First Time Pool Owner Happy to Find this Awesome Resource / Community

[JJFlorida]

What a great community this is. Happy to find you guys.

I'm a first time pool owner. My family has been enjoying our pool here in south florida this summer.

Been keeping the chlorine higher than we want to, but it helps keep our algae down.

Pool pump died this week and its time to rebuild the pool filtration and circulation system! Yippi

We are hoping to optimize the pool for the large amount of tree's we have around our pool. Leave are in the pool daily and we also get a good amount of rain down here is south florida so chemical optimization and filtering out he algae battle.

We clean the filter every week and the basket just before the pump twice a week. Hoping to replace the filter system with something that can help us to make the pool less of a daily routine.

Talk to you guys soon....

JJFlorida

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello JJ and welcome to TFP! There are many Floridians here, so you're in good company. As for your past struggles with algae, I would recommend you review the following pages:
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
SLAM Process
Test Kits Compared

Not sure how you're testing your water, but the TF-100 is a great test kit. Many folks find that inaccurate testing from the pool store, test strips, or sub-standard drop testers contributed to algae struggles, so let us know if you have any questions. Make sure to update your signature, and have a great day.

 

[JJFlorida]

Hello JJ and welcome to TFP! There are many Floridians here, so you're in good company. As for your past struggles with algae, I would recommend you review the following pages:
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
SLAM Process
Test Kits Compared

Not sure how you're testing your water, but the TF-100 is a great test kit. Many folks find that inaccurate testing from the pool store, test strips, or sub-standard drop testers contributed to algae struggles, so let us know if you have any questions. Make sure to update your signature, and have a great day.

I got the TF-100 kit a few months ago. Algae is under control up until this week when my little hayward 1hp pump died this week. Algae is rapidly coming in Double shocked it last night but need to get a plan together to replace the broken pool pump.

I am rapidly trying to design a improved pump / filter system to help me manage filtration of the algae and the collection of leaves that constantly fall into the pool. I have a Hayward C100s and am thinking to rebuild the system with a larger filter and smother pump. Right now I keep the main drain off and run a robot all day to keep the pools off the bottom of the pool.

The neighbors have huge tree's. Its nice for privacy but requires daily intervention by me and the wife. The robot was doing a good job but the leaves where going right into the basket just before the pump. One windy day last week a bunch of small stuff got in the pool and the vacuum filled the basket. Pump died shortly after. We normally clear the basket twice a week, but missed by a few days and bam. Dead pump.

I am thinking if I can keep the drain on the bottom running all the time and somehow keep the robot always running. It would help to eliminate this issue of starving the pump of water.
Here she is today........starting to show signs of cloudiness.....

 

[YippeeSkippy]

JJ, any time your mechanicals are off-line for repairs, go ahead and continue to add liquid chlorine to the pool and mix it in using a broom or whatever so that you don't let your FC fall.

Personally I would keep both the skimmer and the main drain up and running, and make sure I have a skimmer sock in the skimmer's basket.

What is this "double shock" you speak of? What does that mean?

Maddie

 

[Newdude]

It’s not always neighborly friendly, but you are allowed to trim anything over your property line and ‘in your airspace’. It would definitely help some to not have the trees dropping directly into your pool. At least make the wind do it.

 

[ajw22]

For some reason Florida pool builders seem to put in small filters. The bigger the better with cartridge filters.

How many skimmers do you have? And a main drain?

I think some new VS pumps have protections to sense when they are running dry and shutdown to protect themselves.

As much as you want to have the skimmer clear leaves floating on the top of the water having some type of skimmer guard like this may save your pump from running dry due to a clogged skimmer.

 

[Oly]

Looks like you have a suction side floor cleaner. Get an inline filter for your vac hose to keep debris out of your filter basket and pump. For example.... Amazon.com : U.S. Pool Supply Professional In-line Pool Leaf Canister with Large Mesh Bag : Garden & Outdoor

 

[JJFlorida]

JJ, any time your mechanicals are off-line for repairs, go ahead and continue to add liquid chlorine to the pool and mix it in using a broom or whatever so that you don't let your FC fall.

Personally I would keep both the skimmer and the main drain up and running, and make sure I have a skimmer sock in the skimmer's basket.

What is this "double shock" you speak of? What does that mean?

Maddie

Yippee Skippy,

I have been using the below Chlor Brite bags from Leslies Pool supply. There is a local pool supply that have helped me bring my pool back from the dead. Now that I have TFP’s as a resource I’ll start to reevaluate all the chemical math, but when the algie was growing too fast I would put 2 bags of this stuff in and it would kill most of my algae.


Leslie's Chlor Brite Granular Specifications

Active Ingredient	Dichlor-S-Trianzinetrione
Chemical Type	Chlorine and Shock
Dosage	2-3 oz per 10,000 gallons and 3 oz per 10,000 gallons
Manufacturer	Leslie's
Product Type	Pool Chemical

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Oh that is a shame because each time you add that to your pool, you're also increasing your CYA level almost as much as the chlorine it provides. Folks who don't realize that can get in a bind when they suddenly find they either have algae, or they don't know why their CYA is so high?
The more CYA you have in your pool, the higher your chlorine requirement is. All that liquid chlorine adds is chlorine, water and a smidgeon of salt.

See --> FC/CYA Levels

Maddie

 

[Oly]

Check this out ........>