I found the TFPC method last year when trying to open a veritable swamp. It took about two weeks, but the results were amazing and it was pretty smooth sailing for the rest of the season. I also referred to the pool closing method when putting it up for the winter last year.
Fast forward to this spring. I tried to get the pool going a few weeks ago, but the pump had died. I finally got that straightened out, but was fearful that I'd be in for a mess because of the warm weather we've been having in middle TN. Once the water level would allow for it, I turned the pump on and poured a couple gallons of 8 month old bleach under the tarp. I just let it cycle overnight and this morning when I pulled the tarp off, the water was crystal clear! Except for a few leaves that got by me when I closed it, it looked ready for swimmers!
I tested the water and it looks WAY better than I ever imagined it would be at this point in the year:
Ch 8
PH 7.5-7.8 (between the two)
TA 150
CYA 25
I'd like to lower my TA closer to 100, but I'm not at all worried about calcium hardness and my PH is only marginally high, so I'll likely just throw some muriatic acid in and see where that takes me.
Question time: The CYA is low, but I have a standby supply of pucks that help with that. This will also help keep my chlorine up while the sun starts to do it's dirty work, but I do find that I have a difficult time keeping my CYA level up above 40. Are the trichlor pucks part of my problem? I used them quite a bit last year and still struggled with CYA (I did use shock a couple times as well, but still the same problem). I am in the process of transitioning from sand to a cartridge filter, so I hope not doing back flushes will help. Any other advice?
Fast forward to this spring. I tried to get the pool going a few weeks ago, but the pump had died. I finally got that straightened out, but was fearful that I'd be in for a mess because of the warm weather we've been having in middle TN. Once the water level would allow for it, I turned the pump on and poured a couple gallons of 8 month old bleach under the tarp. I just let it cycle overnight and this morning when I pulled the tarp off, the water was crystal clear! Except for a few leaves that got by me when I closed it, it looked ready for swimmers!
I tested the water and it looks WAY better than I ever imagined it would be at this point in the year:
Ch 8
PH 7.5-7.8 (between the two)
TA 150
CYA 25
I'd like to lower my TA closer to 100, but I'm not at all worried about calcium hardness and my PH is only marginally high, so I'll likely just throw some muriatic acid in and see where that takes me.
Question time: The CYA is low, but I have a standby supply of pucks that help with that. This will also help keep my chlorine up while the sun starts to do it's dirty work, but I do find that I have a difficult time keeping my CYA level up above 40. Are the trichlor pucks part of my problem? I used them quite a bit last year and still struggled with CYA (I did use shock a couple times as well, but still the same problem). I am in the process of transitioning from sand to a cartridge filter, so I hope not doing back flushes will help. Any other advice?