I opened my pool for the first time in 2years

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I'm going to follow this one for sure!

You're on the right track. The best part about tfpc is after you get this swamp tamed you'll never have to hide from it again! It will be so much easier to maintain than before that you just won't believe it.
 
Oh Wow-here there Tad, yeah we are practically neighbors eh? I did not see this post until tonight. I am 99% sure my kit will be here tomorrow but thanks so much for the offer. I also have a Dollar General nearby and will grab some of the bleach you talk about there. I will check the label for the one that has 8.25%. I am going to be amazed if this all works. Will be the first time I have not spent 100's in a summer.

tado921 said:
Hi There,

I live in Douglasville, which (as you probably know) is right next door to Dallas. I can get 121oz. jugs of 8.25% bleach for $2.95 at Dollar General. Read the labels carefully, they have two types and one of them is the much weaker 3% for $2.50. They also carry Chlorox brand but it is $3.50/gal. I'm not sure if that is the cheapest around, but I live very close to one so it is convenient for me and it works perfectly.

I just want to add that it will take some time to get the pool cleared up, probably two weeks once you start SLAMming. However, if you stay the course and follow through, your pool will look better than it ever has before and maintenance will become super easy. I'm a perfect example of this, I check chlorine and pH daily and adjust if needed, brush and vacuum once a week. I use about two gallons of bleach per week to keep the chlorine in line and that's about it.

What area of Dallas do you live in? I can come over and help get you started with the test kit if you like.

Tad
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Alright, got my test kit today and just got home and tried it out. Not as scary as I thought it would be.
FC 2.0
CC 1.5
TC 3.5
CH 25
TA 20
CYA 30

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So nowlooking at that chart if my CYA is 30 my Chorine should be at 4 and it is at 2.

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Actually looks like I need to add Calcium Hardness?
 
TA does look low. CH very low. Normally CH doesn't matter in a vinyl pool but that's too low for equipment. Can be corrosive to parts that low. Since both TA and CH are abnormally low, I'd check the test instructions and make sure your math is right. Fill water is usually higher than both those numbers.

Need pH result as well.

More chlorine. Up to 4 ppm.

Also, CC that high means you want to raise the chlorine and see if it goes down. If not, a SLAM may be on order.
 
PH level-where is my PH level?>
kimkats said:
Where is your PH reading?

Your TA looks low as well.

Not sure but not sure the CH matters in a vinyl pool???????????? Please check as I really am not sure!

Kim
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Looking at the card that came with the kit it shows four tests
In this order
Chlorine Drop Test steps 1-5
Calc Hrdness steps 1-3
t Alk- steps 1-3
CYA steps 1-2
where do I get PH level?
 

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CH is for keeping the water from leaching calcium out of the surface or grout of a pool. With a vinyl pool the CH really isn't a concern.

This is "stolen" from Mas985: On this page they mention that low CH can have an effect on grout as well as the deck concrete. So even if you have a vinyl pool, there could be other things that are susceptible to calcium corrosion although it would depend on the exposure of those surfaces to the pool water.

That might be why the Min. in Pool Math is 50 as it's protection for something like the concrete deck being splashed, should you have any or the pool pumping, filtering or heating equip.
 
Did it again to double check
FC 2.0
cc .5
TA 2.5
CH 50
TA 20
CYA 25
Ph below 6.8

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sorry double post

chanelvaps said:
Did it again to double check
FC 2.0
cc .5
TA 2.5
CH 50
TA 20
CYA 25
Ph below 6.8
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Should I add baking soda to bring the total alkalinity up. This has always been an issue here in GA because it rains so much. Seems like my TA was always low. Remember this pool has been covered with nothing added for two years.
It has been brushed dredged and vaccuumed a lot but is still very cloudy. Can not see bottom. It is no longer green. It is blue but very cloudy
 
I would raise the pH. I would aim for 7.6, make the addition and let the pump go 30 minutes and test again. Being you are at 6.8 you might even be lower than that as that is usually as low as it reads.

Once you have pH some place around 7.2-7.6 I'd go ahead and start your SLAM and maintain a 11/12ppm FC level for your present CYA until it's clear and you've passed the CC and OCLT. Depending on how fast the FC drops during the day you might want to raise the CYA level and then the FC in relation.

IMHO I would add a little to the CH as something in your pumping/filtering/heating system might be better protected. I would bring it up to 100 but I'd wait until after the SLAM is complete.
 
How do I raise the PH?

kiss4afrog said:
I would raise the pH. I would aim for 7.6, make the addition and let the pump go 30 minutes and test again. Being you are at 6.8 you might even be lower than that as that is usually as low as it reads.

Once you have pH some place around 7.2-7.6 I'd go ahead and start your SLAM and maintain a 11/12ppm FC level for your present CYA until it's clear and you've passed the CC and OCLT. Depending on how fast the FC drops during the day you might want to raise the CYA level and then the FC in relation.

IMHO I would add a little to the CH as something in your pumping/filtering/heating system might be better protected. I would bring it up to 100 but I'd wait until after the SLAM is complete.
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Yes I agree about the CH is it would not hurt why not. I already bought it. Starting my slam just means bombarding it with chlorine?


kiss4afrog said:
I would raise the pH. I would aim for 7.6, make the addition and let the pump go 30 minutes and test again. Being you are at 6.8 you might even be lower than that as that is usually as low as it reads.

Once you have pH some place around 7.2-7.6 I'd go ahead and start your SLAM and maintain a 11/12ppm FC level for your present CYA until it's clear and you've passed the CC and OCLT. Depending on how fast the FC drops during the day you might want to raise the CYA level and then the FC in relation.

IMHO I would add a little to the CH as something in your pumping/filtering/heating system might be better protected. I would bring it up to 100 but I'd wait until after the SLAM is complete.
Click to expand...
 
Chanel, just read through this entire thread. A few things, I'm a fairly new member on this board. Had my pool installed this past fall and it was immediately covered up for the winter. I have never in my life taken care of a pool. I had zero knowledge of how or what to do. Whenever I spoke with someone who did have experience maintaining a pool, the answer was always similar - "just take some water to the pool store and have it tested and they will tell you what you need" - but the method of maintenance was always different - "shock it once a week" or "shock it when it gets cloudy", etc. - Thats when I found this site. I have been using the TFPC method since day one on my pool. I had to SLAM my pool when I took the cover off in April. It took me one week to for my SLAM to complete. Since then, I add roughly a quart or so of liquid chlorine each day (i'm actually still tweaking my CYA level due to a leak), and the rest of my chemical levels are pretty much dialed in right now. I regularly get complimented by neighbors and family about how clean my water is and how natural it feels. There is no chlorine smell to it at all. This method works and you will see that the small investment for your test kit will pay you back big time over time. Stick with it and follow the advice of the people on this forum and you will take your cover off every year to a crystal clear swimming pool. This first year may cost you a bit more considering your test kit investment and the large quantity of bleach you are going to need to clean that swamp, but going forward, your chemical investment will be minimal. Good luck. Cant wait to see results
 
Btw, here is my pool. Yours will soon look similar
ehegene4.jpg



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Great to hear but I am still in the dark about the next step.

Task said:
Chanel, just read through this entire thread. A few things, I'm a fairly new member on this board. Had my pool installed this past fall and it was immediately covered up for the winter. I have never in my life taken care of a pool. I had zero knowledge of how or what to do. Whenever I spoke with someone who did have experience maintaining a pool, the answer was always similar - "just take some water to the pool store and have it tested and they will tell you what you need" - but the method of maintenance was always different - "shock it once a week" or "shock it when it gets cloudy", etc. - Thats when I found this site. I have been using the TFPC method since day one on my pool. I had to SLAM my pool when I took the cover off in April. It took me one week to for my SLAM to complete. Since then, I add roughly a quart or so of liquid chlorine each day (i'm actually still tweaking my CYA level due to a leak), and the rest of my chemical levels are pretty much dialed in right now. I regularly get complimented by neighbors and family about how clean my water is and how natural it feels. There is no chlorine smell to it at all. This method works and you will see that the small investment for your test kit will pay you back big time over time. Stick with it and follow the advice of the people on this forum and you will take your cover off every year to a crystal clear swimming pool. This first year may cost you a bit more considering your test kit investment and the large quantity of bleach you are going to need to clean that swamp, but going forward, your chemical investment will be minimal. Good luck. Cant wait to see results
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I am confused: you say "start SLAM by testing water and adding chlorine" but then you say "do not nuke the pool with chlorine"

Abigail K said:
Raise the pH with soda ash (washing soda/sodium carbonate) or borax.
See recommended pool chemicals.

After your pH is in range, you can begin SLAM.
Starting SLAM means testing your water and using bleach/liquid chlorine to raise your FC to the appropriate SLAM level for your CYA. Use PoolMath to see how much you need.
Do not nuke the pool with chlorine.
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what is this:
FAS-DPD chlorine test
Is this what I did last night when I tested the FC, CC, TC?

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Going to Dollar General to buy 10 bottles of bleach. Unsure of what to do because of the remark "do not nuke your pool with Chlorine" (I thought that was the order of the day-nuking the pool with gallons of bleach.)
I also feel like I need to add clarifier. In my experience clarifier has always cleared up the murkiness.
I am also going to vacuum again.
Pool is blue just very very cloudy

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Feel like I am making headway. I have lost the usual ANGST that is usually here due to being at the mercy of the pool store raping my wallet and also have high hopes of maybe having an understanding of the chemistry which I have never had before. It was always "Ok buy this $52.00 bottle of PH up" and then the next day "Ok buy this $52 bottle of PH down" next day
What I am gaining is an extreme hate for the peeps at the pool store that kept me confused to get my money. I would drift from one of three in my area each year deeming one more honest than the last.
 

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