weekly pool service maintaining proper levels

[davidwest]

Hi, not that I use or plan to use a pool service but to help educate my friends and neighbors how can a weekly pool service possibly maintain proper FC levels when only tested weekly? (if they even test)

Thanks
Dave

 

[zea3]

Typically they bring a pool to shock level (usually 10ppm in pool service lingo) once a week and let it fall to 1-3ppm over the course of the week. They buy dry chlorine in bulk and use that to shock the pool, and top off any chlorine feeders with tablets. Eventually the CYA gets too high and they either advise a drain and refill for "old" water or they switch to cal-hypo until it gets the CH too high as well and another drain is advised.

With a fresh fill this method will work for a while, maybe even a couple of seasons until water quality starts to suffer. Once water quality starts going downhill it goes fast! If CYA and CH are sky high the only recourse is to drain and refill.

 

[camueller]

As a pool cleaner in high school, I will tell you that using liquid bleach and the TFP way is not going to work for a weekly maintence company, unless they set up stenner pumps for all customers and took care of bleach buying and storage. Even then, you wouldn't be doing it quite right.

All of the pools I maintened in high school were fed 3" chlorine pucks via an inline return feeder. All I ever did was make sure there was at least 3ppm FC in there, the PH was between 7 and 8, and I vacuumed and cleaned the filter (if needed for sand).