Yay, Jezza! That's what I was thinking too but didn't want to assume. You know what they say about assuming...
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- Thread starter Salsiccia
- Start date
Yay, Jezza! That's what I was thinking too but didn't want to assume. You know what they say about assuming...
Hey Jezza, thanks very much for that.
First off - yes I am technically "working", but I work in IT and I can Work From Home a lot. Plus its 2 days before Christmas and no-one really cares anymore !!
I was starting to think that the vanilla liquid chlorine probably doesn't look like a bad deal compared to the weaker bleach. I haven't price checked Bunnings or Masters against the Pool Shop yet, but remember Bunnings guarantee to beat any price by 10% so I might try and play that card !
I'm not worrying about CYA at this point because you're right, if I have to SLAM then I want it down so I'll do the OCLT test tonight and see how it looks tomorrow morning. Easy enough to get CYA up when the time is right, but I need to ensure that I don't need to SLAM first - hopefully I don't !!
Could I bring myself to shop at Masters since I used to work for Coles? Sure I can !!
(For the non Aussies here that's a local joke. We have basically 2 massive supermarket companies in Australia that "own" the grocery world here. Coles and Woolworths. Coles is owned by our juggernaut hardware company called Bunnings (equiv of Home Depot). Its the go to store if you want anything hardware related. Masters is a competitor to Bunnings in the hardware space and is a joint venture between Lowe's in the US and our other supermarket - Woolworths. Bunnings has been the only game in town for hardware (they are actually based in WA where Jezza is) for as long as anyone in Australia can remember. Masters is brand new and is taking Bunnings on - and failing - but that's not actually relevant to anything on here so back to my pool ..... !!!!
First off - yes I am technically "working", but I work in IT and I can Work From Home a lot. Plus its 2 days before Christmas and no-one really cares anymore !!
I was starting to think that the vanilla liquid chlorine probably doesn't look like a bad deal compared to the weaker bleach. I haven't price checked Bunnings or Masters against the Pool Shop yet, but remember Bunnings guarantee to beat any price by 10% so I might try and play that card !
I'm not worrying about CYA at this point because you're right, if I have to SLAM then I want it down so I'll do the OCLT test tonight and see how it looks tomorrow morning. Easy enough to get CYA up when the time is right, but I need to ensure that I don't need to SLAM first - hopefully I don't !!
Could I bring myself to shop at Masters since I used to work for Coles? Sure I can !!
(For the non Aussies here that's a local joke. We have basically 2 massive supermarket companies in Australia that "own" the grocery world here. Coles and Woolworths. Coles is owned by our juggernaut hardware company called Bunnings (equiv of Home Depot). Its the go to store if you want anything hardware related. Masters is a competitor to Bunnings in the hardware space and is a joint venture between Lowe's in the US and our other supermarket - Woolworths. Bunnings has been the only game in town for hardware (they are actually based in WA where Jezza is) for as long as anyone in Australia can remember. Masters is brand new and is taking Bunnings on - and failing - but that's not actually relevant to anything on here so back to my pool ..... !!!!
Ooooh, wait, I know this one ...... (no, the word filter thingy here will get me !!!!)
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Yeah the metric system makes so much more sense Marion!!
+1 to that !!!!
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FC up to 4 now, added more Chlorine ..... up, up and away .......
FC now @ 8, more chlorine added - thinking about stopping after this one
Water getting clearer by the hour now too
Water getting clearer by the hour now too
Make sure to check the date codes on the bleach as well. We had one member buy quite a bit of bleach from her local Home Depot for her SLAM. None of us could figure out why she was not making any headway...........when we had her check her date codes she found the bleach had been sitting for about 2 years on the shelf! It was mostly water at that point! Thankfully she had her receipt. They took the empty jugs back and gave her her money back. Lesson learned by all.
The CYA you have is the correct stuff. We know the bottle says to do the bucket but life experience of other members has taught us to use the sock method. It is an acid of some kind and can cause problems with your plaster or liner if allowed to sit on it. Better safe than sorry!
Kim
The CYA you have is the correct stuff. We know the bottle says to do the bucket but life experience of other members has taught us to use the sock method. It is an acid of some kind and can cause problems with your plaster or liner if allowed to sit on it. Better safe than sorry!
Kim
Morning all,
6:00am here now and OCLT results are in, and encouraging.
Night reading: 10
Morning reading: 10
Water looks very clear now too.
6:00am here now and OCLT results are in, and encouraging.
Night reading: 10
Morning reading: 10
Water looks very clear now too.
That is awesome news! That makes me very happy!
Lets talk clear.............is it clear enough to read the heads/tails on a coin in the deep end? THAT is how clear your pool will be when you use TFP guidelines all of the time!
Kim
Lets talk clear.............is it clear enough to read the heads/tails on a coin in the deep end? THAT is how clear your pool will be when you use TFP guidelines all of the time!
Kim
I reckon it is that clear Kim !!
Its clear enough to make it obvious that I have more vacuuming to do this afternoon too !
Next job is to tackle the CYA and get that up.
Should I worry about manually lowering FC now or just let it come down on its own? CC is still 0 so that part is fine.
SWG is still off, but pump is on. Will check Salt this afternoon too, think that's dropped a bit with the vacuum to waste activity from the weekend.
Its clear enough to make it obvious that I have more vacuuming to do this afternoon too !
Next job is to tackle the CYA and get that up.
Should I worry about manually lowering FC now or just let it come down on its own? CC is still 0 so that part is fine.
SWG is still off, but pump is on. Will check Salt this afternoon too, think that's dropped a bit with the vacuum to waste activity from the weekend.
That's pretty much what I figured too Kim !
Will be interesting to see how long it takes to come down.
Will be interesting to see how long it takes to come down.
After a while you will come to know what your pool's levels will do for each "event" like sunny day, rainy day, day full of swimmers, etc.
On days you know you will have guest swimming (especially kids) you will want to push your FC to just under your SLAM level for your current CYA. Once they are out and gone push it up TO SLAM level to help get out what anyone might have "added" to your pool. This has served me well in the past.
Brushing your pool is another VERY important thing to do. My husband did not see any algae so he got a little lazy on brushing the walls (this is his only job with the pool). Well I KNEW something was up when the water did not have it's normal sparkle and I was needing more FC than normal. When I ran my hands over the wall a slight green cloud floated up. We could not see it until it was brushed. Well he jumped in (fully clothed LOL) and brushed the walls. We have not had troubles with that again. LOL
Kim
On days you know you will have guest swimming (especially kids) you will want to push your FC to just under your SLAM level for your current CYA. Once they are out and gone push it up TO SLAM level to help get out what anyone might have "added" to your pool. This has served me well in the past.
Brushing your pool is another VERY important thing to do. My husband did not see any algae so he got a little lazy on brushing the walls (this is his only job with the pool). Well I KNEW something was up when the water did not have it's normal sparkle and I was needing more FC than normal. When I ran my hands over the wall a slight green cloud floated up. We could not see it until it was brushed. Well he jumped in (fully clothed LOL) and brushed the walls. We have not had troubles with that again. LOL
Kim
That's great that you passed the OCLT Sal. I don't know whether you were considering a 2nd OCLT just to make sure but all indications including clear water are good signs.
Just be aware that with your current CYA of 30 and expected temperatures in the mid the high 30's over your way that the FC will come down pretty sharply, so just stay on top of it. I also don't know what your Christmas plans are for the pool but if you have lots of people swimming in the pool for very long periods that this will accentuate that FC demand. As Kim mentioned I would just keep plying that LC to help out the SWG when you get it going again. I would be anxious to get some more CYA in once you feel happy that you are algae free.
(Unfortunately you guys are getting all the hot weather for Christmas- we're only expecting 26 degrees my way- not so great for a pool party though that won't worry my kids too much)
Just be aware that with your current CYA of 30 and expected temperatures in the mid the high 30's over your way that the FC will come down pretty sharply, so just stay on top of it. I also don't know what your Christmas plans are for the pool but if you have lots of people swimming in the pool for very long periods that this will accentuate that FC demand. As Kim mentioned I would just keep plying that LC to help out the SWG when you get it going again. I would be anxious to get some more CYA in once you feel happy that you are algae free.
(Unfortunately you guys are getting all the hot weather for Christmas- we're only expecting 26 degrees my way- not so great for a pool party though that won't worry my kids too much)
Thanks to the very knowledgeable and even more friendly folks here I'm already now feeling like I'm in charge of my pool now, not the other way around.
I'm looking forward to getting the balance right and then I can work on the fine tuning and starting to understand the effect of daily events as you said Kim.
One of the things I've learned is the importance of brushing. I must confess that I wasn't aware of how important that is and I will definitely add that to my maintenance routine now.
I'm looking forward to getting the balance right and then I can work on the fine tuning and starting to understand the effect of daily events as you said Kim.
One of the things I've learned is the importance of brushing. I must confess that I wasn't aware of how important that is and I will definitely add that to my maintenance routine now.
Hi Jezza, Yes I'm pretty pleased with my OCLT results too, but I'm even more pleased that I think I'm starting to "get it" now.
I think it was Marian who suggested that 2 OCLTs in a row is a good idea, but since tomorrow is my first day off for the break I don't really fancy setting the alarm for 5:30 on a holiday, so I'll let it go for now!
I'm happy enough that I don't seem to have algae for now, so now I'm going to turn my attention to the CYA - that's this afternoon's goal to get that up to a safer level to give me even more protection.
I also need to get inside that filter and find out what's going on in there.
BTW I've been reading about adding DE to help improve a sand filter - any thoughts on that? Obviously I need to get inside it first, but I'm wondering if I don't find any obvious issues when I open it up, maybe some DE might help?
Luckily we have no huge swimming demands for Christmas, apart from the one person that really matters - the minister for home affairs! She's absolutely rapt now with the appearance of the pool - its clearly come a long way in a week. It was made very clear to me last week that I needed to get on top of this and she's very happy with progress for now - as they say, "Happy wife" ...... Plus, I can now baffle her with ... science
Ironic isn't it that we in the cold state are expecting 33 and you're only looking at 26 for Christmas Day! Still, in typical Melbourne fashion, it won't last !
I think it was Marian who suggested that 2 OCLTs in a row is a good idea, but since tomorrow is my first day off for the break I don't really fancy setting the alarm for 5:30 on a holiday, so I'll let it go for now!
I'm happy enough that I don't seem to have algae for now, so now I'm going to turn my attention to the CYA - that's this afternoon's goal to get that up to a safer level to give me even more protection.
I also need to get inside that filter and find out what's going on in there.
BTW I've been reading about adding DE to help improve a sand filter - any thoughts on that? Obviously I need to get inside it first, but I'm wondering if I don't find any obvious issues when I open it up, maybe some DE might help?
Luckily we have no huge swimming demands for Christmas, apart from the one person that really matters - the minister for home affairs! She's absolutely rapt now with the appearance of the pool - its clearly come a long way in a week. It was made very clear to me last week that I needed to get on top of this and she's very happy with progress for now - as they say, "Happy wife" ...... Plus, I can now baffle her with ... science
Ironic isn't it that we in the cold state are expecting 33 and you're only looking at 26 for Christmas Day! Still, in typical Melbourne fashion, it won't last !
I think the DE decision is case by case one. Personally I have never felt the need to use DE in my sand filter and my water is crystal clear. Apart from the extra expense you'll likely need to backwash more often. Once you deep clean your filter I would see how your water is looking then.
HI Sal,
Sorry I've taken a while to catch up , been crazy busy at this time of year
fantastic to see your Taylor arrived and your getting reliable results!.
My TF-100 has arrived at the shopmate destination in the US and has been forwarded onto me, ETA early new year. Can't wait to do a comparison to the clearchoicelabs kit
Have a good xmas!
Sorry I've taken a while to catch up , been crazy busy at this time of year
fantastic to see your Taylor arrived and your getting reliable results!.
My TF-100 has arrived at the shopmate destination in the US and has been forwarded onto me, ETA early new year. Can't wait to do a comparison to the clearchoicelabs kit
Have a good xmas!
Hey! Great news on the OCLT! Your decision on the second go 'round. I totally get the alarm thing seeing as I am a night person. When I had to do one this summer, (pump issue and I wanted to check that everything was okay), it took me 4 days. Not because there was anything but sparkly water in my pool, but because I couldn't get my sorry-self out of bed. The cost of maintaining shock level was nothing compared to the personal cost of getting up!!! It was silly really. I set the alarm all 4 mornings, did the snooze button a bunch of times, and then gave up so my sleep was disturbed anyway. We all have our challenges. Oh well.
Anyway, I use DE. It's quite inexpensive in the US, less than a dollar a pound. Jezza, you can translate that! I don't backwash often so it's no big deal. It just puts a tad more sparkle in the pool as the DE helps filter out finer stuff. I would suggest you wait, though, until after you check and clean the filter.
Did you crack that beer?
Anyway, I use DE. It's quite inexpensive in the US, less than a dollar a pound. Jezza, you can translate that! I don't backwash often so it's no big deal. It just puts a tad more sparkle in the pool as the DE helps filter out finer stuff. I would suggest you wait, though, until after you check and clean the filter.
Did you crack that beer?
That's about $AUD2.50 per kilo in our money which is pretty cheap and don't think we can source it for anywhere near that, although I've not actually found any yet!
I'm not really planning to go this route, as I know I need to deep clean the filter first and then look at the behaviour after that.