First Time Pool Owner

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JoyfulNoise said:
Yes, for now bleach is best for your pool.

Since this is a new pool to you and not knowing how the previous owner cared for it, you can pretty much bet that they followed pool store advice and used a steady diet of trichlor pucks in a floater and dichlor shock powder regularly, both of which add CYA. If there is an inline chlorinator like a Pentair Rainbow 320 or something like it (looks like a big cylindrical tube sticking above the plumbing on the return side after the filter and heater), you should open it up (when the pump is off) and make sure there are no pucks in there either.
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Well let's just say I am shocked that the pool is in the shape it is in and not worse, the house was a foreclosure, then flipped, the flippers did not do much with maintaining the pool. I am assuming it would have been green if the water temps were much higher.

What do you guys recommend for adding bleach, such as amount and type of bleach, and how often with the levels I am currently at? And there is no feeder.
 
So I had some free time just now and the rain and clouds cleared up. Pump ran for about 4 hours today so far.

So I decided to give the testing another go

80 ppm cya no dilution
45 ppm cya with dilution x 2 = 90 ppm
Cl/Br still too orange to get a read
7.65 pH
Did not test hardness or alkalinity

4966808b9dedc193ba78ea12198fd239.jpg
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Above pics are CYA dilution of half tap half pool water. second pic from the top is hard to tell but figured id give uploading a pic anyway.


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Yep, you're probably right around 100ppm. That's not great for algae but you you could probably keep your pool relatively clear for a few months and then do a 50% and refill. Then you'll be at 50ppm which is perfect for a SLAM. You may need to raise the CYA back up to 60-70ppm after the pool is SLAMed clean, but that you can worry about later.

As for the chlorine test, honestly, don't bother with the yellow OTO drops. In my book, they are useless and tell you nothing more than if chlorine is present or not. They measure total chlorine (TC) which free chlorine (FC) plus combined chlorine (CC). So you could have a pool with no FC in it and all CC's and that test tells you nothing. Use the DPD-FAS titration test to accurately measure FC and CC and don't bother with the yellow OTO test.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Yep, you're probably right around 100ppm. That's not great for algae but you you could probably keep your pool relatively clear for a few months and then do a 50% and refill. Then you'll be at 50ppm which is perfect for a SLAM. You may need to raise the CYA back up to 60-70ppm after the pool is SLAMed clean, but that you can worry about later.

As for the chlorine test, honestly, don't bother with the yellow OTO drops. In my book, they are useless and tell you nothing more than if chlorine is present or not. They measure total chlorine (TC) which free chlorine (FC) plus combined chlorine (CC). So you could have a pool with no FC in it and all CC's and that test tells you nothing. Use the DPD-FAS titration test to accurately measure FC and CC and don't bother with the yellow OTO test.
Click to expand...

I still have to get a better test kit so that's currently in process. Home buying took a hit on the usual budget. I just want to still pay attention to the pool and not let it completely slide down hill.


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Rain (at least a single-AZ level winter storm) will have a minimal effect on your CYA. There may be a small reduction, but adding a few inches of water to a pool via rain and draining it off represents a very small exchange of water - especially when you're running 100ppm CYA or more.

Obviously, if you're adding no additional CYA, over time rain, splash out, and a little bit of burnoff (2-3ppm during hot weather) will slowly reduce your CYA, but it will take a very long time to come down to 70 or lower.
 
kimkats said:
I am going to share a set of links I put together for new pool owners. It is a LOT of info so take your time in going over it.

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thank you ! I'm not the guy to not speak up haha.


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As has been mentioned, another side benefit of draining and refilling will be to lower your CH as most AZ pools have sky-high CH (mine is at 1000ppm). So doing even a half drain will be a benefit. It also reduces the TDS levels which will mostly be salt in your water (yes, you do likely have a lot of salt built up).

But, first things first, get yourself a good test kit ASAP.


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Since my water chemistry seems to be okay for now except my CYA which I will work on in the coming months. But new issue.... my psi on my filter is slightly high, and I know it shouldn't be this high... 30-35 psi range.

As I stated in my first post I added water as my pool was blasting out large bubbles when the pump and filter turned on initially but thought it was a water level issue. Well that issue is still happening. There are air bubbles that are consistently blowing out of two of the three return jets and you can see the pressure is high on the return.

What I noticed was... the filter by the gauge looks like water is leaking and time to time the ground is wet by the filter and pump but not large puddles. I was aware that the aerator valve handle was broken and leaked a few drops here and there.


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Sounds like a few things going on. Good to get it sorted :)

Are there any bubbles under the pump strainer cover (clear cover) after the pump has been running for a while (say 30 mins)?

Does the gauge read zero when the system is off?

How long after the pump starts until the bubbles coming out of the returns stop?
 

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needsajet said:
Sounds like a few things going on. Good to get it sorted :)

Are there any bubbles under the pump strainer cover (clear cover) after the pump has been running for a while (say 30 mins)?

Does the gauge read zero when the system is off?

How long after the pump starts until the bubbles coming out of the returns stop?
Click to expand...

The large bubbles, maybe 10 seconds. Consistent smaller air bubbles continue while pump runs. No bubbles under the pump strainer cover. I will have to see what the gauge reads tomorrow. I can't recall if it shows 0 when off


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OK, and also the next thing is to shut off the pump after it's run a little while, and listen all around the equipment pad, and see where the gurgling starts, changes, increases or decreases as the system drains down. Also listen for any hiss where air is coming in.
 
needsajet said:
OK, and also the next thing is to shut off the pump after it's run a little while, and listen all around the equipment pad, and see where the gurgling starts, changes, increases or decreases as the system drains down. Also listen for any hiss where air is coming in.
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Definitely the filter gurgles and hisses bear the pressure gage and relief valve.

Cartridges were cleaned but might actually need to be replaced. How long do pool filter systems normally last?


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Getting your system sealed will stop air getting in which stops water from draining back to the pool and air bubbles coming from the returns. Each time it starts, the pump will prime and gradually evacuate the air. For example, re-installing the filter with some teflon tape, might be all it needs, or maybe new o-rings, silicone lube and tightening everything up. You'll have a better sense of that from the cleaning.

Having spare cartridges is handy, but they may just need some TSP or acid wash. They do occasionally need to be replaced, but should last multi years. There will be some other experts along that know the best to buy and how often they're likely to be needed.
Pool School - Maintenance and Cleaning of Pool Filters
Re: How to clean a cartridge filter
 
needsajet said:
Getting your system sealed will stop air getting in which stops water from draining back to the pool and air bubbles coming from the returns. Each time it starts, the pump will prime and gradually evacuate the air. For example, re-installing the filter with some teflon tape, might be all it needs, or maybe new o-rings, silicone lube and tightening everything up. You'll have a better sense of that from the cleaning.

Having spare cartridges is handy, but they may just need some TSP or acid wash. They do occasionally need to be replaced, but should last multi years. There will be some other experts along that know the best to buy and how often they're likely to be needed.
Pool School - Maintenance and Cleaning of Pool Filters
Re: How to clean a cartridge filter
Click to expand...

The cartridge filter was already cleaned about a month ago. Psi is 0 when pump is off. Now I think I may have found the culprit. The inlet pipe to the filter from the pump, I stared long enough and so a drop or two of water. What's the best sealant to use for pool plumbing?


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Good sleuth work!

If it's PVC pipe and solvent welded fittings, then you need to cut out and replace whatever is leaking. If it's from a threaded fitting, then you might be able to tighten or remove and replace with teflon tape. If it's from a barrel union, it could be a worn out o-ring or just the need for silicone lube and tightening. You can post a picture highlighting where it's coming from and that might make it easier to understand.
 
needsajet said:
Good sleuth work!

If it's PVC pipe and solvent welded fittings, then you need to cut out and replace whatever is leaking. If it's from a threaded fitting, then you might be able to tighten or remove and replace with teflon tape. If it's from a barrel union, it could be a worn out o-ring or just the need for silicone lube and tightening. You can post a picture highlighting where it's coming from and that might make it easier to understand.
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See above pic. It's leaking from the middle.


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OK, so it's dripping from the coupling. Good news is that it's above ground and easy to get at :)

Unfortunately there's no unions on the pump, or it would be super easy, but it's still pretty straight-forward to do PVC pipe fitting and fix that. Total materials is under $20. You could re-do the pump with unions at the same time for maybe $40 in supplies. Have you ever glued PVC pipe or electrical conduit? If not, happy to walk you through it. In a nutshell, you'll cut out the bad bit and reconnect with good joints. Or you could get a poolie to do it, maybe $100 to $200 depending who you know or if you can get mate's rates.
 

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