Yet another new pool owner question

[dolemite77]

I just bought a home w/ a 12 - 15k gallon (still need to determine that one) IGP and my first question is regarding the BBB method. It sounds great! I'm sure the pool supply stores don't like that information getting out. Unfortunately I already bought one of those $60 buckets of 3" tablets because the pool has a chlorine tablet feeder system. If i use the BBB method, should i just keep the feeder empty and on "0" (closed) or should i leave a tablet in there at all times?

Random question of the day: What the heck is SWG?? I see it in alot of forum user's signatures, but what is it? It's not in the pool abbreviations thread either...

 

[dolemite77]

Also, my pool looks just like this one only without the hottub on the side. How can i determine the volume in gallons since it's not a perfect circle or rectangle?

 

[nocaster]

SWG == Salt Water Chlorine Generator.

If your CYA is low or non-existent you could use the pucks to help give it a boost and keep chlorine in the pool at the same time. I have been using up my left-over pucks from last year for this purpose. They are also good if you are going to be gone for a few days and cant add bleach.

 

[ktdave]

Not sure about the pucks, but I know if you use them exclusively all summer you may build up a high level of cyanuric acid (aka CYA or stabilizerl) that can lessen the effectiveness of chlorine as a sanitizer.

SWG, is probably better represented by SWCG. Both are acronyms for salt water chlorine generators.

Welcome to TFP!

Dave

 

[JasonLion]

Tablets/pucks add CYA to your water constantly. Eventually your CYA level gets too high and you have problems. Using the BBB method you should stop using pucks (except in some unusual situations).

 

[ktdave]

Also, my pool looks just like this one only without the hottub on the side. How can i determine the volume in gallons since it's not a perfect circle or rectangle?

You can probably consider it oval and use BleachCalc to get your pool volume. When you open the program, go to "more calcs" at the top left and find "pool volume". For avg. depth, just take your shallow depth + deep end depth and divide by 2.

 

[waste]

Dolmite, if you can get a perimeter measurement, you can multiply that # by 7.5 and multiply that # by the average depth to get an approximation of the gallonage (if you are doing the math for chem dosing purposes, assume the gallonage is ~ 20% less - always add less chem than you think you need, it's easier to add more of something than to have to add another chem to 'counteract' an overdose or, even worse, drain and rifill some of the water) Also, in addition to what Jason said, the pucks will quickly drop your pH and if you don't stay on top of it will start harming the pool equipment. Glad you found this site and are willing to properly care for your pool! - There are a lot of great people here who are willing to help you with any problem you encounter - hopefully you'll only be sharing stories of the great time you're having with your 'backyard oasis' :-D

 

[From_Arizona]

Waste -

Either I have had to many beers or your calculation doesn't work...

My pool 109' x 7.5 = 817.5 x 4' = 3270 gallons is incorrect. What am I missing???

thank you

 

[JasonLion]

Try (all width/length/depths in feet):

(average width) * (average length) * (average depth) * 7.9 = gallons

or

(max width) * (max length) * (average depth) * 5.9 = gallons

For an irregular pool both approaches are approximations but either will give you a good place to start from.

 

[dolemite77]

turns out my pool is ~ 7000 to 8000 gallons...

http://www.sunpools.com/pool-styles/nassau.html

Also, i finally did a test of the water with something besides a test strip. I used the Aqua Chem 6 way kit from walmart. Everything looked ok i guess, but the Stabilizer (is that CYA?) was off the charts! I don't have my results with me right now, but i believe it was something like 120-130. Is that bad?

 

[JasonLion]

Test strips are not particuarly reliable. The best investment in your pool you can make is to get a good test kit, such as the TF Test Kit.

Assuming your CYA level is really that high you will need to keep your FC level between 8 and 15 to keep your water safe.

 

[duraleigh]

Is that bad?

Bad but manageable (barely) would be my reaction to that CYA number. Why don't you post up all your current numbers and you'll get lots of good advice on how to deal with your water.

 

[plsbcheap]

dolemite77
7-8000 gallons seems like a small # to me. I have a 25K gallon pool. It has a deep end with a diving board and large shallow end. The shape had a name (i have forgotten) and i just called the manufacture or emailed them and they sent me the specs with the # of gallons. Try that because you need to get close to the right number so you can calculate the correct amount of chems to add when needed.

The picture looks like a lot of manufactures "lagoon" shape. Hope you find it.
Dwight