Just found out about TFP, here to give pool gurus a good challenge.

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Dash Inc

Dash Inc

0
Jun 3, 2014
50
Nashville, Tennessee
Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forums after just now finding out about them. My wife and I purchased a house around five years ago that already had the Perma Suck System incorporated into the pool, and every five years has been a total nightmare opening up the pool. There has only been one successful year opening the pool up, and all the other years have been such time-consuming expenditures that we lost morale after going to the third pool store over the course of a single month and still having a swamp for a pool $400 later. This is the beginning of the fifth year, and I swore I would finally not let this pool win this year, but in order to do that I knew I had to switch up my methodology.

I read how concise you like for solution-seekers (like me) to be in the forums, and for that reason I just ordered the TF-100 test kit as this site recommends. I would absolutely, positively LOVE to come off the Perma Salt System by going to the BBB system, but I'm totally clueless when it comes to where to begin to start that phase-out and phase-in, what chemicals are needed, and the most efficient way to do it. I'm an intelligent person and a very fast learner, but, having no pool experience before buying this home, I am easily the poorest excuse of a pool owner in Tennessee as I am typing this, but I am determined and excited to get to know how to be totally fluent with taking care of my pool.

As I steadily read through the rest of the relevant articles in the Pool School part of this site, I wanted to ask a question that's more advice based and not chemically based (since I don't have the tester yet): My pool is very cloudy teal, it just got two gallons of bleach mixed in to it to deal with the algae (last piece of advice from the pool store before I finally started to try learning it on my own), and I'm waiting to see the results when it's light outside in the morning. I still have the original Preperate bucket, Activates and Klarates from Family Leisure for the Perma Salt System and have not added them in yet. Would now be the best time to start distancing the pool off this system (not use any of the Preperate, Activate, and Klarate), and if so, where should I go from here?

Or because I can't return these chemicals, should I go ahead and dump the preperate bucket into the pool, then start going towards a BBB setup?

Either way, getting my pool clear is going to probably be really easy for you pool gurus on here once I get the tester and report results (it seems like it would be the in your guy's top five challenging pools to me), so I'm really anxious to see my pool finally look normal, learn as much as I can from everyone, and do all that while being economical about it. This will be the only time I have such a lengthy post, but I wanted to explain why I'm in the situation I'm in. Thanks in advanced for your guy's help and advice.

-Dash
 
Welcome to the forum!

I can't help much with the PermaSalt questions, but there will be someone along shortly who can.

I just wanted to say thanks for a great first post. We will absolutely help you along the way, but you did your part already by ordering the good test kit and by spending a lot of time reading. We wish we could have all first posts like yours, who are hitting the ground running.
 
Welcome to the forum!

I can't speak to the perms salt system either. That said we never recommend blindly dumping chemistry in. I would vote to wait for your tf-100, get a good set of numbers and we will figure out what to do.
 
In general, we would suggest that you get the pool cleaned up from it's current swamp-state and then get to work on the salt system. Like the others, I have no clue about your salt system nor the chemicals associated with that brand. I would not suggest using any of them now.

Let's get your test kit in and then find out what your pool really needs. You will find that the chemicals used in the TFP system are so cheap that perhaps you will be able to just let go of those other things. Or perhaps someone can identify what they are precisely. Have you tried to search for the names online to see if there is a description of main ingredients, assuming there is no info on the box, of course.

I had a friend who had big troubles with her salt system and it turned out that there was no stabilizer in the water at all. Fixing that fixed the whole thing, after we rid the pool of the black algae that had moved in. So, it may be that things are not so bad, testing will tell the tale. Be patient.
 
Go to the local pool store. I know, I know.
Get your copper level tested.
Don't buy anything. Anything.... unless it's 12.5% "pool shock" liquid chlorine if it's less than $3 a gallon.
If your copper level is high you may need to do a partial drain to lower the level.
Don't add any of the chemicals you have from the old routine, but feel free to post an add on Craigs List or Ebay to give them away or try and sell to recoup your losses.

Once you have your test kit you'll be well on your way to recovery. In the mean time, do a google search of the forum for threads on other perma suck converts to BBB. Search box, top right.

Welcome :)
 
The Preperate is basically salt with borates and CYA mixed in. I agree with waiting until you get the test kit before doing much of anything. Unfortunately perma-salt is a copper based approach and is prone to staining.

While waiting for the kit I suggest you take a sample of water to the pool store and have them test for copper and salt content. The rest of the tests you need will be in the TF-100.

It would also be nice if you could post a pic of the pool and equipment in it's current state.
 
Smykowski: Thanks for that!

karmabiker: Hopefully the test kit will arrive here soon, it's being sent via USPS priority from their website, but I don't have a tracking number.

anonapersona: It'd be nice if it ends up being that simple, I'm not sure how I got it working that one year. A mixture of every chemical blindly thrown in there + Pool First Aid + incredibly slim odds I somehow managed to beat. Thanks for the advice!

frustratedpoolmom + woodyp: That's a good idea about reselling them, I know someone will buy them if they are a couple dollars cheaper (I'm not sure anyone likes going into Family Leisure anymore). I wish it were as simple as just draining the whole pool, and starting from scratch, but apparently it's bad to do that with an above ground pool from what I've been told. I searched in the toolbar before I was even a member and never quite found a thread that covered the entire Perma Suck > BBB solution, but I'll look again. And when I get the test kit in, I will go to the pool store and get the copper and salt content tested. The most recent test of the salt from the pool store from 3 days ago is: Salt: 200


Bama Rambler: Hopefully that test kit will be here asap! I'll post the pictures in another posting so this one isn't way too huge.
 
The next three pictures are as of this morning, the bleach still dissipating for the most part.






Brand new Hayward pump. The one we've had this whole time went out this month, and it wasn't the capacitor unfortunately.


This sand filter is typically at 10 psi while working correctly.


Lastly, a picture of our current pool tenants.
 

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This pool is getting owned this year. I couldn't manage to find a complete walkthrough of Permasalt > BBB on the site, just random segments of people's adventures already mid process. Maybe after I figure it out (mostly, you guys figure it out), I'll make a walkthrough from all of mine and your guy's postings and let the gurus edit it around to make it an official one, I know I'm not the only one doing this.
 
Dash Inc said:
This pool is getting owned this year. I couldn't manage to find a complete walkthrough of Permasalt > BBB on the site, just random segments of people's adventures already mid process. Maybe after I figure it out (mostly, you guys figure it out), I'll make a walkthrough from all of mine and your guy's postings and let the gurus edit it around to make it an official one, I know I'm not the only one doing this.
Click to expand...

:rockon:
 
Test got here super quick! Just have to wait for the pool store to open and I'll have every peice of information I need. Because copper was going to be an obstacle, I went ahead and turned the copper chamber off, probably for good. I guess it would be good to start a new thread entirely for the test results and how to proceed, right? Not sure what the best way would be for all the forum members to interact with this scenario.
 
Hopefully you can post test results *looks at watch* soon... within the next few minutes? Go out and grab some pool water and sit at the kitchen table, write it down and post them up.

If I were you, I'd go on a bleach run tomorrow. If you post up your numbers tonight, we can add to your shopping list if need be. :goodjob:
 
Maybe after I figure it out (mostly, you guys figure it out)
Click to expand...
I would add that folks on here who help are not doing so to play "stump the panel" but are interested in teaching you how to manage your own pool. We are all pool owners and, while many of us have learned this before you, it is not our intent to fix your pool but rather to teach you so you have no need to rely on the advice of others.
 
duraleigh said:
I would add that folks on here who help are not doing so to play "stump the panel" but are interested in teaching you how to manage your own pool. We are all pool owners and, while many of us have learned this before you, it is not our intent to fix your pool but rather to teach you so you have no need to rely on the advice of others.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, because that's exactly what I want.
 

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