I am a first time pool owner and the pool is about 20yrs old. Its a plaster pool. I have a basic understanding of why proper maintenance is required however I dont always completely understand the chemistry around it all. for that reason, i just take my little bottle to Leslies and they usually tell my chlorine is low so add about 2 scoops of "Power Powder" and 1/4 gallon of the muriatic acid bottle they sold me. Beyond that, i keep my floating chlorinator full with 4 tabs which last about 2 weeks and the pleats on it are mostly closed. I have read through most of the pool school pages but still dont know what I should do or steps i should take. Since i live in North Texas, my pool will stay open all year. Ideally I want to use as little as chemicals as possible because my family will spend most of the summer in the what. It sounds like a SWG is a good way to go however I am also interested in some of the Ozone on UV technologies out there. Thanks in advance for your help.
Is my pool maintenance sufficient?
- Thread starter abishoff
- Start date
The first thing you need to do is get one of the recommended test kits either the TF-100 or the Taylors K2006. The TFP way is to take control of your pool rather than blindly leaving it up to pool stores and by using one of the recommended test kits you are getting reliable and accurate results which can vary wildly from the results you will get at pool stores. If you need advice from the forum it will also help when you can post up specific results.
Secondly you need to read and reread the Pool School information and commit to learning the basics of water chemistry.
With knowledge and the right testing kit it will make a big difference and most importantly you will feel in control. It will also help with your future decisions regarding SWG's etc. Good luck!
Secondly you need to read and reread the Pool School information and commit to learning the basics of water chemistry.
With knowledge and the right testing kit it will make a big difference and most importantly you will feel in control. It will also help with your future decisions regarding SWG's etc. Good luck!
A proper, recommended test kit is the most important tool for pool maintenance and solving problems. Pool store results are usually not very good and more aimed at getting you in the store, selling you their products than actually informing you about your pools chemistry. Check out the recommended test kits here: Pool School - Test Kits Compared You cannot go wrong with at TF-100 from tftestkits.net.
There are two ways to chlorinate your pool that will not eventually lead to having to drain and refill to solve out of control CYA levels. SWG and liquid chlorine (aka bleach). Other forms of chlorine such as trichlor (pucks) and dichlor (powders) are stabilized by cyanuric acid which is needed in your pool to protect free chlorine from sunlight, but too much makes your chlorine ineffective. Calcium hypochlorite is another chlorination chemical, but that will drive your calcium hardness up over time and you'll need to drain/refill to lower CH. UV and ozone have their uses for indoor pools or spas but are virtually useless for an outdoor pool and just an added expense that's not needed.
Spend some time in Pool School to get a feel for the methods we teach here for reliable and cost-effective pool chemistry management. ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry is the best place to start.
Welcome to TFP!
There are two ways to chlorinate your pool that will not eventually lead to having to drain and refill to solve out of control CYA levels. SWG and liquid chlorine (aka bleach). Other forms of chlorine such as trichlor (pucks) and dichlor (powders) are stabilized by cyanuric acid which is needed in your pool to protect free chlorine from sunlight, but too much makes your chlorine ineffective. Calcium hypochlorite is another chlorination chemical, but that will drive your calcium hardness up over time and you'll need to drain/refill to lower CH. UV and ozone have their uses for indoor pools or spas but are virtually useless for an outdoor pool and just an added expense that's not needed.
Spend some time in Pool School to get a feel for the methods we teach here for reliable and cost-effective pool chemistry management. ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry is the best place to start.
Welcome to TFP!
1. Get a test kit and learn how to do the tests yourself. It's not hard and if any instructions are confusing, you can ask here or google YouTube videos of the tests being performed.
2. Understand that in water chemistry you're dealing with Free Chlorine, Combined Chloramines, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid levels. If you have a salt pool you would also b dealing with salt levels. Understand that the levels of these chemicals are somewhat interrelated. For example, reducing pH also reduces your total alkalinity. There are several good pages in pool school that go ove what each of these things are and why they are important. There are some other special things that some pool owners do like borates, but doesn't sound like you have to worry about that.
3. Ask questions. Everyone here will help.
4. Forget about going to and spending needless dollars at the pool store. You can do this yourself and save money.
2. Understand that in water chemistry you're dealing with Free Chlorine, Combined Chloramines, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid levels. If you have a salt pool you would also b dealing with salt levels. Understand that the levels of these chemicals are somewhat interrelated. For example, reducing pH also reduces your total alkalinity. There are several good pages in pool school that go ove what each of these things are and why they are important. There are some other special things that some pool owners do like borates, but doesn't sound like you have to worry about that.
3. Ask questions. Everyone here will help.
4. Forget about going to and spending needless dollars at the pool store. You can do this yourself and save money.
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