Search results

Thanks Oly -- Home Depot is definitely my backup. It's a bit out-of-the-way from my commute, so I was hoping someone would have suggestions for Amazon, but maybe my best bet is to make my purchases in person.

Does anyone use Amazon to order chemicals, especially chlorine and acid? If so, I would appreciate your recommendations! My small, local hardware store is closing and since I can't support them anymore, I might as well take advantage of that Prime account... Thanks in advance!

Faith restored! Here's a pic from this morning -- 48 hours into the SLAM: Looks like I have a few more days to go, but at least there's now a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been using pucks, but very sparingly. I inherited the pool from a previous homeowner three years ago with a massive CYA problem, so I have been keeping it very low - probably to the point of paranoia. I always manage my FC with liquid chlorine and only put pucks in the floater when I...

Two weeks ago I replaced my filters and had crystal-clear, balanced water. Then, after a weekend of heavy use, the pool started turning cloudy. Running the pump several additional hours a day did not seem to help and instead the pool became cloudier and turned green. Having come to the...

Thanks for the replies -- very helpful! I will definitely raise my TA with some baking soda. Ever since I inherited the pool from the previous home owner the pH has only risen -- I have been keeping it in the 7.4 to 7.6 range using acid. Generally I need to add acid about once a week to drop...

I've been successfully managing my pool chemistry for about two years now, but over that time I have seen my TA drift lower and lower... I think I'm now out of range. Here are my most recent results: FC 3.2 CC 0 PH 7.4 TA 30 CH 250 CYA 30 Is 30 just darn low for TA? Two years ago it was at...

Excellent suggestion WASP! As it happens, that was the issue... I checked the impeller and there was all kinds of debris in there. Once I got it cleaned out, the flow went back to normal! The pump was able to easily push water out of the air relief valve on top of the filter, and the...

I am in need of help in diagnosing the cause of weak water flow. About two months ago I cleaned my filter assembly, after which I noted two things: (1) my flow increased somewhat and (2) the air relief valve pressure indicator on top of the filter went from 20 psi to zero. Since then my flow...

Thanks for all the responses! First off, here is a photo of my filter setup: The filter uses cartridges. The tag on it lists four different models, so I don't know which one it is... Hence the question mark regarding the square feet. It could be between 240 and 560 sf according to the tag...

About two months ago I disassembled the filter chamber on my system so I could clean the filters. Before I did the cleaning, the pressure gauge on the top of the chamber was showing about 15 psi. Once I opened it, I discovered that the previous owner had not cleaned it in quite a while --...

Thanks for the tip Richard! I found a dealer not too far from my work... Been stopping at the local hardware store since its on the way home, but it looks like it'd be worth my while to start taking the occasional detour. Jcowart -- I'm not sure if I'm 'fighting' pH swings (although I can...

Thanks for the responses guys! Richard -- I think you are right... My tap water TA is 90 and it's starting to warm up, so a rebound is highly likely. Jason -- the only two products I have been adding to my pool since the January change-out are KEMTEK chlorinating liquid (10% sodium...

Following a water change-out in January to address a nasty CYA issue, I have had a nice chemistry balance that I've been able to maintain using only bleach, muriatic acid and a weekly scrub-down. However, on the most recent test I noticed my TA is now down to 70 ppm. (It's been drifting down...

Wow -- thanks for all the responses! I will definitely switch over to muriatic acid. I was using dry acid because I inherited a large supply, but that's pretty much gone now. I'm chlorinating using liquid chlorine (10%). Otherwise, I don't think I have any of the conditions suggested above...

I seem to be having trouble with keeping my pH in the 7.4 to 7.6 range... I've been adding about 30 to 50 ounces of dry acid every three weeks or so to keep the pH from going over 8. Is that normal? And what might be driving it up? Could the Pebble Tec finish be causing it? All of my other...

Thanks for the assurances Jason! Much appreciated!

I have recently SLAMmed my pool and am now letting the FC levels drop, but I seem to have issues with CC and high pH. Here are today's test results: FC 17 CC 0.5 pH 8.0 TA 100 CH 250 CYA 60 Temp 55F Do I need to address the CC and pH levels, or will they equilibrate as FC drifts down?

Can anyone recommend a weir gate replacement for a skimmer opening that's about 8 3/8" wide and does not have notches at the bottom? About four months ago I bought a Blue Devil B8550 Skimmer Weir Replacement, but it broke and frankly never worked very well in the first place. Thanks in...

Thanks for the responses! I had not found the previous thread about calculating pool volume from chemistry, so that was some good info. In the back of my mind I had been wondering about the accuracy and precision of the tests, and how that would affect the volume calculation... Sounds like I...

I have been trying to more accurately calculate the volume of my pool, which is tough because it has an unusual shape... I had a rough estimate from using the dimensions and various online calculators, but was suspicious of the result. Then it occurred to me that I could use chemistry to...

Again, thanks to everyone! Richard320: the CYA saga you reposted was very helpful in understanding how mine got so high... Speaking of which, I retested with dilution and came up with CYA = 180 to 200, which is where I thought it was. Time to drain and refill! I tested my fill water -- both...

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! I'm going to re-run my CYA with dilution and test my fill water for TA and CH levels, then report back. Just so I know who to blame, is it possible I drove up the CYA over the past few months by putting two small bags of chlorine powder into the pool...

So my wife and I bought a house with a pool back in August, which is a first for both of us... It's a lovely thing with a Pebble Tec finish, but it's becoming clear to me that the previous owners neglected it, along with almost everything else about the house (that's another story). Anyhow, I...