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I've definitely had to brush of algae around the spillway to the skimmer basket, and am noticing possible indications of mustard bloom, and I need some alternatives to clearing it up and keeping it clear. Tonight's chemical test showed the following: FC - 8.0 CC - 0 pH = 7.8 (so I added 16oz...

I'm four days into a chlorine shock for mustard algae and for the last two days the morning Overnight Chlorine Drop Test reading is higher than the previous night. That's never happened to me before - am I missing something? Assuming it isn't normal, I can think of three explanations...

I'm starting to see indications of mustard algae on the sides of the pool. What are some ways to get rid of it with inadequate chlorine supplies? Answers that increase the CYA will be okay as I'll drain/refill as necessary. I'm not quite ready to treat for mustard. The overnight chlorine drop...

Is there a recommended pool level float valve other than Fluidmaster? I believe my pool installer made the base of the water chamber too low and the Fluidmaster shank might be a little short. The chamber it fits in is 5.5-inches in diameter.

Since Fluidmaster stopped making their pool auto-fill valves I've been looking for a replacement. I thought I'd found it in the Pentair T29 valve. People on Amazon also think so, but you'll find about half are unhappy to find the valves don't seem to work the way they should. I bought one...

How do you know when you need to re-plaster? I twisted the arms of Gary Pools here in San Antonio and, while they wanted to send someone out, they did tell me that plastering starts at $5,000 and goes up. Is this true? (The pool is perhaps 10 years old, and we have been maintaining a good...

My Fiberstars remote control for the waterfall and the underwater light stopped working, possibly after a nearby lightning strike popped at least one circuit breaker in the house. The CBs I know to reset (main breaker panel, aux pump panel, and GFCI on the pump control) I have reset. I'll have...

I need a quality head for manual cleaning the pool. I used to have a good one; it was heavy and maybe made of zinc, but I tossed it out in the Great Mustard Algae Cleansing of 2014 - everything went, hoses, brushes, float, toys, and our vacuum head. I replaced the vacuum head at Leslie's - at...

I'm sure this has been discussed previously but I'm not sure how to structure the words to search for it, so I would appreciate being led by the hand to the right words or links. In the past I've lowered the water level a lot - 50% - 90% - when the CYA level got too high. Since then, however...

I have a basic question on the way the Rainbow 320 works. I'm going to be gone for awhile and won't be able to add either chlorine or additional triclor tabs. Right now I'm running four tabs at an index level of 4 as a test, with a CYA = 40 I need to keep the FC >= 6 in order to preclude...

I've just shocked the pool again for mustard algae and have decided to try a continuing polyquat treatment. What's the recommended continuing dosage for polyquat per 10,000 gallons? Does this vary by brand or just by the rated concentration? Is there a brand that works better than others...

Our current controller is a Fiberstars WPC-2 and while it works okay normally, I don't care for the air temperature sensor-based freeze protection. I've considered upgrading my panel in order to get a water temperature-based sensor, but my pool company's recommendation for a $2000 replacement...

I can't get the chlorine level up above 4.0, and I'm wondering if it's the cheap triclor tabs or the index adjuster on the Rainbow triclor tab feeder. I generally run the BBB method, but I'm setting up to go on vacation and am trying to get the triclor feeder set for our absence. - This...

I just finished a shock for mustard algae two days ago and the FC has dropped to 11.0 ppm. When getting ready to vacuum I realized the hose and suction head had not been treated and in fact were green. I'm trying to remedy that now by soaking the hose and head in the bath tub but I'm having...

On 10 May 2010, due to high CYA (~150) and CH (~550), I drained our pool of approximately 80%-90% of the water and began to rebalance. Unfortunately, I've been unable to keep the pH balanced and have had to continuously add acid. Here's a recap, summarized from our chemical log. 11 May -...

Does CYA affect pH? Specifically, does a low CYA affect the pH test and therefore require adding muriatic acid in order to balance pH? I'm having trouble balancing my pH and have low CYA. Before I post specifics I'd like to know about the CYA/pH interaction, if significant, and perhaps try...

I think I'm getting too close to the problem. In semi-arid south central Texas, rain is something most people greet with joy. I just think, "Dang. Now I have to add more muriatic acid."

Sorry if it's mentioned elsewhere - search doesn't seem to be working for me today. Does adding muriatic acid effect the reading of the cyanuric acid test? I just drained 80-90% of our pool in order to get rid of our 120 CYA reading. On refilling I ran through the standard tests with the...

From the Pool School: Where can I learn more about the concept of reserve FC as it relates to CYA? (A search brings up too many references to be useful.) Basically, I don't understand why FC has less effect at CYA 100 than it does at CYA 50. Links would be fine - thanks.

Does it make sense to continually brush the pool walls while draining to reduce CYA? One reference I found (then lost) indicated that CYA stuck to walls as the water level dropped, so the best way to reduce CYA was to brush it back into the remaining water still to be drained. Is there anything...

This is undoubtedly printed somewhere for easy reference, but I don't see it in Pool School, and the search engine won't look for 'shock,' as it's too common a word. I understand pool shock is a process rather than one rise of chlorine, but how do I know when the process is completed? The only...

Here are my numbers as of 20 minutes ago: FC = 0 TC = 3 (This has dropped from >5 yesterday since I added the 5 pounds of ChlorBrite.) pH = 6.8 (Down from 7.2 since yesterday.) TA = 70 (Down from 80 since yesterday.) CH = 470 (First measurement.) CYA = 120 (to 210) Both interpolated, as the...

I bought a house here with my first pool and tested it as soon as we moved in with the previous owners' OTO kit. Chlorine was between 1.5 and 3.0, a TA at around 30ppm, with a pH of 6.8. I concentrated on the TA and got that up to 80 ppm, and the pH also rose from 6.8 to 7.2. At that point I...

Hi everybody - first post (moved from "Getting Started"), first pool. After moving to San Antonio last month we just moved into a house with a three-year-old pool. After reading a few things online, I quickly stopped using the previous owners' OTO test kit and bought a DPD kit from Leslie's...