NEW SWG...total frustration..seeing GREEN!

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NCSalt

0
Apr 26, 2009
120
Raleigh, NC
Hi there!
I am new to the forum and I am hoping that you are the "godsend" people that I need in order to be able to feel good about my decision to have changed our pool from chlorine to salt.

Stats of the poolInground
Mountain Lake: 40x21x(4-6)
Water Volume: was told when pool was put in that we had 27,000 gallons but now they say we've got 19,000 gallons...go figure....apparently it's not that easy to calculate a Mountain Lake pool capacity (anyone?)
Vinyl Liner
Hayward Pump
Polaris Vaccum w/ subpump
Sand Filter
SWG: Aqua Rite Control (By Goldline Controls, a Hayward Co.) standard model

Original Pool installation: 2005
SWG: 2009
Salt added 4/18/09

Here is my story!
>Decision was made to convert to salt
>Got the ball rolling and needed to adjust pool chem's due to some major staining on the vinyl stairs
>Did what I was told at pool supply shop (also the people that did original install and swg)
>Got the pool going, stains disappeared = total happiness = salt here we go
>wake up the next morning and pool has slight green tint
>it's getting worse and husband thinks its funny bc it looks like a St Patrick's day pool (when did we get a green liner?)
>salt had not been added yet
>me, mad as heck, is driving to shop, made some stink got more chems
>added as told again
>green disappears
>now pool is CLEAN, CLEAR and BLUE
>adding salt on 4/18/09 following all directions = happiness
>wake up the day after, pool is slightly green
>next day still green
>husband is nagging now
>went to pool shop had water tested was told to super chlorinate all other levels are perfect
>no real results, the green got a bit lighter that's all
>found your website, uh BLEACH let's go
>added bleach (half of a bleach bottle) yesterday & fresh water, pool less green, had to backwash like 3 times thus far
>today, pool still green, husband is nagging even more, added more bleach (the other half)
>get back from running errands, husband nagging again..his words:the stairs are staining a little again, I see how this swg is paying off
>ok now I am frustrated to the point that I wanna kill my husband first, then cry bc my pool is still green

here are the chem levels, and seriously, I've never had any problematic issues with my chlorine pool....!!!Changed to salt because I felt it was better, and now oh well, here are the chems!
Total Hardness: 150-200
Total Chlorine: weak 1
Free Chlorine: 3+
Ph 7.2
Total Alk 120
Stabilizer about 100
Salt 3600

PLEASE help....I am very frustrated, and at this point are afraid that I must be doing something extremely wrong. The pool shop is no help!

Thanks for taking the time to read my long-winded post!
 
I just realized that I forgot to give location!
We are in NC!
The pool is located in a very woody area, is practically in the woods, surrounded by huge oak tree's which of course makes for a great mess in the fall and spring.
We do not close our pool in the winter (we don't use it during the winter put don't winterize it)
The pool is surrounded by stamped concrete!
Thanks again!
 
I understand....really, I do.

First off, FC + CC = TC....so something in your numbers are off.

You are going to need alot more bleach.....look at the CYA chart in my sig - and refer to the section on SWG. You will need to use bleach to shock your pool to 30ppm. Use the Pool Calculator - link in my sig - to figure out how much that is. I can tell it's alot more than 1/2 a jug :wink: .

You must shock your pool until the following criteria are met:

Your water is clear;
You lose less than 1ppm of FC OVERNIGHT;
Your CC is .5 or less.

If you don't meet these criteria you have to continue shocking. Read about "defeating algae" in pool school, and How to Shock your pool.

How are you testing your water?
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
One more thing I forgot to mention...You are going to have to determine your gallonage in order for the Pool Calculator to work. Can you find your original build paperwork?

Who is telling you it's 19,000?
Click to expand...

The pool shop that put in our pool told me, like last week, that the pool is 19,000 instead of 27,000. I do have the Cosumer Care Manual and in there it says that 21x40 Mtn lake has a 706 sq ft area...the pool goes from 4 to 6 feet (divided into the 40 feet length)....how many gallons that is????is beyond me at this point! I'm not a math wizard!!

I'm testing with a kit I bought at Walmart, and some test strips! WHAT SHOULD I USE!
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
I understand....really, I do.

First off, FC + CC = TC....so something in your numbers are off.

You are going to need alot more bleach.....look at the CYA chart in my sig - and refer to the section on SWG. You will need to use bleach to shock your pool to 30ppm. Use the Pool Calculator - link in my sig - to figure out how much that is. I can tell it's alot more than 1/2 a jug :wink: .
Click to expand...

THANK you for getting back to me so FAST...I feel alot better now and feel like i can tackle this:)
 
NCSalt said:
I'm testing with a kit I bought at Walmart, and some test strips! WHAT SHOULD I USE!
Click to expand...

I would advise that you order this kit asap, or this one.

Strips are totally unreliable.... :roll: but the pool stores don't tell you that.

Well, the gallonage is gonna be tricky to figure out. I don't have a clue. :hammer:

No worries, you can handle this. Just got some studying to do! :goodjob:
 
If it is mostly rectangular I get 18,000 gallons from the poolcalculator. I used 12x40x5, it is on the bottom of the calculator.

Use that number to get started, then watch what happens to your chlorine levels as you add it to see if it seems inline. You don't have to know exactly, just a ballpark number is good enough to get started.
 
NCSalt said:
The pool shop that put in our pool told me, like last week, that the pool is 19,000 instead of 27,000. I do have the Cosumer Care Manual and in there it says that 21x40 Mtn lake has a 706 sq ft area...the pool goes from 4 to 6 feet (divided into the 40 feet length)....how many gallons that is????is beyond me at this point! I'm not a math wizard!!
Click to expand...
If the 706 sq ft area is correct and you use the average depth (5 ft), then using 7.5 gals per cubic foot gives a volume very close to 27,000 gallons. We'd have to know more about the shape or confirm the 706 sq ft number to decide which is correct.
 
I could post a picture of the pool if that would help with the gallon estimation...but how do I upload a pic on here? Im going to try it with upload attachment!
The pic is of the pool in the winter but it shows it's shape rather well, if this does not work I can always take a new picture tomorrow!
Thank you all for being so responsive and helpful. Look like I've got alot to learn:)
 

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NCSalt, (I like that username)

Take a deep breath....your issues are easily solved.

You have not changed much in your pool. You are simply supplying chlorine to the pool with a SWG rather than your previous method of supplying chlorine. So, the SWG is not putting enough chlorine in your pool. The short term solution for this is to put in a rather massive dose of chlorine and keep adding more chlorine (by using bleach) until your pool is clear. While you are doing all that, turn up your SWG so it will output more chlorine and your pool will be fine.

So, you've got a lot of reading to do in Pool School. Start at the top and read down thru all the articles......it will start to make more and more sense.

Tomorrow, I would put in about 5 large jugs of bleach (Yep, 5 large jugs of Clorox....that's about 7 gallons and will get your chlorine up where you need it.

Then on Tuesday, I would suggest you add three more large bottle of Clorox. That'll keep your FC up high.

Also on Monday, if you really want to maintain a crystal clear pool, you'll need a test kit that will give you meaningful results. Those look like test strip results you posted and test strips just will not do what you need to do.

I seldom blatantly promote the test kit I put together but, it's one of the very besy on the market, hundreds of people on this forum have it and can help you use it and (this is why I'm mentioning it) if you order by 2:00pm tomorrow, it will be delivered to you Wednesday (I'm in Raleigh)

You've got some other adjusting to do but there's no need to discuss them until you get accurate test results.

Remember, your big problem is chlorine....You need to get Clorox in your pool and keep it in your pool until it clears up.

Pretty picture of your pool........are you in the mountains?
 
Answer to Duraleigh!

thanks for the compliment on the username NCSalt, at least I still maintain a sense of humor regardless of the frustration and constant nagging of my husband about our "green" pool....arghhhhhh

anyway, what is your test kit about, what is the cost and how to I order it if I like it? And you would seriously deliver it to me?

we are in (near 540 exit 7 leesville rd) raleigh and so is the pool - we've been very lucky with our home location....the picture of the pool was taken during this years snow-fall ... kind of neat to see snow in NC and then be lucky enough to have taken a picture of the pool that day:)

ok, tell me more about your test kit please!
 
NCSalt said:
anyway, what is your test kit about, what is the cost and how to I order it if I like it? And you would seriously deliver it to me?

ok, tell me more about your test kit please!
Click to expand...

I gave you the link in my post up above....the link to TFtestkits is also on our home page.
The test kits ship out the same day if ordered by 2pm. There have been isolated cases of door-to-door service, but I'm not certain that's what Dave meant, maybe just cause you are close the delivery would be that much quicker....?

Here is an article comparing the test kits. And Here is an article explaining what you need to test for and why. :goodjob:

I can attest to the value of having a TF 100. I wouldn't want a pool if I didn't have the kit. :wink:
 
Hello NCSalt,

Don't want you to think that I bagged on your after my last reply, but I was hesitating on purpose, hoping that some of the experts would chime in. Thankfully, FPM and Duraleigh came to the rescue. My advice, FWIW, is to listen closely to them, get comfortable with the test kit and everything else, and we'll worry about the exact volume a little later.

I'll be happy to help with that later on if you'd like, and if you still need that help, but for now you should just focus on what FPM and Duraleigh are suggesting.

Cheers, Gary
 
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