Help with SWG

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brandilulu

brandilulu

0
May 21, 2014
63
Frisco, TX
Need help! I just completed a pool build and two weeks ago salt was added to my pool (4 weeks after plaster). Ever since salt was added, my chlorine has not kept up (around .4 FC, 1.0 CC). My kit shows no CYA, but my pool maintenance guy (I'm having help the first year because the equipment is still foreign to me) says it's been added and that shocking a salt pool once a week is normal in the summer. Does this sound right?

Thank you!

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:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.

Your maintenance guy is not going to be following the methods that we teach here. So that is going to cause confusion.

We can help you take control, but you need to invest in one of the Recommended Test Kits and post up the results.

BTW, we NEVER arbitrarily "shock" (whatever that means) a pool on some schedule. We teach to always maintain adequate FC (as a function of your CYA) so that problems never develop. And if they do, then you have to follow the SLAM process.
 
jblizzle said:
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.

Your maintenance guy is not going to be following the methods that we teach here. So that is going to cause confusion.

We can help you take control, but you need to invest in one of the Recommended Test Kits and post up the results.

BTW, we NEVER arbitrarily "shock" (whatever that means) a pool on some schedule. We teach to always maintain adequate FC (as a function of your CYA) so that problems never develop. And if they do, then you have to follow the SLAM process.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the quick reply! I was afraid that's what I was going to be told :-(. My husband and I are not mechanically inclined and our pool has a ton of valves and I've had constant problems with my settings, so I can't imagine going it alone. Pool school was not that helpful unfortunately.

Here's my test results from yesterday (I haven't tested since he today put in 1 gal "acid", and 1.5# "shock" (whatever that means). Note the water has been crystal clear, but did start to fill a bit slimy yesterday on the cord of my pool cleaner.

FC - .2
CC - 1.0
PH - 7.5
TA - 110ppm
CH - 380ppm
CYA - 0 (I only tested that again today after I noticed he didn't write down that he added it). I'll test again tomorrow though since he verbally tools me he added it after I asked about it.

? 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016, k-2006, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
Hi Brandi,
I sounds as if you have 0 CYA, which is a big part of the problem. CYA helps protect teh FC from being burned off by UV from the sun. Without proper amoutn of CYA and proper amount of FC you will get algae in a hurry. Count on it. And you wont be happy.

I recommend to put bleach into the pool to get the FC up immediately. With 0 CYA, the FC should be 2.

From the dimensions in your sig, I estimate your pool to be about 29.5K gallons.
(the pool volume is important, make your builder confirm how many gallons it holds).

Using pool math, it says add 79 ozs of bleach to reach FC of 2
http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

You need to get some CYA in that pool or you will continue to have problems.

hope this helps,
 
The SWG may not be able to keep up without any CYA and it does not put enough chlorine in the pool quickly enough on its own. You have to give it a "boost" at the beginning with bleach (chlorine).

1. Add bleach manually using Pool Math until the CYA is registering.
2. Get the CYA up to at least 30 to start. For SWG, more is recommended. Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
3. Test and adjust daily

Personally, I don't agree that you are not able. I would recommend that you get a tour of the equipment, post some pictures and we can help you. You will be empowered to manage this yourself and have a beautiful pool with crystal clear water.

If it were me, I would turn off the SWG and use just bleach until you learn your pool and fire the pool guy. After 3-4 weeks of manually adding chlorine, you will have learned your pools needs. Then the SWG can be brought back into the mix.
 
...and by your posts it appears you might already have one of the approved test kits. May I ask which one? Adding your pool volume and test kit info to your signature will really help the experts when you have a question.

Welcome to TFP!


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I agree with mgmoore. Ditch the pool person. We had complimentary pool service for 2 months, which was about 6 weeks too long! It was nice at the beginning when I was trying to learn the chems and afraid I'd mess up the pool, but with the wonderful people here, PoolMath and a great test kit like the TF-100, I learned it is pretty easy to do. I am in no way a science person, so when I say the test kit is easy to follow believe me, it is! Now I'm so glad that I am able to maintain the pool myself.

If your equipment/ pipes aren't labeled, have your PB do it or do it yourself. That way you know which controls what.

Definitely listen to the people here- they know what they are talking about. And if you get into trouble, they'll help you fix it! Good luck!
 
Thank you so much everyone!!! I knew early on that I wanted to be very active in my pool maintenance, but being that I've never owned a pool before, and hate to think about messing up my investment, I've been leary of cutting the cord, but with all this awesome support, I'm feeling more and more confident!

I tested again this morning:
FC - .6
CC - .2
PH - 7.0 ( I've been having issue with white flakes since adding salt and I'm being told it's because my pH was too high - it was around 8, so pool guy is working to dissolve the last of them)
TA - 90
CH - 380
CYA - extremely BAD timing, but I found I didn't have enough reagent to complete this test! Ordering immediately! Note, I have the k-2006, should I upgrade to the bigger kit? I checked, and the test kit the PB gave me doesn't even have this test, seriously? ?

So....i know I need to immediately get the bleach going, but what about CYA? Should I wait until I get more reagent?

? 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016, k-2006, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
Your kit is fine. Calculate how much CYA/stabilizer you need to add to go from 0 up to 30.
Post what you calculate and someone can verify - just for your sanity.
We recommend you put the stabilizer in sock and place it in the flow path of a return to help dissolve and distribute. Also helps to squeeze the sock to help the process.
After that just assume you are at 30 until you are able to get some more CYA reagent. You can buy reagent at TFTestkits.net.

Hopefully some else will chime in to confirm that the reagent for your K2006 sampler is the same as the reagent for the TF-100 kit.
Many here highly recommend the Taylor speedstir. Not sure I could live without it. You will see it on the website above and several other websites.


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jagger2005 said:
Your kit is fine. Calculate how much CYA/stabilizer you need to add to go from 0 up to 30.
Post what you calculate and someone can verify - just for your sanity.
We recommend you put the stabilizer in sock and place it in the flow path of a return to help dissolve and distribute. Also helps to squeeze the sock to help the process.
After that just assume you are at 30 until you are able to get some more CYA reagent. You can buy reagent at TFTestkits.net.

Hopefully some else will chime in to confirm that the reagent for your K2006 sampler is the same as the reagent for the TF-100 kit.
Many here highly recommend the Taylor speedstir. Not sure I could live without it. You will see it on the website above and several other websites.


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Click to expand...
Will do. I do have the speed stir, and yes, I can't imagine doing the tests without it!

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
If not too late, get the CYA regent from tftest kits. Its a large bottle and you will eventually use it all up in a couple of seasons. Here is a link to the R0013 regent. TFTestkits.net



Again estimating your pool size at about 29.5k gallons, and using pool math, I would recommend to add 5 lbs of CYA to your pool. This should get you up to about 20ppm. Not ideal which would be 30-40, but we dont want to overshoot which can be almost as bad as having none. After your new regent arrives, test for CYA again, and then use pool math to figre out how much to add to get you up to 30--40ppm.




brandilulu said:
Thank you so much everyone!!! I knew early on that I wanted to be very active in my pool maintenance, but being that I've never owned a pool before, and hate to think about messing up my investment, I've been leary of cutting the cord, but with all this awesome support, I'm feeling more and more confident!

I tested again this morning:
FC - .6
CC - .2
PH - 7.0 ( I've been having issue with white flakes since adding salt and I'm being told it's because my pH was too high - it was around 8, so pool guy is working to dissolve the last of them)
TA - 90
CH - 380
CYA - extremely BAD timing, but I found I didn't have enough reagent to complete this test! Ordering immediately! Note, I have the k-2006, should I upgrade to the bigger kit? I checked, and the test kit the PB gave me doesn't even have this test, seriously? ?

So....i know I need to immediately get the bleach going, but what about CYA? Should I wait until I get more reagent?

? 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016, k-2006, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
Click to expand...
 
You all are the BEST! I've got the bleach in the pool and will do the CYA here shortly.
Thanks again!

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
Interestingly enough, after an hour or so of adding the bleach, my white flakes are COMPLETELY gone....most awesome!

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
Trust us, and trust TFP, and stay away from the pool store, and you will be shocked at how easy keeping a beautifully clean and sparkly pool really is. It truly is TroubleFree..... and at least as awesome is how much money you save doing it the TFP way
 
I've seen the 4.5% rule for CYA vs FC min, but what is the target? I still don't have my replacement test reagent, but I'm assuming I'll be around 20 CYA. Considering the SWG, should I be targeting 2?

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
Once I get my replacement reagent I'll start actively raising it to proper levels. I'm concerned about over shooting it because my pool guy told me he added CYA last Friday, but I currently have no way to verify that...and considering the stories I've read on here, I sure wouldn't want to trust the pool store!

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 
But do you trust the pool guy? When will you get the reagent? If it's going to be a few days still, I would probably take a sample into the pool store just so I'd know if the pool guy actually put anything into the pool (but don't let them sell you anything!). But I'm still a newbie at this, so I hope someone with more knowledge will chime in and help you out.

What is your FC now that you've added bleach?
 
I've been working to keep FC at 2, although this morning it was at 1.4, pH at 7.6 (that's all I tested this morning). The pool guy is supposed to be here again today, so I'm curious what he adds. This pool guy is who my PB used for start up, and he seems to be knowledgeable and helpful, but I've not been happy with the once a week "shock" considering I paid extra money for a SWG. I've also been having a white flake out of the return jet issue ever since adding salt. He keeps telling me " I'll balance it this week and the flakes will dissolve", but they haven't yet, so I've been trying to keep the pH down as well.

29.5k gallon 42'x15' with 8.5 deep end, IG Plaster, DE, VS pump, built 3/24/2016 (plastered twice) ,k-2006 test kit, SWG with spa, kreepy krawly cleaner
 

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