New to pools / These are the results Leslie's gave me / Battling algae constantly

[CarlySD]

New to pools / These are the results Leslie's gave me / Battling algae constantly

Chlorine=10 (normal should be 1-4) They also can only measure up to 10 max.
Calcium=790 (normal should be 200-400)
Cyanuric Acid= 90 (normal is between 30-99)
Alkalinity=190 (normal between 80-120)
pH=7.4 (normal is 7.2-7.8)
No Copper/Iron
Total Dissolved Solids= 2500 (normal should be less than 2500)
Phosphates=1000 (normal is less than 100)


Leslie's has been selling me alot of:
Phosfree
Soda Ash
Fresh n clear
Muriatic acid


I am brushing the algae that builds up in the pool almost every day. When I brush and filter it goes away, but it keeps building up again quick! Its getting exhausting. Leslies told me my chlorine is too high and to turn it down. I added the phosfree and Muriatic Acid, and the algae is still coming back with a vengeance. I dont know what to do next and just starting pool school here. Another person at the pool store suggested I use this site.

Any input is welcomed!

 

[kellyfair]

There will be other more knowledgeable people here shortly, but first thing you need to do is buy a good test kit and test your numbers yourself, and quit buying stuff from pool store,

Link for awesome test kit: TFTestkits.net

You want the TF-100. And the Speedstir... Makes life much easier!

 

[Griswald]

And yet you keep going back and giving them your money...
Dont ever step foot in that place again, they are criminals.

Spend a little bit on a real test kit and learn how to use it and how to correct all the damage that (to borrow a Trumpism) Crooked Leslies did to your pool. You wont ever regret the decision.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Carly,

Welcome to TFP, you will love it here...

The first thing you should do is to thank the guy at Leslies who sent you here..

As Kelly has said.. The second thing you need to do is have an approved and accurate test kit.. While waiting on your new test kit you can read Pool School: Pool School

Here is why you need an approved test kit:

Before we can help you fix your pool problems, we need reliable test data from your pool. Pool store tests, or other test kits, do not provide the data we need to be able to help you. Look through some of the bazillion posts here and you will see what I mean.

We will need the following chemical levels, and the only way to do that is to buy one of the recommended tests. The tests are easy to do, and you, not the pool store, control the quality and accuracy of the tests.

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Each of the above tests are somewhat interrelated, so it is very important for us to have accurate test data. We do this by asking everyone to use the same basic test kit, so that we are always comparing apples to apples.

Here is a Test Kit Comparison: Test Kit Comparison


Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[lightingguy]

+1 Never enter that store again. They are selling you Soda Ash and MA at the same time!

Definitely spend some time in pool school. Definitely get a good test kit. It's the only way to arm yourself with the knowledge you'll need stop this cycle.


The test results you got look like they came from a drop based test - not a computer. That means they are probably almost reliable - but are never a substitute for doing your own testing.

In simplest terms - your CYA is too high. CYA sequesters your "Active" chlorine and protects it from sunlight. Unfortunately that also protects the Algae from your chlorine - so it's important to get the ratio correct. Really there is nothing more complicated going on.

As to your numbers :

Chlorine=10 With CYA 90 you'll need to bring this up to properly SLAM the pool.
Calcium=790 There is a lot of Calcium in our fill water - so this will raise with time. Its a slow process.
Cyanuric Acid= 90 Too high - this is the source of your algae problem. You'll want to drain some water to bring this down once you can test your own.
Alkalinity=190 Too high. Don't worry about it right now. Living in california you'll want to bring this down over time - high Calcium and high TA will cause calcium scale to form.
pH=7.4 This is fine
No Copper/Iron That's Great!
Total Dissolved Solids= 2500 Don't worry about this at all. TDS tells you nothing. Most of this number is salt.
Phosphates=1000 Phosphates are never important. Ever. Biggest scam in the pool business. Return the Phosfree if you can.

All of the numbers above can be managed - but if you can drain some water and refill it'll get your CYA and Calcium numbers down. Until you have a good test kit don't do anything except add liquid chlorine to the pool.