One pool guy told me that Black algae is almost impossible to kill. Is it true?

proavia · Dec 5, 2019

As to your light.... most probably the o-ring they sold you is meant to go around the glass lense and to provide a water tight seal between the lense and the light housing. It most dertainly is not intended to be used between the light housing and the light niche. There is no seal between the light housing and the light niche - just coil the excess cord around the housing, insert the lower edge of the housing into the finger on the lower edge of the niche , install the screw and tighten until just snug.

There is no way for us to estimate how much it will cost you monthly to properly care for your pool. Every pool is different. Chances are it will cost less if you do it yourself. After you get in a routine, it will take less than 5 minutes a day and maybe 20-30 minutes once a week. The benefit to doing it yourself (besides the money savings) - if you choose to follow TFP guidelines - is that you will understand your pool and have a trouble free, properly sanitized pool.

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

wogster said:
$90 a month, probably doesn't include the cost of the chemicals, which will have a significant mark up, they will also use some odd and expensive potions. The problem is that FC will drop by 2-3ppm per day, and needs to be at least 2-3 PPM, so if they guy comes once a week, you can be looking at a drop of as high as 21ppm. There are two possible solutions, pool guys use: shocking, which will raise the FC to say 25, then let it drop over the week.

Ok, then I think shocking everyweek is suitable for me.
How much do I have to use for 20,000 gallon pool?
And can you recommend good one?

Amazon.com : CLOROX Pool&Spa XtraBlue 3-Inch Long Lasting Chlorinating Tablets, 5-Pound Chlorine : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com : Clorox Pool&Spa Shock XtraBlue 6 Pack (1 lb Bottles) : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com : Pool Essentials Shock Treatment 6 Pack (13.4 oz Bags) : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com : hth Pool Shock Super Shock Treatment 6 count 6lbs (52008) : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

proavia said:
insert the lower edge of the housing into the finger on the lower edge of the niche ,

Ok, I think I didn't do this.. Thank you.

JJ_Tex · Dec 5, 2019

NewB77777 said:
Ok, then I think shocking everyweek is suitable for me.

Weekly shocking is not recommended on here. It is widely used by people, including most pool services for its convenience, but it leads to high CYA and eventually issues requiring draining as you have already learned.

The 2 main disadvantages of weekly shocking are:
1. In order for your chlorine to stay good all week, a lot of chlorine is added so that your chlorine will last all week. This means days 1-3 are really high, then hopefully come down to the appropriate levels, but by days 6-7 you are likely at or below the recommended levels.
2. CYA, aka stabilizer is in each bag of shock. This acts as a buffer to help protect your chlorine from the sun. At appropriate levels CYA is great. After constant use of weekly shock, your CYA levels will become elevated and tie up all of your chlorine and leave none to sanitize your pool (pool stores call this chlorine lock). We see a lot of people come here once they hit that point as their pool has turned green and they have to drain (sound familiar).

We recommended daily testing and adjusting of chlorine (takes < 5 mins) to avoid this rollercoaster of chlorine levels and high CYA you get with shocking.

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

I found a shock which doesn't have CYA: HTH Super Shock Treatment (6-Pack)-52008 - The Home Depot
I think I need to use 2 bags per weeks, and it will cost around $40 monthly only for this.
It is a lot more than what I though

jimbethesda · Dec 5, 2019

It has calcium in it which will build up in your pool and lead to scaling. Not to mention the other issue with shocking.

Not sure why you keep posting here if you won’t take the advice.

Again, the best (and cheapest) way to chlorinate your pool is to put in just what it needs daily. The chlorine should just be chlorine, no calcium or CYA. You can do that by 1) pouring in liquid chlorine every day or 2) by installing a chlorine tank and pump that injects chlorine or 3) making your own chlorine using a salt chlorine generator.

You can use the solid products if you want. It will work for awhile, until it doesn’t. And oh boy when it doesn’t, you will have quite a mess on your hands (like you’ve already had)

The choice is yours. It seems obvious to me, but you need to make your own decision.

ajw22 · Dec 5, 2019

The Clorox pool products that have “Blue” in their name contain copper. Copper will accumulate in pool water and can eventually lead to staining. We recommend not using those products. Read...

Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

Please bear with me. I'm new to pool.
I try to figure out the best way(easy:less labor and cheap).
The options I get here...is not what I like to do.
Because I want to avoid to do something daily, and I think installing SWG is kind of too much for now.
It is the reason that I'm lookin for other options.
If above 3 options are only valid options, then I will try to chlorine daily.

However,
My cousin has 27,000 gallon pool, and he uses weekly pool service for many years, and I know he didn't change water for many years.
Not sure how clean his pool and if his pool has any calcium or copper problem(I'll check once I get the test kit).
However I'm pretty sure his chemical in in good range.

And I saw many many good reviews for HTH super on Amazon.
It is the reason that makes me to think using those products might work.

Because I don't have any knowledge about pool, and because this forum have many pool owners who has lot of experience,
I'm asking here.
And it will be my last question here asking for possible other options.
So there is no shock or something else that I can use weekly which doesn't include CYA, Copper, Calcium?

I found HTH ultra. Can you check this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017HOLHBC/ref=emc_b_5_i?th=1

BTW, even though HTH Super has calcium, if I able to remove calcium easily, I think HTH super also okay to use.
is it easy to remove calcium in pool?

Thanks.

Leebo · Dec 5, 2019

Sadly........not at all. It's more or less impossible to remove Calcium from your water unless you add fresh water. That said, this quote from yourself kinda caught my attention..........

The options I get here...is not what I like to do.

So let me ask this, what part of the option are you not digging? I ask because I suspect we'll be able to find some work-a-round for you to succeed. That said, you've gotta work with us somewhat too. We really do try to focus on solid information and currently it kinda feels like we're running around in circles here. Let's get some water in your pool, get some test results, and let's work together to setup a plan where you will succeed. I promise you both yourself and all of us want to put you on a path to a clean, easy to maintain pool, we just gotta figure out how to get you there.

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

So, even HTH ultra which looks like doesn't make calcium is also not recommended, right?

Amazon.com : HTH Pool Ultimate Shock Treatment 6 Count (52014), Pack of 6 : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

I will test and post here once I get tester

Thank you.

ajw22 · Dec 5, 2019

NewB77777 said:
So, even HTH ultra which looks like doesn't make calcium is also not recommended, right?

Amazon.com : HTH Pool Ultimate Shock Treatment 6 Count (52014), Pack of 6 : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : HTH Pool Ultimate Shock Treatment 6 Count (52014), Pack of 6 : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

I will test and post here once I get tester

Thank you.

HTH Ultra is Calcium Hypochlorite. It says so right on the ingredients in the picture on Amazon.

Calcium Hypochlorite - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

With Cal-Hypo for every 1 ppm or chlorine you will be adding 0.71 ppm of calcium. A pool typically uses 3PPM of chlorine in the summer and let's say less then 2 ppm of chlorine in the winter. Let's say on average you use 2PPM of chlorine a day for 365 days a year. That is 730 ppm of chlorine needed a year. Using Cal-Hypo you will have added 518 ppm of calcium to the pool water.

Problems with scaling start happening at the 800 - 900 PPM CH level. So if your water starts with 0 CH you can go maybe 18 months before you have to drain your pool water to lower your CH. If your water starts with a typical CH of 250 you can go maybe a year.

If we had the simple answer you are looking for we would give it to you. All of us here have nothing to sell you. We are giving you the most trouble free pool care methods.

santacruzpool · Dec 5, 2019

I was a new pool owner 4 years ago and I relied on the experts here to get me where I am today...I wouldn't go with any other system.

Here are your options as I see it.

1. Take the plunge and try out the full TFP method. After a few months see how you like it and if you want to continue.

2. If you don't like adding liquid chlorine daily then spend some extra money on a Salt Water Chlorine Generator, or a chlorine tank and pump setup, to automatically add chlorine to your pool. I have a SWCG and I love it.

3. Go with a pool service and hope for the best...
------------
You will probably only need Liquid Chlorine, Muriatic Acid, and CYA to get started - along with your test kit and the help from the great people on this board.

As for the time you need to invest, I test my water once or twice a week during the swim season, and even less during the winter months. Weekly I will check on various things around the pool and will usually clean my skimmer basket, clean my robot filters out, check the FC and PH and make any needed adjustments. Monthly I check the other water parameters (TA, CH, CYA, Salt) and adjust anything that needs it. Yearly I clean my cartridge filters, check my SWCG cell, clean and lube my safety cover ropes, pulleys, and the motor.

NewB77777 · Dec 5, 2019

HTH ultra says that it prevents scales formation. So I though it doesn't make calcium or it has chemical which remove calcium.
Can you let me know average cost to buy and install SWG, running cost, and how long it will last?
Is there recommended model of SWG?

BTW, I saw a video regarding SWG, and they said SWG will make calcium buildup too.
However they said it can be easily removed by [scale remover] + [PH recuder or muriatic acid]

ajw22 said that draining is the only option to remove calcium
So I'm little confused.

Thank you.

ajw22 · Dec 5, 2019

Scale removers do not remove calcium from the water. Scale removers try and keep calcium in suspension so it does not deposit on the surface and form scale. It is not foolproof, ties you to continuously adding expensive chemicals to your water, and eventually the calcium gets high enough to where the scale remover is not effective.

The pH also affects if the calcium will form scale. So use of MA to keep pH in the proper levels can keep calcium from forming scale for a while.

SWG does not create calcium. If you have high calcium in your water then scale can form on the SWG plates and the pool.

You are confusing causes and effects. You have to move past reading marketing stuff that is often purposely confusing to a consumer and study the science and chemistry if you want to understand how things work.

Have you read through our Pool School - Trouble Free Pool and Table of Contents - Trouble Free Pool ?

Yes, TFP does things differently then what you find in Pool Stores and other sites. TFP methods have been proven by the hundred of thousands of members here.

YippeeSkippy · Dec 6, 2019

I have a SWG.... I'll say that I probably spend no more than $150 per YEAR on my pool care. And that includes testing kit refills. Of course that ignores that I paid for the SWG already, but to me the convenience of having it outweighs the bother of paying for all my chlorine at once. And all told probably less than 10 minutes a week on testing. My robot cleans the pool, so a few minutes a week emptying the basket.

That INYOpools video is misleading. It fails to mention that If you have high calcium (either from using Calcium containing products or from living in a high calcium water area) the SWG can get corroded. But not everyone does, right?? They also tend to like the pH at the high end of normal, which is where calcium likes to build up at, so closely monitoring your pH level helps you avoid these problems.

Maddie :flower:

cfherrman · Dec 6, 2019

Easy thing for beginners, if it's solid or a powder clorine product, do not use

NewB77777 · Dec 8, 2019

I got new filter, and I installed it, and I ran the pump, however It dines't pump.
I saw youtube video:

I suspect strainer cover leak.
If I open the cover, there are sticky thing inside edge the strainer cover.
The video said I should use silicon based lubricate.
However I think I should use silicon sealant like this :https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Sili...ords=silicon+waterproof&qid=1575836168&sr=8-6

Please let me know what to do.
Thank you!

YippeeSkippy · Dec 8, 2019

Noooooo, do NOT seal that cover! You want to be able to open it as needed to empty debris in it. PoolLube silicone lube is all you want to use.
The sticky thing you saw is probably an old decayed gasket. Replace that.
Maddie :flower:

NewB77777 · Dec 8, 2019

I meant to silicon sealant between glass thing to the cap.
I though it is sticky because there is lubricate in there.
Every time I open and close, my hands get sticky.
And I think when there is strong water flow, then lubricate might go away time by time.

I think sealant will become hard and bond surfaces after couple of hours, and lubricate will stay liquid-gel type, right?

BTW, do I have to fill water above the skimmer?
I think it might be the reason too.

JJ_Tex · Dec 8, 2019

The water should be at the mid point of the tile line, and yours looks a bit low. I would add water and while you are doing that clean off and re-lubricate the o-ring.

One pool guy told me that Black algae is almost impossible to kill. Is it true?

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