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I used MPS to shock my spa recently; Now the chlorine test is off the charts high. 1) So must I use a special test kit for chlorine when MPS is present? 2) Without the special kit, is there still a way to keep track of FC and TC levels? 3) If I stop using MPS, does it wear off so I can go back...

Hi, My 330 gallon spa with a SWG is doing fine, but I'm just wondering why I get major differences in salt concentration. New bottle of AquaCheck salt strips says 480 ppm. Taylor drop test, with new reagents, says 1700 ppm (I use a 20 ml sample, each drop = 100 ppm). This is too big a...

Our pool was installed by A&S 9 years ago. The next year I had them do their "joint enhancement" thing. Our coping is brick, and the pool deck is pebbly poured concrete. After 9 years there is only 1 deck crack, across one of the skimmer holes. The coping appears intact. 2 questions: (1)...

Hi, Our A&S pool is 9 years old. It has something that looks like a foam strip between the brick coping and the concrete deck-- about 1/2 inch wide. Does this need to be replaced periodically? If so, why does A&S want to charge $1000? Could I do it myself?

Hi, Our pool is 9 years old and the poured-concrete deck is getting stained. The stains become apparent after removing the winter cover. See picture attached; you can see where the tie-downs were. I have (gently) power-washed it already. But, I'm worried that if I crank up the power enough to...

Hi, I have a 4-year old Hot Spring spa with a tapered cover. It lives outdoors. This winter I noticed that half the cover is getting waterlogged, and the spa tends to fill up after it rains. So it seems quite obvious that the cover is leaking, although to the eye it is completely intact...

Hi TFP folks, let me first reiterate that I am now 6 seasons on the BBB method and have a sparkling clean, algae-free pool. Thanks so much for teaching me to use bleach instead of "pucks." And that brings me to my question: Back before BBB, while using pucks I got an algae problem that I think...

Hi folks, Just opened my pool in SE Pennsylvania. The Whisperflow 1.5 HP pump, installed with the pool 8 years ago, has a new fairly loud whining sound but is pumping OK. Should I get the bearing(s) replaced now or wait until they fail? Or is the whole thing nearing end of expected life?

My Hot Springs spa uses salt/chlorine generation and is usually self-maintaining. Last time I checked, the TA was 71, pH 7.5, TCL 5.1, FCL 4.6. Then I got lazy or busy or something and didn't check for 3 weeks (my bad). Yesterday opened the spa to see white filmy scum on the top of the water...

Hello TFP gurus, I have had little trouble with my spa these many years, using bromine + floater + ozonator + occasional bleach as needed. I test the bromine every 3-4 days using the ColorQ system. I recently noticed the bromine levels climbing, climbing, climbing-- without my adding anything--...

Hi all, My trouble-free pool is doing great under the BBB method, in general. However: I have noticed that the TA is high (tends to want to be ~125-130). I add acid. Ph and TA go down, then I aerate to a higher pH-- at which point the TA is right back up there again. Here are a series of test...

After 4 years of chlorine, I am thinking about going to SWCG. I have enjoyed someone else's salt pool so I already know it feels good, etc. I also am convinced the cost is not prohibitive, if I consider I wouldn't be buying chlorine anymore. My questions are directed to those who have used salt...

Hi all, This is my second season using the BBB method and I want to report excellent results. Not a hint of algae, CYA levels now manageable since I stopped using pucks. I am fortunate that my local pool supply stocks the large blue carboys of 12% bleach. But: they are a bear to handle and...

Hello TFP gurus, Just opened the pool 2 weeks ago. When it went to bed, BBB-method chem was perfect. Safety cover on all winter. Upon removing cover, not too bad looking, and what there was cleaned up quickly after shock and vacuum. However: (1) the initial pH was very alkaline; alkalinity...

Hi, I am having no trouble whatsoever with my bromine/bleach system as taught on this forum. The water is fine. It's the spa cover that is the problem. Every couple of weeks I notice a patch of slime growing and spreading from a central spot under the spa cover. I just wiped it off the...

Thanks to this forum, I have had no algae this year using the BBB system. :whoot: However: I have a couple of bottles of polyquat left from last year when the pool store was telling me to put in 8 oz every week as prevention. Does this make sense? Or should I expect never to need it as...

Hi all, This is my first season using BBB and I couldn't be happier. The water has never looked or felt better. Previously, the pool store had me adding Jack's Blue and algacide every week "just in case." Plus, I was chlorinating using tablets. Eventually, the CYA level was >150 and I had an...

I have learned so much from this forum! Question: I recently added an ozonator to my 1995 Hot Springs spa, as I was under the impression that it would provide a constant level of oxidation and therefore allow me to run the bromine level lower. I initially load the water with NaBr per the...

First, thank you to this Forum for teaching me how to use bromine. Chlorine was a pain and didn't smell good. The combination of sodium bromide, a brom-tab floater, and regular doses of non-chlorine shock has worked very well. my questions: 1. initial loading with NaBr: for a 300 gallon...

I am a new pool owner (2 years, see details below). First year was fine. This year, gray blotchy stains have appeared esp at deep end but apparent throughout pool. Water tested neg for copper and iron; have been adding Blue Stuff every week. Stain expert recommended by the pool company...

Forgive a newbie question here as well: where do I define my signature, containing basic pool information etc.? I thought it would be somewhere in the Profile section of the UCP but I can't find it there. :?: