Swamp Pool

[Tango Zulu]

Hiyathere,

My pool was just finished about a month ago. It's my first pool build and my first house. Acquired a little less than two years ago. The build time was ok although there were a few problems once finished. The pavers along one of the sides caved in due to improper filling around the pool I presume and I had an algae problem from the very beginning. Not knowing much about water chemistry I relied on a company the pool builder provided for a first free month of maintenance. They turned out to be completely incompetent. After much scrubbing and playing with muriatic acid and chlorine levels the problem seems to be fixed. I need to learn more about water chemistry though so that's the main reason I am here. Oh and I would also like to add a solar water heater at some point. At the moment it hais none.

Pool is 32x17 ft. Simple rectangular shape. It has a 4 foot wide / 8" deep shallow area and a 18" all around bench. You can get in and out of the water on any point of the pool. No pool ladders needed. Although it decreases the swimming area, it provides for a lot of convenience and also space to chill out.









Pavers after caving in (Sink hole?)

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! Hopefully the builder is taking care of the decking cave-in problem for you. As for your water, we can help you. First thing's first ... you MUST have the right test kit. The proper test kit (i.e. TF-100 or Taylor K-2006) is the foundation of your pool care. We've learned through experience that you cannot reply on pool store testing, test strips, or simple over-the-counter kits. They simply do not read Free Chlorine (FC) or Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels accurately or to the high levels we need. If you do not have a TF-100 or Taylor K2006 test kit, it should be your #1 priority. You can get one here: TFTestkits.net. I have the TF-100 and can attest to the satisfaction received in quality and quantity of reagents your receive. Make sure to ask for the speed stir so you can mix like a pro. Well worth it.

Since your pool has been done for a month, you may be past any builder break-in period for your warranty. Make sure though that you have full authority to do the chemicals now. If so, I suggest you read these two pages:
Pool School - Start-up New Plaster
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

For your green water, you will need to SLAM via Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain, but you need a TF-100 (or Taylor K-2006) test kit to do that. In the meantime, you should be able to add one regular gallon of bleach to the water just to help keep it from getting any worse. Generic bleach is fine, make sure the pump is running. Never add acid and bleach at the same time.

Your pH will want to rise a lot because of new plaster, so always have acid on-hand and ready to use. The Poolmath calculator is a great tool to help you figure out how much of any product to add.

Lots of info at the moment, but we're help. You'll soon adjust and take care of your pool like a pro ... with the right test kit. Please order that right away, then you can post a full set of numbers so we can help you further. Welcome to TFP!

- - - Updated - - -

Also, see if anyone has added stabilizer/conditioner to the water. It adjust the "CYA" level. We'd be curious to know how much was added if possible. If you can't find out, we'll worry about it when your test kit arrives. You might also benefit from this page: Pool School - Water Balance for SWGs.

 

[Crackerjack4u]

+1

Hello Tango and Welcome to TFP,

I'm sorry you had the major mishap with the pavers and also had algae from the start with your new pool.
But not to worry because we are here to help you.

If you do not already have one of the following 2 recommended test kits getting one will be the best investment you can make in maintaining your pool. One of these 2 kits will be a necessity to being able to properly manage your pool.

The 1st kit we recommend is the TF 100 which can be purchased at http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html

The 2nd kit is Taylor k-2006 which can also be purchased at http://tftestkits.net/Taylor-K-2006-p27.html or other places online and some of your local pool stores May also sell them.

Here are some links to help you get started on learning Pool Chemistry

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/116-handy-reference-material

Once you get your recommended test kit and check you 1st set of levels we can give you complete details of what you need to do from there. Our main goal is to ensure that all the algae you started out with has in fact been killed out, and is not merely being masked by something that got added, which is often the case.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way. Again welcome to TFP, and Have a wonderful day.

 

[Tango Zulu]

As of now I have only measured PH and FC. PH was brought down with muriatic acid from about 8 to 7 and is currently at about 7.2
The pool was shocked with bleach by the maintenance company a few times I believe but not sure. FC was at 1ppm a week ago. I added salt to the water and left the electrode for the clorinator burning at 100% for a full day and FC shot up to 5 ppm. I will see how long it takes for it to come down to 1 to 3 ppm and then stabilize it there.
The algae problem seems to be gone now. I will post a full water reading test once I receive the kit however.
As to to start up procedure they used I have no idea. I will ask.

Separate question: I have a TDS measuring pen and have read a few online documents on how you can derive an approximate salinity content from a TDS reading by multiplying the TDS value by about .75. So if you have a TDS level of 5000 ppm you would have approximately 3750 ppm of salinity. Does that sound about right? I believe salinity levels, as long as they are kept around 4000 ppm (+-500 or so I guess) are ok for the electrode. Do I need a higher degree of precision for measuring salinity and purchase a separate Taylor kit or strips?

One more noob question: A concrete pool with a diamond brite finish is concidered a "plaster pool" right?

 

[BuckeyeChris]

yes you have plaster. It's hard to tell from your pictures, but how is the water circulating in that pool? With a step around the entire perimeter, if you don't have return jets above the step, that water might get stagnant. Or, if there are ONLY jets above the steps, the lower parts might get stagnant. All I can see is main drain at the deep end.

 

[JVTrain]

A proper test kit is the first thing you need. That's the most important tool you'll ever use for your pool.

TDS is a number that is not very useful. The components of TDS measured individually is what you need. Your recommended test kit (TF-100 or K-2006) will test for everything you need except salt. Test strips for salt levels are usually sufficient and with a SWG, it's just important to keep the SWG happy and within it's operating range. The unit itself will often let you know if it's too high or low unless your cell is corroded and needs cleaning.

Test kit! Familiarize yourself with the methods taught here in Pool School as linked above and the CYA/Chlorine chart in my signature.

 

[Tango Zulu]

yes you have plaster. It's hard to tell from your pictures, but how is the water circulating in that pool?

There are two main drains on the deep end, two jets on the shallow area, and one jet on each opposing wall of the pool. So 4 jets total. From the look of it I think circulation is not a problem although I could be wrong of course.