Newbie to the forum. Question about phosphates...

[bjc123]

First off, thank you so much to TFP for your Pool School and your PoolMath calculator and advice. I would have never known how much chlorine to add based on my CYA. I was having a whole host of problems and kicking my FC up to the levels suggested based on my CYA has got my pool looking amazing!

I read about phosphates in the Pool School. The local pool stealership tells me my phosphates are over 2000. I have a sweet gum tree that keeps dropping stuff into the pool, so I'm sure that is where those are coming from. I had a bit of algae, but now that I have my FC where it's supposed to be, no issue there. The kid at the pool stealership had no clue about the FC/CYA relationship and told me I needed FC at 2-3, when the chart says minimum of 5 for my CYA level. As a result, I question their knowledge and credibility.

What is the real story on phosphates and what should I do?

 

[gwegan]

Welcome to TFP

Phosphates are algae food. Its that simple. Pool Stores sell you phosphate removers tell you if they are present they will make Algae blooms worse. Maybe, maybe not.

So we ignore phosphates on TFP. The thinking is that if you keep your chlorine levels a in the correct range for your CYA the algae is all dead and so there is nothing to feed on the phosphates. The test kits we recommend don't test for it and we don't generally recommend products that contain phosphates or remove them.

There may be some very limited situations where you want to deal with phosphates but that is a controversial topic. There are several threads in the Deep End on the subject.

There are many on here who operate their pools with 8 to 9000 phosphates. Go read the Deep End threads if you are interested.

So go read the deep end threads, mossy around, go read pool school a and get one of the recommended test kits so you don't have to go to the pool store and listen to what else you need every week.. Its like talking to my ex wife.

 

[bjc123]

Gwegan, thanks for the advice. I have a Taylor K-2005C that my family in the pool business in Florida gave me. I went to the store to validate my results at first, as I was having trouble with the chlorine colors. My eyes struggle with the pink colors to distinguish between 5 and 7.5. I quickly figured out they don't know what they are talking about.

My biggest challenge is that my pool is around 44000 gallons, which means I have to put a lot of stuff in to move the needle. I was going to add Borax, but with the amount of Borax I was going to have to add and then the ton of muriatic acid I was going to have to pour in, I decided against it. The PoolMath calculator is awesome for the what-if's and once I figured out FC on there and how much to add daily, it's been great!

I'll check out the Deep End. Thanks!

 

[MarianParoo]

I suggest you get a Taylor K-1515C so that you can have a reliable tester for FC. There is no color matching involved. This is the same tester: TFTestkits.net

 

[Davejavu]

I was going to add Borax, but with the amount of Borax I was going to have to add and then the ton of muriatic acid I was going to have to pour in, I decided against it.

If you want borates in your pool, skip the Borax and use granular boric acid. You don't need muriatic acid, just add it straight. Pool Math will tell you how much to add. One of the cheapest places online to get it is Duda Diesel: https://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=boric

 

[bjc123]

I ordered the TFT Kit today and it's in the mail. It will definitely be better for me than trying to match the color on the scale. I appreciate the recommendation on that.

Of course my wife is wondering why I'm testing so much and people who have pool services just have their's looked at once a week. I had to remind her that the dufus who took care of my pool put 8 tabs of chlorine in the feeder when it went green before we moved in, instead of a liquid or granular solution. That put my CYA off the charts and actually steered me to here. I think once I get a feel for my daily FC use (it's been consistent), I can cut the tests back and know how much to add each day. It's certainly worth the time to have a great looking pool.

 

[MarianParoo]

It will be the envy of every non-TFP pool in your area!