Recent content by Poolnurse

Hi! We've noticed some of our grout has disappeared around the skimmer basket and there is a hairline crack in the mortar above this spot. Are these just cosmetic problems or do they need to be fixed before freezing winter storms? (We're worried about water expanding the cracks and getting...

Thank you! I was really regretting adding the borates since it seemed to throw everything out of whack, but this reassured me I made the right choice for the long haul.

Well I ordered the Taylor salt kit from Walmart on the 5th, it shipped on the 8th, transferred from ups to USPS on the 10th, and that's the last tracking update. ... It's now marked as delayed ?. So I guess I need to wait for that too

Hello! We unwinterized our pool a couple weeks ago and are planning to install a SWG for the first time. We have the equipment and the salt and are waiting for the chemistries to be in the correct range before adding the salt. We were all set and balanced until I decided to add borates for the...

We have been limping along with high CYA levels this season (I discovered this site halfway through our first summer with a pool after we had already developed this problem) and are hoping to get the CYA down after we drain/winterize/refill in the spring. The water is clear and we aren't losing...

Outside during the middle of the day, I've tried it in the sun and under the umbrella. And I've tried early in the morning and at dusk. I try to keep it at waist level. I've tried with and without my regular glasses. Anything to help me see that dot just a little bit longer ?

With repeatedly draining a few inches at a time and refilling, especially before a couple big rainstorms, we got the CYA down to about 150. Even that drop has made things a little more manageable. I am planning to winterize in another month or so and I'm hoping that that drain and the subsequent...

You are right, it's quite likely we went from cya a little over 200 to cya a little under 200 with our water swap. I find it is hard to get an exact number with the black dot test. I suppose I was just very disappointed to see such an insignificant change with hours of running the hose wide...

I hadn't really thought about that... This will be our first winter with a pool. Our cover is porous, so that should actually help us out quite a bit, thank you for pointing that out!

We were planning to close the pool in mid to late September, so not too much longer. Because the cooler temps inhibit algae, they apparently can also inhibit the bacteria in bioactive so we would actually have to heat the pool to 90 to try to get it to work.

I have read the old threads about how it doesn't work and how draining the pool is cheaper, but I can't stop wondering if I should try it. I've called multiple pool water companies and all of the quotes are comparable- it will cost me $150/2,000 gallons of water, so if I drain half the pool and...

Thank you, they are actually pool life brand calcium hypochlorite and we are putting them in the skimmers along with dumping household bleach directly into the pool to keep the FC around 7.5% of the CYA level.

Or local pool store has them... Maybe pool stores are good for something after all ?