Been Lurking, Going to Try, Wish Me Luck!

[Pool Amateur]

Hi Alex,
I am very impatient, so I spent over a $1000 in 2 weeks trying to clear a pool, then found TFP, ordered a kit but wanted to get started before kit arrived so I took sample to good old pool store PH was High (do not remember # now) was told to add 5# of dry acid to bring it down to 7.2. But I was smart ( or so I thought) I could use poolmath to double check poolstore, and surely a poolstore could get PH correct (or so I thought). So when I checked poolmath using poolstore # it told me to add half so I did. Low and behold the next day TFP-100 came the next day (only took a day and a half). Measured my ph and it was 6.8 which is lowest the scale will read. Too make a long story short took me 2 days and 8# of borax to correct my mistake. So relying on poolstore # is a shot in the dark. After that I tried a little experiment and took a sample to 3 different stores got the test done within 1.5 hrs of taking sample, none of them were the same and did not correlate to TFP-100. 2 of the stores were Leslie's so they had same equipment. Try it yourself. So the kit is of prime importance, too much chlorine can damage equipment, too little algae will keep growing. I also would hold off on that stabilizer, I think a drop of CYA from 40 to 20 without a massive water change is highly unlikely unless you have ammonia in water. But I think it more an error in testing. If you get CYA too high it will not be practical to SLAM. Best of luck I hope my experience helps you not make similar mistakes.

 

[Alex_H]

When I first got a pool it was a mess. My neighbor told me, Leslie's = green pool. Leslie's is a 5 min drive, punch a penny is a 10 min drive. Much better.

Visibility in pool is now 75% deep va 50% yesterday and 25% on Friday.

Continuing to estimated slam until kit arrives.

Rebuild pump (replaced all the o rings on the auction side) and new filter and primed in a way it hasn't since our first year.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Alex_H]

Eh, our pH always rises here. I have some pH Upper in the bin from the old days, so worst case, I'll bring it up. New filter fixed water flow. Visibility is getting better every few hours. I keep adding chlorine every few hours to try to keep it at TFP "Shock" Levels.

Thanks for this great resource. Even if I'm cheating on the testing and overdoing the chlorine... I used $21 in chlorine in 2 days and the pool is blue!

For comparison purposes, I was dumping $30-$40 in algecide/week trying to fix before. So if I've overdone the chlorine and burnt $10 bucks of chlorine/bleach, oh well, life moves on.

We just brushed/vacuumed/raked, pool is running great. Getting more visible over time.

 

[Divin Dave]

Sounds like you're doing the right things Alex. Just keep doing what you are doing till your test kit arrives.

 

[Alex_H]

Big decision, do I become a TFP supporter and get the discount on the Test Kit?

 

[Crackerjack4u]

Hi Alex,

For me it was an easy decision, but since you've not seen what this site is capable of all you have is our word of how well the method works. I say if you can financially afford to become a supporter at this time, Absolutely, Go for it, and save yourself 10% on the test kit in the process. You will soon see how well this method Does work, and you'll be glad you decide to support the site.

If you can not for whatever reason become a supporter right now, we won't hold it against you either, and only ask that if you do believe in TFP method of pool care, and what this site stands for that you in the future become a supporter of it. It is the support of the members who allow this site to be able to continue running the way it does. TFPC is a method that has proven time and time again that it works. So yeah, for all the money you'll be saving on supplies in the future Please at some time be sure to become a supporter of it. I hope this helps. Have a wonderful day

Here's the Support Link if you need it. Support this Site

 

[Pool Amateur]

From the money you saved already if you became a supporter and did not use the discount you are still far ahead of the curve. If you haven't ordered the kit what are you waiting for, you are poking around in the dark and then you are really going to need it and not have it and cost yourself more money and time (for me time was the big concern and if I remember correctly you need pool clear real soon too). By the way Divin Dave I love the tag in your signature Experience- it's what's learned just after you needed it most !! It is so true. Hey best of luck and I can not recommend the TF-100 enough. I would sure hate to see you damage the pool or your equipment or get an algae bloom. Best of luck

 

[Alex_H]

I'm waiting for Sunday night or Monday, to be honest. Needed to see if I believed that I needed better measurements... I think I do, because this is working to kill everything, but I'd can't just dump and prey when we are using the pool, it's fine for clearing it up, but not ongoing usage.

I barely sat at the computer over the weekend, a few posts from the phone and that was it.

Got on tonight, registered as a supporter of the site, this has saved me a ton of aggravation and I look forward to doing it right with a good test kit. I'm looking at the TF-100, will order, it will show up, all good.

I keep getting yelled at about the test kit. I posted on Friday. I started trying the BBB concepts here on Friday. Monday is the next business day. I get it, I need the kid. But when you want a mail order only kit, it's not fair to yell at people over the weekend about it.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hey, believe me when I say none of us are in the business of sells for the kit. But it works. We know from many, many posts and LOTS of experience that testing is the foundation of everything you will do at home for your pool. When you get that kit, the clouds will open-up (aaahhhhh) and you will understand.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Sorry did not mean to yell but if you read a lot of the posts you will see there is a constant theme to try and get a quick fix without proper measurements and that is like Russian Roulette. You are doing great and having an easy time, but read some posts and many are not so lucky and cost themselves a lot of time and money because they do not want to buy a proper kit (it can be a taylor 2006 or a TF-100 but TF-100 much more bang for buck). But most are willing to go to poolstore and spend hundreds looking for magic bullet. Just trying to save you money and aggravation. As several have said you can cause damage to the pool surface/liner or equipment with improper chemistry.

 

[tim5055]

The only thing you should worry about now is bleach. Don't think about stabilizer, phosfree, clarifier or anything else. They told you CYA 40 then CYA 20, it doesn't change like that.

Chlorine only until you get your kit and test yourself.

 

[Crackerjack4u]

Hi Alex,

Congrats on becoming a Supporter, and thank you for that.

I agree with Texas. and when it does arrive it will be a whole different world when it comes to managing your pool.

Everyone around here is passionate about the importance of using the right test kit in order for the method to work. We all know without it, that the method just doesn't work properly.

I'm sorry if it seemed like anyone was yelling at you about not having your test kit yet, when it is in fact a weekend, that's not what this site is about, nor how the wonderful people here function. (After you settle in, and get to know the folks around here, you'll know what I mean). Since you did, however, feel that way, please let me say that I can promise you that was nobody on this sites intention to make you feel that way. If I was one of those people who made you feel that way during my recommendation please allow me to be one of the 1st to say, I'm sorry. Please know that I, just like every other member here, have only Your and your pool's best interest in mind, and if it came across as anything other then a desire to help you to help your pool that was never my intention.

Now back to some exciting stuff. With you becoming a Supporter today, your 10% off code for your kit should be emailed to you soon at the email address provide when you signed up, so be looking for it there. When you do get ready to order your kit, if you do decide to get it, just be sure to add that code in at checkout, and save yourself 10% whoo hoo, saving more money. Go You!!!

I'm looking so forward to watching the transformation of your pool. So please be sure, and take a before picture before you get started, so you'll have proof how well the method works, and how much your hard work has paid off. Ahhhh yes, a crystal clear pool for you and your family to splash around in, it doesn't get any better than that. I hope you have a wonderful night.

 

[Pool Amateur]

this was a repeat of above , do not know what happened

 

[Alex_H]

Thanks. I get it, I need the kit. But, the kits people recommend here are mail order only. So here is the deal, even if I were willing to pay for priority overnight from them, and got them to ship on Friday with an order at like 4:30, it wasn't realistically possible for me to have the kit. So implying that I was borderline evil for relying on the only test I had access to was a bit, strange?

I wanted to see if this "use lots of chlorine/bleach" instead of "use lots of chemicals" would work, and so far it is doing so, so I will order a kit and starting doing this more intelligently. Until my pump problems a few weeks ago, my pool was in use 7 days/week, company 2x/week, with limited algae except if I didn't make it to the pool store and ran out of chlorine (which happened), but no blooms.

I'm in South Florida, direct sun, and my pool doesn't close. There is no liner, it's a cement pool (and I even have this in my signature).

So I'd gotten away without a test kit, because, hey, it worked.

But if the Pool Store says: throw this stuff in for $100 and it will help, and TFP says, "No, suffer with your family yelling at you with a green pool" then sorry, I'm going to throw the chemicals.

No offense, the PoolMath isn't rocket science. From everything I'm reading, if FC is 2x or even 3x of "normal" it should be fine. Look up the CYA/FC chart, that's what I want to shock to. To keep it at that level, add that amount pretty steadily across a 24 hour period should get it more or less there. Sure enough, showed up Sunday, FC 5.

My stuff wasn't "shot in the dark." I spend a few hours reading stuff here.

I will be getting the kit, I will be doing this more precisely, but so far, so good. All chlorine, all the time. Resisting the clarifier unless it stops getting better on it's own. But visibility hit 75% today, getting there fast. Checking out recommendations from friends for SWG. I'm learning.

But I promise you, no matter how much I wanted a TF-100 to arrive yet, it's really not physically possible for me to have it in my possession yet. I'm not being obstinent, businesses are closed over the weekend.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry did not mean to yell but if you read a lot of the posts you will see there is a constant theme to try and get a quick fix without proper measurements and that is like Russian Roulette. You are doing great and having an easy time, but read some posts and many are not so lucky and cost themselves a lot of time and money because they do not want to buy a proper kit (it can be a taylor 2006 or a TF-100 but TF-100 much more bang for buck). But most are willing to go to poolstore and spend hundreds looking for magic bullet. Just trying to save you money and aggravation. As several have said you can cause damage to the pool surface/liner or equipment with improper chemistry.

Apology accepted. I said pretty early on in this thread "I'm getting the kit, it's the weekend," and the responses have been broken records of "get this mail order kit now and keep your pool green in penance." Well, screw dat, I'm going to kill algae. I may not get everything else right, but I will kill the algae.

They had a crappy looking it at the store starting at $13. It just didn't seem like it was worth figuring out how to use it vs. just get a few store tests in the mean time. I used to have the strips, they were worthless. So I have no kit until sometime next week. Still want a blue pool.

 

[Crackerjack4u]

Hi Alex. It's wonderful to hear that your pool has cleared that much already. It's amazing what a little liquid bleach can accomplish, isn't it? You will be amazed at how much you will learn here. I find myself reading tons of threads on different issues just so I can monitor the other member's comments and try to learn what steps it takes for them to resolve the issue. There's not a day that goes by that I've not learned something new, and I'm sure you will too. Have a wonderful night

I see that you have your new TFP Lifetime Badge on now too, Congrats!!!.

 

[jblizzle]

Please point out where you were called evil or anything remotely close to that for not having a test kit.
I think you are over-reacting a bit ....
I fail to find anyone saying anything that is not trying to be helpful and supportive.

 

[Alex_H]

Hi Alex. It's wonderful to hear that your pool has cleared that much already. It's amazing what a little liquid bleach can accomplish, isn't it? You will be amazed at how much you will learn here. I find myself reading tons of threads on different issues just so I can monitor the other member's comments and try to learn what steps it takes for them to resolve the issue. There's not a day that goes by that I've not learned something new, and I'm sure you will too. Have a wonderful night

I see that you have your new TFP Lifetime Badge on now too, Congrats!!!.

It's even more amazing what a LOT of liquid bleach can accomplish. Small amounts didn't do much except make the green pool a lighter shade of green for a while.

One of my dad's tricks was the extended algae control that lasts 3 months. His comment was, it made the pool much more forgiving. I used to use it, but it made the water feel "weird" for a while, and required a perfectly clear pool. I stopped using it except in the winter when the pool was more or less out of service. Spending time every week on an unused pool was hard to remember to do, so from the time the clocks changed until we got winter guests, the pool gets mostly neglected.

And it was a PITA to get it nice before, but I think that understanding the chemistry will be a better solution. Planning to have a SWG installed before winter comes so the winter pool can be mostly set-and-forget.

 

[Alex_H]

I saw the floor of my pool total! Can't quite see the drain in the deep part, but I can see almost to the bottom of the pool. Going to swap filters to soak this one over night tonight and see what's going on. I'm guessing that I will need to use a clarifier or other solution to remove the last of the dirt in the pool, but we'll see how clean it gets just from filtering and chlorinating.

BTW: on the wasting money from, I wonder how many days of running the filter 24 hours it takes before the electricity costs more than the clarifier.

 

[pabeader]

It isn't so much the cost the of the clarifier, it's the side effects that sometimes come with it.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Clarifier can have side affects that can cause more problems from what I have read, it can be a real useful tool also, but is usually saved for later rather than sooner. Not trying to kill your idea just want you to know why it is not often a first try thing. I think the emphasis of this site is education and know what the chemicals will do to your pool, before your put them in, or at least as much as possible so you do not go from bad to worse or in your case, fairly good to worse. Glad to see you are getting progress.