New (and first ever) Pool! Dallas, TX

[mojo1980]

Your code of where you build dictates how far your electrical outlet is from pool. So does common sense

 

[Awp14]

Got home today to a pond. We had a bad storm Sunday which shut off the power and blew tons of stuff into the pool. It’s been off since then and is supposed to come back tomorrow - we will see.

We skimmed it and brushed it (I included sad looking before and after pics) and noticed the vacuum foam piece is broken off. Seems like that would be easy enough to fix.

Is there anything we should do before the power comes on? Or shall we just wait and then run the filter and start testing the water and adding bleach and muriatic acid.

Any help appreciated!

 

[Snikwah]

I skimmed most of this thread looking for the name of your pool builder and didn't see it mentioned. Who did you use?

 

[Awp14]

I skimmed most of this thread looking for the name of your pool builder and didn't see it mentioned. Who did you use?

I thought we weren’t supposed to say on here, but I’ll mesage it to you! ?

 

[kimkats]

You can add some chlorine in the water and brush it in. You can do it while inside the pool to make it easier. OR you could use a boat paddle or thick straw broom to help you make a current as you walk quickly around the pool.

If you have a generator you could drop a small sub pump in to move the water as well.

We will get your pool all fixed up fast!

Kim

 

[Awp14]

Thank you so much!!

You can add some chlorine in the water and brush it in. You can do it while inside the pool to make it easier. OR you could use a boat paddle or thick straw broom to help you make a current as you walk quickly around the pool.

If you have a generator you could drop a small sub pump in to move the water as well.

We will get your pool all fixed up fast!

Kim

We got power back! We emptied the vacuum and are running that and the pump. We added what we had in bleach which was two containers. Going to get more this afternoon at lunch. There are some stains lefts behind bright green and some brown - can those be fixed?

Edit: pool already looking much better at lunch. Still have those water skimming bugs. I hope those go away soon!

 

[kimkats]

The staining will go away over time. The more you keep your FC up to just under SLAM level for your CYA the faster the stains will go away. Don't forget to brush the pool as well.

What kind of filter do you have? Sand, cartridge, DE? Can you please add it to your signature?

Kim

 

[Awp14]

The staining will go away over time. The more you keep your FC up to just under SLAM level for your CYA the faster the stains will go away. Don't forget to brush the pool as well.

What kind of filter do you have? Sand, cartridge, DE? Can you please add it to your signature?

Kim

Yes ma’am - sorry about that! It’s a cartridge filter I believe. I will add it to my signature.

Clean & Clear® Plus Cartridge Filters

The Clean & Clear Plus filter delivers commercial-grade performance that keeps pools clean and clear, day in and day out. Find out where to buy here.

www.pentair.com

Ok cool. I think we will need to get that other test kit you mentioned when our first one runs out of chemicals.

Pool is looking much clearer and we are working on the pH and then will get back to the chlorine levels again.

Thanks again, as always!!!

 

[kimkats]

That is a good filter that should serve you well. Make sure to keep cleaning it as soon as the pressure goes up 25% over your clean filter.

When it is time for you to buy a new test kit you can always look in my siggy as I have a link to where to buy it as I really think it is the best bang for the buck out there.

Kim

 

[Awp14]

So now that our pool is back to normal pH and chlorine levels and looking lovely again..

Do I have to keep adding chlorine and acid weekly to maintain those levels? I thought the purpose of the salt system was that it would turn salt into chlorine and keep things maintained. Perhaps I need more salt? I was just surprised it turned cloudy so soon after salt startup. Not surprised the storm and power outage messed things up but just on a normal day to day, shouldn't there be enough salt so that I don't have to keep adding chlorine?

I see the TF-100 Test Kit (which we will get when it's time for a new one) has an option for salt test strips. Should I pick up some salt test strips and see if the levels in my pool are good or not?

 

[kimkats]

Okay I am going to share a link with you: Basic Pool Care Schedule - Trouble Free Pool In the beginning you WILL need to test daily to help learn your pools needs and such.

You are going to need to dial in your SWG to find what YOUR pool needs. You might need to run the pump longer to get enough FC out of the SWG or you might need to up the % of the SWG output. We can/will help you dial it all in.

You pH WILL go up for a while since you have new plaster. As the plaster cures it pushes the pH so you and muriatic acid will be friends for a while. It could take as little as 3 months or as long as 6 months.

Kim

 

[Awp14]

Hello again!

I think I’m getting the hang of things. I’ve printed out the information as recommended and I’ve been testing the water each morning and night since we got back to our "swamp" pool after the storm and power outage. I have also been brushing daily, skimming, emptying skimmers/vacuum etc. I still am trying to use up our current test kit (link to test kit) before getting the TF-100 test kit. The pool water looks great and is very clear. I have been adding ~1 cup of acid a day based on the testing. That seems to be going fine since you said the pH may push up every day, and it isn't increasing by a crazy amount so I'm just trying to keep it level.

I have a couple concerns/questions and have done a bit of research but want to confirm... **reminder my kit tests residual chlorine**
1. I am adding on average 1 - 128 oz 6% bleach container per day. When I add it slowly at night, I check the next morning and the test shows I'm all good. By lunch time there is almost no chlorine left, and at night there is certainly none that I can see in the test. So I do add another jug that night and repeat.. seems like the chlorine is being eaten up quickly perhaps by algae?..which leads me to my next concern..
2. I have sporadic black spots on the plaster, probably dime-nickel sized. My research tells me it could be some sort of black algae? There are probably about 10 spots randomly on the floor of the pool. There are spots that come and go on the sun shelf and in the spa, but in the deeper parts of the pool I can't seem to get rid of them. Brushing does not help. Is it possible I am maintaining the water enough to where shallower areas are able to fight the algae but the deeper parts of the pool aren't getting enough bleach or sun to get rid of it? OR do you think it's something else entirely? If I want to, I can use a plastic scrub brush to get rid of the shallower ones but I can't stay submerged long enough to do this in the deeper areas.

FINALLY (sorry this is long).. I am wondering if the root of my problems are that I should add more salt..
Oh, if it's helpful, I'm running the filter 12 hours a day from 7am-7pm, vacuum for 1 hour a day.

Thanks!!

 

[kimkats]

Sounds like things are going pretty well for you and your pool! Nice to hear it!!

What is your CYA at right now? Even better share a full set of current tests so we can really know what is going on with your pool. I have a couple of ideas.

Kim

 

[Awp14]

Sounds like things are going pretty well for you and your pool! Nice to hear it!!

What is your CYA at right now? Even better share a full set of current tests so we can really know what is going on with your pool. I have a couple of ideas.

Kim

Ah shoot. We don’t have the CYA test since we haven’t gotten the TF kit yet. We just tested the pool a few minutes ago and here are the results. Keep in mind I added one cup of acid this morning and 128oz of 6% bleach at lunch.

Residual Chlorine: 0
pH: 7.8
TA: 70

We are going swimming tonight and are planning to do some adjustments before we turn in for the night.

 

[kimkats]

I can't remember........have you added any CYA yet?

 

[Awp14]

I can't remember........have you added any CYA yet?

Never!

 

[kimkats]

WHAT??? Well there is your problem!! The sun is eating your FC! CYA aka stabilizer aka sunscreen for your FC.

Use Pool Math ...........wait you have found Pool Math right?? If not here is the link to it:
PoolMath - Trouble Free Pool Use Pool Math to see how much CYA you need to bring your size pool up to 30 (for now).

Now do NOT follow the directions on the bottle......we did a huge study one summer to find the best way to add CYA and found it is best to puck it in a sock (yeah like you wear) and hang it in front of your return. You can squeeze it to help it dissolve faster as well. Some people put it in their skimmer but the down side to that is you have to leave your pump running until it is all dissolved.

You need to go ahead and order the good test kit. That way you can do a test of the CYA about 2 days after it is added.

Kim

 

[Awp14]

WHAT??? Well there is your problem!! The sun is eating your FC! CYA aka stabilizer aka sunscreen for your FC.

Use Pool Math ...........wait you have found Pool Math right?? If not here is the link to it:
PoolMath - Trouble Free Pool Use Pool Math to see how much CYA you need to bring your size pool up to 30 (for now).

Now do NOT follow the directions on the bottle......we did a huge study one summer to find the best way to add CYA and found it is best to puck it in a sock (yeah like you wear) and hang it in front of your return. You can squeeze it to help it dissolve faster as well. Some people put it in their skimmer but the down side to that is you have to leave your pump running until it is all dissolved.

You need to go ahead and order the good test kit. That way you can do a test of the CYA about 2 days after it is added.

Kim

Ok great!! We will try to tackle this tomorrow and get the kit ordered. TF-100 and should I get salt strips?

 

[Awp14]

WHAT??? Well there is your problem!! The sun is eating your FC! CYA aka stabilizer aka sunscreen for your FC.

Use Pool Math ...........wait you have found Pool Math right?? If not here is the link to it:
PoolMath - Trouble Free Pool Use Pool Math to see how much CYA you need to bring your size pool up to 30 (for now).

Now do NOT follow the directions on the bottle......we did a huge study one summer to find the best way to add CYA and found it is best to puck it in a sock (yeah like you wear) and hang it in front of your return. You can squeeze it to help it dissolve faster as well. Some people put it in their skimmer but the down side to that is you have to leave your pump running until it is all dissolved.

You need to go ahead and order the good test kit. That way you can do a test of the CYA about 2 days after it is added.

Kim

Thank you!!

 

[kimkats]

I would get a salt test kit as well. If you want get real fancy you can get a Speed Stir as well. It makes testing even easier!

Now listen to this tidbit!! If you become a supporting member as seen here:
Become a TFP Supporter - Trouble Free Pool You will get a discount on the test kit AND help us keep the servers fed!

Kim