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M

marrec

0
May 1, 2016
10
Russellville, TN.
Hello all, I am new here, so a little about myself. my name is Mario and I live in East Tennessee. I am an owner of a above ground pool, 24 x 52, running a sand filter. This is my second year with my pool. It was installed last June and I really had no issues maintaining the water and such. Winterized it and opened it about two weeks ago. Added water to level than began noticing a brownish to black like dust on the center bottom of the pool. Vacuumed to waste to remove and ran the filter. Next morning it was back. Seems like I need to vacuum daily to keep this under control. If I brush it, it just dissolves into the water, but is back again the next morning. Does anyone have any ideas, my kids tell me it feels like sand and is gritty when they first get in.

Thanks for the help and ideas....
 
Hello Mario and welcome. Besides the great links the others have provided already, I had to ask ......... where do you get your pool water from? Seeing as how you are seeing brown/black deposits at the bottom, I wonder if it's not metals in the water from a well or something settling at the bottom. Do you know?
 
Okay, it was a thought. Well, before running all over the place and exhausting yourself, the best thing to do would be to post an accurate set of test results. That would be step #1. I didn't see it above, but do you have a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 test kit? That would help give us an accurate idea as to whether your cloudiness is related to algae or something else in the water. If you don't have either of those, I would highly encourage it. No one will care about your pool and water more than you.
 
Latest test results from Saturday: Free avail chlorine: 0.25 ppm; Total chlorine: 2.00 ppm; Combined Chlorine: 1.5 ppm; pH: 7.2; Total alkalinity: 65 ppm; Calcium Hardness: 145 ppm; Cyanuric acid: 55 ppm; copper and iron: 0.1 ppm; phosphates: 0 ppm; saturation index: -0.4.
 
Looks like pool $tore numbers. Normally we don't cotton with them. If they are to be believed, you need to round the CYA to 60 and use that number to set your SLaM FC level, using this table.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Your low FC and high CC number is telling the tail. You have algae trying to get a foothold in your pool. The only way to beat it, is to add liquid chlorine (bleach).

Here is the page that tell all about how to SLaM your pool and get it into shape. Just follow what it says and ask questions when something doesn't make sense.
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

But I would strongly suggest that you purchase a good test kit and check you water for yourself. Nobody cares more about your pool then you..

Good test kits include FAS-DPD testing and pH and CYA along with others. I usually recommend either the Taylor k-2006C or the TF-100. Both have the stuff you need, but the TF kit has more of the most used ones. Make sure you get the XL version since you are going to be doing a SLaM and will need refills if you get the regular versions of the kit.
 
Yes, like Bob noted as well ..... from the looks of things, those are pool store test results right?. Not our favorite source because of the unreliability. The only good thing is that they appear to show very low levels of metal. Doesn't mean that was accurate too, but it's reassuring. If these results were from a pool store, (and if they were accurate) then I would say you have algae because your FC level is extremely low based on your CYA and your CC level is elevated. Clearing algae requires a "SLAM" link below. But to do that, you need a way to test FC at higher levels, and that's where one of the recommended test kits comes into play. I don't mean to sound annoying about the testing thing, but it really is the foundation for pool care and water chemistry. Pool store testing, if that's where yours is from, seems convenient, but often times ends-up costing the customer much more in useless products and poor advise.
 

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Ok. Both of you, pabeader and Texas splash are right. These are pool $tore test results and you are also right when you state costing me money and poor advise. when this water test was performed it ended up costing me 65 dollars worth of chemicals I most likely didn't need because after following their "advice" I am still having the same problems. So my question is were do I get the pool test kit you guys are recommending. I did see them online so I guess I have to order one, which I will, but while I am waiting for it to arrive, what can I do to try and get this problem under control. when you say liquid bleach, I think you mean Clorox?. How much would I need to get it under control until my test kit arrives?. thanks for all the help, it is greatly appreciated.
 
You can order the test kits from the TF-100 link in my signature. As for bleach, any generic bleach will do, just make sure it's regular, and not any of the splashless or scented stuff. Just plain bleach. When you look at the ingredients, it should say something like "8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite". For a pool your size, you could probably just add one gallon today, then maybe 1/2 gal each day after that until your kit arrives. It won't clear the water yet, but hopefully keep it from getting much worse. We don't want you to waste too much time, money, or chemicals, so don't add anything else. You can study-up on the SLAM page and the other links in my sig so that you're ready when your kit gets in and you post your first set of results.

Oh, one other recommendation ... If you order the TF-100, request the XL option as well since you will use a few more drops (more tests) during the SLAM. Same if you go for the Taylor K-2006 - request the K-2006"C". With either kit, I also recommend the "Speed stir" which helps you tremendously when trying to mix the solutions in the tubes. Great to hear you're ready to take charge of your pool. Trust me ... we've ALL been there. Once you make the leap and see how it all works, you can't believe you ever waited so long. Have a great day!
 
Texas Splash and Pabeader, Thanks so much for the advice. Ordered my test kit today, should be here by Thursday. I wiil post the results of my first test with the test kit later this week.
Again, thanks for the advice and I will keep you posted as to my progress.
 
Ok guys, first test results are in. Here they are: FC: 0.8; CC: 0.8; pH: 7.0; TA: 110 ppm; CH: 150 ppm; CA: 70 ppm. I also added the bleach as you instructed earlier in this thread and the water is clear. Still have the dusty substance on the bottom of the pool.

Thanks guys.
 
By CA I assume you mean CYA correct? When we last spoke, we didn't know if that substance in the pool was algae or not. Your CC is slightly elevated as well. So I would recommend doing an OCLT per the Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) page. If you fail that test by losing more than 1 ppm of FC overnight, you know you need to SLAM. I suspect it's algae, but the OCLT should confirm.

If you have to SLAM (Link below), that would require you to raise FC to 28. That's based on your CYA of 70. So let us know if you have any questions or more details that may influence what to do next.
 
with your FC and CC chlorine at .8 you are very very lucky you don't have a green monster there :)

Get some chlorine in there ASAP, how much does poolmath say to add? http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

How do you like the test kit, kind of kewl isn't it :)

just a heads up, use the 10ml sample size from now on and multiply by .5, so 10 drops to clear is 5 fc
 
Here's a pic of what is on the bottom of my pool. something in the pool.jpg Its is like a dusty substance. when I vacuum or brush it just dissolves in the water and then settles back down . have several smaller spots around the bottom also. Nothing on the sides just on the bottom.

any thoughts? thanks
 

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