New Homeowner / Pool Owner

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Jimmymcg1

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Mar 11, 2014
52
Orlando
Good day to everyone, looking for some help!

I honestly don't know where to start.

After 3 months of trying to fight a clarity problem which I assumed was from all the dead algae. Which was from shocking a pool which sat for 6 motnhs unattended.... I have tried a floc and vaccum to waste with correct PH , I have tried filter powder , skimmer socks everything in the world. After 3 months I can now see the vaccum head on the shallow end...however the last 2 weeks ive seen no progress running the filter 24/7...now looking more closely at the pool I realized the paint on the steps is starting to bubble and peel a little. Could this be why Im fighting clarity so much , could the pool paint be coming off and diluting the water and therefore is why I cant filter it out or vac it out ?

Will this result in me having to drain and maybe repaint / resurface the pool ?
 
Welcome to TFP!

Jimmymcg1 said:
I honestly don't know where to start.
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You got here so you are starting in the right place. You've stated you have tried a lot of things but you haven't said what your numbers are or what kind of test kit your using. I would start with this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/3913-Turning-Your-Green-Swamp-Back-into-a-Sparkling-Oasis. You need to follow the steps explicitly.

I don't think the paint is your problem. Get us some good numbers and we'll see what we can do.
 
Welcome to TFP !
If you could post a full set of test results and how you got them that would be great. Sometimes water clarity issues can also be water chemistry issues. These are the test kits we recommend http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison. If don't have one of these gets I recommend that you get yourself one.
If you could add all your pool and equipment info to your sig it will help us better help you.
 
Thank you all for the quick replies and sorry about the lack of information ...

Im embarrassed to say so but for now I wasnt really worrying about the pool chemicals because I figured I'd worry about getting them level once the water was clear and then I would work on making the pool swimmable ....the only thing I tested was the ph and I threw in soda ash when I floc'd the pool

So I'm looking into getting one of those kits you mentioned , do they only sell them online and if so how can I get you some results in the meantime, just some dipsticks ??

As far as my setup , I'm not sure how big the pool is if I had to guess I would assume around 14,000 gallons, its a pretty big " Rio " Style pool

My pump is a 1 hp Hayward , with a 1200c Star Clear Plus with I want to say a PA120 Cartridge Filter

Also I was getting frustrated not making progress after this long and I turned off pump 2 days ago and let pool settle , today I was able to see leaves on bottom of shallow end , first time since I purchased house.

Opps one more thing I was rubbing my hands on the wall today and I could watch white dust come off the wall as if it was chalking up...

-James
 
quick update , went to look at the pool this morning and its progressively getting better each day that I leave the pump off. Very close to seeing the bottom of the deep end , A Total of 3 days with the pump off....

Also just browsing through the forums I've noticed that some of had trouble with certain shock brands they use and the calcium filler that is in them.

During the super shock of the pool I used quite a few cases over a course of 2 weeks , that were an off brand not from the pool store but from home depot... could this be what I'm fighting ? Still working on getting you all some results , would you like some dipstick results or is it not worth it and should I just wait to get an accurate reading
 
Jimmymcg1 said:
During the super shock of the pool I used quite a few cases over a course of 2 weeks , that were an off brand not from the pool store but from home depot... could this be what I'm fighting ? Still working on getting you all some results , would you like some dipstick results or is it not worth it and should I just wait to get an accurate reading
Click to expand...

Get the TF-100 - only available online but certainly the best option. Odds are any of the other kits that are recommended would need to be ordered online as well, pool stores just don't stock them. Don't take your water to the pool store to get it tested - they are almost always wrong.

Don't throw anymore puck, powder or solid chlorine in the pool - this is almost certainly exacerbating your issues (betting on a sky high CYA). Wait for the kit, get a full set of results posted here and we will have you up and running in no time flat.

again - DO NOT TRUST THE POOL STORE.
 
woo hoo after going on vacation , starting a new job finally got some spare cash and time to get the TF100

1st time using the test and tried to follow a youtube video, here are the results ....the only thing is im not sure how big my pool is, if I had to guess I would say its 12k - 14k gallons ...

Free Chlorine - 1.8 ppm
Combined - 1.8 ppm
Total Alkalinity - 110ppm
Calcium Hardness - 150 ppm
Ph - 7.4
CYA - 30 ppm ( I could still see the black dot with the water to the top )
 
Congrats!!!

Are you sure the CC was 1.8 and you did not mean total chlorine? Also, use a 10ml sample of water so each drop is 0.5ppm.

Add some dimensions and pictures of your pool and we can help with the volume estimate.

First step is to add about 20ppm of CYA and then retest that after a week ... After it dissolves assume that you are around 40ppm until you confirm. You also need to start maintaining higher FC levels and if there is any sign of algae, then you will need to follow the SLAM Process.
 
Okay I redid the test with a 10ml sample and I got a free chlorine of 2.5 ppm and a CC of .5 ppm, the taylor kit says it test for free and combined so im not sure about total ...

also here is a picture , im unaware of the depth level in the deep end but I would guess about 6 ft , the length of the pool is ~28ft and the width is ~18 at the widest point

do I just go to the pool store and ask for CYA ??Sorry Im very new to all of this , thanks again for all the help and quick reply , how many bleach bottles should I put in weekly ?

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For CYA - you can go to Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart or the pool store (I would steer clear of te pool store they will try to sell you snake oil).

It may be labeled as:
Stabilizer
CYA
Cyanuric Acid


at lowes:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_86401-1772-...er&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=stabilizer&facetInfo=

On amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Kem-Tek-024-6...id=1401393765&sr=8-1&keywords=stabilizer+pool

The amount of bleach is determined by demand - I suggest taking a look at pool school and how to slam again. That will help you get the process down.
 
I think your estimates of volume are pretty good. I would start at around 12k and keep track of your chemical additions and results. If you are consistently overshooting, then bump the volume up a bit.

TC = FC + CC ... I was just surprised you reported the CC as the same as the FC in the first set of results.
 
okay , went and got some stabilizer from home depot and added about 2.5 / 3 pounds to the pool today , so hopefully this will get me up to the 30/40 ppm cya. Do I have to wait a full week to test the cya again ?

and I'm gonna go ahead and slam the pool , and keep the pump running 24/7

should I shoot for a 12-14 FC ?? or am i gonna have to wait a week to see what the cya is at and therefore determine how much fc ill need
 
okay before work today I went and picked up 5 bottles of bleach and was able to get the fc up to 16ppm which is shock level, im at work for another 5 hours and will test when I get home, I tested the chlorine about 2 hours after I dumped the bleach in and noticed the CC raised from .5 up to 1ppm , so I'm guessing I never was able to fully slam the pool , hopefully this slam will do the trick.

Also while brushing the pool today , I must have hit some leaves/algae/dirt piles in the deep end that I could never see. It's making the filter psi shoot up rather quickly, within 2 hours it shot up from 14psi to 21psi .....which has me worried to leave it running over night, although the psi was that high the flow of the water back into the pool was still rapid and good but I know you are supposed to keep it running 24/7
 
I would clean, backwash your filter when you get home. While your SLAMing the pool, clean, backwash your filter when the pressure rises 25% above your clean pressure.
If you could add all your pool and equipment info to your sig that will help us better help you ! ?
 
28x18 Rio Style pool ~14,000 , 1 hp Hayward , 1200c Star Clear Plus and a PA120 Cartridge Filter

Sorry it was up earlier in the thread...also no backwash or drain =/ just hose cleaning it, the plumbing is pool -> pump -> filter - >pool

I cleaned it twice earlier today and will when I get home
 
also one more thing, I can only vac to waste with a submersible pump ... and I was having a tough time skimming all the debris out of the pool that I stirred up, most of it is broken up leaves, grass, dirt and some algae

is this gonna make the slam useless with so much organic matter eating up the bleach ?

what would one suggest ?
 

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