Hello TFP - I've been lurking around for the past 10 months or so and decided after 16 years it was time to switch from Leslie's to the TFP way! The first 7-8 years had no problems, but slowly algae became an issue. CYA was HIGH, eventually drained/refilled the pool and everything was fine for a while. Algae came back, hired a pool guy for chemicals and still had a green pool return --- though I must admit at the time I was busy and did not brush the pool as I should have. Got rid of the pool guy as the algae was still prevalent, this whole time Tri-Chlor was being used and Cal Hypo for shock (not any more!!).
Got the T-100 test kit and a couple of months back I started using the TFP approach. Tried to get as much of the chemicals as I could into line. For the most part the water looks great. I do have some very hard to get rid of algae. Most algae on the walls/floor I would just brush and it would whisk away. This algae remains even under a wire brush (though a wire brush made some of it go away, the base is still present).
Current Readings
FC: 2 CC: 0
PH: 7.5 CYA: 30
TA: 70 Cal: 600
Water temp: 78F
Outdoor Temp: 85 - 100+F
These readings are fairly stable. TA wavers between 60 and 70 and calcium wavers between 550 and 650. FC obviously changes with the ebb and flow.
Questions
1) My Calcium is obviously way too high --- but the only option listed is to drain a bunch of water. I'm in California and really don't want to drain it... The water is not cloudy, I have no calcium buildup, etc... What impact is there if I leave the calcium high? Other than draining is there another way to lower the calcium level? Will evaporation and filling be enough to being it down?
2) My CYA was lower, but I raised it using Stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer. I didn't use all of the stabilizer within the sock - I was worried about getting too high of CYA. I'm thinking I should increase CYA another 10 as FC seems to go down quickly. Can I add the sock back into the water since it wasn't depleted or since it's been dried out (about 4 weeks out of water) is it no longer good and I should use fresh stabilizer?
3) What is a typical amount of chlorine to use in a week? I'm using 12.5% HASA liquid chlorine (roughly $3.50 per gallon after coupon) and seem to use 1.5 gallons per week --- though I want to get my FC up to 3 --- so is 1.5 - 2 gallons per week a lot?
4) Any tips on removing the stubborn algae on the bottom of the pool? Just keep brushing it??
Thanks all, love the site!
J.
Got the T-100 test kit and a couple of months back I started using the TFP approach. Tried to get as much of the chemicals as I could into line. For the most part the water looks great. I do have some very hard to get rid of algae. Most algae on the walls/floor I would just brush and it would whisk away. This algae remains even under a wire brush (though a wire brush made some of it go away, the base is still present).
Current Readings
FC: 2 CC: 0
PH: 7.5 CYA: 30
TA: 70 Cal: 600
Water temp: 78F
Outdoor Temp: 85 - 100+F
These readings are fairly stable. TA wavers between 60 and 70 and calcium wavers between 550 and 650. FC obviously changes with the ebb and flow.
Questions
1) My Calcium is obviously way too high --- but the only option listed is to drain a bunch of water. I'm in California and really don't want to drain it... The water is not cloudy, I have no calcium buildup, etc... What impact is there if I leave the calcium high? Other than draining is there another way to lower the calcium level? Will evaporation and filling be enough to being it down?
2) My CYA was lower, but I raised it using Stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer. I didn't use all of the stabilizer within the sock - I was worried about getting too high of CYA. I'm thinking I should increase CYA another 10 as FC seems to go down quickly. Can I add the sock back into the water since it wasn't depleted or since it's been dried out (about 4 weeks out of water) is it no longer good and I should use fresh stabilizer?
3) What is a typical amount of chlorine to use in a week? I'm using 12.5% HASA liquid chlorine (roughly $3.50 per gallon after coupon) and seem to use 1.5 gallons per week --- though I want to get my FC up to 3 --- so is 1.5 - 2 gallons per week a lot?
4) Any tips on removing the stubborn algae on the bottom of the pool? Just keep brushing it??
Thanks all, love the site!
J.