bought a house with a pool

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G

ggoodman

0
Apr 7, 2013
42
Tallahassee Fl
So bought a a house with a pool have remodeled the house and tried to keep the pool hangin in there using my basic knowledge of pool chemistry. now that we are moved in I am trying to get a better understanding and handle on things.
I am a nursing student so i have taken and aced Chem 1,2 and organic. so I understand how a lot of this works but could use some help in implementing my knowledge

Problem A is a giant pine tree overhaging the pool dumping pounds of organics in every day making my life suck.(happily it's coming down next week.) I assume i have an algae bloom or there is TONS of pollen everywhere all over everything.

Problem B, 2 days ago noticed the water was milky looking has been crystal clear.

TEst kit pentair model 78 Taylor 2006 test kit on order
ph~6.8
FC .3
TA 10ppm
Acid deman didnt check due to low Ph
Cant test for anything else with this kit

I have turned on of the jets so the water is splashing to try and raise the PH

I added a full container of this Sodium Hypo from pool store ( I assume 2.5g) clerk said one container would raise pool from 0-4ppm FC.

To raise my TA I was goig to add 27/lbs of NaCO3Baking soda this should bring me from my 10ppm to 100ppm. (this needs to be don in steps right?) this should also rasise my ph but by what factor?

I vacuum everyday and empty the skimmer 2-3 times a week.

C. Does the Cl im buying from pench a penny come with stabilizer?or do I need to be adding something else with it?
I am interested in adding Br2 after some research it looks like this will enhance the affect of the FC while making the water less irritating and harsh on our skin and clothes.


Thanks for the advise and help.
 
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I wouldn't do a thing until you got your new kit. Posts those test results for accuracy and we'll go from there.

If you are using liquid chlorine, it has no stabilizer.

I would suggest you wait on borates as an optional item after you get your basic chemistry accurately tested and adjusted.
 
Pinch a Penny will drain your wallet faster than you can say BOO!

Depending on where you live ACE hardware is the way to go for liquid chlorine. The one on Ap. Parkway has great service. I do not know if any of the others have liquid chlorine.

Please do NOT allow PAP do your water tests. As a test I took two water samples with me. One to each PAP. BOTH test results were WAY off. They were also both different than each other. Both said I needed this and that to "fix" my pool.

See I had already tested my water with my Taylor kit and my water was purrrfect! It looked good, felt good, tested dead on for levels.

I also live in Tallahassee. Who are you getting to do your tree work? That is NOT going to fun but will be SO nice when it is done. I cannot believe someone lived with a pool under that for any amount of time. I have a tree guy that is a local man and works with his son. Great prices and SKILL. He is licensed and insured.

Kim
 
pops came over and brought his test kit
FC ~5 or brown.
TA 30ppm
ph 6.3

Well since I know my TA and ph are low I added some baking soda using the calculor will do it in a three step process 1/3 now, 1/3 tomorow and 1/3 next day.

Going to purchase a CYA kit tomorrow and see where that's at.


Thanks for the recommendation but I will be doing the tree work on this one , all the limbs hanging over the pool will be gone next week. and the rest of the tree will go when I finish a few more of the projects inside...... now if you know any one in the septic business I will need that soon.
 
We use Apalachee backhoe and septic for any septic work we need. They just put in our new drainfield. They are just about the only ones that will do drainfield work anymore around here. Most of the others just want to do pump outs.

Good luck with the tree. That is going to be a job for sure!

Keep up the pool pics and updates!

Kim
 
OK so an update
FC 2
TA 100
ph 7.0
CYA 30ppm
vacuumed and scrubbed pool
Then added enough borax to bring pH up to 7.5 and Used chart and added enough CL to bring back up to shock level and pulled the trichlor tabs out of the pool.

The pool now has a teal sparkly look to it. Letting pump run 24/7

I do have another question.... seems my filter is not catching all the pollen any ideas?
Went to ace for Cl- they are nice but on the other side of the world from me.

will post pics tomorrow.
 

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Time for the pollen is all I know. It is a mess here! I am hoping this rain on Thursday will knock most of it down and we will be done.

I see that there are two Ace stores in T-town. Applachee Parkway and one on Monroe. I am not sure just where the one on Monroe is or if they have liquid chlorine. I guess you will have to weigh out your cost/time/gas to find the best fit for you.

I know quite a few on this site buy liquid bleach from Wal-mart. Just make sure to check the % of it.

Make sure to NOT buy anything other than plain bleach-no smells,outdoor,no splash, etc. That added stuff can do a number on your pool.

Got to love a pool that sparkles! There was one day I about jumped through my window when I looked at my pool. I thought the water had leaked out or something! The water was SO clear I could not see it! NICE! LOL

Kim
 
New test results

new test results with my spiffy new Taylor test kit .

13.5ppm FC
CC 0-.5ppm
ph 7.3
TA 120
85ppm Calcium
way over 100ppm CYA

I pulled the trichlor tabs out of the pool
Assume from reading the pool the only way to lower the CYA is to drain...

I need to vacuum and backwash so I am assuming i can vac to waste then backwash top off the pool and check again. I must say I am a bit dissapointed as it seems i can only test CYA 4 times with this kit before needing reagent.

I was going to use more borax to raise the PH to 7.4ish
 
Re: New test results

ggoodman said:
I must say I am a bit dissapointed as it seems i can only test CYA 4 times with this kit before needing reagent.
Click to expand...

Yup. That is one of the many reasons we recommend the TF100 instead.

I would suggest doing the CYA with a 50/50 mix of pool and tap water to start, then double the result to see how high it really is. Then you will have a better idea how much water will need to be replaced to get the CYA reasonable. Right now all you know is that you need to replace at least 50% of the water in the pool.

Note that the pH test is inaccurate when the FC>10ppm (reads high). No need to adjust the pH now if you are going to be replacing a bunch of water.
 
Actually you can test 6 times. The bottles are .75 oz, which works out to 22 mL/bottle. Each test requires 7 mL. When you need to get a refill for the CYA, you may want to consider getting the pint. It works out to be a lot cheaper than getting the smaller refills. I am not sure if tftestkits sells the pint, but I do know if you search around you will find a website that sells the pint. It is $6.86 + shipping, and will give you about CYA tests.
 
Right, most people seem to think that the water is much more expensive than it really is. {mine is only $0.80 / 1000 gallons} (Although some areas are significantly higher apparently).

Well, what if your CYA is really 200? Replacing 50% of the water would leave you at 100ppm still. But in reality, with a vinyl IG pool, you should not drain more the about 50% anyway ... leave at least a foot in the shallow end, so that the liner does not shift.

So, replacing 50% of the water first and then testing would be fine. Then you may need another replacement if you are still high.
 
The bottles are .75 oz, which works out to 22 mL/bottle. Each test requires 7 mL.
Click to expand...
FWIW, the TF-100 comes standard with a pint (8 oz) of CYA reagent BUT, by choice, we use the larger view tube requiring 15ml per test.

I feel the larger tube gives you a better chance at accuracy with a test that's not very precise to begin with so every little bit helps.

Net result is the TF-100 can perform 16 CYA tests using the larger view tube.
 

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