Adding shock to SWG pool?

[NicInNC]

My father in law just got a SWG. I know NOTHING about it and neither does he. He thinks that it's going to cure everything despite me trying for the past 3 years to get him to switch to the BBB method and explaining that a SWG is not a cure-all. I guess since I'm a girl, he thinks I'm stupid...despite the fact that my pool has looked amazing for 6 years.

He has struggled with his pool for the past 3 years. Yesterday he FINALLY let me go test his water. His water is green. CYA is 0. There is 0 chlorine reading. Alkalinity was in the 300's. PH is within normal range.

He has his SWG turned down as low as it would go. I told him to throw about 2 bags of shock in, brush the pool really well and to turn the swg all the way up. He REFUSES to use bleach. I told him right now the goal is to kill the algae and then we will go from there. He is wanting to throw in all kinds of acid and some "green out". I was almost on the verge of grabbing him by his shirt collar and screaming at him to "KILL THE ALGAE FIRST!!!!".

Did I give him the wrong info? lol

 

[duraleigh]

Over the years, I have found very little satisfaction and a lot of frustration in trying to save people that don't want to be saved.

Some people have much more patience than I do but it is pretty easy to find a whole lot of people on this forum that WANT to learn and I spend my time focusing on them.

I would tell him about the forum (sounds like you may have already) and let him determine if he wants to learn how to care for his pool or not. Then you will have done your best.

 

[BoDarville]

I told him right now the goal is to kill the algae and then we will go from there.

He needs to go through the shock process. About the only tweak I would make is to reduce pH to around 7.2 before starting that.

He has his SWG turned down as low as it would go. I told him to throw about 2 bags of shock in, brush the pool really well and to turn the swg all the way up.

He will need more than two bags of shock product to raise FC where it needs to be and to keep it within the shock FC target. Plus, the SWG is not designed to produce shock-level FC. He will need supplemental chlorine, regardless of the source and he will need to test several times a day until the shock process is complete. I would leave the SWG setting where it is. If he will not use bleach, then he will have to deal with the consequences. If he using dichlor-based "shock" that will raise the CYA. Since he currently has 0 CYA, that will work for a while. However, the tables can turn quickly if he indiscriminately keeps dumping that in. If he is using cal-hypo "shock" then he runs a risk of CH getting too high and causing scaling.

He REFUSES to use bleach.

The saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink" comes to mind. At the end of the day, it is his pool. You have done all you can.

 

[NicInNC]

Over the years, I have found very little satisfaction and a lot of frustration in trying to save people that don't want to be saved.

Some people have much more patience than I do but it is pretty easy to find a whole lot of people on this forum that WANT to learn and I spend my time focusing on them.

I would tell him about the forum (sounds like you may have already) and let him determine if he wants to learn how to care for his pool or not. Then you will have done your best.

He is in his upper 70's and knows NOTHING about using a computer, so getting him on here is NOT an option. He is constantly going to the pool store and they sell him hundreds of dollars in products that do NOT work. I can't STAND people that take advantage of others....especially the elderly. Yet, he won't listen to me.

 

[Smykowski]

It's not worth the stress. You know as well as we do that it's BBB, or the pool store, but not both. All you can do is be ready to jump in and help when he's ready to do it your way.

 

[NicInNC]

SUCCESS!!!!! My mother-in-law has done what I told her to do. I guess my father-in-law kept going out and turning the swg all the way down and wanting to dump all kinds of stuff into the pool. She wouldn't let him and they FINALLY did what I told them to do. Saturday evening they turned the SWG up and added 3 bags of shock and brushed real well like I told them to. Then yesterday m-i-l tested the water and the chlorine was still holding at shock level. She said by yesterday afternoon, the green was completely gone and they could see the drain at the bottom of the pool. This afternoon she called and said it's clearing up so fast that she thinks it will be ready to swim in by the weekend. I had her test it again today and all the numbers are finally going within range and the chlorine is still holding at shock level. They don't have anything to test the CYA at, so I told her "DO NOT" add anymore shock until I can get over there to test the CYA. I don't want it getting too high.

So, it took 6 YEARS to get them to listen to me. I'm glad they are realizing that I'm a genius.....with y'alls help of course.