Long story short (ok, I just finished typing and re-reading, its not short at all), bought a house with a pool 14 years ago. For 14 years I've struggled with it. Always felt like the constant turnstyle of 'experts' at the pool store were blowing smoke...based on all the reading I've done here lately, that seems to be true.
Found this site and started reading everything I could, finally found something that makes sense to a logical mind.
Back in March I started fighting a pond. I got taken for around $500 over the course of a month for this and that random ridiculously expensive chemical. The color cleared up but man the water was cloudy and it just wouldn't give up. I mentioned things I had read like adding DE to my sand filter and they responded like I was insane. *sigh* Yet I kept handing them $$$. The fault is mine for not finding this place a decade ago.
At the same time I got an MX8 Elite. Haven't had any kind of cleaner other than a broom/vacuum/pole in the last 5 years after my G2 which never quite worked was junked. I deliberated extensively about a robot and had I found this place earlier I might have done it. Maybe down the road a bit, doesn't hurt to have both right?
The cloudiness never cleared, eventually it started to go green again at which point the cloudiness settled.
That being said, I ordered a K-2006 and some refills on the essentials for clearing this pool up (in retrospect I wish I had gone with the TF-100 but...now I know where to get my refills). I went and refilled on two crates of 12.5% HASA from the LPS in the interim. I used some strips I had just to get a rough baseline until my kit got here (lots of zeros in those results, including chlorine and CYA). The face of the 6 LPS's that I checked for a K-2006 in stock should have said it all...they thought I was nuts. "But....we can test your water. Not even the pool guys use those." Yeah, no thanks. I got this.
Ok, sorry enough story time. So CC, FC, and CYA were all zero. PH and TA looked ok. CH was showing high but meh, its Arizona water. Its high as soon as it leaves the pipe.
I added enough CYA (sock over skimmer with manual intervention to hasten the process) to get my level to around 30-40 based on pool math and assuming current level zero. Since then I've been doing as sufficient of a SLAM as I can using strips (in the trash tomorrow I promise!) until my kit gets here tomorrow so I can start seriously crunching the numbers. I've definitely seen progress. Once I vacuumed the green'ing clear'ish pool as expected it went full green and cloudy after stirring everything up. Its still about half cloudy but the color has lightened up a lot since I started on Sunday. Have been brushing and/or vacuuming daily. Still not clear, but its definitely getting there. I know I can't truly be SLAM'ing until I know my exact numbers but, I didn't see any value in letting this thing pond up on me during the five day wait.
The pool as a whole needs work, but its perfectly functional. It really needs a whole makeover, and maybe after I stop dumping so much $$$ in to chemicals I don't need, that can become a reality. Its been neglected over the years, and thats on me. Call it ignorance induced frustration. No more of that non-sense. I am a numbers guy, this suddenly just became much more intriguing.
I did replace the sand filter/sand and the backwash valve last summer. Pump was rebuilt about 5 years ago. No multi-port valve, nothing fancy. Its your average ordinary diving pool built in 1974 (and it looks the part).
I'm ridiculously eager for this test kit to show up tomorrow so I can start sharing numbers and getting this thing ready for the family to swim in this summer. My goal is simple, for the first time in 14 years, I'm going to keep this thing crystal clear and beautiful all summer. Just wanted to start a thread in preparation for posting numbers tomorrow. Glad I found all of you, I hope you can tolerate me!
Thank you to all of you for everything you have already taught me. This place is loaded with great information.
Found this site and started reading everything I could, finally found something that makes sense to a logical mind.
Back in March I started fighting a pond. I got taken for around $500 over the course of a month for this and that random ridiculously expensive chemical. The color cleared up but man the water was cloudy and it just wouldn't give up. I mentioned things I had read like adding DE to my sand filter and they responded like I was insane. *sigh* Yet I kept handing them $$$. The fault is mine for not finding this place a decade ago.
At the same time I got an MX8 Elite. Haven't had any kind of cleaner other than a broom/vacuum/pole in the last 5 years after my G2 which never quite worked was junked. I deliberated extensively about a robot and had I found this place earlier I might have done it. Maybe down the road a bit, doesn't hurt to have both right?
The cloudiness never cleared, eventually it started to go green again at which point the cloudiness settled.
That being said, I ordered a K-2006 and some refills on the essentials for clearing this pool up (in retrospect I wish I had gone with the TF-100 but...now I know where to get my refills). I went and refilled on two crates of 12.5% HASA from the LPS in the interim. I used some strips I had just to get a rough baseline until my kit got here (lots of zeros in those results, including chlorine and CYA). The face of the 6 LPS's that I checked for a K-2006 in stock should have said it all...they thought I was nuts. "But....we can test your water. Not even the pool guys use those." Yeah, no thanks. I got this.
Ok, sorry enough story time. So CC, FC, and CYA were all zero. PH and TA looked ok. CH was showing high but meh, its Arizona water. Its high as soon as it leaves the pipe.
I added enough CYA (sock over skimmer with manual intervention to hasten the process) to get my level to around 30-40 based on pool math and assuming current level zero. Since then I've been doing as sufficient of a SLAM as I can using strips (in the trash tomorrow I promise!) until my kit gets here tomorrow so I can start seriously crunching the numbers. I've definitely seen progress. Once I vacuumed the green'ing clear'ish pool as expected it went full green and cloudy after stirring everything up. Its still about half cloudy but the color has lightened up a lot since I started on Sunday. Have been brushing and/or vacuuming daily. Still not clear, but its definitely getting there. I know I can't truly be SLAM'ing until I know my exact numbers but, I didn't see any value in letting this thing pond up on me during the five day wait.
The pool as a whole needs work, but its perfectly functional. It really needs a whole makeover, and maybe after I stop dumping so much $$$ in to chemicals I don't need, that can become a reality. Its been neglected over the years, and thats on me. Call it ignorance induced frustration. No more of that non-sense. I am a numbers guy, this suddenly just became much more intriguing.
I did replace the sand filter/sand and the backwash valve last summer. Pump was rebuilt about 5 years ago. No multi-port valve, nothing fancy. Its your average ordinary diving pool built in 1974 (and it looks the part).
I'm ridiculously eager for this test kit to show up tomorrow so I can start sharing numbers and getting this thing ready for the family to swim in this summer. My goal is simple, for the first time in 14 years, I'm going to keep this thing crystal clear and beautiful all summer. Just wanted to start a thread in preparation for posting numbers tomorrow. Glad I found all of you, I hope you can tolerate me!
Thank you to all of you for everything you have already taught me. This place is loaded with great information.
to cheer people on.
LOL
we got ya!
