Toad in the pool

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tamccain

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Jul 30, 2016
13
Arizona City, AZ
So, I have been really busy all week and haven't had the time I usually have to monitor my pool chemistry. So, yesterday I went out and checked the chlorine - it was 0 and I noticed quite a bit of algae growth in the pool. I have a salt cell, and the system has been running each night. My initial thought was that for some reason my salt cell was not working. I disconnected it from the plumbing and checked it out. It didn't really have any build up, but I decided to mix up a muriatic acid mix to clean the salt cell. As I thought, there wasn't much build up. It bubbled just slightly and then stopped. I put it all back together and got the pump running again. I decided to get some shock and get the chlorine level back up. I opened up the top of the skimmer to find a big Sonoran Desert Toad swimming around in there. Anyway, my question is - was that toad enough to throw my chlorine level all the way to 0? So far I haven't looked under the solar cover to see if there are other toads in the pool.

Thanks in advance
 
domct203 said:
Welcome.

The toad is not the source of your FC issue, it is the algae.

With algae, the SWG will not be able to keep up, and the pool will need a SLAM.

Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Can you post a complete set of test results? How do you normally test?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately i don't have one of those really nice test kits. It is on my list of things to get, and when the budget allows I will get it. I have one of the cheaper 5 way tests from Home Depot that has the Chlorine Test drops, PH, TA and 2 others I can't remember off the top of my head :). So, I have been testing my water all year and it has stayed pretty consistent at 2ppm for chlorine. I know that it is suggested to get it higher for the TFP system, but for some reason I just can't seem to get it there. The 2ppm has been enough to keep my pool clear and clean all year. This is the first time that I have had an issue.

I just put in this in-ground pool this year and I have some changes to make to the system for next year. I need a stronger pump, the one that came with the kit was not really strong enough, so I think I am not getting enough flow to get the chlorine level high enough from my SWG.
 
tamccain said:
Unfortunately i don't have one of those really nice test kits. It is on my list of things to get, and when the budget allows I will get it. I have one of the cheaper 5 way tests from Home Depot that has the Chlorine Test drops, PH, TA and 2 others I can't remember off the top of my head :). So, I have been testing my water all year and it has stayed pretty consistent at 2ppm for chlorine. I know that it is suggested to get it higher for the TFP system, but for some reason I just can't seem to get it there. The 2ppm has been enough to keep my pool clear and clean all year. This is the first time that I have had an issue.

I just put in this in-ground pool this year and I have some changes to make to the system for next year. I need a stronger pump, the one that came with the kit was not really strong enough, so I think I am not getting enough flow to get the chlorine level high enough from my SWG.
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Without knowing your CYA level & not being able to measure FC over 5 or 10ppm, it is next to impossible to properly take care of these issues.

While I understand the hesitation to invest in a proper test kit, it will save you time and money in the long run.

Can you tell me what your test kit does check? You may just need to add the FAS/DPD chlorine test to what you already have for now.
 
My test will do Chlorine up to 5ppm, Bromine, Total alkalinity, Acid Demand and PH. I am looking to order one of the big kits, I think it is like 89.99 on Amazon.

Here is my confusion - I had a great year with the pool. The Chlorine Level stayed at 2ppm all summer long and the pool stayed clear. Even when we had massive dust storms, I didn't have water quality issues. About a week ago I put the solar cover back on because it is getting cold at night. Now I had this algae issue. I used the solar cover at the beginning of the season with no problems, but now at the end of the season I'm having issues.
 
I wish I would have looked closer at the computer screen at Leslie's. I had them test the water a couple weeks ago and their printer was down so they didn't get me a print out. He said the water looked as close to perfect as possible. I glanced at the phosphates and the salt level and didn't pay close enough attention to the rest of it. I will take another sample to them as soon as I can.
 
tamccain said:
My test will do Chlorine up to 5ppm, Bromine, Total alkalinity, Acid Demand and PH. I am looking to order one of the big kits, I think it is like 89.99 on Amazon.

Here is my confusion - I had a great year with the pool. The Chlorine Level stayed at 2ppm all summer long and the pool stayed clear. Even when we had massive dust storms, I didn't have water quality issues. About a week ago I put the solar cover back on because it is getting cold at night. Now I had this algae issue. I used the solar cover at the beginning of the season with no problems, but now at the end of the season I'm having issues.
Click to expand...

Yes, look at the chart AimeeH posted to learn your needed range of FC based upon your CYN, which you will need to know. So its possible your FC value is too low for the CYN level you have. Or that CYN level is too low and the FC is burning off quickly. Or that the SWG is not being run enough based upon your water temperature and the amount of sun you have.

My originally installed SWG was undersized. It worked initially, but as the summer heated up (upper 90s) and I have 8+ hours/day of full sun, it could not longer keep up, even at 100% for 24 hours, so I needed to supplement with liquid chlorine.

As echoed, you need to get a good test kit so you know what is needed. I was lucky to find this site after only 1 store visit, so no major issues, and pool looks great.
 
tamccain said:
My test will do Chlorine up to 5ppm, Bromine, Total alkalinity, Acid Demand and PH. I am looking to order one of the big kits, I think it is like 89.99 on Amazon.

Here is my confusion - I had a great year with the pool. The Chlorine Level stayed at 2ppm all summer long and the pool stayed clear. Even when we had massive dust storms, I didn't have water quality issues. About a week ago I put the solar cover back on because it is getting cold at night. Now I had this algae issue. I used the solar cover at the beginning of the season with no problems, but now at the end of the season I'm having issues.
Click to expand...
The solar cover is not the issue, the issue is that your FC has gone too low to properly sanitize the pool.

What we need to understand is why. This is why it is important that you own a proper test kit. The kit you have lacks a CH test, will only test FC to 5ppm, and does not measure CYA, or stabilizer, which is very important to know as you proper FC level depends on it.

Also, most pool $tore testing is unreliable. I don't know if it's lack of calibration, going too fast, cross contamination, lack of interest, etc, but time and time again we see store testing that is incorrect.

If you have visible algae you need to SLAM the pool to kill it all or you will just continue to chase your tail as the algae wins the fight.

During a SLAM it is important to maintain your shock FC level (again based on CYA) for the duration. This will require multiple tests throughout the day for the first couple of days, and the lowest FC shock level is 12ppm with CYA at 30ppm (CYA / FC Chart) things you can't measure with your current test kit, or accurately with multiple pool store trips.

Please consider one of the recommended test kits.

Test Kits Compared

These kits contain a FAS/DPD chlorine test, which is accurate up to 50ppm, with 0.2ppm & 0.5ppm resolution. They also measure CC, CYA, pH, TA & CH.

Can you also please tell us about your pool. Is it inground, above ground, vinyl, plaster, fiberglass, etc. Tell us your pump & filter info also if you can. Put this info into your signature, this way it shows up in your posts.

Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

Welcome to TFP. We can help you get your pool sparkling, but you need to decide if your willing to invest in a proper test kit, and a few minutes of your time throughout the week. Ditch the pool $tore and take control of the care of your pool, nobody will do it as carefully as you.
 

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You will not regret it. Did you get the standard K2006 with the .75oz bottles, or the larger K2006C?

How does the water look? Is there still visible algae?

How many gallons is the pool?
 
I put the pool information in my signature, but it doesn't seem to be showing up. Maybe it will with this post.

I bought the standard k2006.

The pool is a 20k gal inground pool. There doesn't appear to be any more visible algae. I am running the pump 24/7 right now which might bite me in the butt when the power bill comes :). The pool looks nice and clear right now.
 
tamccain said:
I put the pool information in my signature, but it doesn't seem to be showing up. Maybe it will with this post.

I bought the standard k2006.

The pool is a 20k gal inground pool. There doesn't appear to be any more visible algae. I am running the pump 24/7 right now which might bite me in the butt when the power bill comes :). The pool looks nice and clear right now.
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I see the signature now.

Once you get your test kit and have a handle on the testing you should perform an OCLT to see if there are organics (algae) in the water.

How to perform the OCLT
 
Just to let you know. I got my pool tested at Leslie's & my pool was green & Leslie's always said my pool was fine in their testing until I showed them a picture on my phone. You REALLY need a test to measure your cya's because once you get that under control it will be easy to get everything else back to normal. I really love my TF-100 kit & use it all the time. My pool has looked better than I have ever seen it. Anything else you will only get partial results & a partial fix.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
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