Just tested with Taylor K-2006 and my results were as in the image. Yet the pool is so milky cloudy we can't see our feet past the 2.5 depth. Ideas?
Using chlorine tablets.
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Cloudy water but most things seem balanced
- Thread starter arwsgirl
- Start date
Just tested with Taylor K-2006 and my results were as in the image. Yet the pool is so milky cloudy we can't see our feet past the 2.5 depth. Ideas?
Using chlorine tablets.
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Sure I have ideas ... your CYA is higher than you think. At some point in the past the FC was too low for that high CYA and algae started to develop and now your water is cloudy.
You need to lower the CYA (stop using chlorine tablets) by replacing water and then you need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process. And while you are replacing water, order refills for the FAS-DPD chlorine test (and CYA test) since you are going to need them soon.
You need to lower the CYA (stop using chlorine tablets) by replacing water and then you need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process. And while you are replacing water, order refills for the FAS-DPD chlorine test (and CYA test) since you are going to need them soon.
Your pool is cloudy because you have inadequate free chlorine for your stabilizer. The cause is using trichlor pucks. Here's something I wrote a couple years ago. It should sound familiar.
Now if we didn't understand this and things looked a bit hazy, we might throw an extra puck or two in the floater every couple weeks, which will drive it over 200 easily.
We'll take a 16000 gallon pool, because that's what I have. On a fresh fill, prominent national pool chain recommends 2.5 pounds pf stabilizer per 10,000 gallons, which works out nicely to 4 pounds which brings CYA to 30.
With an average loss of 2 PPM/Day or 14 ppm/week, I'll have added 8.6 PPM/CYA if I used trichlor pucks perfectly. And they recommend a weekly "shock" of dichlor between 5 and 10 FC.... 2-3 oz per 10,000 gallons. Split the difference; I'll add 4 oz. CYA went up another .9.
So..by the end of week one, I have added 9.5 more CYA. It is now 39.5. Mimimum FC for that is 3, so I'm probably okay.
Week two, up to 49 CYA.
Week three, 58.5. Minimum FC should be 5, but they recommend 3 as ideal, so the pool looks a bit hazy. So I'll toss in a little extra dichlor "shock" to jack FC up to 10. Which adds another 6.4 CYA. Keeping count? We're up to 64.9 now.
That caught the algae just in time.. we had two weeks of good luck. A steady diet of pucks and 4 oz. "shock" each week only added another 19, up to 73.9 now.
Week 6 it started looking funky, so we "shocked"it once again. CYA is up to 99.3. But minimum FC to keep algae at bay is 8, and we're still holding things to 3, because prominent national chain's preprinted sheet shows that as ideal. So algae got a toehold and the pool has a bit of a tint. So we throw two whole bags of dichlor in which jacks it another 7.6 by the time week 7 is over, we're at 116.4, because we had pucks in the floater the whole time.
So...in 7 weeks, from 30 to 116.4. Let's say there are no more algae outbreaks because they sold me a huge bucket of phos-free and another of yellow-out monopersulfate "shock" Nothing but the pucks and the extra 4 oz of dichlor "shock" weekly. So the next 7 weeks added 66.5, which brings the total to 182.9 CYA.
With an average loss of 2 PPM/Day or 14 ppm/week, I'll have added 8.6 PPM/CYA if I used trichlor pucks perfectly. And they recommend a weekly "shock" of dichlor between 5 and 10 FC.... 2-3 oz per 10,000 gallons. Split the difference; I'll add 4 oz. CYA went up another .9.
So..by the end of week one, I have added 9.5 more CYA. It is now 39.5. Mimimum FC for that is 3, so I'm probably okay.
Week two, up to 49 CYA.
Week three, 58.5. Minimum FC should be 5, but they recommend 3 as ideal, so the pool looks a bit hazy. So I'll toss in a little extra dichlor "shock" to jack FC up to 10. Which adds another 6.4 CYA. Keeping count? We're up to 64.9 now.
That caught the algae just in time.. we had two weeks of good luck. A steady diet of pucks and 4 oz. "shock" each week only added another 19, up to 73.9 now.
Week 6 it started looking funky, so we "shocked"it once again. CYA is up to 99.3. But minimum FC to keep algae at bay is 8, and we're still holding things to 3, because prominent national chain's preprinted sheet shows that as ideal. So algae got a toehold and the pool has a bit of a tint. So we throw two whole bags of dichlor in which jacks it another 7.6 by the time week 7 is over, we're at 116.4, because we had pucks in the floater the whole time.
So...in 7 weeks, from 30 to 116.4. Let's say there are no more algae outbreaks because they sold me a huge bucket of phos-free and another of yellow-out monopersulfate "shock" Nothing but the pucks and the extra 4 oz of dichlor "shock" weekly. So the next 7 weeks added 66.5, which brings the total to 182.9 CYA.
Now if we didn't understand this and things looked a bit hazy, we might throw an extra puck or two in the floater every couple weeks, which will drive it over 200 easily.
I appreciate the feedback. It's not my pool and I was trying to help them get a handle on the problem and they've decided they want to use the tablets so there's not much I can do about that. I know the tablets aren't ideal and given my own pool I wouldn't use them. I was hoping for some advice on how to help them given the wrong direction they've started out on, something other than "you're doing it wrong". That's pretty obvious since it's not clear.
Thanks, jblizzle - I'll check out the article and see if I can straighten them out.
The owner hasn't put any effort into actually understanding pool maintenance and I had a handle on it last summer but their SWG broke and he hasn't fixed it so he just started tossing in chemicals and now I'm relearning.
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Thanks, jblizzle - I'll check out the article and see if I can straighten them out.
The owner hasn't put any effort into actually understanding pool maintenance and I had a handle on it last summer but their SWG broke and he hasn't fixed it so he just started tossing in chemicals and now I'm relearning.
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Richard's scenario is likely, although sometimes they'll say to use CalHypo "shock" once CYA starts getting high, that way the can sell you more "shock" before telling you to drain the pool enough to be problem free for couple of weeks.
If they insist on using tablets and not follow the FC/CYA chart, at least tell them to use bleach in place of granular "shock" since that's a manual process either way and it won't be adding extra CYA. In your screenshot, you have a goal of 40 CYA. If that's what they start with, they'll have over 100 CYA after 50 days of operation if they only lose 2ppm FC daily and don't have any splashing out of the pool.
If they insist on using tablets and not follow the FC/CYA chart, at least tell them to use bleach in place of granular "shock" since that's a manual process either way and it won't be adding extra CYA. In your screenshot, you have a goal of 40 CYA. If that's what they start with, they'll have over 100 CYA after 50 days of operation if they only lose 2ppm FC daily and don't have any splashing out of the pool.
I have tried to convert friends to the methods outlined here. The process reminds me of the adage: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
I have had some success converting, but have had WAY too many job offers: "Can't I just pay you to do it for me??" to even count.
My advise is to not let your superior knowledge get in the way of friendship. Give some tips, recommend reading the forum, and then back off. Sometimes we learn from others; sometimes we have to learn by our own mistakes.
Good luck!
I have had some success converting, but have had WAY too many job offers: "Can't I just pay you to do it for me??" to even count.
My advise is to not let your superior knowledge get in the way of friendship. Give some tips, recommend reading the forum, and then back off. Sometimes we learn from others; sometimes we have to learn by our own mistakes.
Good luck!
Oh he's deployed and his wife just plops tablets. We swim there a lot so I don't mind maintaining but they've complicated it this year without the SWG - which took me 2 years to fully understand. I appreciate the help and will slam it this weekend and see if we can get it straight. Thanks!
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Tell them to take that extra deployment money and buy a new SWG!
I have found through 51 months of deployment experience... If there is something that your spouse can not handle on her own during a deployment, these things must be identified and automation or hired help/friend brought in to ensure they are taken care of. This means ensuring they know exactly where to take the car if it breaks down, and what plumber to call... I want to smack some Soldiers... Some spouses are kind of lost when they are gone. They dont get them in contact with the FRG prior, then they leave them out for the wolves while they are gone. They are in a city halfway across the country from their families, and now have no one to help them when they are in need.
End rant
So as a friend, get their SWG running again or replaced. Drain the pool down and fix their CYA. SLAM them. Get the SWG dialed in. Check on their pool at least once a week afterwards to lower pH and make sure everything is in line. Backhand husband when he returns.
I have found through 51 months of deployment experience... If there is something that your spouse can not handle on her own during a deployment, these things must be identified and automation or hired help/friend brought in to ensure they are taken care of. This means ensuring they know exactly where to take the car if it breaks down, and what plumber to call... I want to smack some Soldiers... Some spouses are kind of lost when they are gone. They dont get them in contact with the FRG prior, then they leave them out for the wolves while they are gone. They are in a city halfway across the country from their families, and now have no one to help them when they are in need.
End rant
So as a friend, get their SWG running again or replaced. Drain the pool down and fix their CYA. SLAM them. Get the SWG dialed in. Check on their pool at least once a week afterwards to lower pH and make sure everything is in line. Backhand husband when he returns.
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