New Owner to an Older Pool - Questions about Cleaning & Plumbing!

[kcindc]

Done. Not 100% sure but based on measurements and chemical testing I am pretty sure the pool is roughly 18,000 gallons. I have been doing math off of 20,000 and, for adding chlorine for instance, the results are always a bit higher than specified on PoolMath.

So short term it sounds like take the tabs out immediately, perform OCLT tonight, SLAM tomorrow if needed, and then try to keep the chlorine stable by just using bleach. And hope that it continues to rain so I can drain the pool (Maybe I can get a tropical storm to REALLY drain it!).

Medium term, look into draining the pool once water restrictions are lifted next month to replace more water.

Long-term, look into a liquid chlorine dispenser or SWG. I wouldn't mind putting out the expense for either of these. The current process is clearly not working and as much fun as it is to wipe out my grocery store's shelf of bleach every month I'd rather not.

I see you have a CiruPool RJ-60.. I'm not sure if/what the rules are on talking about specific products on this board? So I haven't really. I did look that up and it's not that expensive, and there are models for < 60,000 gallons. I assume it's best to have this professionally installed, though.

We can talk freely about products on this board. I installed the CircuPool RJ-60 because I have a very large pool and there are only a few models that would work for me. It is relatively inexpensive compared to others. I'm a middle aged woman who is handy. My son who knows how to work with PVC, so we installed it. It was easy because I had the electrical/timer set up for a polaris and I switched to a robot, so I didn't need to do much except plug the SWG into the existing electrical work. My son the plumbing work.

I don't think it is too complicated, but if you are unsure, I would have a professional install it. Local markets vary and electricians are cheaper than pool companies, but your locality may be different.

Some SWG are tied to automation and if you go the automation route, it will need to be the same brand as your pump. The SWG can't be run without the pump running.

Here is a great comparison of SWGs:
Compare and Review Saltwater Chlorine Generator Prices and Features

 

[jglonek]

So, Monday night I did not end up testing the water until 11:30pm which I figured was probably too late. So I tested again last night and this morning and it did drop from 24 to 17. Sooo looks like I need to SLAM, I am starting that today. The tabs are completely out of the pool at this point, and I did have a chance to drain 3-4 inches yesterday so it's a small start. I will make sure to replace a lot of water in the pool by the end of summer one way or another.

 

[kcindc]

With a CYA of 120, it will be very difficult if not impossible to SLAM. We do not recommend SLAMing when CYA is high as yours.

First, the FC levels to do this a SLAM is off the Chlorine/CYA charts.

Second, you would need a lot more bleach (liquid chlorine) to complete this SLAM which increase the cost of your SLAM. Just to give you an example, it would take approximately 6 gallons of 8.25% bleach to get you to your theoretical SLAM level. After that, you would have to keep adding more bleach to maintain the very high FC level.

Third, even if you could complete the SLAM, your FC maintenance level would be too high to test PH. You can't accurately test PH when your FC is above 10.

My recommendation would be to drain about 50% of your water so you can SLAM at CYA of 60 which is still a high CYA level to SLAM, but is more realistic than SLAMing when your CYA is 120 (or higher if you still had tabs after your last CYA test).

 

[jglonek]

So, the main problem is the water restrictions I am under right now. I do not think the county would take well to using 8-10,000 gallons. I did end up attempting a SLAM (chlorine at 30+), and it seems to have worked for now, I am not finding any more algae in the pool.

I did manage to put some hoses together and start getting water from my well yesterday. However, my well is, broken. I am getting ~10psi out of it, so it seems like about an inch an hour if I'm being generous.

That being said, the well - along with some heavy rain this afternoon - has let me replace about 15 inches of water already (I am filling up to the top of the skimmer and then draining down to close to the bottom of it). I am keeping the chlorine high while I do this to avoid any issues. It's a slow process but hopefully it will be done by the end of the week! Then I get to see how crazy all the other chemicals got by using well water.

 

[jstephens1]

What is the cost to truck in a load of water in your area?

 

[jglonek]

I am not sure how much a truck of water would be, but the well was the easiest (and probably cheapest) option I think.

I did wrap the refill up yesterday after replacing roughly 36 inches of water.

I did tests just now and everything is looking pretty good! I am satisfied with this process.

FC - 11.5
CC - 1
pH - 7.5
TA - 100
CH - 300
CYA - 50

So I think I need to get TA up just a smidge, but the rest is good. Now it's time to figure out how much bleach I need to put in each day to keep the chlorine levels stable (well, and a bit lower).

 

[kcindc]

I am not sure how much a truck of water would be, but the well was the easiest (and probably cheapest) option I think.

I did wrap the refill up yesterday after replacing roughly 36 inches of water.

I did tests just now and everything is looking pretty good! I am satisfied with this process.

FC - 11.5
CC - 1
pH - 7.5
TA - 100
CH - 300
CYA - 50

So I think I need to get TA up just a smidge, but the rest is good. Now it's time to figure out how much bleach I need to put in each day to keep the chlorine levels stable (well, and a bit lower).

No reason to increase your TA. The higher your TA the faster your PH will rise. You should only adjust TA if your PH isn't stable. In fact, your PH might be happier if your TA was a little lower, but it is the last thing you need to adjust.

FYI, the PH test is unreliable when your FC is 10 or higher. Best to let the FC drop to 10 or lower then test PH. Once you test PH, adjust it to 7.2 then you can start your SLAM.

When you SLAM, you will only need to test FC at first. You can test CCs but you don't have to, especially at first.

 

[jglonek]

Ah okay, sounds good!

I also need to get in the pool and figure out what to do with the light.

I have this ring for the light: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031PZDLW/ and the part on the right in the photo that holds the light screw is rusted out and broken on the bottom part of it.

I tried to secure the light in with a washer and nut but it didn't hold long, probably because i just couldn't get it as tight as i needed when I was reaching behind the light to hold the nut in place. I probably should just buy the new ring, but I want to see if I can properly secure the light first when I have both the ring and light out. Fun times.

 

[triptyx]

It's like owning a boat sometimes. There's always something that needs fixing or improvement and there's always money involved.

 

[afgc]

Have you checked your filter?

I was having similar issues (which turned into cloudy water) and had the same exact Filter as you. The Hayward C1200 is great but was too small for my 22k pool. I read that one's filter should be 100sqft per 10k gallons so after switching to something larger my pool cleared right up and is looking amazing.

 

[kcindc]

Have you checked your filter?

I was having similar issues (which turned into cloudy water) and had the same exact Filter as you. The Hayward C1200 is great but was too small for my 22k pool. I read that one's filter should be 100sqft per 10k gallons so after switching to something larger my pool cleared right up and is looking amazing.

afgc, the OP conducted an OCLT and failed which means that OP needs to SLAM the pool to get rid of the organics in his pool. Regardless the size of his filter, he will need to SLAM. Having a smaller cartridge filter just means that you need to clean the cartridges more frequently.

 

[jglonek]

I check my filter monthly and clean it out.. I have no idea if that's too much or too little.

I will say that I haven't started the SLAM yet.. the pool had been clean since I put a lot of bleach in two weeks ago or so, and ended up with tons of algae on my filter. So I was feeling pretty good! Until this morning. The algae is back when I sweep. Back to the supermarket for bleach. I do hope I am reading the CYA right since that makes a difference for the shock level. I just checked it again and it's either 50 or 60, definitely no higher than that. So I'll aim to shock at 24 for 60 just to be safe.

I guess my main question is, as someone mentioned earlier in this thread.. why do I keep getting algae? Is there some algae in my pool somewhere that's not dying off when I SLAM and it's growing again when I go below the chlorine level I need to be?

Definitely thinking about how I can get a SWG ASAP, as 4-8 cups of bleach a day is going to drive me nuts.

 

[kcindc]

Have you read the details on SLAMing your pool? Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Brush and vacuum daily. Algae has a biofilm that protects it from FC and brushing removes the biofilm allowing the FC to kill it. Test and adjust FC to your SLAM level several times a day. The "M" in SLAM is maintain, the longer your FC is below SLAM levels the algae is able to reproduce.

Clean your filter when the pressure rises 25% because any higher and the flow is reduced so that circulation is no longer sufficient.

Keep SLAMing until you pass the three criteria:
1. water is crystal clear, no more algae, no more haziness or cloudiness
2. cc is 0.5 or less
3. you pass the OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test): Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

Once you pass the following criteria, test FC daily. Never allow your FC to get to the minimum for your CYA level. At your CYA level of 60, this means never allow your FC to get to 5. Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

 

[jglonek]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I've been doing, although as you said earlier the CYA level was probably just so high that it was impossible to properly SLAM. Hopefully this time it works, and I don't have algae hiding somewhere that I can't clean (still concerned about anything behind the light since that's not a tight seal).

I did check pH today while the chlorine was at 7 and the pH was 7.5 so I think we're good there.

So I'm looking at the bleach bottles and the sodium hypchlorite is 8.25% and it says "Yields 7.86% Available Chlorine". So I assume I should be putting 7.86% in PoolMath right? I put in 4 bottles of 121oz and the chlorine in the pool went from 7.5 to 24. So trying to find that in PoolMath, it looks like I hit that number if my pool gallons are 18,500. Does it sound like I did that right? If so I guess I have roughly 18,500!

Anyway, it's a SLAM level now. I bought enough chlorine to hopefully keep it there until Thursday morning and then I'll re-evaluate.

 

[mknauss]

You would put 8.25 in to Pool Math for typical household bleach as you describe.

 

[jglonek]

Ok, so since I put in 484oz, to get the closet to that at 8.25% for 7.5->24 it's 20,000. Okay.

I am actually a bit terrified that I put in another 121oz after I did that test and now 2 hours later it's at 25.5 instead of 24. That sounds like something ate that chlorine fast. I will test again shortly.

 

[jglonek]

So the pool is better! Again. For now. (I am optimistic aren't I?). I am hoping to make it through the season this time. I have definitely learned a lot this first year, and will be getting an auto-feeder ASAP to help myself out. I am going to take the light fixture apart this weekend and clean behind it, and make it a tighter fit.

I think the only question I have now is about adding chlorine manually. Should I be putting the bleach in in the morning? Evening? Mix of both?

 

[mknauss]

Your chemical adds can be at the time that fits your schedule best. Though they should be at about the same time each day to keep your FC at or above target. And you need to be sure to run the pump for 30 minutes or so after you add.

Many people add chlorine in the evening as it will then have the higher FC to work on any organics without the sunlight degrading the FC.

Take care.

 

[kcindc]

Can you post of photo of the pool? Is there any cloudiness or haziness? Can you readily see the main drain covers?

A SLAM is not complete unless you pass all 3 criteria, not meeting these 3 criteria means you still have algae in the pool and it will return:
1. Water is crystal clear (no haziness, no cloudiness, no visible algae)?
2. Have you passed the OCLT?
3. Are your CCs 0.5 or less?

 

[jglonek]

Yep, the pool is clear, the OCLT was good, and so was the CC. Here's a photo of the pool! Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Of course that doesn't mean there isn't algae creeping somewhere waiting for me to let my chlorine drop too low. This weekend will be a pool check to see what's hanging out.

With pouring in bleach, yeah I was leaning towards doing it in the evening. I did put in some this morning and I'm going to see how much it dropped by the evening when I want to normally put it in. I am thinking it's going to be roughly 8 cups of bleach a day. Fun!