Omg, fired pool guy, thought I had it figured out, then found this site

Katygreys · Mar 5, 2022

Man, the internet is killing me! I planned for a month before ditching the pool guy...bought 50 lb bucket of trichlor pucks, got a Taylor 2005 kit, watched 370 million youtube videos, read the entire Taylor manual that came in the kit, tested my pool water before and after pool guy came for 4 weeks, took sample to Leslies to see if it matched my readings, etc etc. So, here is the reason I stumbled upon this site...

Measurements:
FC 2
TC 2
CC 0
pH 7.6
TA 120, but 92 after CYA correction
CH 400
CYA 85

Pool guy told me in the summer, in general, he will maintain with 2 pucks and 2 lbs (granulated) each week. So since I already have the pucks, I realized I needed to get some powdered stuff, and of course there are several kinds. I then realized that if I use Di-Chlor, my CYA will increase, and is already near the 100 max that the "mainstream pool universe" talks about. And, if I use cal-hypo, my CH will increase, and I'm already at the max of 400. So I was thinking that before summer starts and heavy pool use begins, I might as well bite the bullet now and drain a bunch of water to get CH and CYA down. Then I'd start on my "pool guy regimen" of pucks and shock. Then I found this site. And I am sooooooo confused!!!! So, let me get this straight....

If I do pool guy method, I put pucks in my pool and keep FC around 3-ish. Every week or two I shock it. I assume the frequent shocking is necessary because according to the TFPC Chlorine/CYA table, I would need target 10 ppm FC (HOLY Crud!!!!) at 85 CYA. So basically, since the pool guy is using trichlor pucks and jacking my CYA way up, AND he is keeping FC at less than 5...it basically ain't working...hence the need for frequent shocking. Is this correct, in principle?

And if I drink the TFPC kool-aid, I need to test my water every day and dump bleach every day or so and either a)store dozens of gallons of bleach all over my house or b)go shopping for bleach every week. I will keep my CYA very low and use bleach, and I will keep FC levels around maybe 5-6 if CYA is 30-40 (this is twice the FC I am typically at now). My CYA and CH should be pretty stable because I'm not using pucks or shock. But...my FC will very extremely volatile, the value will bounce around a lot.

So it's either go full on pool guy method and count on draining a portion of my pool every year or however often, or go TFP and handle bleach almost daily. Is draining the pool every year really that bad (FYI, moved into this house in July 2021, and this is my first pool, so I've never drained one).

Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not bashing TFP, I'm just shocked (pun intended) that I thought I had a handle on this and now I'm back to square one, with $200 of pucks I might not ever use and the prospect of hauling bleach constantly!

Thanks for your thoughts...please set me straight.

Mike

Casey · Mar 5, 2022

Hi Mike... you could just get a SWG. There's that option. Welcome to TFP.

If given the options of pucks n lugging liquid... I'm lugging liquid. Test daily. Get used to how your pool is and add liquid. I did it for YEARS before I bought my fiberglass pool and SWG last year.

Without adding insult to injury, you wanted the K2006 or K2006C. It has the FAS/DPD powder. You can purchase that separately at tftestkits.net.

ajw22 · Mar 5, 2022

Welcome to TFP.

I never have to shock my pool, NEVER.

I use a SWG to generate the chlorine my pool needs.

All I need to do is check pH once or twice a week and add muriatic acid as needed. I may do a full chemical check once a week but if I don't it is usually OK. I use the OTO chlorine test when I test pH to confirm my SWG is working.

Trichlor use will be a lot more work. Eventually it will blow up on you and you will spend a lot of time recovering control of your pool chemistry. Better you never lose control of it.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

Denise O · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
Man, the internet is killing me! I planned for a month before ditching the pool guy...bought 50 lb bucket of trichlor pucks, got a Taylor 2005 kit, watched 370 million youtube videos, read the entire Taylor manual that came in the kit, tested my pool water before and after pool guy came for 4 weeks, took sample to Leslies to see if it matched my readings, etc etc. So, here is the reason I stumbled upon this site...

Measurements:
FC 2
TC 2
CC 0
pH 7.6
TA 120, but 92 after CYA correction
CH 400
CYA 85

Pool guy told me in the summer, in general, he will maintain with 2 pucks and 2 lbs (granulated) each week. So since I already have the pucks, I realized I needed to get some powdered stuff, and of course there are several kinds. I then realized that if I use Di-Chlor, my CYA will increase, and is already near the 100 max that the "mainstream pool universe" talks about. And, if I use cal-hypo, my CH will increase, and I'm already at the max of 400. So I was thinking that before summer starts and heavy pool use begins, I might as well bite the bullet now and drain a bunch of water to get CH and CYA down. Then I'd start on my "pool guy regimen" of pucks and shock. Then I found this site. And I am sooooooo confused!!!! So, let me get this straight....

If I do pool guy method, I put pucks in my pool and keep FC around 3-ish. Every week or two I shock it. I assume the frequent shocking is necessary because according to the TFPC Chlorine/CYA table, I would need target 10 ppm FC (HOLY Crud!!!!) at 85 CYA. So basically, since the pool guy is using trichlor pucks and jacking my CYA way up, AND he is keeping FC at less than 5...it basically ain't working...hence the need for frequent shocking. Is this correct, in principle?

And if I drink the TFPC kool-aid, I need to test my water every day and dump bleach every day or so and either a)store dozens of gallons of bleach all over my house or b)go shopping for bleach every week. I will keep my CYA very low and use bleach, and I will keep FC levels around maybe 5-6 if CYA is 30-40 (this is twice the FC I am typically at now). My CYA and CH should be pretty stable because I'm not using pucks or shock. But...my FC will very extremely volatile, the value will bounce around a lot.

So it's either go full on pool guy method and count on draining a portion of my pool every year or however often, or go TFP and handle bleach almost daily. Is draining the pool every year really that bad (FYI, moved into this house in July 2021, and this is my first pool, so I've never drained one).

Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not bashing TFP, I'm just shocked (pun intended) that I thought I had a handle on this and now I'm back to square one, with $200 of pucks I might not ever use and the prospect of hauling bleach constantly!

Thanks for your thoughts...please set me straight.

Mike

Hey Mike,

I'm glad you found this group - their information has saved me lots of time and money. I've only been maintaining my pool for a year and they've saved my bacon! My pool guy was doing the same as yours and I wasted my money on pucks and granules only to find out that is why my CYA is way too high. I've switched to liquid chlorine and muriatic acid. I look forward to seeing their advice to you - cause I learn something new myself. Good luck and have a little faith with TFP. By the way, you'll get into a routine and this won't seem so daunting.

Newdude · Mar 5, 2022

Hey TG and Welcome!!!!

I want you to meet our other new friend @kul. She came in a very similar fashion and was overwhelmed swearing she just couldn't handle it. Not only did she have the basics down in no time, she was detailing the reverse osmosis water exchange process to a fellow newb a few weeks later.

It seems like crazy work. My own test kit sat on the shelf for a month and a half because it was too much for me to do. When i finally broke down and tried, i threw the instruction sheet across my workbench because it was so simple. Within a dozen tries, its second nature. You enter your test results inti PoolMath and add XX of bleach accordingly. That also become second nature in no time flat. It will take minutes..... like 3 of them. Maybe 7 if you emptied the skimmer while you were out there.

tallahasseegreys said:
And if I drink the TFPC kool-aid, I need to test my water every day and dump bleach every day or so and either a)store dozens of gallons of bleach all over my house or b)go shopping for bleach every week. I will keep my CYA very low and use bleach, and I will keep FC levels around maybe 5-6 if CYA is 30-40 (this is twice the FC I am typically at now). My CYA and CH should be pretty stable because I'm not using pucks or shock. But...my FC will very extremely volatile, the value will bounce around a lot.

This is a pretty good understanding to start. So Bravo. Yes you'll need some spare gallons. 3 or so a week. (No 2 pools are the same, the daily demand changes throughout the season, yadda yadda yadda, the bisque was excellent). But the FC wont be volitale. You will lose on average 2-4 ppm a day. Whatever you lost today, you add back and the cycle repeats.

Mdragger88 · Mar 5, 2022

Hey Mike

Don’t fret.
Most residential pools consume 2-4 ppm of/day during swim season - obviously less at the beginning & more towards the high side as the season heats up (this can be combated by increasing cya up to 50 or so in the hottest part of the season)
That looks like an average of about 1/2 a jug of 10% liquid chlorine in your pool or 3-4 gallons a week

The trouble with the “pool guy method” is that most of the time your water is under sanitized & there are weekly volatile swings when he shocks the pool to try to keep the impending algae bloom at bay. Clear water alone doesn’t equal sanitary water.
Also as cya increases via this method the fc level needed for proper sanitation increases but when your using trichlor to do this the cya goes up again- so you can see how this hamster wheel is never ending but also getting u nowhere except on the fast track to algae, ear infections, or worse. You can drain & refill often to maintain this charade but that doesn’t make the water in between drain times any better.
Lugging 4 gallons of bleach home per week is a small price to pay for peace of mind that your water is balanced. Frequent testing (more than once per week) is necessary for proper pool care - whether the pool guy did it or not & no mater how you choose to chlorinate.
As others have mentioned you will need to test daily at 1st so u can learn what your average consumption is without accidentally going below minimum for your cya. This also helps you catch little problems before they are big problems. As u learn your pool you will be able to go a couple days if you dose on the high side of your fc target. Testing & adding liquid chlorine only takes a couple minutes. You can save those pucks for vacations or when u need to increase cya a little.
If u don’t like adding chlorine daily/every couple of days /don’t want to drain your pool you can get a salt water chlorine generator to produce your chlorine on demand

You would still need to test regularly & supplement with liquid chlorine for parties & such.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.google.com

kul · Mar 5, 2022

Oh yes!!!! Welcome new pal! I was very much in your shoes. I got the tf-100 test kit, started testing my water and started getting overwhelmed immediately! I almost quit like 25 times because I was so afraid I was going to basically break everything. My first time testing, it took me a solid 30 minutes of second guessing and now I’m able to do it in like 5 minutes!
My pool was in terrible shape and I would routinely come on here to tell people about what my pool guy said and really was just waiting for someone to say “you’re in over your head” BUT NO ONE DID!! They were all supportive and probably wanted to slap me a couple times to rid me of my irrational fears.
I’m so glad you are here and I love cheering everyone on and learning. You can do this and the first step is wanting to learn and staying positive. I promise it’s not hard and eventually you’ll be super comfortable. Until then, start asking all your questions!! Can’t wait to see you progress.

kimkats · Mar 5, 2022

Jumping in to say YOU GOT THIS!!! Listen to everyone on this thread and your pool will be EASY PEASY!

Now on to your user name-Tallahasseegrays! But your location says you are in TX.................what is the story there?

Kim :kim:

Katygreys · Mar 5, 2022

kimkats said:
Jumping in to say YOU GOT THIS!!! Listen to everyone on this thread and your pool will be EASY PEASY!

Now on to your user name-Tallahasseegrays! But your location says you are in TX.................what is the story there?

Kim

We lived in Tally for 13 years, and we had greyhounds.

Now live in Houston and have a rat terrier

kimkats · Mar 5, 2022

I SO want a grayhound but have cats so that is a no go

I have a mastiff/lab mix who the cats adore and boss around. Rat Terriers are such neat dogs-little big dogs is how they act!!!

Katygreys · Mar 5, 2022

Wow!! Look at all the replies! Few questions:

1) So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid, is the first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

2) Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell? What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside? If my wife smells bleach all over the place, she will line item veto this thing and pool guy will be back. Talk me thru this one.

3) When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

Thanks!

Aquaholic1 · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
Wow!! Look at all the replies! Few questions:

1) So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid, is the first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

2) Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell? What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside? If my wife smells bleach all over the place, she will line item veto this thing and pool guy will be back. Talk me thru this one.

3) When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

Thanks!

Welcome to our TFP family. Newbie here as well. These peeps on here ROCK with all their knowledge.

Newdude · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid

*pool-aid

tallahasseegreys said:
first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

Yup. And everything else will change too so they dont matter now. Add 3 ppm FC per day per PoolMath until then. No need to start with a half swamp after draining a bunch.

tallahasseegreys said:
Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell

The smell comes from the FC being used. You have no available FC to use, therefore no smell. Highly unsanitary.

We will leave you with a sterile pool, with nothing to kill, also no smell.

tallahasseegreys said:
What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside?

Fresh bottles have good caps and wont smell. Or get a SWG. Seriously they are to DIE for. Too make todays chlorine, just go have a beer instead, its already dialed in and has been doing great all week. If you want to make more chlorine (or less), go waltz out back and press *1* button.

tallahasseegreys said:
When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

I've never heard this one. But regardless, if a calculation is needed, the pool math app takes the easy part (TA 70 for example) and tells you what to do with it. If you enter in all the values it spits out a CSI #. Thanks lil buddy !!!

Bperry · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
Wow!! Look at all the replies! Few questions:

1) So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid, is the first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

2) Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell? What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside? If my wife smells bleach all over the place, she will line item veto this thing and pool guy will be back. Talk me thru this one.

3) When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

Thanks!

You won’t smell chlorine in a properly sanitized pool

tallahasseegreys said:
Wow!! Look at all the replies! Few questions:

1) So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid, is the first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

2) Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell? What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside? If my wife smells bleach all over the place, she will line item veto this thing and pool guy will be back. Talk me thru this one.

3) When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

Thanks!

if you are going to be doing your own pool maintenance, the acid is much more sketchy To store and add than the chlorine. You want to be careful adding the acid but it’s not that bad. I’ve had my pool way up over 10ppm of FC lots of times and don’t smell anything.

Realistically, you’ll probably need to test every day or two for a bit and slow it down to once or twice a week once your pool stabilizes. When it needs chlorine go get a 4-pack of the stuff from Home Depot and pour a guesstimate of how much you need right out of the jug into the water, no need for measuring cups and all that to make it difficult.

ajw22 · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
1) So if I jump in and drink the TFP kool-aid, is the first step to drain the pool to get CYA and CH back to reasonable levels?

CH of 400 is fine.

You can get away with CYA of 90 following the FC/CYA Levels You need to maintain a FC of 8-9 ppm. Then let your CYA degrade and dilute over time.

tallahasseegreys said:
2) Chlorine smell…right now, love him or hate him, pool guy is keeping pool clean, enjoyable, and we never smell bleach. If I start increasing FC from ~3 to ~6, am I going to get the chlorine smell? What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside? If my wife smells bleach all over the place, she will line item veto this thing and pool guy will be back. Talk me thru this one.

A properly sanitized pool does not have a chlorine small regardless of FC level.

If you smell chlorine what you are smelling are the CC waster products from algae. Follow our SLAM Process to get your water truly algae free and you will not have the chlorine smell.

tallahasseegreys said:
3) When people here are reporting TA, is everyone adjusting for CYA correction? I realize that when your CYA is low (30-40) the correction is only 10 or so ppm, but just curious if we are all speaking the same language.

We don't correct the TA. We use PoolMath which does any corrections in its calculations.

kul · Mar 5, 2022

tallahasseegreys said:
What about handling all the bleach bottles, and storing them, and disposing of the empty jugs in the trash can outside?

I’ve never had an issue with the smell. There’s no smell unless the bottle is opened. And then it’s only for a few seconds as you pour the chlorine into your pool. My pool store recycles the jugs so I just drop them off and pick up new ones. I usually keep 8 at a time which lasts about a month easily. I buy the 12.5%.

stinsontx · Mar 6, 2022

Welcome to the group! I stumbled on to TFP (by accident) just before remodeling my pool surface in early Jan 2022 and have really enjoyed studying the process. Members are all very helpful and supportive. If you click the link in my bio you will see a couple of quick video shots that show you what the pool looks like in just a handful of weeks using TFP best practices.

Like most members, I am a busy father of many kiddos and career and so my pool maintenance of Calcium Hypo dumps, pucks, and endless brushing left me hating my swimming pool. Obviously I was aware there was a problem with my pool through the years, but it wasn't until I found TFP that the lightbulb switched on.

We have started using the pool now that we are well past initial startup and I can tell you that the water feels amazing. You do have to invest a little time and energy translating what you learn here into a very simple daily maintenance practice, but boy is it worth it!

Casey · Mar 6, 2022

If you're smelling chlorine, you need chlorine. I think a lot of new pool owners dont think that their pools are like puppies. They need to eat daily! Hey.... your pool needs to eat. If you're using it more than not, it may need a little more FC (food) due to bather load. If it's not being used you could get away with less but it needs to eat every day. If it's raining, it still needs to eat. Dont let inclement weather deter you from feeding your pool.

kimkats · Mar 6, 2022

After a while you will be able to tell what your pool needs just by looking at it. I would still test to make sure then use PoolMath to show much of what to correct the slight issue I was seeing. Most of the time for me it was the PH needed adjustment.

Storing of chemicals is covered in this thread:

Storage of All Pool Chemicals

There is a lot of different threads on chemical storage so I compiled the "preferred" methods and seek clarification on some. Please comment on your storage and best practice. Muriatic Acid (MA) - everyone agrees it is corrosive and should be stored separately and preferably outside in a...

www.troublefreepool.com

Kim

Turbo1Ton · Mar 6, 2022

Casey said:
I think a lot of new pool owners dont think that their pools are like puppies. They need to eat daily!

This was the best analogy I had ever heard. I read similar shortly after joining TFP. Pools are like pets, they have to have daily interaction. Feeding and checking on it just to make sure everything is ok. Somedays it is as little as 5 minutes, others, could be a few hours, depending on what I am doing.

Now being real, do I test every day, no. I have been testing long enough and learned my pools personality to know how often I need to check in on the chemistry based on weather and time. Having a SWCG makes it even easier. During warmer weather, I test FC and pH every couple of days. A full battery every month. Colder weather, it tapers off to once a week or so. I do try to walk by the equipment pad every day to just take a look and make sure everything looks ok.

You got this Tallahasse! Listen to the advice you are getting here and ask questions if anything doesn't make sense.

--Jeff

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Omg, fired pool guy, thought I had it figured out, then found this site

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