I'm Losing the Battle

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Great thread...just read the whole thing. Kudos to you...you're winning all the battles and spoils of the war shall soon be yours. :D

Monitor the pH daily and keep at it with the acid. As your TA goes down (the acid also drops TA along with pH), hopefully you'll find that your pH will go up slower and slower and if you're lucky and find the sweet spot, it may get locked in. All pools are different so don't worry too much if you find your TA is out of the TFP recommended range.
 
Texas Splash, thank you for the kind words! Much appreciated!

Agent99, thank you for the info on the pH stabilizing. I did not know that.

Jblizzle, I brushed the entire pool last night, and saw just a little algae. May have been left over. I'll check tonight, and SLAM if I see any. Thanks for the suggestion.

pH is now 7.5. Chlorine in recommended 5-10 range. The water is 81 degrees. Air temp 87 degrees.

I'm going swimming tonight! Yeehaw! :D
 
You should still follow the slam process until you pass all three criteria to stop even if you do not currently see algae. If there is not much algae it should be a very short process.
 
I concur with jbizzle on the SLAM being needed. Doing it now will prevent you from losing the ground you've gained so far.

Also as a reminder on Slam, or current Target range, if the FC is above 10ppm the pH readings will not be accurate.

But I do agree if any algae is being seen you should go ahead, and raise those FC levels to 24ppm per chlorine/cya chart for your current CYA level of 60ppm. to get it killed out. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

You've worked way too hard to let a little algae cause you to back slide now. Show it who's boss. Have a wonderful night. :)
 
SLAM in progress! I tested the pH, and added a bit of acid to bring it down a couple tenths, before the SLAM, since pH measurements during the SLAM won't be accurate.

Prior to the SLAM, the water already looked a lot clearer. I was brushing the pool, and glanced over at the spa. For a split second, I thought "Oh no, why is the spa empty. One more thing to fix.". Then I realized it actually had water, but the water was so clear now it just looked empty!

Also prior to the start of the SLAM, I did some brushing, and there was just a bit of a dark dust on the bottom of the pool in some areas, which I have to assume is algae. The water has been itchy on my skin, too, although much better after the last water change.

I'll let you guys know how the SLAM turns out. Thanks for all your input.
 
Michael1 said:
I was brushing the pool, and glanced over at the spa. For a split second, I thought "Oh no, why is the spa empty. One more thing to fix.". Then I realized it actually had water, but the water was so clear now it just looked empty!
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LOL that's hilarious. BUT that's what we love to hear, and what the TFP method is all about. ;) (We're sorry though if the TFP method made you think you had an major issue, when actually things are better than ever. :) Keep up the great job, and post pics if you get a chance. Have a wonderful day. :)
 

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PAGirl - thanks for the tip on keeping the FC a bit above 5 for some cushion against algae.

Crackerjack4U - I appreciate the well wishes. I'll get some pics going pretty soon.

Megsyperk - LOL I don't want to rob anyone of any guilty pleasures, so below is another update.

I skimmed out leaves, cleaned the skimmer, pump basket, and swept several times yesterday. I swept the pool last night, and did find a small area with algae, so the SLAM continues (along with having to pass the other parameters listed in Pool School). I swept this morning, and I found another patch of algae, too. Last night I tested the FC, and it was 25, just short of the 26 target. I added a half gallon of 8.25% bleach, which should have brought it up to 27 (I didn't retest). The pump has been running 24/7. I don't even want to think about my Tier 4 California priced electric bill.

I tested the FC chlorine, and it was 27 if the solution was just a bit pink, or 30 if totally clear. At the high FC levels, the shift goes from pink to nearly clear quickly, but then it takes a number of drops after that to go totally clear. Maybe someone can chime in regarding the proper technique.

This morning I also did more repairs on the Polaris 280 pool sweep. I put on a new tail nozzle and brush that were missing. I also installed a new quick disconnect fitting at the wall and hose ends. The wall end was cracked and leaking, and was missing the snap in orifice. After I got it assembled (I used the red orifice, also comes with smaller blue orifice), I checked the wheel RPM by putting some blue masking tape on a wheel on each side, and then timing it with my Android phone app countdown timer set to 1 minute. It came out 31 rpm, which was in the recommended 28 to 32 range.

The pool walls are looking brighter. I think they still have a bit of a ways to go, though.

I noticed that the pool tiles have some scale, no doubt due to the CH being 750 before the water changes, and the pH often rising to 8.2. I did some reading on the forum, and I may be able to get this off by lowering the pH in the low 7's. Other suggestions included using 5:1 diluted muriatic acid, but I want to avoid this if possible, because it was noted it can eat the grout. My tiles are very small irregularly shaped stone sized surrounded by lots of grout, so I would like to avoid any chance of damaging the grout. Others used pumice stones, but they can scratch the tiles. A few people bead blasted their tiles. I think that will be a last resort.

The water is looking very clear now. I checked the clarity with the pool light last night. That's a real brutal test. I would say it is twice as clear as before I started. It looks like Lake Tahoe now! :D
 
Agent99 said:
Usually, I keep adding drops until color changes. It should be totally clear like water. Are you doing the 5 ml test such that 1 drop = 1 ppm?
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No, I am using the 10 ml test in my TF100 kit, with each drop = 1/2 ppm. The color does shift in a big way from red to light pink after about 50 drops in the SLAM case, but then it takes 6-10 more drops to get it from light pink to totally clear. That's the part that's throwing me off. I'm not sure which is the real number.

Update:

I found extended instructions here:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions

It said the solution should be total clear, and any faint color must not present.

I just tested the water again, and that would make my FC 30 ppm.
 
Well, it's the three month anniversary since I first posted here.

The water is looking incredible now. So clear. Glass like.

I had a lot of trouble identifying the skimmer make and model. It's just not something a lot of pictures are posted of. I finally determined that it was a Pentair Admiral ST-20. My skimmer weir (door), and equalizer (to split the water flow between the skimmer and floor drain) were both missing.

I found this thread Hayward-skimmer-weir-question(says Hayward but poster determined it was actually a Pentair) that said it is virtually impossible to put the OEM door back in, so I ordered a floating weir with the matching cylindrical basket that Pentair makes. It fit the skimmer fine, but the company that sold it to me stuffed the floating weir into the basket off index, and the weir could not be removed per instructions. After 10 minutes of fighting with it, I finally got it apart, and put together correctly. I also installed a new equalizer, and set the valve to mid-point hoping for some draw from the floor drain while still getting good flow at the skimmer.

I replaced the missing stainless washer under the wing nut in the Pentair 2048 filter. Surprisingly, the wing nut bottomed on the threaded shaft before making full contact with the upper rack. I'm not sure if I need a stack of washers or not.

It took what seemed like eternity to end the algae on the steps, but it is clear now when I sweep. I have been very diligent about removing leaves from the pool, skimmer basket, pool sweep, and pump basket. Interestingly, even with the FC at SLAM levels, a leaf stained the pool bottom. I wasn't expecting that. The stain cleared on its own in about a day.

I put a Vitamin C tablet on a very dark brown stain. When I came back an hour later, it had fully dissolved, and the stain was nearly gone. This was during the SLAM, so I am not sure if the acid from the vitamin C tablet made the chlorine more aggressive, or if it was the ascorbic acid itself that dissolved the stain. I've got plenty more stains to try it on. I got a bit worried after the tablet dissolved, because the blue plaster was pink in that area. Fortunately, the pink went away after a day.

I feel like I am turning the corner now on this pool. All the parts are in place now. The water is clear. Algae is kept at bay. I'm swimming in it several days a week, and my skin is no longer itching. On the todo list is fixing a leak on the inlet of the pool sweep booster pump, cleaning more stains, and taking out the lights to clean out any algae.

Thanks for reading.
 
Sounds like you've been super busy. You're doing a great job. A lot of people have issues replacing a broken weir door with an OEM door. Most either end up having to go with the floating, or the spring loaded doors, and have no further issues. So I'm sure your floating combo will do great.

On the wing nut issue, If you are certain it isn't getting cross threaded when you put it back in, if there is a chance it will shift, or leak, or cause a break etc. because of it not tightening down properly I would either go get a shorter bolt, or stack the washers to ensure it tightens down like it's suppose to.

I had a similar issue on the side post on my car battery. The bolt is as tight as it would go, but the cable is still loose, so yelp, I just staked some washers, and took care of that problem.

As far as the stain being removed, it could have been a combination of both, but since it only disappeared when the Vitamin C was added, it was most likely metal related, so I suspect the AA is what removed it, but at least now you know how to get rid of them. :)

Again, you are doing great getting everything cleaned, and repaired. Keep up the great job, and Have a wonderful night. :)
 
I replaced the "leaf rake" that came with the house as the plastic rim was falling apart. I got a "Pro Series" one from Leslie's, which actually is very nicely designed. You push it along the bottom, instead of pulling it. Much easier. It has a weight on the net, so when you turn it upside down, the leaves all come out, rather than shaking and shaking and shaking. There is a push button to release it from the pole. At $35 it was cheap, but highly recommended.

I had my water tested for iron and copper while I was there, and it came up zero.

I started attacking some of the stains with ascorbic acid tablets. I just lay whole tablets on the stain, and then they do their work. They are brown stains, which initially turn black when the ascorbic acid starts it job, as you would expect with copper. However, later the stain starts fading, and there is a bluish color to the plaster in that area. In my previous test, that bluish color goes away in a day or two. So far, the ascorbic acid is the only thing that will touch these stains. Tri-chlor tabs did nothing. I believe the stains may be organic, and the extra acid eats it away.

The Leslie Pool Store guy was talking about tabs, and I said I just use bleach. He said in a whiny voice, "Don't use bleach. Oh, don't use bleach." I asked, "Why not?" He said "Bleach is for clothes. It's only 2 to 3 percent. You're just putting salt water in the pool." I told him mine is 8.25 percent, and I am buying it for just over three dollars a gallon at Costco. I was so turned off by his rant, that I was going to buy four gallons of acid, but decided to halve it to two gallons.

My pool is really going through the acid. I'm going through a half gallon every few days. I don't have any leaks in the system that I see would aerate it. I'm really not sure why it would use so much acid.
 

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