Recent content by sivart

Thanks - I'll check it out. It all seems to be operating well at this point.

I bought a brand new Hayward AQR15 and had it installed by a local pool professional yesterday. After installation, adding salt and adding CYA yesterday, he asked me to wait 24 hours to turn the salt system on so that all of the salt had a chance to dissolve completely. 24 hours later, the...

I'm only 4 days in, but I can already tell the HT is in much better shape. The water is sparkling, it has that nice clean smell, and the black stuff around the controls is fading away. The pillows may be a lost cause (I'll let them sit in the water the next time I shock it), but I've got new...

I bought the spa new in 2011 so I've had it for quite a while now, and it is actually my second Hot Springs spa. I have been doing a drain and refill every 6 months, and it is always much more enjoyable for the first month or two after a refill. I expect things will be better with this method...

Thanks for the assistance Oly. I'm familiar with using Pool Math at this point so I think I'll be good from here. The calculator specified that I should add 5tsp of dichlor to get the spa to an FC of 10ppm. I did that and tested about 30 minutes later and the FC was at 5ppm. Pool Math says...

The spa holds 350 gallons. I just tested again this morning and got the following results: PH 7.8 CH 125 TA 35 When I say TA of 35, I mean that the solution technically turns a dull pink after 3 drops and bright red after 4 drops. So the 4th drop does make a color change difference. Is that...

Thanks for the reply Oly. I've read about biofilm, and it is certainly a possibility that I have some. I bought the tub new so I know there wasn't anything lurking before I got it. The water has never been cloudy - always very clear, but that might not mean anything since I do have something...

A couple of months ago, I switched over to the TFP method for my swimming pool, and that has gone very well so far. With that behind me, I've decided to try the same with my hot tub. I've got a 2011 Hot Springs Sovereign with a Nature2 cartridge (changed every 6 months) and an ozonator, and...

I started the SLAM yesterday. It has been an annoying process, because the 12.5% liquid chlorine I purchased from Leslies is certainly not 12.5% - I think it is closer to 7%. I looked at the date code, and it was manufactured last August. I had to bring my pool up to FC of 28ppm. The...

I just figured it would be harder to maintain the shock level if there was a lot of rain diluting the pool. I guess it would have to be a really big rain to change it too much, and it would be nice to have the clouds help keep the FC level up.

It's green algae. It's a little hard to tell because the diamond brite surface is blue so the pool has the lagoon look, but it isn't mustard algae. It's supposed to rain here over the next couple of days so I think I'll start the SLAM after that.

That is what I was considering doing. I get that there are the 3 conditions to stop the SLAM. It's just that the SLAM process requires daily brushing during the SLAM. If I brush daily, I'll never see algae with or without the SLAM. With the other two conditions passing, I wanted to get an...

I am a relative newbie to the TFP methods having started about a month ago. I've read the SLAM page and some other info I could find regarding SLAMing the pool, but I still have a question about it. Here are my test numbers: PH 7.5 FC 9 CC 0 TA 85 CH 275 CYA 70 I drained half the pool a...

I thought I would wrap this thread up with my results in case it helps anyone else in the future. First, thanks to everyone who posted to help me out. It is really appreciated. I went ahead and rented a sump from Home Depot. It cost $48 per day, and came with two 50 ft. hoses (good because I...

Looks like that is a nice pump with good reviews, but I can't find a decent backwash hose that doesn't cost more than the pump. The garden hose attachment is nice, but it would take a really long time to pump out 15K gallons of water with a 100ft garden hose.