Recent content by JRzMom

Just a suggestion, but you are going to use a lot of chlorine to get rid of algae. See if you can find 2.5-gallon containers (or 5-gallon ones if you can manage lifting it). In my area, we have Agway. You pay a deposit for the container and return it when you pick up a new one. It is a lot less...

I test almost daily for FC, but I find the R-0870 powder doesn't keep well. I'm thinking of buying a 16 oz. size and refilling the kit as needed. Is that worth it, or will it go bad? I try to be careful with moisture, but I guess I'm not careful enough. Also, how do you keep the scoop clean? It...

I put the cover back on. I got the filter running today and added a bit of chlorine. I'll test later today and keep the winter cover on until I am ready to swim. The water temperature is 55 degrees F. It still needs a good vacuuming and scrubbing, but thanks to TFP, I'm feeling pretty confident...

I took the cover off today, but neglected to take a picture. The water is crystal clear, but there are quite a few worms and salamanders at the bottom. How do they get in there? Yuck! I got most of them out with the pole skimmer and ran my robo vacuum. I am grateful there were no drowned...

I read several posts about how folks manage their pools when on vacation, and opinions vary. After going through 2 SLAMs this season (opening and subsequent pump failure), I do not want to return to a green pool! My husband will be home but doesn't know how to test the water. He has little...

How long should I wait to retest TA? It seemed to take a few days to drop after the pH Down, although the pH dropped right away. Is that normal or do I need to be more careful with the drop test?

After completing a SLAM and getting FC within normal range, my pool TA was 140 and pH 7.8. I should have waited a bit, but worried that TA that high would let pH creep up I added leftover pH Down that only brought the TA to 130 and the pH to 7.4. We had torrential rain for two days that aerated...

I was afraid of that. I found an old post that said it is safe to put down the drain, even with a septic tank. I'll be making a lot of trips to the sink before I can lift that container! LOL. My next question - Should I soak it in chlorine after? Then dry it out?

I'm gonna soak my cartridge with TSP today but wonder if it will stain my driveway or hurt grass/plants where I dump it. I'm guessing I just dump it and hose it down?

Final photo! Now I have to get the alkalinity down. Working on an aerator. Have to drop the pH to 7.0 or 7.2 to get it down, then aerate to get pH back up. 2nd photo is before. SLAM took 7 days. Patience is a must!

Happy day! I passed all three tests, and the water is crystal clear. The only downside is that now I can see all of the staining on my vinyl. I'm not going to worry about that, so I'll enjoy the pool.

Day 6: I finally can see the bottom of the pool! Yay! I'm hoping one more day of brushing, vacuuming, and filtering will see if it can pass OCLT.