Newbie needs advice

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DerekHayden

0
Jun 28, 2016
34
Houston, TX
Just closed on house yesterday and spent the evening replacing filters and installing new gauge onto my pump. The filters have been trashed since our first walk through about 3 weeks ago so this needed to be done first. The previous homeowner had a pool service but decided to cancel it once the offer was in. Surprisingly the pool doesn't look as horrible as I thought it would with the condition of the filters. I am hoping running it 24 hours straight with new filters will solve most of my smaller debris issues. She has a auto chlorinator which I am assuming was loaded in the last service and never messed with again. I will not be using this for now unless I need to...thoughts? Being this is the first time I tested this pool with a "real" test I need some advice on my numbers. I used the pool math and it told me what chemicals to add and it seemed reasonable I just wanted to see what you all thought. I am not 100% sure of volume of pool, should have this morning from previous owner. I am guessing it is around 15,000 from measurements.

FC = 0
CC = no chlorine so could not test
pH = 7.0
TA = 30
CH = 200
CYA = Dot never disappeared but could have easily been user error.

Overall the pool has some debris and I swept the sides but doesn't look in to bad of shape. The Polaris 280 that came with the pool didn't seem to be running well so I turned it off. I will manually vacuum after work today. I have a Hayward 2hp Pump that she leaves running 24 hours a day all through the summer. I am assuming I can cut this down using the Pump Time section of this forum and will begin this process once pool is clear. To me running 24 hours a day seems a bit extreme....thoughts?

Any advice would be appreciated especially since I have 3 girls that I may not be able to keep out of this pool on a holiday weekend no matter whats swimming in there with them.

Cheers,
Derek
 
Hi Derek and welcome to TFP! :wave: Based on your description I'm assuming the water, while not all that bad, is a bit cloudy/hazy or shows some signs of algae? If that's true, then you'll want to follow the "SLAM" page (link below). Once you have as much of any larger debris removed manually and ensure the equipment is operating fine, Add stabilizer for an initial target of 30 and raise FC to "12" and maintain it. The pump will remain on 24/7 during the SLAM. Clean the filter when pressure rises about 25% from the clean/baseline point. Your pH is already good for now. Follow all the instructions on the SLAM page and you'll be fine. After the SLAM, we can fine-tune your levels and address any other concerns you may have.

Good luck!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, use regular bleach for the FC like HEB's "Bravo" or Wal-Mart's "Great Value". For the CYA ...
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. Squeeze the sock periodically to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.
Click to expand...

- - - Updated - - -

Derek, your TA is a bit low for my comfort, so go ahead and add some baking soda to raise it to about 50 for now.
 
Yes you are correct the pool seemed a little cloudy and I did have to sweep the sides pretty good. The pool looked great last week so I am hoping it won't take much to get it back to good again. I am looking forward to using the BBB method this time around on my pool. I appreciate your advice on all of this. Is there any certain amount of time I should keep my kids out of the pool while doing this process? Being close to 100 degrees here in Houston and a holiday weekend I may just need to move out until this pool is clean if I have to tell my wife and kids they cant swim for a week :confused:

Also is there a brand of Stabilizer that is preferred?

Cheers,
Derek
 
I usually look for stabilizer at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, or Home Depot pool sections. It should say "Stabilizer or Conditioner" as the main ingredient is "Cyanuric Acid", HTH brand is popular around those places, but as long as it's cyanuric acid you're okay. As for swimming, you currently have no stabilizer (CYA) so wait just a short bit. That stabilizer not only protects the FC from the sun's UV, but it also serves as a buffer to the pool and swimmers from the chlorine. With no CYA, chlorine is more harsh.

What you could do for right now (sanitation purposes) is add only enough bleach to increase FC to about 3 ppm (at first). Then get that sock soaking right away to dissolve the stabilizer. Squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate. Once it's all gone, increase your FC to 12. From there, as long as your FC doesn't exceed your required SLAM level of 12 it's okay to be in the water.
 
OK, I was able to get pool to where you suggested to make it through the holiday weekend. Below are my numbers for this morning. The pool is clear and clean so am I correct and ok just following the pool calculator to get my numbers to where they are recommended now?

FC = 1.6 ppm
CC = 1.2 ppm
pH = 7.6
TA = 100
CH = 130
CYA = 30
 
No worries and good luck- just ask if you have questions.

Oh just thought that I would mention that you can use use the 10ml sample for the FC and CC tests where each drop is 0.5- precise enough for TFP purposes. Keep in mind you may go through your FAS DPD testing chemicals quickly so may need to consider organising some refills before running out in the middle of your SLAM. Try
tftestkits.net

Unfortunately the K-2006 doesn't supply enough of these chemicals.
 

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For those of us who work- a good routine is to test and add when you get up, another just before you go to work if enough time allows and elapses, then as soon as you get home from work and then before you go to bed. You can only do what is possible- if your SLAM goes into the weekend it might give you a couple more opportunities. The key is to stay on top of it the best you can by keeping your FC up.
 
Last night about 9 pm. I put 3 gallons of bleach in my pool because I figured it would be better to do once sun was down. According to pool math that should have brought my FC to well over 12 . Unfortunately my daughter got sick so I was unable to test closely after adding it. When I ran my test this morning which was only about 8 hours after adding the bleach my FC = 2 and CC=2. I am not sure how if in fact the bleach did bring it up to the levels it should how I lost that much chlorine over night. I am going to clean my filters again today and continue but this is definitely frustrating to see no real change. The pool does look really good and if it weren't for my high CC levels I probably wouldn't be too worried. I also need to find a better outlet for my bleach cause dumping several gallons of bleach in my pool at $4 a gallon everyday is making my wife want me to go to a pool store......which I refuse to do.
 
There is no need to go that far over SLAM levels. To go from 0 to 12 FC you don't even need 2 full bottles*. That's one way to stop wasting bleach.

How often are you testing and adding chlorine?

* of 10%. If 8.25 it's slightly over 2 bottles.
 
Over the long weekend I was testing every few hours and was adding at least once a day sometimes twice normally a gallon a time following pool math and my numbers have never hit 12. I figured this was because of my CYA of 0 upon taking ownership of the pool. Once I got my CYA up to 30 I figured this would slow down. Instead I now have my CC testing equal to my FC. I put in brand new filters on Friday so I didn't think that would be an issue. I can really only realistically test a couple times a day during the week. I can test more often after work of course.
 
Despite how much time I spend on this website, I work too so I understand. If you can hit it first thing in the morning, as soon as you get home and then once more before bed that would be "enough".

Test and only add what you need to get to 12 FC. The more you can keep it around 12, the quicker it will go.
 
Mr Bruce has got you sorted.

Your CC's are indicating you have something consuming your chlorine and highly likely the reason you are finding it difficult to hold a higher FC level. The key is to maintain this level as much as you possibly can. As mentioned, you don't want to go over that mark too much as it will definitely waste your chlorine.
 
On another front I have a spa that overflows into the pool and it has only ever done this once. It seems like the spa water keeps getting lower to pool level when the pump isn't running so this doesn't function. Am I correct to assume that this may be something wrong with a valve or possibly just air in the lines from when I cleaned the pump basket? I am going to be running my pump 24/7 during my slam so hoping it will start to work again.
 

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