Hey All - I've been reading this forum since I built and opened my pool last year. I've been following the tips listed on this website (Thank you by the way), but I'm obviously doing something wrong and figured it was time to register and get involved...
I have an approx. 22,000 pebble pool with a SWG. Last summer was great as all my home testing came back good and the pool water was clear and looking good. This summer season things have changed. My Chlorine levels have been consistently low and I seem to have the start of a long, rewarding relationship with algae. Today I brushed the pool and it looked as if I was brushing green dirt off the walls. So I took a water sample into my local big named pool supply house and had my pool water tested. Here are their results:
FC 1
TC 2
Salt 3400
Calcium Hardness 320
CYA 100
TA 70
pH 7.4
Phosphates 2500
So - I have read the posts related to SLAMing your pool as well as the topics on Phosphates (Good vs Bad). I feel I have a few issues - the Salt and CYA seem high for my pool and my chlorine level is constantly low. My SWG runs 10 hours a day at 100%. The employee at the pool store says I need to take care of the Phosphate level by adding their magic phosphate be gone and that will cure both the algae and FC problem. He even took a sample of my water and mixed in a few granules of their sanitizer and wha-la - my chlorine levels spiked to the correct color on the test chart. I agree with this website's view on FC and plan to take the steps to correct the algae via SLAMing. I would like to SLAM the pool to take care of the algae and keep the FC at a higher stable level but my concern is with the salt / CYA levels. Do I need to do a partial drain to lower these levels? I do not want to start the process if my water is not ready.
So I'm looking for some help - I have about 8 bottle of liquid chlorine ready to start tonight if the SLAMing process is the right direction. Otherwise what would my first step be? Thank you in advance for any help.
RB
I have an approx. 22,000 pebble pool with a SWG. Last summer was great as all my home testing came back good and the pool water was clear and looking good. This summer season things have changed. My Chlorine levels have been consistently low and I seem to have the start of a long, rewarding relationship with algae. Today I brushed the pool and it looked as if I was brushing green dirt off the walls. So I took a water sample into my local big named pool supply house and had my pool water tested. Here are their results:
FC 1
TC 2
Salt 3400
Calcium Hardness 320
CYA 100
TA 70
pH 7.4
Phosphates 2500
So - I have read the posts related to SLAMing your pool as well as the topics on Phosphates (Good vs Bad). I feel I have a few issues - the Salt and CYA seem high for my pool and my chlorine level is constantly low. My SWG runs 10 hours a day at 100%. The employee at the pool store says I need to take care of the Phosphate level by adding their magic phosphate be gone and that will cure both the algae and FC problem. He even took a sample of my water and mixed in a few granules of their sanitizer and wha-la - my chlorine levels spiked to the correct color on the test chart. I agree with this website's view on FC and plan to take the steps to correct the algae via SLAMing. I would like to SLAM the pool to take care of the algae and keep the FC at a higher stable level but my concern is with the salt / CYA levels. Do I need to do a partial drain to lower these levels? I do not want to start the process if my water is not ready.
So I'm looking for some help - I have about 8 bottle of liquid chlorine ready to start tonight if the SLAMing process is the right direction. Otherwise what would my first step be? Thank you in advance for any help.
RB