I'm new to this forum and a new pool owner as of April this year. I have an above ground 24' rosemount round pool that is 54" deep. I have a salt water filter/pump combo unit and a permasalt system from family leisure.
I've had a nightmare of a time balancing the water and have had issues with my install that have recently been corrected. My install issues were related to the company installers putting my pool sand filter on clay (very little topsoil here, so clay underneath was revealed during dig). The weight of the sand filter ball made that side of the filter sink into the ground causing it not to be level. This was corrected last week when we had contractors install a patio on the south side of the pool for the equipment and ladder. My sand filter is now level and I had one of the techs check it today saying it is operating normal.
I have my permasalt system set for a level 3. See system detail here:
Free Shipping on The Perma Salt System by Family Leisure | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
See filter/pump combo unit here:
Free Shipping 26 Swimming Pool Sand Filter System | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
Now.. my issues have been water quality problems (cloudy water + green algae on occasion). I have really had a problem keeping the pool clear and having the ph and alkalinity levels in check. My system is supposed to use that perma salt system to keep the pool clean and clear and every 2 weeks I'm supposed to add a bag and bottle to keep it running. They told me to check ph and alk every 3 days with test strips and adjust with ph plus, ph minus, alkalinity plus or muratic acid. I've bought alot of these chemicals over the past months since the install and keep struggling to adjust the levels which is costing me alot of money and frustrating my wife and kids.
Bag:
Perma Salt Activate Shock Treatment by Swim Clear Pool Chemicals | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
Bottle:
Perma Salt Klairate Natural Enzyme Clarifier | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
We've only had green algae once and we used bottled chlorine from the vendor to clear that up. We have had white cloudy water probably a dozen or more times. We have a blue solar cover that we try to keep on the pool whenever we are not using it. Right now I'm just trying to get my water clear and safe for my daughter's birthday pool party this Sunday. I don't have a lot of time to adjust the chemicals so I'm hoping for some advice here.
I'm using aquachek copper test strips.
I've been struggling to get the PH and Alk levels correct. Lately my PH has been very low, at 6.2 or lower based on the color of the test strip. I add a bunch of PH Plus (bunch meaning 5 to 10 lbs) and the PH barely moves and my Alk goes up. I use muratic acid which lowers the Alk but bottoms out the PH. I go to the pool store and they sell me more PH plus and acid. This is a vicious cycle I'm trying to get out of.
I switched PH plus brands today from the brand at family leisure to HTH ph plus. This PH plus actually seemed to raise my PH better than the other brand but also made the water a bit cloudy. I went from a 6.2 or lower to maybe 6.8 to 7 based on color of the strip. Unfortunately my Alk went from a 80-100 to a 120-160 type level. I just added a gallon of muratic acid and will re-test in the morning but I'm afraid this will bottom out my PH again.
I read some articles here about aerating the pool. That is one change where I added the flow valve cover onto my pool input hole. This was missing earlier because of the slanted filter and I was told to re-add it after it was level. I had it pointed down but the tech today said sideways was better so its aimed right and somewhat down right now. I have bought a circulator to install in the pool to try and help with water circulation but I'm waiting on an adapter for that from the manufacturer.
Can someone give me advice on how to raise my PH without raising Alk?
I'm due for my bag+bottle tomorrow as well. We've had to do double the dose lately to have that work properly. I've been told this is the equivalent of a chlorine pool shock.
Can anyone point me in the right direction here? I'd really like to try and make the right adjustments to make this pool usable for the party.
In terms of chemical wait times I was told I had to wait 12 hours after acid, and 3 hours after any ph plus, ph minus, alk minus or bag/bottle combo.
Right now my pool cover is off for tonight as I'm trying to get this balanced and keep an eye on the clarity of the water.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I've had a nightmare of a time balancing the water and have had issues with my install that have recently been corrected. My install issues were related to the company installers putting my pool sand filter on clay (very little topsoil here, so clay underneath was revealed during dig). The weight of the sand filter ball made that side of the filter sink into the ground causing it not to be level. This was corrected last week when we had contractors install a patio on the south side of the pool for the equipment and ladder. My sand filter is now level and I had one of the techs check it today saying it is operating normal.
I have my permasalt system set for a level 3. See system detail here:
Free Shipping on The Perma Salt System by Family Leisure | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
See filter/pump combo unit here:
Free Shipping 26 Swimming Pool Sand Filter System | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
Now.. my issues have been water quality problems (cloudy water + green algae on occasion). I have really had a problem keeping the pool clear and having the ph and alkalinity levels in check. My system is supposed to use that perma salt system to keep the pool clean and clear and every 2 weeks I'm supposed to add a bag and bottle to keep it running. They told me to check ph and alk every 3 days with test strips and adjust with ph plus, ph minus, alkalinity plus or muratic acid. I've bought alot of these chemicals over the past months since the install and keep struggling to adjust the levels which is costing me alot of money and frustrating my wife and kids.
Bag:
Perma Salt Activate Shock Treatment by Swim Clear Pool Chemicals | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
Bottle:
Perma Salt Klairate Natural Enzyme Clarifier | Pool Supplies | Family Leisure
We've only had green algae once and we used bottled chlorine from the vendor to clear that up. We have had white cloudy water probably a dozen or more times. We have a blue solar cover that we try to keep on the pool whenever we are not using it. Right now I'm just trying to get my water clear and safe for my daughter's birthday pool party this Sunday. I don't have a lot of time to adjust the chemicals so I'm hoping for some advice here.
I'm using aquachek copper test strips.
I've been struggling to get the PH and Alk levels correct. Lately my PH has been very low, at 6.2 or lower based on the color of the test strip. I add a bunch of PH Plus (bunch meaning 5 to 10 lbs) and the PH barely moves and my Alk goes up. I use muratic acid which lowers the Alk but bottoms out the PH. I go to the pool store and they sell me more PH plus and acid. This is a vicious cycle I'm trying to get out of.
I switched PH plus brands today from the brand at family leisure to HTH ph plus. This PH plus actually seemed to raise my PH better than the other brand but also made the water a bit cloudy. I went from a 6.2 or lower to maybe 6.8 to 7 based on color of the strip. Unfortunately my Alk went from a 80-100 to a 120-160 type level. I just added a gallon of muratic acid and will re-test in the morning but I'm afraid this will bottom out my PH again.
I read some articles here about aerating the pool. That is one change where I added the flow valve cover onto my pool input hole. This was missing earlier because of the slanted filter and I was told to re-add it after it was level. I had it pointed down but the tech today said sideways was better so its aimed right and somewhat down right now. I have bought a circulator to install in the pool to try and help with water circulation but I'm waiting on an adapter for that from the manufacturer.
Can someone give me advice on how to raise my PH without raising Alk?
I'm due for my bag+bottle tomorrow as well. We've had to do double the dose lately to have that work properly. I've been told this is the equivalent of a chlorine pool shock.
Can anyone point me in the right direction here? I'd really like to try and make the right adjustments to make this pool usable for the party.
In terms of chemical wait times I was told I had to wait 12 hours after acid, and 3 hours after any ph plus, ph minus, alk minus or bag/bottle combo.
Right now my pool cover is off for tonight as I'm trying to get this balanced and keep an eye on the clarity of the water.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!