Just bought house with Pool. Been reading here for about a month to prepare

[Silver_2000]

HELLO

This is my first pool
My parents had one up north but it was a simple one pump gunite pool that was only open 3 months a year
They used chlorine tablets

I dont know a ton yet about this pool
I know it has 3 Pentair VS pumps, a cleaner pump and a swim jet pump.
It has a Cartridge filter.
And a Aquapure chlorine generator that is already causing me problems
It shows low salt, and an error
The display shows Aquapure 80%
Salt 2200 ppm
Check Aquapure
Low Salt
General fault

Yesterday it said 2000 ppm
When I tried to see the aquapure on the iaqualink it had an error - now it shows me the pool % and spa% and boost butttons
I have the TFP test kits on the way and will know more soon

Im hoping to set this up to need as little hand holding as possible.

Im likely going to hire a service for the beginning till i figure everything out

The pool inspector that checked the pool before we bought said the salt would eat the limestone coping and other stuff and he recommended getting away from the Salt generator

The plaster needs work and if / when we redo that will be the time to decide if we stick with the salt generator

Posts here have already helped me solve issues so thanks

 

[Casey]

Welcome to TFP. Have you tried to clean the salt cell with a diluted mix of Muriatic Acid and water? Pool School is loaded with info. Reading the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry should be number one on your list! Congrats on the test kit. Which one did you get?

 

[Silver_2000]

Thanks for reply
I've been starting slow
Today replaced torn bag on Poseidon 2900 - makes a big difference

Still figuring out what works what doesn't and what does what

tomorrow, if it warms up I'll unscrew the swg cell and look at it
I've read about cleaning it - may try that - have to buy some acid

also need to look at the lights since none of them appear to be working

also need to get bids on replaster

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Your low salt error is because the water is too cold. My SWG starts acting weird after the water drops into the 60s. Time to shut it off and switch to bleach. I usually test weekly and raise FC to 10 or 12, whatever the next gallon rounds up to.

 

[Silver_2000]

The low salt also showed during pool inspection a month ago when it was warmer, owner claimed to have added salt - I bet he knew the generator was the issue.

TF 100 Test at kit arrives this weekend

I'll know more then

 

[pooldv]

Yes, that could be. False low salt errors are a sign of failure in SWGs. But, now that the water is cold you really can't validate it until spring when the water warms up. I would wait until the water gets to 70 or so. I have heard that pool stores can test cells but I don't know if they can test for sensor errors.

 

[kimkats]

You are off to a good start----finding TFP and ordering a good test kit. We will get you through the hard work of figuring out everything.

Do you have any pictures yet? We LOVE pictures!

Kim

 

[Silver_2000]

It's 32 here today so I didn't take apart the cell
trying to stay warm/dry

But I did figure out why none of the lights were working
found another gfci- embarrassed and please at the same time.

i have 3 fiberstars 6000 units I'm now working on, one has a dead bulb, and at least one has wheel issue, I'll check for fuses when it warms up a little. Thrilled that there are parts available even if they are frightfully expensive

I have a few pics I'll find them ....

 

[Silver_2000]

The test kit arrived today
the visual test showed chlorine and PH off scale to the north

EDIT
FAS-DPD Chlorine Test
FC and CC - Free Chlorine and Combined Chlorine
5 drops and 2 drops
I determined that the FC was 2.5 to 3 and the CC is 1

The CYA test was negative - I never lost sight of the dot it became only slightly cloudy as the cell filled
the solution never changed - unless i changed color and changed back while I got distracted

The Salt Test took 10 drops to turn the solution to milky red which should be 2000 ppm ?
Which is the same reading the cell says when its says low...

I opened the SWG and the plates looked to be clean when i took the picture but now - there might be some build up
You guys know what you are looking for

I didnt do the rest of the tests since the plaster is already screwed up the calcium number didnt seem critical and it was getting late.

Recommendations welcome

Ill redo the tests tomorrow with water from deeper in the pool - this sample was from the spa - which also had been running

Here are some pictures

 

[kimkats]

I would run the powder FC test to see how high it is. If it is over 10 let it drop then start working on the PH.

PH will not test correct with a FC over 10.

Kim

 

[Silver_2000]

I reworded the results above
I did the

FAS-DPD Chlorine Test
FC and CC - Free Chlorine and Combined Chlorine
looks like fc was 3 ?

 

[tim5055]

The CYA test was negative - I never lost sight of the dot it became only slightly cloudy as the cell filled
the solution never changed - unless i changed color and changed back while I got distracted

The CYA test is a simple turbidity test, meaning in the presence of greater amounts of CYA the test solution will block the dot at the bottom of the vial. It can't go back and forth. If you were clear to the top it means you have no CYA.

As Kim pointed out, use the "powder" chlorine test. It is called the FAS-DPD test and will measure FC up to 50. For now jsut turn off the SWCG. With cold water it will just frustrate you. We want you to learn how to take care of everything manually for now to learn pool care.

Your pH looks high, you want to reduce that to about 7.5 for now.

Even though the plaster may need work later that is not a reason not to conduct tests. The TA and CH will tell us other things and a very high CH may cause damage to other pars other than the plaster surface.

You want to use muratic acid to get the pH down into range. It is available in the paint section of Lowes and Home Depot. i get it a t Lowes and they have two strengths, regular (blue label) and "Low Fume" (green label). The Low fume has lower fume because it is half the strength. I say stick with the full strength as is is less expensive. Use Pool Math (Link above) to calculate how much you need to use. Safety first. Wear old clothes and eye protection. I like to get in front of a return on my hands & knees and splash a little water on the pool deck. Then open the acid bottle and partially submerge it in the water. Tilt the bottle to pour the acid in at close to water level, but don't let the bottle get submerged. I don't measure because it's an additional step for me to spill the stuff. Remove the bottle from the water and set it down in the puddle on the pool deck while you replace the cap. Try not to breathe the fumes.. Guess a little low on amount you need, then test again after it circulates well. You can always add more.

You also want to get some CYA in the water, I recommend getting the granular as liquid is too expensive. You may still find it in the "pool" section of Home Depot and Lowes in the outdoor garden area. Again, use Pool Math to figure how much you need to get to 30. You add CYA by measuring th eamount you need and pouring it into an old sock. Suspend this sock in the water from something that floats or place the scok in a skimmer as long as it does not block all the water flow in that skimmer.

When reporting your test results it is easier for us to read if you format it like this:

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

I would say stay away from pool service companies as their methods really don't work with what we teach.

 

[atttech-2]

If your CC is truly 1 you may need to SLAM http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl with near zero CYA would normally be difficult to impossible, but it is late in the year not a lot of sunlight to consume chlorine so your could probably start the process without the CYA. Might be a waist of chlorine but since it would not take not much could be worth it.
I would repeat the tests again just to be sure you get repeatable results, if so get the PH down add some CYA and SLAM. This assumes you want to use the pool as is in the spring. If you are going to replaster before you even take your fist swim you may just want to add a bit of CYA and chlorine to keep the water looking good and not worry too much about maintain balance, unless you want to practice now while there is not much at stake.
I usually do the CYA test a few times with the same sample before deciding on a result, just pour the sample back in the bottle and refill the test vial again but in your case I am assuming zero is going to be zero no mater how may times you repeat the steps .

 

[Silver_2000]

Sorry about the format

FC 2.5
CC 1
pH over 8.2
TA ?
CH ?
CYA 0

Thanks for feedback

Based on pool math Ill start with :
35 oz acid for PH
180 oz of stabilizer ?
I was also planning on adding some salt to see if the SWG was actually working - at least to measure PPM
The math page says I need 192 lbs - Im not going to go that crazy but I figured I would add 2 bags and see if that helped
If the math is right it should add about 500 ppm

There are some chemicals left from the prev owner - Ill inventory them and go to Lowes - The trouble is there is one sealed gallon of something that is so old I cant read the label. I know there are some chlorine tablets in a bucket - And I think I saw a small box of shock

At this point I haven't even moved my furniture yet.
Just trying to learn the system and see what works and what needs $$ to get it right.

I would like to use the Spa once or twice this winter and the practice getting things right will be helpful ...

Thanks again for taking the time to reply

My 80 year old mom has been able to maintain a gunite pool that was installed in the 70s. It still has original plaster. So its pretty clear that either the previous companies OR the previous owners screwed up the chemistry pretty bad to ruin the plaster so fast.

 

[atttech-2]

Those tablets may be just what you need to get started, take a look at the bucket see what they are and look here http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/142-how-to-chlorinate-your-pool to see what effect they will have. Once you get balanced then it's recommend you stay away from them for all but a few scenarios but for now they could work well. there is also an effect of adding chemicals drop down at that bottom of PoolMath that is helpful too.

 

[kimkats]

LOVE it! Working on the pool BEFORE furniture! LOL!

Kim

 

[Silver_2000]

I'm only moving 5 miles and am fortunate that I'm not selling the old house till after the move

today I repeated the tests with the essentially same results



fc 3
cc. 0

total alkaninity 210
calcium hardness 150

salt still 2000 ppm

I added a tricolor puck to each skimmer basket and added 30 ish ounces of acid to the pool in front of the returns

I bought 80 lbs of salt but haven't added it yet

wanted acid to get diluted first

also found big bucket of shock powder

but didn't add any till the ph is closer

bought some cya at Home Depot but didn't add it till the acid does it's thing

ill be back here tomorrow for the alarm guy and lawn guy so I'll probobly add some cya and salt then

 

[tim5055]

I like that CC is "0".

Pucks in the skimmer are a bad idea. Why the pump shuts off they create a micro climate in the skimmer of highly chlorinated very low pH water which can deteriorate the plastic of the skimmer and is really not good,for,the other equipment as it flows through when the pump stars up. Not bad enough to run back over to change tonight, but something to keep in mind.

Why would you add power shock? Your FC is actually high right now with no cya. Plus, when you maintain a proper FC level you never need to shock.

 

[Silver_2000]

Earlier in this thread the pucks were suggested as a good choice to raise cya
i don't have floater this yet so where else would I put the pucks ? The plaster is already screwed up - I guess I could just throw them in the pool

Not sure if your comment on zero is sarcasm or surprise

 

[tim5055]

Earlier in this thread the pucks were suggested as a good choice to raise cya
i don't have floater this yet so where else would I put the pucks ? The plaster is already screwed up - I guess I could just throw them in the pool

Not sure if your comment on zero is sarcasm or surprise

I try to reserve my sarcasm for my wife, but I have been accused of having a very dry sense of humor. No, I actually though it was a good thing as you reported CC=1 earlier.

Pucks will raise CYA, but they are very slow. Your pool is the same as mine so I know that those two pucks will raise the CYA about 5ppm

As I said, the information on putting pucks in the skimmer is for your information. I don't think two pucks are the end of the world. I think you will find that most of us here are just providing information. You may or may not choose to use these methods and guidelines or you may use some and not others. Our goal is to teach you what has been proven time and time again and then let you use that information to your benefit.