New Pool Owner

[frustratedpoolmom]

You need to read the test in sunlight. Outside, with your back to the sun so your body shades the view tube. You can warm the sample up with hot water. I don't know that it will make that much of a difference... just an FYI. The lighting is actually more important.

 

[malchior]

Saw the same reading even at higher temperature this morning. 30 - 40 range (more towards 40). My wife hasn't seen it in a few days and she pointed out we can see the pool light pretty clearly now. I had not noticed since I'm out there all the time. So I guess it'll just be more time. Too bad we have the graduation to go to. I hate to think we'll backslide but I never thought when I started that we would not be clear 2 weeks later (assuming we aren't clear by Friday which isn't looking good).

 

[duraleigh]

Some pools just take longer to clear than others. It is usually a combination of factors centering around operator technique and equipment capability.

There is a chemical and mechanical subdivision of the shock process. The chemistry involves killing the organics in your pool with high doses of chlorine and keeping the chlorine high to kill any residual.

The mechanical part involves scooping up all possible debris before starting and then filtering, brushing, vacuuming, and cleaning your filter....all done as often as practicable.

You have some hindrance from the size of your filter....it's a bit small for a pool that size so that will add to the clearing time.

After all that, some pools just take longer and there seems no cut and dried answer.

Stay the course and follow the above practices and your pool will clear. If your pool looks the same day to day AND you have followed the practices suggested, you may want to try a clarifier BUT they have mixed reviews and are NOT really part of our guidelines....sometimes they seem to work really well and just as often they seem no help at all or can even make matters worse.

 

[BoDarville]

I've been overshooting the shock level toward the mid-20s every day to deal with that.

It is true that overshooting the target shock FC level will lessen the likelihood of dropping below shock level between tests, but that comes at a price. Higher than recommended shock FC levels are more harsh on your pool's surface and equipment. The target shock FC levels strike a balance between killing off organics faster than they can reproduce (when the shock process is done properly) while not being overly harsh on your pool & equipment. Just something to keep in mind.

With your CYA somewhere between 30 and 40, the target shock levels are 12 and 16, respectively, per the Chlorine/CYA Chart.

 

[malchior]

Thanks! That all makes sense. I didn't realize it might be undersized. Is slower clearing the only implication of that?

 

[joshs2000ss]

I'll make this statement/question here since it might be something that could help with your situation while you're gone. You have a chlorinator, right? Isn't there someway this could be used to keep the levels up while he's gone for the 3 day weekend? I would think with all of the knowledge floating around here that there might be some options.

One thing i've always wondered about is powdered bleach. Why couldn't you fill several heavy duty freezer bags with powdered bleach and put them in a bucket, (to prevent bleaching the pool surface/liner) or in several buckets spread around the pool, with a rock or heavy object in it to weigh it down, and then poke some holes in the bags and let the bleach dissolve out over time? I would think, if done properly, this could last for a few days. I don't know, just thinking out loud here in hopes for a possible solution for a case such as this where someone has to be gone for a while during the shocking process.

 

[malchior]

So I returned from my trip today. Prior to leaving I hung a Leslie floating chlorinator from the ladder in the deep end and filled up the Hayward Chlorinator with tabs. I dialed it to full, raised the water 3/4 of the way up the skimmer and left hoping for the best. I returned to a pool where I could see the bottom of the shallow end for the first time ever, I could see the toolhead on the brush to about 1 foot from the bottom of the deep end so in short a dramatic improvement. The filter was heavily clogged and water flow was severely restricted; another day or so and I probably would have lost the pump so lesson learned there. The CYA level had drifted into the bottom of the 20-30 range prior to me leaving on Friday and I returned to it being solidly around the 40 line so the trichlor actually proved to be beneficial in this case. I was only a little bit under shock level so I brought it up and dropped in the robot to give it a cleaning. We'll have to see how it goes. Thanks for all the great advice folks!

 

[malchior]

Another update - Passed the OCLT finally and can make out the main drain despite it being a bit dark due to rain/clouds so not crystal clear but very close. I added some DE to the filter and hopefully it clears up quite a bit by the time I get home tonight from the office.

At this point can I let the FC drift down a little bit under my shock level of 12 so that I can get an accurate pH level? I haven't done one in awhile due to the constant high FC level.

 

[Smykowski]

Wait until all three criteria are passed before letting FC drift down to maintenance levels. It's a little extra insurance to be absolutely sure the algae is gone. Wait until the water is crystal clear.

 

[malchior]

The pool cleared between leaving for work and now so I'm good finally. If it wasn't so dark outside I'd throw some photos up. 21 days from Open to Clear. Hopefully I'll never get that bad again...