27,500 gal chlorine pool opened one week. CyA is now 19. Can't get a FC level. They keep having me shock but no results. Last shock was 12 lbs. I have been pool owner for 19 years don't know what else to try. We have now added 25 lbs total. Pool is clear, ph 7.2, alkalinity 128ppm, TC 3.98 but no FC. Tired of dumping money! Any thoughts?
gclundy
- Thread starter gclundy
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!!
Thoughts, yes - you need to stop following the pool store advice and take control of your pool. The most important tool to take control, - one of the recommended test kits. You can buy a kit at a pool store, but again the pool store kits generally won't cut it. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. All these kits contain that test while very few other kits do. Think of it this way, do you see a doctor blindly prescribing drugs without seeing the patient or having tests run? Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.
We teach a very different approach to pool care, one that is based in science and testing. Pool stores just want to keep sending you home with a product, any product that they can sell you.
You say the CYA is NOW 19, but what was it before?
Thoughts, yes - you need to stop following the pool store advice and take control of your pool. The most important tool to take control, - one of the recommended test kits. You can buy a kit at a pool store, but again the pool store kits generally won't cut it. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. All these kits contain that test while very few other kits do. Think of it this way, do you see a doctor blindly prescribing drugs without seeing the patient or having tests run? Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.
We teach a very different approach to pool care, one that is based in science and testing. Pool stores just want to keep sending you home with a product, any product that they can sell you.
You say the CYA is NOW 19, but what was it before?
FIrst offf, Welcome 
How are you testing your water? Pool Store, Strips or a TFPC recommended Test Kit?
If your CYA is truly 19, that is too low to help maintain the chlorine. What is this "12 pounds of shock" you've been putting in? Powdered Chlorine? or liquid chlorine?
How are you testing your water? Pool Store, Strips or a TFPC recommended Test Kit?
If your CYA is truly 19, that is too low to help maintain the chlorine. What is this "12 pounds of shock" you've been putting in? Powdered Chlorine? or liquid chlorine?
Also if that shock is dry dichor or trichlor based it is also driving up your CYA, which can only be lowered by water replacement.
I use strips at home, pool store testing has matched my results. CYA was 3 last week but we ran chlorinator at high rate over weekend which cleared up water and raised CYA as we use trichloro tabs. We use calcium hypochloride in powder form for shock ( I don't always buy from my store).
Our methods have their basis in accurate testing, thus we generally do not give advice based on pool store testing or test strips because both are highly unreliable. Mixing pool store advice/testing with TFP methods is just a recipe for disaster.
If you have read around here much you have probably seen that not much credence is given to pool store testing. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their testing. In my case two different pool stores told me my CYA was "fine", around 70 or 80. When I tested myself I found it over 200.
To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.
The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.
The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - one of the recommended test kits.
If you have read around here much you have probably seen that not much credence is given to pool store testing. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their testing. In my case two different pool stores told me my CYA was "fine", around 70 or 80. When I tested myself I found it over 200.
To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.
The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.
The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - one of the recommended test kits.
Welcome to TFP! Yes, we all have lots of thoughts about pool care.
Read the Test Kit Comparison and order one of the recommended test kits. I prefer the TF100 from tftestkits.net.
Here are some intro Pool School articles to read while you wait for your test kit.
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Here are the Recommended Levels for your pool.
Here are the Recommended Pool Chemicals to maintain your pool.
Use PoolMath to figure out how much to add.
Read the Test Kit Comparison and order one of the recommended test kits. I prefer the TF100 from tftestkits.net.
Here are some intro Pool School articles to read while you wait for your test kit.
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Here are the Recommended Levels for your pool.
Here are the Recommended Pool Chemicals to maintain your pool.
Use PoolMath to figure out how much to add.
One of the problems with using Cal-Hypo to clear an algae bloom is that it can itself cause cloudy water, which if you will forgive the pun, can cloud the underlying issue.
Ike
p.s. I know what it is like to be exposed to new ways of managing a pool, I had managed mine for many years before discovering the TFP way, and while I thought things were good before, the improvement in overall water quality since switching to the TFP method has been remarkable.
Ike
p.s. I know what it is like to be exposed to new ways of managing a pool, I had managed mine for many years before discovering the TFP way, and while I thought things were good before, the improvement in overall water quality since switching to the TFP method has been remarkable.
Let me give you a recent example of the common failure in strips- I use a drop based salt water test kit (Taylor K-1776) and I grabbed a bottle of strips from a friend to test. The strip said I had 1200ppm, the drop based kit said I had 3400 which is exactly what I expected since I used PoolMath to determine how much salt I needed to boost my level since last year (80 pounds)