Bought a home with a FROG pool - need help 🙃

[Newdude]

It’s a rainy day today, so it’s hard to tell much

The CYA test does best with overhead sun (amd your back to it) Don't bother until it's nice out and you're home mid day, but get us another CYA test at that time.

Also, calcium doesn't matter for vinly pools but we all remeber getting our first test kit so run calcium tests for the pool and fill water for funsies.

 

[podcastpool]

The CYA test does best with overhead sun (amd your back to it) Don't bother until it's nice out and you're home mid day, but get us another CYA test at that time.

It might be a minute before it's nice out

 

[podcastpool]

With those numbers, there are no first steps...LOL

Those are great numbers. Your CYA is 70. Always round your CYA number up.

Do this test tonight, let's confirm you don't have algae...(even if you can't see it) Link-->Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

Lol.. I thought the alkalinity might be too high based on what I was seeing in pool math.

I'll be sure to do the overnight test.

 

[Newdude]

It might be a minute before it's nice out

That's OK. We are mostly confident it isn't sky high. That's the important part. If it ends up 40 or 80 with good sun, we can work with that.

See my last comment about the calcium. I edited the psot as you were typing.

I thought the alkalinity might be too high based on what I was seeing in pool math.

110 is close enough. It'll pull the Ph up. When Ph hits an 8, knock it down into the 7s, per poolmath, with muriatic acid. Each cycle will lower the TA until it finds where it wants to hang.

 

[podcastpool]

With those numbers, there are no first steps...LOL

Those are great numbers. Your CYA is 70. Always round your CYA number up.

Do this test tonight, let's confirm you don't have algae...(even if you can't see it) Link-->Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

Just completed the overnight test. It looks like I lost 3PPM. FC level was 20 last night and 17 this morning

 

[PoolStored]

SLAM ON!!!

 

[podcastpool]

By the time I got more chlorine from town, my FC was down to 13 (tested it twice to confirm)

SO.... 4 gallons in. Will check again soon.

Also, my PH jumped up to 8.6 - Should I wait to add muriatic until I finish SLAM or go ahead?

 

[PoolStored]

No muriatic during slam. The pH test is invalid when FC >10

 

[podcastpool]

No muriatic during slam. The pH test is invalid when FC >10

Makes sense why it’s all over the place. Thank you

 

[podcastpool]

I ended up adding 7 gal of liquid chlorine total today to maintain SLAM level. It’s crazy to me that it’s taking this much chlorine to maintain when the water looks pretty clear overall. Hopefully we have a better overnight test

 

[PoolStored]

One afternoon...of 8 day slam...you a piker...lol

When I cleared out aldi, the cashier looked at me and said, "I'm not asking..."

 

[PoolStored]

That was years ago...haven't had algae since. Great learning experience and motivation to maintain the pool...

 

[podcastpool]

It looks like I didn't lose any chlorine overnight. Tested at 9PM @ 28FC and re-tested at 8:00AM @ 28FC . Do I just let it settle down to standard levels now and maintain there? (8PPM)

 

[PoolStored]

You need to meet all three criteria to stop slam.

OCLT FC loss <=1
CC <= .5
and a clear pool, no cloudy, no dead algae, no live algae...should look like this...Link-->How Clear is TFP Clear?

 

[podcastpool]

 

[podcastpool]

It stormed again last night, so I need to vacuum it out but I posted pics above. CC is 0

 

[PoolStored]

Slam on! Not clear enough yet! Need to be absolutely clear...nothing on the bottom or walls. You still have dead algae on the bottom.

TURN THE PUMP OFF. Go down and remove main drain covers and scrub in the main drains.

 

[podcastpool]

Okay, got it. I've had that kind of stuff settle at the bottom almost daily since I moved in, pool guy told me there was nothing you could do about it other than keep brushing it away lololol....

I just retested, 26FC so I added a gal. I've got the robot going and will use the pool brush after.

2 questions:

#1 - I've noticed that my robot is picking up a decent amount of sand. Is that coming from my sand filter?

#2 - I'm not the strongest swimmer (I know, insert joke about owning pool - but hey, once I get it up and going I'll have all the time to learn how to be better, ha) So, I don't feel that comfortable diving to the main drains to remove and scrub them. I've got a friend that can help tomorrow. Is it super urgent that I try to find someone to help me today?

 

[PoolStored]

#1 - I've noticed that my robot is picking up a decent amount of sand. Is that coming from my sand filter?

If you don't have sand in the surrounding area that could blow it, that is a logical conclusion. Typical failure points are the laterals and the MPV. When you filter, is there any water coming out the Backwash pipe?

#2 - I'm not the strongest swimmer (I know, insert joke about owning pool - but hey, once I get it up and going I'll have all the time to learn how to be better, ha) So, I don't feel that comfortable diving to the main drains to remove and scrub them. I've got a friend that can help tomorrow. Is it super urgent that I try to find someone to help me today?

Not urgent, important.

 

[podcastpool]

If you don't have sand in the surrounding area that could blow it, that is a logical conclusion. Typical failure points are the laterals and the MPV. When you filter, is there any water coming out the Backwash pipe?

Not urgent, important.

Yeah, we have no sand anywhere around. By backwash pipe, do you mean the drain at the road where water comes out when I backwash?