Can you identify these??

[jackieo]

I have a 16K SWG pool.

Was out of town for 5 days and then we have had a lot of rain. There are these small yellowish looking spots in the deep end. They do not come off with brushing. Water tested with the following results:

FC 2-4ppm (Taylor Kit)
TA 160
CYA >80
pH 8.2
Salt 2900

I added acid per the pool calculator to lower the Ph to 7.5, added pool salt to raise salt level to min. 3K, and added bleach per the pool calculator to raise the FC to around 6.
I don't have any yellow areas on the walls so am wondering if these 'spots' are indeed mustard algae or ???? Do I need to shock? I am waiting until tomorrow to re-test for levels.
Also, where is the best place to purchase the Taylor Kit that you recommend?

TIA
Another female 'cabana person'

 

[JohnT]

Hi Jackie, Welcome to TFP!

Borax raises pH, while acid lowers it.

The Taylor test kit can be purchased at a few online locations. Poolcenter.com is a good one. I'd recommend you get the kit from TFtestkits.net, as it contains a little more useful mix of testing chemicals, but either kit will do what you need.

Can you fill in a little more information? Where you are (general area is fine) and what kind of pool you have would be helpful in answering your question about the yellow spots.

 

[Butterfly]

Hi jackieo and welcome to the forum

Just wanted to add that the TF100 Test kit is what many of us use and love it. Link in my sig.

You can read a comparison on test kits in Pool School.

Horses make me smile, too :lol:

 

[jackieo]

Hi Jackie, Welcome to TFP!

Borax raises pH, while acid lowers it.

The Taylor test kit can be purchased at a few online locations. Poolcenter.com is a good one. I'd recommend you get the kit from TFtestkits.net, as it contains a little more useful mix of testing chemicals, but either kit will do what you need.

Can you fill in a little more information? Where you are (general area is fine) and what kind of pool you have would be helpful in answering your question about the yellow spots.

Thanks for the "welcome"! Oops, my 'bad'.....forgot that borax raises Ph. New to the BBB plan, but love it! I have a ~16K gallon gunite salt water pool. I am located in Fort Worth, TX. Do you need additional info?
TIA

 

[jackieo]

Hi jackieo and welcome to the forum

Just wanted to add that the TF100 Test kit is what many of us use and love it. Link in my sig.

You can read a comparison on test kits in Pool School.

Horses make me smile, too :lol:

Hi "Butterfly"! Thank you for the warm welcome! I will check out the various test kits. I have a Taylor (don't remember which one right now), but am thinking I may need a different one as I have to test for CYA with another kit. Also, my FC readings with the current Taylor seem to be tough to read. hmmm...???? Do the reagents have a shelf life?

Glad to know that horses make you smile too!

 

[MikeInTN]

Welcome to TFP, Jackie!

The best price I've found on the Taylor K-2006 is online at SPS. They also sell refills of the Taylor reagents at very good prices, IMO. I've got a K-2005 that I've added the FAS-DPD test reagents to, and I get my refills from them.

Yes, reagents do have a shelf life. I'm attaching a bulletin from Taylor that talks about the shelf life and proper storage of the reagents. The bulletin says a shelf life of one year, but I usually go two before I replace mine.

 

[jackieo]

Welcome to TFP, Jackie!

The best price I've found on the Taylor K-2006 is online at SPS. They also sell refills of the Taylor reagents at very good prices, IMO. I've got a K-2005 that I've added the FAS-DPD test reagents to, and I get my refills from them.

Yes, reagents do have a shelf life. I'm attaching a bulletin from Taylor that talks about the shelf life and proper storage of the reagents. The bulletin says a shelf life of one year, but I usually go two before I replace mine.

Thank you for the info. regarding test kits and the PDF with regarding shelf life. I don't think any of mine have been compromised, but now I know where to purchase refills. I think I will purchase either the K-2006 or the TF100 in the very near future.
This forum sure is MOST helpful!

Thank you everyone! I got volunteered to pool 'boy' since DH is out of town a lot so I really appreciate this forum.

 

[fuzzy_dba]

I think I will purchase either the K-2006 or the TF100 in the very near future... I got volunteered to pool 'boy' ...

Jackieo:
I've used the Taylor 2006and the TF100 and much prefer the TF100 at http://www.tftestkits.net/. The prices are about the same (+ $2) and the amount of reagents(sp?) is greater in the TF100. In addition, the layout of the TF100 is easier for me to use: sometimes I'm "chemically challenged" 8).

-Alsp remember that high TA allows the PH to make more radical swings. You may need to drop the PH and TA lower, then aerate to bring thePH up by itself. Look at this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/lowering total alkalinity

What brand of SWG do you have?
How much over 80 is your CYA?
Is your SWG functioning?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I have a 16K SWG pool.

Was out of town for 5 days and then we have had a lot of rain. There are these small yellowish looking spots in the deep end. They do not come off with brushing. Water tested with the following results:

FC 2-4ppm (Taylor Kit)
TA 160
CYA >80
pH 8.2
Salt 2900

I added acid per the pool calculator to lower the Ph to 7.5, added pool salt to raise salt level to min. 3K, and added bleach per the pool calculator to raise the FC to around 6.
I don't have any yellow areas on the walls so am wondering if these 'spots' are indeed mustard algae or ???? Do I need to shock? I am waiting until tomorrow to re-test for levels.
Also, where is the best place to purchase the Taylor Kit that you recommend?

TIA
Another female 'cabana person'

Great questions and advice from Fuzzy

The stains could be metal.... or organic. Try a couple of things.

To see if they are organic, place a trichlor tablet on the stain for awhile and see if it fades. To see if they are metal, rub a vitamin C tablet on the stain. If it fades it could be metal staining. If its copper I believe it will change colors but not necessarily fade. Have you had your water tested for metals, specifically iron and copper? The pool store can test that for you. Have them test for it, if they are present, report back here, don't buy anything from them yet, confirm their recommendations with us first.

If they are organic, you can do an overnight FC test with the SWG "OFF" to see if your FC is holding. If it drops more than 1ppm you will need to shock. Sometimes you can have organic staining that can fade over time if you just run with a slightly higher level of FC for a while.

Hope this helps!

 

[jackieo]

I think I will purchase either the K-2006 or the TF100 in the very near future... I got volunteered to pool 'boy' ...

Jackieo:
I've used the Taylor 2006and the TF100 and much prefer the TF100 at http://www.tftestkits.net/. The prices are about the same (+ $2) and the amount of reagents(sp?) is greater in the TF100. In addition, the layout of the TF100 is easier for me to use: sometimes I'm "chemically challenged" 8).

-Alsp remember that high TA allows the PH to make more radical swings. You may need to drop the PH and TA lower, then aerate to bring thePH up by itself. Look at this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/lowering total alkalinity

What brand of SWG do you have?
How much over 80 is your CYA?
Is your SWG functioning?

I 'think' the SWG brand is AquaRite (control box at equipment states this). I don't know how much over 80 because of test kit I have. I may have strips that I could use. (until I get a new test kit) SWG is functioning according to pool company that does routine maintenance checks. I did just retest water. What is ideal TA for my pool? BTW, I do routinely us Metal Free so am thinking that the spots may be organic, but need to definitively determine.

FC 2-4ppm
TA 160
pH 7.5

So, I am thinking that I need to lower pH and TA with acid and then aerate to bring pH back up? Then, I will try and determine is spots are metal or organic. I need to hurry too cuz it's gonna rain again.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Ideal TA for an SWG is 60-80.

 

[jackieo]

Ideal TA for an SWG is 60-80.

Thanks! Off to store to get more acid.

 

[fuzzy_dba]

...the SWG brand is AquaRite...CYA, probably >80...SWG is functioning...FC 2-4ppm, TA 160, pH 7.5...

Is the wind blowing there (dumb question I know, I lived 20+ years in Oklahoma City) and could this be a combination of pollen and some dirt, aka organics?
Can it be vacuumed or moved at all by brushing?

-Don't overshoot the PH on the low end by adding too much acid, it's hard on the SWG. Let the rain that's coming "help" you decrease the TA by aeration ... Can you aerate as well; fountains, etc.?

Terry in NC

 

[jackieo]

...the SWG brand is AquaRite...CYA, probably >80...SWG is functioning...FC 2-4ppm, TA 160, pH 7.5...

Is the wind blowing there (dumb question I know, I lived 20+ years in Oklahoma City) and could this be a combination of pollen and some dirt, aka organics?
Can it be vacuumed or moved at all by brushing?

-Don't overshoot the PH on the low end by adding too much acid, it's hard on the SWG. Let the rain that's coming "help" you decrease the TA by aeration ... Can you aerate as well; fountains, etc.?

Terry in NC

Doesn't move with hard brushing at all. I don't have a vacuum other than the pool cleaner.

Wind not blowing now, but have had a TON of wind recently and yes lots of organic debris even though I have done a decent job of keeping it cleaned up. Thanks for the advice on pH. I tend to over do so great advice for me. I just added some acid (half of what pool calculator stated)....and will not add any more until I retest tomorrow. I have a waterfall so am hoping that will be sufficient aeration? I have Vit C to put in a sock and test spots, but may have to purchase trichlor tabs (?) I retested CYA with AquaCheck strips and I am right around 80.

Thank you for your help!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Waterfalls are great aeration.

Test strips are terribly unreliable and won't give you a true indication of your CYA. Sorry, it could be much higher. Back in the day when I used strips they routinely said 30-50 and my CYA was actually over 100 at the time....

 

[fuzzy_dba]

...retested CYA with AquaCheck strips and I am right around 80...

Just an FYI, when I was using strips my CYA showed 80 but when using the test kits (2 different kits) was actually 140, a BIG difference when it comes to the amount of FC that's required to zap the algae and organics in a pool.

 

[jackieo]

...retested CYA with AquaCheck strips and I am right around 80...

Just an FYI, when I was using strips my CYA showed 80 but when using the test kits (2 different kits) was actually 140, a BIG difference when it comes to the amount of FC that's required to zap the algae and organics in a pool.

I figured the strips were not reliable. I keep telling my DH to stop wasting his $ on them, but he's even more stubborn than me. I will retest CYA with a better kit. I 'think' the one that I currently have does not give me a real number beyond 80 though. Again, time to get a better test kit.

 

[jackieo]

Waterfalls are great aeration.

Test strips are terribly unreliable and won't give you a true indication of your CYA. Sorry, it could be much higher. Back in the day when I used strips they routinely said 30-50 and my CYA was actually over 100 at the time....

You and 'fuzzy' concur. No more test strips for jackieO.

 

[jackieo]

I have a 16K SWG pool.

Was out of town for 5 days and then we have had a lot of rain. There are these small yellowish looking spots in the deep end. They do not come off with brushing. Water tested with the following results:

FC 2-4ppm (Taylor Kit)
TA 160
CYA >80
pH 8.2
Salt 2900

I added acid per the pool calculator to lower the Ph to 7.5, added pool salt to raise salt level to min. 3K, and added bleach per the pool calculator to raise the FC to around 6.
I don't have any yellow areas on the walls so am wondering if these 'spots' are indeed mustard algae or ???? Do I need to shock? I am waiting until tomorrow to re-test for levels.
Also, where is the best place to purchase the Taylor Kit that you recommend?

TIA
Another female 'cabana person'

Great questions and advice from Fuzzy

The stains could be metal.... or organic. Try a couple of things.

To see if they are organic, place a trichlor tablet on the stain for awhile and see if it fades. To see if they are metal, rub a vitamin C tablet on the stain. If it fades it could be metal staining. If its copper I believe it will change colors but not necessarily fade. Have you had your water tested for metals, specifically iron and copper? The pool store can test that for you. Have them test for it, if they are present, report back here, don't buy anything from them yet, confirm their recommendations with us first.

If they are organic, you can do an overnight FC test with the SWG "OFF" to see if your FC is holding. If it drops more than 1ppm you will need to shock. Sometimes you can have organic staining that can fade over time if you just run with a slightly higher level of FC for a while.

Hope this helps!

Did the Vit C versus Chlor Tab test on the spots. Verdict: metal So I am going to treat the whole pool with ascorbic acid. I have had to do this once before....had faint yellow area that was metal then. What is the easiest/best way to get my chlorine down to 0? I used sodium thiosulfate before, but was wondering if there was another way that may be less costly? I have ordered the ascorbic acid from TFP recommended web site. I purchased the sodium thiosulfate from Leslies before....I am going to see if I have any left. (hope ) Previously, I bought everything I needed from Leslies, but maybe TFP has a better way?? Do you guys recommend a certain sequestering agent? Just did a little research and looks like Jack's Purple Stuff sequestering agent may be good for my SWG?? Thanks again everyone for all of your great advice! :-D

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

A free way would be to turn off the SWG, add the polyquat 60 and don't add any chlorine. The Polyquat will consume some of the chlorine, and not adding any will further lower the level naturally, no chems to purchase