Helping neighbor open their neglected pool

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markc99

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May 13, 2013
54
Greetings folks, you guys have always helped me with my own pool, but now I have turned the lessons you've given me, and am trying to help my neighbor open their pool.

A little back story: They bought the house the end of last summer, and since the season was all but over, they left it closed over winter. Rumor has it, it's been closed now for 2-3 years. I don't have any pictures from when they opened it, but believe me, it was a sight.

They have a rectangular vinyl lined pool, roughly 30,000 gallons. They are running it through a Sta-Rite 3 cartridge filter. Seems the pool was setup for a SWG before, but I talked them into sticking to the BBB method.

I took an initial test and got:

FC = 0 (Obviously)
TA = 20
CYA = 0
CH = 70
pH = 7.0 - 7.2

After we spent a day getting all the solids off the bottom we could. I added some pH up and immediately got their FC up to 10 to start shocking the pool. Also, I dropped in my patent pending CYA teabag to get their CYA up. In a few hours, we noticed the water color went from a dark green, to a lighter green, but it's stayed there for quite some time. I can barely make out the bottom of the shallow end, and definitely can't see the deep end.

I'm kind of losing hope as it's not clearing up as quickly as I hoped. Am I missing something?

Thanks again for all your help...

-Mark

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Hi Mark,
I would just like to mention that a SLAM is not a 1 time process. You need to MAINTAIN the Shock FC level as much as possible over a period of time in order to get all of the algae and get the water clean. That means testing multiple times a day and adding chlorine as needed to get the FC level back up.

The pool didnt go green in a day or two, so it will take time to fix it.

Maintain FC Shock level.
Filter 24/7 and clean the filters when pressure rises 25%. That may be quite often with cartridges.

hope this helps,
 
Hey Mark, very nice of you to help them.

What Cya did you target? You want about 30, no more than 40PPM.

At 30, I would shoot for 15 PPM as target dose, but keep it at 12 minimum. It will drop quickly on the front end here so stay on it hard. It's progressing slowly because you are losing FC quickly. If you keep it up from here, it will speed up. Make sure there is no leaf, or other debris in the bottom. Let us know how we can help if you have questions.
 
Not really important while you are SLAMing the pool, but using a SWG for your chlorine does not violate the BBB method, many people here use SWG's myself included. It won't help with the SLAM process, but once the water is clean and balanced, it is a very convenient way of maintaining your FC levels without having to buy and add bleach every day.
 
This is why we no long use the term BBB method ... it is the TFPC Method {Trouble Free Pool Care}

The TFPC method is really just about understanding your pool’s chemistry and through accurate testing, adding only what the pool NEEDS. ;)
 
markc99 said:
I'm kind of losing hope as it's not clearing up as quickly as I hoped. Am I

IMG_2393_zpsafklrjrv.jpg
Click to expand...

Do you see that dark area? That is organic material and your bleach is trying to oxidize it. Keep raking the bottom of the pool and or sweeping it to get that stuff out! It will go much faster if you do!
 

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Thought I would log back in and give an update. We tried to vacuum the "dark" stuff out, and noticed that dirty water was being blown back into the pool. Since this was a new house for them, and we didn't know the history of the cartridge filter other then it was put in on '06, we could only assume the old owners didn't replace the cartridge recently. Also, the pressure was rising very quickly, and starting higher, even after cleaning, so it was time for a new filter media. It took about a week for those to arrive.

We got the filter in 2 days ago, and I had him add more chlorine to get the level back to 10 PPM. We brushed the sides and bottom to stir things up and this morning, the pressure went up 2 PSI, and the water seems more cloudy then ever, and slightly darker. I feel like we're heading in the wrong direction. Since we began this "journey", we haven't been able to see the deep end, but he periodically scoops the bottom to try to remove any debris. He's been coming up with less and less.

I'm going to take another full set of tests later today to see where we are, and I'll post those here. I've attached to pictures from this morning.
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its great you are helping the neighbors out! They really need to come here and learn as well. Then you both will understand the TFPC method and can look after each other's pools when out of town. I highly recommend going back to a salt pool. We love ours and so does ours suits, the ladies hair and the feel of our skin.
You might consider it for your own pool. Keep those pictures coming
Ron
 
Well, we've been hitting this pool hard for a week, and from what we can tell, the what is still the greenish, cloudy mess. We have been putting bleach in everyday to keep it up where it should be, but there seems to be no change. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Mark
 
Show us some test results and we can help solve the problem. What process have you been using? Morning test results and evening test results, at least for chlorine so you you can determine your chlorine loss and progress. And to know how much to add, of course. Do you add chlorine more than once per day? What times?

Most of all, have you read this? Are you following this? SLAMing Your Pool
 
markc99 said:
Well, we've been hitting this pool hard for a week, and from what we can tell, the what is still the greenish, cloudy mess. We have been putting bleach in everyday to keep it up where it should be, but there seems to be no change. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Mark
Click to expand...

In Post #12 you list FC at 10.5.

Letting it slip below SLAM value slows you down. The very best thing you can do is NEVER let it get below 16. I realize you can't be there 24/7, but you need to get as close to this as possible. Anything less will make this drag on and on. Even still, when done right, this will take some time, but much more when you dip below SLAM level.
 
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