Add this, Add that, says to add opposite things to balance pool. Confused.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
W

wxguy23

0
Jul 12, 2015
99
Ooltewah, TN
Okay, off and running. Pool seems fine. Looks good. People are happy.

BUT...despite 100% chlorine going in cell and super chlorinating for a day...I register nothing. Maybe just under 1. Not sure why. All is running well. Pool only 6 months old.

Next. PH is high. Added acid to lower. Worked.
Then Alkalinity is way to low. Add baking soda stuff.
Now PH is too high...keeps going back and forth.

How can I keep adding to find balance? If I get PH right, alkalinity is at 40/50, but fixing that lowers my PH to 6.8 and below.

Confused. Pool peeps too busy to come over.

Oh and the chlorine cell? No clue. But no green pool for weeks.

(Using aqua plus automation, Hayward chorine cell, and Hayward VS pump along with DE filter.

20x40 salt pool. 15k gallons.
 
Let's back up.

How are you testing, and what are your test results, especially CYA? If you have low or no CYA, the SWG will not be able to keep up with normal demand, let alone raise the FC from nothing. If too high, the FC level may have never gotten high enough to kill algae, and once algae gets started, the SWG can't keep up with that demand. You may be in a stalemate where the SWG can keep the algae at bay but not kill it. And then you end up with cloudy water from all the dead bleached algae.
 
wxguy23 said:
I'm using the test kit they gave me.
FC
Total Chorine
Combined
Bromine
PH
Alkalinity

That's it. Nothing about CYA. Never heard that mentioned.
No sign of algae. Pool looks great. Why I'm confused.
Click to expand...
I think it's time to get you up to speed. Off to Pool School with you :whip:

ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry is the best place to start. Then find the Chemistry tab and check out the articles on Test Kits. Your pool is too big to be called a kiddie pool. You have a grownup pool, so you need a grownup test kit. Or skip the article and head over to TFTestkits.net and order a TF100 and some salt strips. It'll ship out Tuesday from NC, so you'll have it Wednesday or Thursday most likely.

And in the meantime, give that SWG a hand by adding some chlorine manually, via bleach. 3 cups of standard 8.25% laundry bleach will raise FC 1 ppm in your pool. So dose accordingly. We have no clue what the CYA level is, so your best bet is to go no higher than 3, bleach and SWG combined.
 
I did read. Did what pool school said. Didn't add bleach yet...because I can't figure why my cell didn't produce it.

Pool school said add muric acid to lower PH. I did. But my alkalinity is way to low. Pool school says add baking soda stuff, so I did. All according to 15k and how much to raise. Then PH shot down to 6.8 because of baking soda recomendarion. So pool guy said add 3lbs of PH increaser...shot my PH to 7.8/8, dropped alkalinity to 30/40ppm. Back to recommended muric acid to start cycle over.

Pool school doesn't address this.

I will add bleach this PM.

I greatly appreciate the help. Ordering kit now.
 
The yo-you effect comes from picking a target based on a suggestion and not paying attention to your pool. If you can keep the pH stable for a week or more with TA down at 60, don't go raising it to 80 because that's the midpoint in the general suggestion. Every pool is unique. Some people fight pH rise all season and finally give up and discover that it will sit at 7.8 for weeks at a time when they just do nothing. With regular testing you'll quickly learn your pool's quirks.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Richard320 said:
The yo-you effect comes from picking a target based on a suggestion and not paying attention to your pool. If you can keep the pH stable for a week or more with TA down at 60, don't go raising it to 80 because that's the midpoint in the general suggestion. Every pool is unique. Some people fight pH rise all season and finally give up and discover that it will sit at 7.8 for weeks at a time when they just do nothing. With regular testing you'll quickly learn your pool's quirks.
Click to expand...
Like Richard says, don't chase artificial numbers. All the pool stores want my TA around 100 but my pool is happiest when it's down around 50.

You HAVE to keep FC at the correct level based on your CYA level of algae can form.

You HAVE to keep pH at the correct level or damage to equipment can occur.

There is no emergency to get any of the other numbers to a specific place. Take your time and learn your pool.
 
Without knowing CYA, adding stabilizer might send you into a really bad situation, one that only draining water can fix! Please, stop adding anything but bleach and order a proper test kit so that we can help you.
 
wxguy23 said:
At $70+ for that kit...I'm holding off. Will soon. Got my water tested.
Click to expand...

I'll try to say this as nicely and softly as I can...but I'm afraid it's going to come across as harsh anyway. Please don't take it that way...it's meant to provide some introspection, not to criticize or belittle...

I don't know what your pool cost you, or the house you bought with it if you're not the original owner...but to be sure, there's easily 5 digits of pool and equipment in your sigline alone.

Does it really make sense to turn to the internet for guidance on managing it...and then hold off on a $70 expense that will give you the ability to do so?

You're confused...you say so yourself. And we get it...most of us have been there. How come when i do this, the pool does/doesn't do that? Why can't I get this number to here, or that test to say ____? Help, I feel like I'm chasing my tail!

There's really only 3 outcomes here.

1) Your pool gets away from you, and thousands of gallons of water, hundreds or thousands of dollars of chemicals and kits and "assistance", and hundreds of hours of quality time with friends and family are tossed away, because it's green and "nobody knows why".

2) Someone somewhere accidentally stumbles upon some chemical that, in sufficient quantities, results in "clear" water that convinces you everything is ok, putting bathers at risk, and eventually leading to option 1 when the magic wears off.

3) You spend $70, and in less than a week know *exactly* what's happening in your pool, why it's happening, and how to manage it, and have the ability to identify, react to, and troubleshoot problems inside of 24 hours of their first appearance.

Again...I don't mean to sound harsh...I simply hope you'll reconsider your reluctance to spend a small amount of money, and choose to take control of your pool, instead of living the other way around. :)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply