Recent content by CeltiaK

What a transformation in less than a week! You've caught on fast, and it really is awesome to see the pretty blue come out. The folks here are more than happy to help, but it's up to the pool owner to do the hard work. It's been a lot of fun to see your pool start to shine again! I see you...

We made some U-shaped PVC pieces and zip-tied them to the metal supports on one end of the pool. That's where we put the cover when it's not on the pool. I didn't want a rolling type because we get a lot of crud and debris on the cover and I don't want the clean bubble side touching the...

That was incredible work today! Looking forward to seeing your progress. Be sure to take a picture every day. Folks here LOVE that! You should also check and adjust your pH sometime when your FC test is less than 10. If FC is over 10, the pH test isn't valid.

You're doing great so far! Once the ammonia is kicked, the testing will be far less and you'll start to see some progress on the green. I'll warn you, the amount of chlorine you may need to get rid of the ammonia could be a lot! Some people find it makes more sense to do a large drain (or...

You're doing all the right things, starting with picking up that test kit. We do need to see the test results to understand your full situation. It will also be helpful if you fill out your profile with all your pool details. My concern with your pool has to do with ammonia, which I have...

Your pool looks like it’s a lovely oasis when it’s behaving. Don’t worry - the folks here will help you get back there and stay there! Could you please post the rest of your test results? FC CC pH TA CH CYA Water temp Given the green color, and your near-zero CYA reading, there may be some...

I leave my solar cover on continuously unless we're swimming. During pollen season, as part of my weekly maintenance, I do manually clean the cover as I take it off - maybe 2-3 times total in May/June, and maybe once more in July (swim season is essentially over for us by mid-August - no...

One more factor to consider: clear vs color. A clear cover allows more light/heat to pass through. A colored cover blocks a bit more. Where I am, a clear cover works better than no cover and better than a colored cover. With no cover, evaporation and a breeze make my temperature drop even on a...

Fill it all the way. Releases the pressure and the corners will move freely.

Another option is a salt water chlorine generator. Once it’s dialed in, you can often check levels only 1-2 times a week. And you only need liquid chlorine to start up.

I also have to raise my pH monthly due to acid rain. I’ve contemplated bringing up the TA, but it usually levels off at 60 and so I leave it alone. I do have a few weeks of indecision at opening when TA is 50 and the CYA starts dropping the pH. But once I get some Borax in and pH is back up to...

I love PoolMath for the calculators and the easy access to the data, but I do miss my old log book. It was a freebie from work, with a beautiful blue cover and filled with graph paper. I used it diligently, recording my tests, my chemical additions, and also a lot of text about my observations...

You don't need an expensive "proper" winter cover. If you get leaves and ice, you really should get A cover. Years ago, i bought a mammoth tarp from Amazon or Walmart - big enough to cover our pool water surface, plus 2 feet to go UP the wall from the inside and 4 feet to go DOWN the wall on...

Nothing fancy! 1. We could easily see the overall level never changed. The waterline was, on average, the same height on the pool wall all the way around the sides. This was key to our decision to key it ride. 2. The worst paver cracks allowed sinking of those support legs. It was easy to see...

You're definitely not the first! We had 18 pavers like yours... and 7 cracked in our first year that pool was up. We hedged our bets and measured the sinking parts, and found they didn't shift any further (over 3 years). Our pavers were "well wedged" between the heavy foam pool foundation and...