Okie Teacher needs Schooling

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OkieTeacher

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Jul 14, 2014
6
Norman, Oklahoma
10 year pool owner. Persistent staining, year after year. Oklahoma dirt blows (nothing I can do about that) into my pool and it causes stains. I live in the country, and Oklahoma is Oklahoma.... So I went to the pool store and dumped in what they told me to dump, when they told me to dump it, as often as they told me to dump it. But this year, I did it three times and it didn't work. So after 3 - $100 visits to the pool store in three weeks, I Googled. I am a teacher, so I think it is important to be informed. I found a TFP line on staining. After visiting with a chemistry teacher down the street, he said it sounded good. So, I started POOL SCHOOL.

My CYA was 120 so I drained my pool to 1/4 and refilled (that was scarey because I know my well water causes the stains that I was trying to get rid of) and started the balancing. I see many people post threads saying they are on water restriction.... we are on a well, but we pay high electric bills to get the water, so we don't use water/electricity from 2:00-7:00. I got the job done. My FC was zero, Ph was 7.5, TA was 270, CH was 220 and CYA was lowered to 40. So I worked on building an aerator. My aerator looks similar to the one posted at pool school, but cooler!

Started aeration -- muriatic acid-- aeration---muriatic acid....

As of 8:00 tonight, my CYA is 40 and CH is 220. My PH is 7.8. TA is down from 270 to 150! My pool is green... first is was a euphoric "Pensacola Beach" aquamarine (maybe from the 2 boxes of Borax) but now it is green and cloudy. Unfortunately, it is hard to read fast enough. So my "old brain" poured in 6 oz of copper algaecide. Then when I came back into my house, I read some more. Then I found the thread about not adding copper algaecide... well, I learned that too late.

So, I added 4 gallons of Clorox (and I may get stains- but I know how to deal with those thanks to TFP.

I just need to get the green out. I want one of those pretty pools that I see on TLC postings! Thanks for getting me added quickly. Now I have to learn how to use TFP website....that is a challenge too.
Gretchen

p.s. Wanted to give a shout out about the posting on spelling. Loved that!
 
Gretchen,

I'd like to start off by welcoming you to the forum! You're arming yourself with knowledge that will shortly lead yourself to one of those crystal clear pools!

I'm not seeing one thing that is the basic starting step for you to take charge of your pool. What are you using to test your water? A quality test kit is the one thing you'll find will help you more than any "snake oil" the store will sell you.
 
Checking with chemistry teacher down the street...LOVE IT. Know any investors? You may need one with all that money you won't be spending at the pool store.

I didn't really see a question in there so will assume you've got it under control and welcome you to the site.
 
Welcome to TFP!

It sounds like you are slowly getting the hang of things. There is a lot to learn just as first, but it all gets quite easy after a while. Be patient and stick with it and you will get there.

If you haven't already, you should read the article on SLAMing your pool in the How To section of Pool School.
 
I bought my test kit at Walmart and got the one with all the recommended tests included. I have ordered the Taylor and boron test strips, but I needed something ASAP.

I am worried about the state of green-ness of my pool. Am I getting the slamming thing right? I am worried that the high chlorine will start my staining all over again. I bought ascorbic acid from the recommended site and got it in the mail. My husband was concerned that the package crammed in our mailbox looked a bit shady for a school teacher. But, it worked, so I don't want to go backwards.

I had my chlorine at 8 and added another three gallons tonight. It is raining now, so that just adds to my challenge. Am I slamming correctly? I wish I could see some results.

Also, should in keep aerating with muriatic acid until I get to 100 TA? Some posts say don't worry so much about TA, just to make sure Ph is correct.
 
Also, I checked my POOLMATH (thank goodness there is a calculator for that) and I changed the chlorine level there so I could get the number of gallons of clorox correct for my pool size. It looks .like my numbers are better, but visually, my pool looks terrible..... Except for my cool home-made aerators that give my pool a new theme park look!
 
Gdoerneman said:
I bought my test kit at Walmart and got the one with all the recommended tests included. I have ordered the Taylor and boron test strips, but I needed something ASAP.
Click to expand...

Does that Walmart kit include the powder FAS-DPD chlorine test? Because *that* is what you need, as I'm sure you've read time and again while reading this site. The strips are of questionable accuracy and won't give you the precise numbers you need but rather they give a range.
If you are attempting to SLAM your pool don't worry about TA at this time. Also you may have read in Pool School that chlorine levels (>10) invalidate the pH tests so if you're already higher than 10. Ideally folks get the pH in line before starting a SLAM process.

Consider ordering one of the recommended test kits-link to them is in my siggy file. Best INVESTMENT you can make in getting your pool healthy and keeping it that way from now on! :)
 
hey fellow Okie! welcome to the site! Listen to these guys, they are truely the experts on pools. You will need a Taylor 2006 or TFT-100 test kit to be able to properly SLAM your pool and maintain it. Also, in Oklahoma, the best source for liquid chlorine is Walmart. Get the Great Value brand of bleach that is 8.25%. I have shopped everywhere else including Atwoods and Tractor Supply in Norman. Their bleach, while significantly cheaper is of much lower % of chlorine content. 3% to be exact.

also, when you are doing your calculations on the Pool Calculator, use the goals from TFP. (you set that at the bottom). When you see the goal for FC, understand that you want to shoot for the high number, and NEVER, EVER let it fall below the low number. Example: my FC goal for my pool with a CYA of 55 is 4 to 9 ppm. So I shoot for 9 and never let it go below 4, as if you do, you will lose it to algae.
 
My Total Chlorine / FC dropped back down to three by the morning, so I added liquid chlorine to keep it at 10 using the PoolMath tool. It is looking slightly clearer. I am working at this full time to get it beautiful, and then I will need to go back to REAL school. :(

Still in SLAM MODE..... will re-test again tonight.

Should I keep my SUPER COOL AERATION DEVICE GOING DURING THE SLAM?

FAC3 (**Just added 1.5 gal liquid chlorine per PoolMath~~ trying to keep it at 10 during slam)
TAC3
CH250
CYA30
TA120
pH8 (**just added 2 quarts of Muriatic acid waited an hour then added chlorine)
 
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Test and dose every 1-2 hours if you can, and your testing interval will widen as the FC starts to hold.

The pH test is invalid if the FC is above 10. You should bring your pH to 7.2 before the SLAM starts, then only test for FC and CC during the SLAM.

Leave the aerator off during the SLAM, because you can't easily monitor/adjust pH during the process.
 
Kept the chlorine level at 10 for a week with now change. I needed two to three to four bottles a day to keep it at that level. It would go down to zero in the morning. Read more posts. I have decided that the problem may be a calcium problem. The euphoric blue color I described is still there. I went to the pool store and purchased new sand. Determined to do it ourselves, we googled and found several good videos on YouTube. It was a challenge getting the pool sand out of the filter. We even had to pump the water out because the drain plug was clogged. I definitely needed new sand. After googling, I learned about tunneling which was definitely my problem. My sand was hard as a rock. It was full of red dirt, hair, and general grossness.

So, now I have new sand. I added liquid chlorine, floated a Chlorinator, turned off my in line Chlorinator, added some filter aide, put pantyhose over my basket, and put the prescribed calcium/scale remover in. I turned the timer off so it can run all night. We will see what we get in the morning.

Cyn 40, ch 120, TA 90, ph 7.2, FC 8.
 
Chlorine dropping to 0 in the morning is indicative of organics in the pool water consuming the chlorine. You originally reported CYA 30, SLAM level for CYA 30 is 12FC, I doubt you have eliminated all organics.

The symptoms you describe do not point to a calcium problem at this stage of time. Even if you do have calcium problems, the recommendation is to deal with organics first before dealing with calcium issues.

In future, I would suggest deep cleaning your sand filter rather than changing the sand.

I would recommend you re-read the SLAM article, with the "euphoric blue" water you described, you need to SLAM to completion.

If you have any questions please post back.
 
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