I drank the Kool-Aid....

[bharkin]

Ok, I did the same thing that most of us did, believed the "Pool Guy". He said I had to get my chemicals from him, and that only he was "qualified" to test my water. He said don't use those "other" chemicals you can get from Wally World as they are inferior to his and contain stuff you don't want in your pool. Heck, he even told me that using bleach would only last about 5 minutes in the pool.

And then :idea: ..... I saw error of my ways. I ordered and received my own test kit (a TFT TF-100) and found that bleach lasts longer than 5 minutes.....

I did my first test:
pH 7.2
FC .5
CC 2.5
TA 150
CH 260
CYA 25

I plugged those numbers into the handy dandy... Pool calculator, and was rewarded with the info that I needed a whopping $2.50* worth of bleach, and some aerating to lower my TA. To think, he said I needed $50.00 worth of shock/chemicals to do the same thing..... silly pool guy, tricks are for kids....





* your price may vary, not applicable in all states. Tax tag and dealer prep extra..... or wait sorry, wrong commercial.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

I'd say you're darn lucky the CYA isn't well into triple digits.

By the way, aeration raises pH, it doesn't lower TA. You raise pH by aeration, then add acid to lower TA and pH. So you'll need a couple bucks worth of acid, too.

 

[bharkin]

Welcome!

I'd say you're darn lucky the CYA isn't well into triple digits.

By the way, aeration raises pH, it doesn't lower TA. You raise pH by aeration, then add acid to lower TA and pH. So you'll need a couple bucks worth of acid, too.

Thanks Richard, that was what I meant..... I was just so drunk with happiness over the money I'm saving I got tongue tied....

Also, the water is quite cloudy, but I know that eventually the filter will clear it. Is there an alternative to using "Sparkle-xx"?

 

[joshs2000ss]

Welcome!

I'd say you're darn lucky the CYA isn't well into triple digits.

By the way, aeration raises pH, it doesn't lower TA. You raise pH by aeration, then add acid to lower TA and pH. So you'll need a couple bucks worth of acid, too.

Thanks Richard, that was what I meant..... I was just so drunk with happiness over the money I'm saving I got tongue tied....

Also, the water is quite cloudy, but I know that eventually the filter will clear it. Is there an alternative to using "Sparkle-xx"?

With CC that high and the water being cloudy, you are likely going to need to follow the shock process outlined in pool school to get rid of anything "growing" in your water.

 

[techguy]

I don't know SparkleX but its likely the solution to cloudy water is filter, test, bleach, repeat until clear.

 

[bharkin]

OK, after adding the 2 gallons of bleach as requested by Pool Calculator, I retested. My FC is 7.5 and my CC is 3.0. I just added another 96 oz of bleach and will retest in an hour or so. Why is my CC going up? As I recall I want it at .5, right? Am I doing something wrong?

Sparkle-xx is Sparkle-up from Bio-Guard

 

[zea3]

You want the CC to be 0 as much as possible. When you see any CC, it means the bleach is doing its job killing off contaminants in your pool. Usually if you get 1.0 or more then you have a lot of organics/contaminants in the water and you need to perform the shock process to clean everything up. Your CC is going up because the bleach is doing its job. Use the pool calculator to determine shock level for your pool, raise it to shock level and keep it there as often as possible until you pass the overnight test. Read through shocking your pool, defeating algae, and the overnight test for more details.

Also the fact that you have cloudy water is another indication that you need to perform the shock process. I see you listed a Pool Frog in your signature. Have you been using the mineral packs?

 

[bharkin]

I used it last year. I took the mineral pack out last winter and have not replaced it. As soon as I get the water "repaired", I plan on taking it off and start using a SWG, probably an Intex SWG.

 

[Isaac-1]

It looks like you were somewhat lucky, those test results don't look too bad, at least not compared to some. Your pool guy was partly right about avoiding Wal-Mart chemicals because they contain things you don't want, well at least some of them do. Last I checked Wal-Mart sells HTH chemicals and many of their products contain copper, we are strongly against adding any metals to pools around here, so avoid those products with copper. (read the fine print on active ingredients)


Ike

 

[techguy]

(read the fine print on active ingredients)

I found myself reading the fine print on the back more than the big stuff on the front. All the "stuff" had "exciting" SHOCK names when it's all the same or wrong stuff.

Since going BBB, it's much easier. Fewer small panels to read.

 

[scott.MI]

Your pool guy was partly right about avoiding Wal-Mart chemicals because they contain things you don't want, well at least some of them do. Last I checked Wal-Mart sells HTH chemicals and many of their products contain copper, we are strongly against adding any metals to pools around here, so avoid those products with copper. (read the fine print on active ingredients)

What kind of things would a TFP member be buying with metal in it? I really don't know what kind of things have metal in them, and would they actually say the metal in it? I see my HTH bottles say things like "other" and "inert ingredients".

The only "Chemicals" you really need to buy would be HTH liquid chlorine 10% and the granual stabilizer/conditioner. I'm trying to figure out what someone who's a member of this site would buy from wal-mart besides those 2 things that would have metal in it? Both of which I have bought from there and HTH brand now you got me wondering. I guess someone with a plan could buy dichlor power to raise FC and CYA, does that have metal in it?

 

[Richard320]

[quote="Isaac-1":2plmslx6] Your pool guy was partly right about avoiding Wal-Mart chemicals because they contain things you don't want, well at least some of them do. Last I checked Wal-Mart sells HTH chemicals and many of their products contain copper, we are strongly against adding any metals to pools around here, so avoid those products with copper. (read the fine print on active ingredients)

What kind of things would a TFP member be buying with metal in it? I really don't know what kind of things have metal in them, and would they actually say the metal in it? I see my HTH bottles say things like "other" and "inert ingredients".

The only "Chemicals" you really need to buy would be HTH liquid chlorine 10% and the granual stabilizer/conditioner. I'm trying to figure out what someone who's a member of this site would buy from wal-mart besides those 2 things that would have metal in it? Both of which I have bought from there and HTH brand now you got me wondering. I guess someone with a plan could buy dichlor power to raise FC and CYA, does that have metal in it?[/quote:2plmslx6]Some of the pucks have copper in them. Yes - some of us do use them from time to time! They're great for vacations, and since I lose CYA when I drain to lower CH, I have to replace it somehow.

 

[scott.MI]

does it flat out say it in active ingredients? xy% copper? I've pretty much only seen "Other ingredients" or "Inert Ingredients". Just trying to build my knowledge base.

 

[Richard320]

does it flat out say it in active ingredients? xy% copper? I've pretty much only seen "Other ingredients" or "Inert Ingredients". Just trying to build my knowledge base.

Yes, they do. Frequently it's cupro or cuprous and then a whole mouthful of letters. Just read the label. Inert ingredients are probably inorganic binders like clay.

 

[bharkin]

So the green is NOW gone..... water is milky, FC is 13, pump is pumping, filter is filtering. flux capacitor is.... fluxing.... all is right in the world.

 

[orcldba]

Not all the chemicals at wal-mart are bad. If it says anything-blue
It has copper in it.

Since my CYA (stabilizer) level is low when I start up the pool I
toss some 1" tablets in a floater, as I'm clearing the pool. Them
its back to BBB+saltwater generator!

Whatever you do, be cautious about using powdered 'shock' that
Has calcium in it. The water in NC has a high calcium level
To start with. The calcium hypochlorite (powdered shock) makes
The hard NC water even harder!

 

[DebbieO]

OK, after adding the 2 gallons of bleach as requested by Pool Calculator, I retested. My FC is 7.5 and my CC is 3.0. I just added another 96 oz of bleach and will retest in an hour or so. Why is my CC going up? As I recall I want it at .5, right? Am I doing something wrong?

Sparkle-xx is Sparkle-up from Bio-Guard

There are other options out there that are much cheaper. I use Purifiber. Bought mine a couple years ago from their website. It was about $50.00 delivered right to my door for a 25 pound bag. Lots cheaper than Sparkle Up which runs about $28.00 for 1.5 pounds! And with 25 pounds of Purifiber I have enough to last for almost ever!

 

[bharkin]

ok, so I have a question. I have been testing and adding bleach, brushing well, and backwashing when needed. I see no algae now even while brushing. The FC levels are still not holding steady, the CC are getting lower. It's still milky.

pH 7.5
FC 3.5
CC 2.5
CYA 25
TA 150

I guess my question is, am I missing something or am I just being a little impatient?

 

[Charlie_R]

You need to practice P.O.P. Pool Owner Patience. Your pool needs a little time to finish and clear, but you are on the right track.

 

[bharkin]

pH 7.5
FC 12.5
CC 2.5
all other tests were the same.

So if I am understanding it correctly, I keep it the shock level until it holds on the overnight test with no more of a drop than 1ppm on the FC and = to or < 0.5 ppm CC.