Recent content by Speed103

I have a small pool I purchased this year (~450 gallons) so I went the liquid CYA route. It seems like the one everyone references is the one I found on most sites, the Natural Chemistry Instant Conditioner. I tried to use Pool Math (version on PC through Windows Store) to figure out how much to...

We actually did do a lot of google searches for microscopic images of algae, dirt and sand. We did also think the lumps were dirt/sand from what we found, but the algae was a little more difficult to identify. From reading some posts on this forum, it sounded like algae were usually non-circular...

Thanks! My wife tried to take some pictures with her iPhone and said she couldn't get it. It took me a few minutes and a VERY steady hand to get those shots. I'm still amazed that she thought to try to take pictures of the eyepiece with her phone. I'm even more amazed they came out like they...

My wife brought home a microscope this evening and we were able to get a sample in the pool by doing a siphon through a tube. After a lot of tinkering with the microscope, I was able to get some good images of what we collected. These were taken using an iPhone 5 aiming at the eyepiece...

Dave, I did the OCLT last night, though I didn't bring it up to shock level again (forgot, though I'm hoping this test is still good). At 8PM, 7.5. At 6:30AM, 7.5, 0 CCs. I think my wife has some microscopes in her classroom. We'll probably pull a sample and see if we can identify what it is for...

kcindc, No sidetracking at all because I had actually thought about that. I think the only problem is I'd have to remove most of the sand to be able to get to them. I also thought I would be getting sand in the pool if I had a lateral issue, which I haven't. I was worried about channeling as...

If I vacuum it clean, the bottom stays clear until the pump runs the next day and it starts accumulating at the bottom near the middle and on the wrinkles in the liner. That's what made me think either some is passing through the filter or it's being deposited every day. My pool is surrounded by...

I manually use a vacuum that I attach with a hose to a skimmer vacuum plate. I just run the filter in the normal filter mode.

duraleigh, Thanks for responding about the skimmer sock. That helps me in that I won't waste my time trying the skimmer sock and waiting to see if it will help. I get what you're saying about the variables and testing, which is why I tried to eliminate as many of those as possible by buying the...

kcindc, You brought up a point I wasn't sure of. Is the point of the skimmer sock just to catch stuff before the filter so you don't have to backwash? I thought it might help catch smaller particles that the sand filter would allow through, though I didn't see how. I hardly have to backwash...

JohnT, Does that mean the OCLT doesn't always work? I've read a lot of algae posts on these forums and that always seems to be the one thing recommended to verify if there are organics in the water, which consumes the chlorine. I even did it at shock level, which I thought would make the test...

I’ve been having a problem ever since we got our pool. Every day when I check our pool, there are areas where a brown fine substance has collected around the wrinkles in our pool liner. The majority of it ends up near the middle of the pool since our pool is round and the pump pushes the water...

I had forgotten about those videos. Do you know why it doesn't matter? I would naturally think that the more R-0871 you add at the end, the more it would affect the CC test since it's the same reagent to turn it back to clear. Is it not so obvious chemistry-wise or is this part of the margin of...