This thread is great, DIY at its best. Would love to see some pictures with the pool filled initially and then hear about the work effort required to clean things up. My guess is a day or two and the sediment will fall and be easy to vacuum straight to waste.
Rehab project in New Brunswick, Canada
- Thread starter duanebe
- Start date
still filling... wrinkles are all out now...
This is quite a pull uphill to get moving!
This is quite a pull uphill to get moving!
I begged, borrowed, and stole....well, no, I didn't steal any tanks 
but they aren't too hard to find... most of them belong to friends of mine in construction and landscaping.
The pump, belongs to my father who built his own 18x36 IG when I was a kid... his pool is still operational, and he has had that pump for years. He and I are both very avid DIY'ers... construction, mechanics, electrical, software development even! you name it... I'm a jack of all trades. (My day job is in IT... software developer for years, now project manager. My education is electronics engineering).
The trailer is borrowed from a friend... truck is mine... I've always owned big trucks.
So... short answer is... I'm fairly well equipped to tackle most any job. If I don't have the equipment, I can usually find it.
but they aren't too hard to find... most of them belong to friends of mine in construction and landscaping.The pump, belongs to my father who built his own 18x36 IG when I was a kid... his pool is still operational, and he has had that pump for years. He and I are both very avid DIY'ers... construction, mechanics, electrical, software development even! you name it... I'm a jack of all trades. (My day job is in IT... software developer for years, now project manager. My education is electronics engineering).
The trailer is borrowed from a friend... truck is mine... I've always owned big trucks.
So... short answer is... I'm fairly well equipped to tackle most any job. If I don't have the equipment, I can usually find it.
Tested water again this morning... I have filter parts arriving Tuesday, so I can't circulate until then... this makes it difficult to add CYA... I have a sock suspended by a string hanging in the center of the hopper... but with no water movement, well... you know.
My only problem is test results for CH... I'm using the Taylor K-2006 kit... and the CH test never really turns blue.. it goes to purple and stays there, even after adding an extra 20-30 drops of reagent. Are metals interfering with this test?
Here are todays numbers with about 18,000 Litres of river water added yesterday and a steady stream (2gpm?) flowing in from the brook. Water is 6-8" deep in the shallow end now.
pH 7.4 (river water has pH of about 7.8, so it's coming up)
FC 2.4 (I had it at 15 yesterday before adding river water, I'll add more liquid chlorine today)
CC .4
CYA 0 (gonna take some time)
TA 160
CH 300 to turn purple... couldn't get blue
My only problem is test results for CH... I'm using the Taylor K-2006 kit... and the CH test never really turns blue.. it goes to purple and stays there, even after adding an extra 20-30 drops of reagent. Are metals interfering with this test?
Here are todays numbers with about 18,000 Litres of river water added yesterday and a steady stream (2gpm?) flowing in from the brook. Water is 6-8" deep in the shallow end now.
pH 7.4 (river water has pH of about 7.8, so it's coming up)
FC 2.4 (I had it at 15 yesterday before adding river water, I'll add more liquid chlorine today)
CC .4
CYA 0 (gonna take some time)
TA 160
CH 300 to turn purple... couldn't get blue
As you can tell from my most recent posts... I'm not exactly new to pools, but this is the first one I have owned. I grew up caring for my dads pool... I did a lot of the maintenance, testing and cleaning. However, all we ever did was basic chlorine and pH tests. I can't wait to get this pool started up next spring using TFP methods. My dad isn't interested... his test strips work "just fine"! LOL! He hasn't drained his pool in many years... I really want to sneak over there, steal some of his water and see what his CYA levels are... hehehe... he pretty much maintains his pool at near shock levels all the time.
I don't even have my pool operational yet, and I'm already a TFP pool snob!!
I don't even have my pool operational yet, and I'm already a TFP pool snob!!
Nice to have friends with toys and equipment! I see many pool parties to help "pay" for the use of said toys and equipment.
Okay so if you have some many neat things I bet you have a sub pump of some kind......You can use that to move the water. Put the CYA sock in a small tub or such, have the pump push water into the tub onto the sock.......CYA gets dissolved and into the water.
You can also squeeze the sock to help the CYA dissolve faster. Let it soak for a little while and start squeezing.
Have you tested the river/pond water for CH? I wonder how/why it would have such high CH??? LOL Will have to take my test kit to our river the next time we take the jet ski down (will need to warm back a bit first though).
Have you watched the videos for the CH test? Look over on the left hand side on the home page. You will see "extended test kit directions". See if that helps at all. I THINK what you are looking for is when it changes color. I do not have to do the CH test as I have a vinyl pool. I will do it today just to refresh my memory.
Once YOU get your water looking like a jewel you might be able to talk Dad into going TFP. I think a test kit would make a wonderful Christmas present!!!
Kim
Okay so if you have some many neat things I bet you have a sub pump of some kind......You can use that to move the water. Put the CYA sock in a small tub or such, have the pump push water into the tub onto the sock.......CYA gets dissolved and into the water.
You can also squeeze the sock to help the CYA dissolve faster. Let it soak for a little while and start squeezing.
Have you tested the river/pond water for CH? I wonder how/why it would have such high CH??? LOL Will have to take my test kit to our river the next time we take the jet ski down (will need to warm back a bit first though).
Have you watched the videos for the CH test? Look over on the left hand side on the home page. You will see "extended test kit directions". See if that helps at all. I THINK what you are looking for is when it changes color. I do not have to do the CH test as I have a vinyl pool. I will do it today just to refresh my memory.
Once YOU get your water looking like a jewel you might be able to talk Dad into going TFP. I think a test kit would make a wonderful Christmas present!!!
Kim
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
That's the main negative to the TFP way!
Just a note that when you get your filter going (can't remember what kind it will be) the CYA will not immediately dissolve so it may be in the filter media temporarily. You don't want to clean or backwash your filter while you are trying to raise CYA or else it can get disposed of. And I'm sure your filter will get some dirt with your water so I just wanted to mention that for you.
Looking good!
I am using a sand filter... thanks for the reminder... I hadn't forgotten about the residual CYA in the filter and the slow dissolving time. My sand is going to get dirty very quickly once I hook up the vacuum... I think I will vacuum a couple of times to waste before I start putting CYA in the skimmer to disolve.
Filter is fixed with a new multiport valve... running 24h now to clean the water up... and the returns are blasting water against three socks full of CYA... that oughta do it!
With this approach... will the CYA still accumulate in the sand filter? I suspect so, since it will be falling out of the socks directly over the main drains which I am using for suction. I haven't cut the liner for the skimmer yet... waiting for big rain tomorrow to finish filling the pool from the brook which should be fairly low in calcium during a rainstorm.
Continuing to SLAM... should get easier to maintain FC as CYA starts to dissolve. I am still getting CC levels around 0.5 to 0.6.... FC bouncing between 4 and 10... lots of stuff to kill in that river water!
Been doing some reading in Pool School... just realized that my near freezing temps are giving me invalid test results on CYA which needs to be done at room temp. Not an issue as CYA is still dissolving... my only concern is to not over-dose.
With this approach... will the CYA still accumulate in the sand filter? I suspect so, since it will be falling out of the socks directly over the main drains which I am using for suction. I haven't cut the liner for the skimmer yet... waiting for big rain tomorrow to finish filling the pool from the brook which should be fairly low in calcium during a rainstorm.
Continuing to SLAM... should get easier to maintain FC as CYA starts to dissolve. I am still getting CC levels around 0.5 to 0.6.... FC bouncing between 4 and 10... lots of stuff to kill in that river water!
Been doing some reading in Pool School... just realized that my near freezing temps are giving me invalid test results on CYA which needs to be done at room temp. Not an issue as CYA is still dissolving... my only concern is to not over-dose.
One question I do have... I have read that pH tests are not accurate during SLAMing... but I've continued to test pH and see higher levels around 7.8.
Since my TA is 160 and I have high calcium (300++), I want to keep my TA and pH on the lower end of normal to prevent scale deposits. So, the aeration from the returns in the picture above will raise my pH, and combined with muriatic acid to bring them back down, that should help lower my TA number.
My question is... during the SLAM process... is my pH really as high as the test indicates? Or should I not worry about the pH and finish the SLAM first, then try to adjust ph/TA?
Since my TA is 160 and I have high calcium (300++), I want to keep my TA and pH on the lower end of normal to prevent scale deposits. So, the aeration from the returns in the picture above will raise my pH, and combined with muriatic acid to bring them back down, that should help lower my TA number.
My question is... during the SLAM process... is my pH really as high as the test indicates? Or should I not worry about the pH and finish the SLAM first, then try to adjust ph/TA?
Equipment pad... not all that exciting... and a bit messy when the pic was taken... but it was part of the build, so here it is:
CYA-once it is dissolved in the water you are good. The CYA being caught in the filter is only if you pour it straight into the skimmer. That is why we say put it in a sock and let is dissolve that way. How much CYA did you target? Use the amount as your "base" for now.
PH-High FC does mess up the PH test. It can cause it to read high. You want to let the FC drop down to 9 and test the PH and adjust it if needed.
Remember that all of that aeration will cause your PH to go up.
Kim
PH-High FC does mess up the PH test. It can cause it to read high. You want to let the FC drop down to 9 and test the PH and adjust it if needed.
Remember that all of that aeration will cause your PH to go up.
Kim
I'm targeting around 30 for CYA to start out. I tested last night and it's just starting to show up in the test now... it's probably getting close to 10ppm. I have almost 3kg in the socks which are about 75% dissolved now.
FC is holding much better now... dropped from 10.5 to 9 overnight. Still have .4 of CC. Added more bleach this morning to keep the FC up, especially considering that the CYA levels are now rising.
I'm aerating on purpose to help lower my TA... I've added a 1.5kg tub of pH- over the last couple of days... TA is 150 now. Raining here today with brook water filling the last 12-14" of the pool... that should help dilute CH. pH test was 7.8 this morning when FC was at 9.
FC is holding much better now... dropped from 10.5 to 9 overnight. Still have .4 of CC. Added more bleach this morning to keep the FC up, especially considering that the CYA levels are now rising.
I'm aerating on purpose to help lower my TA... I've added a 1.5kg tub of pH- over the last couple of days... TA is 150 now. Raining here today with brook water filling the last 12-14" of the pool... that should help dilute CH. pH test was 7.8 this morning when FC was at 9.
Here's some information based on my experience in filling a pool with river water, brook water, etc. YMMV of course, every water source will be different.
I filled my 30,000 gallon pool with 1/3 river water, 1/10th well water, and the rest (effectively 2/3rds) from a running stream behind my house. Chemically speaking, the well water was very high in Calcium... I knew that going in and that's why I limited the amount of well water. The brook water still showed 200ppm of Calcium the one time I tested it, which is still high, but manageable. Other than Calcium, everything else was manageable.... but, the dirt...
I certainly saved money by not hiring a water truck (~$2000)... but if this were swimming season I would have had some upset swimmers while waiting for the water to clear... it's been two weeks now and it's just starting to get to the point of seeing the bottom of the deep end (about 8'6" deep). There was a lot of very fine dirt/silt in the river water... I am using a small sand filter temporarily until I install a big one next spring, using a Hayward S210T with a 3HP Pentair VS pump... yeah, the pump can definitely blow everything through this filter, but I've used slow speeds only while filtering. (was kinda funny when priming the pump and it went full speed... the water from the return jet in the picture below was going all the way across the pool and hitting the opposite wall, splashing into the air!)
So... pictures are worth 1000 words... here is the water after filling, and again after about two weeks of vacuuming to waste, 24h filtering, lots of backwashing... and, I'll add some of my experience with adding DE to the sand filter... it made an amazing difference! I have a valve and water tap on my return fittings, so I filled a glass with water before adding DE, and immediately after adding DE to the skimmer, it made an immediate and very noticeable difference in the water clarity being returned to the pool. I'm probably going to stick with a sand filter and just add some DE after every backwash next season.
My vacuum hose isn't quite long enough... pool grew during the construction phase, and I had already purchased a hose (probably was too short anyway, but the extra length on the pool meant that I couldn't reach the far corner of the shallow end at all)... look at the dirt that had settled out after a week or so... this layer of dirt covered the entire pool... this is just a spot where I couldn't reach with the vacuum!
I filled my 30,000 gallon pool with 1/3 river water, 1/10th well water, and the rest (effectively 2/3rds) from a running stream behind my house. Chemically speaking, the well water was very high in Calcium... I knew that going in and that's why I limited the amount of well water. The brook water still showed 200ppm of Calcium the one time I tested it, which is still high, but manageable. Other than Calcium, everything else was manageable.... but, the dirt...
I certainly saved money by not hiring a water truck (~$2000)... but if this were swimming season I would have had some upset swimmers while waiting for the water to clear... it's been two weeks now and it's just starting to get to the point of seeing the bottom of the deep end (about 8'6" deep). There was a lot of very fine dirt/silt in the river water... I am using a small sand filter temporarily until I install a big one next spring, using a Hayward S210T with a 3HP Pentair VS pump... yeah, the pump can definitely blow everything through this filter, but I've used slow speeds only while filtering. (was kinda funny when priming the pump and it went full speed... the water from the return jet in the picture below was going all the way across the pool and hitting the opposite wall, splashing into the air!)
So... pictures are worth 1000 words... here is the water after filling, and again after about two weeks of vacuuming to waste, 24h filtering, lots of backwashing... and, I'll add some of my experience with adding DE to the sand filter... it made an amazing difference! I have a valve and water tap on my return fittings, so I filled a glass with water before adding DE, and immediately after adding DE to the skimmer, it made an immediate and very noticeable difference in the water clarity being returned to the pool. I'm probably going to stick with a sand filter and just add some DE after every backwash next season.
My vacuum hose isn't quite long enough... pool grew during the construction phase, and I had already purchased a hose (probably was too short anyway, but the extra length on the pool meant that I couldn't reach the far corner of the shallow end at all)... look at the dirt that had settled out after a week or so... this layer of dirt covered the entire pool... this is just a spot where I couldn't reach with the vacuum!
I love how my pool looks after I put DE in my sand! It is like it is polished so I know what you mean.
The timing was right for your river water. Now to wait for spring!!!!
Kim
The timing was right for your river water. Now to wait for spring!!!!
Kim
Clearing up nicely... not crystal clear yet, but it improves every day. It's a little tempting to jump in now... just to say I did it in 2016... but this water is only one or two degrees away from being ice... I might wait until next year ;-)
I see the bottom!!! Nice job!
How are you going to fill it up the rest of the way? I forget why you do not use your house water....
Kim
How are you going to fill it up the rest of the way? I forget why you do not use your house water....
Kim
House water is very high in Calcium. My best source is the brook out behind the fence... I've had it full over top of the skimmer already, but I've vacuumed to waste several times now which has brought it down to the current level. I won't add any more water this year, it needs to come down just a bit more before I winterize. We get 4 feet of frost penetration here, and in a couple more months it will have 6 feet of snow sitting on it. yay. I expect it will be near full by Spring when it all melts.