I moved into a 41-year-old house in San Antonio, on Leap Day (February 29, 2020), and it's the first time I have ever had a pool. It is a 25,379 gallon inground gunite pool (installed in 1981) with plaster surface/liner. I have learned several hard-knocks lessons already, like how a powerful pump won't prime if leaves and twigs have crapped up the impeller; and how adding too much cyanuric acid is like summoning a demon (it doesn't go away just because you want it to leave). After replacing just over half of my water in the last week (my next water bill is going to contain a $110 hickey), my CYA is now down to 70 PPM (which is too high to SLAM, because I can't measure FC above 10 PPM). My free chlorine is sitting at about 5, and floculant has turned something (pollen? dead algae) into little pools of green glop that vacuum up easily now that my impeller is not crapped up and my pump can actually prime itself.
We paid a pool service for March, and then halfway through March they decided they were a non-essential business, and left us with a small bag of shock and all their best wishes. Now they won't return calls anymore. So it's been a rough month and a half. But I'm proud of what I've learned (the hard way).
I have a couple questions that I hope are easy, in case anyone wants to comment:
(1) I still have what looks like a dingy brownish coating on my plaster lining. I think it used to be algae, but now it may just be residue. When I brush it, almost nothing comes off. If it is a permanent stain in the plaster, then I'll just have to ignore it until I can fork out $6500 to replaster (which will be at least year away, because printing my own money is illegal). I am hoping the brownish staining will go away with time and consistent chlorine levels. Any wisdom?
(2) I am afraid of anything that is going to increase my CYA levels, because I had to waste 14,000 gallons of water to get it down to 70. I am reading forums that say several kinds of chlorinating tablets and even shock actually INCREASE CYA. I have read the horrors of copper and calcium and sodium. So what is the best form of chlorine to add to my pool to keep my FC near 5, but that won't add any other chemicals that will have negative consequences? Cheap is good, but my biggest concern is not screwing up my water chemistry.
Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom you will toss my way.
We paid a pool service for March, and then halfway through March they decided they were a non-essential business, and left us with a small bag of shock and all their best wishes. Now they won't return calls anymore. So it's been a rough month and a half. But I'm proud of what I've learned (the hard way).
I have a couple questions that I hope are easy, in case anyone wants to comment:
(1) I still have what looks like a dingy brownish coating on my plaster lining. I think it used to be algae, but now it may just be residue. When I brush it, almost nothing comes off. If it is a permanent stain in the plaster, then I'll just have to ignore it until I can fork out $6500 to replaster (which will be at least year away, because printing my own money is illegal). I am hoping the brownish staining will go away with time and consistent chlorine levels. Any wisdom?
(2) I am afraid of anything that is going to increase my CYA levels, because I had to waste 14,000 gallons of water to get it down to 70. I am reading forums that say several kinds of chlorinating tablets and even shock actually INCREASE CYA. I have read the horrors of copper and calcium and sodium. So what is the best form of chlorine to add to my pool to keep my FC near 5, but that won't add any other chemicals that will have negative consequences? Cheap is good, but my biggest concern is not screwing up my water chemistry.
Thanks in advance for any pearls of wisdom you will toss my way.
