah: from the LPS over the phone I purchased a TFT-100 test kit yesterday took another water sample into the LPS and then put the new numbers into pool calculator and adjusted my cyn acid level up figuring they were low. It was showing as 120 this time and again the LPS said it was just fine. I said ok and went back to the BBB method. I put in another 6 gallons yesterday and tested again and I had 10 ppm of chlorine. Finally and this morning went and bought borax and baking soda because my alkalinity was at 73 and my pH was 6.6. Overnight I checked the chlorine drop it dropped about 4 so this morning I added the new chemicals in a few steps this morning. I have now stabilized my FC and my pH is back at 7.5 and alkalinity is at 110.
My new test kit should arrive by Wednesday so I can accurately check my water and now I am an BBB convert and so far love it. Thanks for all the great posts by people on the site as I was able to answer all my questions by searching the posts. Sorry about the rambaling but I wanted to express how I became a BBB convert and appreciate all the great information.
Now is anyone on here familiar with a Jandy Lite NG heater. I am having problems with mine not firing even though it has a new pilot generator and has continuity through all the switches and stuff.
cheers
