Recent content by JohnGn

For what it's worth, and to potentially help others who may find this thread when searching, I was able to successfully blow out the lines using my pancake compressor by meticulously following these steps: Verify that all plugs are super tight, including my sand filter drain cap. Turns out...

I have closed my pool several times on my own, so I'm really puzzled why I'm having so many issues this year. First, I have drained the water down to just below the returns (which is what what TFP's closing steps recommend: "Drain – Pump the water down till it is about four inches below the...

I have a Farm and Home Supply near me selling a 4-pack of 10% for $23 (@5.75ea.) (Majestic Liquid Chlorinator for Pools 1 Gallon (4-Pack)) but if I go on "Senior Tuesday" I get 10% off, so that's when I fill my shopping cart. Seems like that's about the best price near me with the least hassle...

Thanks! Easy to do that because I still have an abundance of degraded LC I need to use up before it is just bottled water next spring.

I am getting ready to close my pool and the water is still a little above 60. I have two gallons of "Aquamate" algaecide that says "5% Algaecide" and has 5% n-Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride. TFP recommends PolyQuat 60, but I was wondering if I could just use this stuff instead...

I try to keep my FC a little bit above the FC/CYA chart recommendations just to try to avoid algae issues and to help keep things balanced if I am unable to test for a day or two. What I have noticed recently is that for some reason, there is a fair amount of dead algae (or it could be...

Do you have a Walmart nearby? They have their own brand of chlorine that does not have any additives. Even grocery stores will have plain chlorine. The percentage strength should be on the bottle, but if not, just assume it is 6% and use that in Pool Math to get your volume needed to raise...

Here in St. Louis, I was easily going through 1.5-2.0 quarts of ~11.5% liquid bleach (pool shock) per DAY at the peak of the summer, with sunny days and 95+ temps to keep my 20k gal pool at about 10ppm. In fact, that's also with a CYA of 60, which I designed in to my calculations just so I...

I just bought a 25# box of powdered CYA for $70 on Amazon. "Rx Clear" brand. Based on my recent usage (had to add 5# already this season to keep my CYA at 50), this is a steal compared to the Clorox branded stuff I was buying at Home Depot for over $20 per 4# bag. Considering that it doesn't go...

Thanks, Marty!

I recently had to SLAM due to cloudy water and a failed CC test. I started the SLAM and things really didn't progress for several days. I had a devil of a time keeping my FC at SLAM level. In fact, it was only immediately after adding MORE than pool math suggested that my FC level would go...

For the FC test, you keep adding drops until the water is no longer pink, swirling after each drop. With high FC levels, you may end up adding like 20-30 drops, especially during a SLAM. For the CC test (I think you're calling it TC), you added 5 drops of the reagent, then if it turns pink...

I just bought two boxes of 4gal each 12.5% at Farm and Home Supply in High Ridge MO for $14 per box, which works out to $3.50 per gal for 12.5%. That's the cheapest by far in this area. Other places sell 10% for about $4 per gal, and Menard's sells 12.5% for about $17 per box of 4 gal. I just...

Also, and I think this is important for you to know going forward, CYA is measured on a log scale, and any test result saying you have a CYA level of "77" is quite literally just made up. The advice here at TFP is to always just round up and use that number for your FC/CYA ratios. The biggest...

Gonna carbon copy what everyone else is saying, but will add that everyone in my household knows how important daily testing is to keeping our pool absolutely crystal clear and algae free. This is the very best source on the internet for achieving the lowest cost, best possible outcome every...