Hello All -
I've had a fiberglass pool (with gelcoat) and a SWG for about five months. This site has been invaluable in getting started and my water looks good. I posted a few months ago when I just started, but I'm getting so much conflicting information!!!
Typical test results -
FC 1-4 (High in the a.m., low in the p.m., but see my CYA snafu below. It's gone five months with probably zero CYA, so hope that's not going to cause a long term issue)
TA is currently 80-90 - I've learned to adjust that upwards with banking soda as needed
PH 7.8-8 - this creeps up constantly - natural result of the SWG? Would my non-existent CYA up to this point result constantly rising PH?
CYA - zero when I tested, but added conditioner (my bad - somehow I thought sodium bisulfate was CYA, but I found my error and added conditioner today! Will shoot for around 60 CYA level)
Calcium Hardness -500-525
Salt ~3600 -pool manual recommends around 3200
Here a few conflicts I'm trying to sort through...
1) dry sodium bisulfate or liquid muriatic acid to lower PH? - Viking pool manual recommends sodium bisulfate. SWG manual says in areas with hard water (my calcium hardness runs around 500) NEVER use sodium bisulfate. Local pool store says never use muriatic in a fiberglass pool, but another local pool "professional" says never use sodium bisulfate. Who's right? I am having to add one or the other weekly to keep the PH around 7.6. Sodium bisulfate is certainly easier to handle, but don't want to damage fiberglass or burn out SWG prematurely.
2) Total Alkalinity -pool manual says keep it between 125-150, but forum says maybe 60-80. Is there a chance I will damage the fiberglass by going with the lower number?
3) Free chlorine - fiberglass manual says around 1-2 ppm is good-but i see recommendations of up to 4ppm. What's best for the fiberglass?
4) metal staining. Just recently appeared a few quarter-sized pale rust-colored stains in deep end. Threw some ascorbic acid tablet on the and they seemed to resolve, so iron? What the best sequestrant for fiberglass with a SWG? I have a natural rock water feature that may be added some extra mineral and/or metals as well.
5) Would I benefit by adding Borax?
6) What can I do to prevent scaling/calcium buildup on the fiberglass?
7) Has anyone tried Marine wax above the water line to keep the fiberglass protected and shiny? What has been your experience?
Thanks so much - I appreciate experienced input on any or all of my questions!
I've had a fiberglass pool (with gelcoat) and a SWG for about five months. This site has been invaluable in getting started and my water looks good. I posted a few months ago when I just started, but I'm getting so much conflicting information!!!
Typical test results -
FC 1-4 (High in the a.m., low in the p.m., but see my CYA snafu below. It's gone five months with probably zero CYA, so hope that's not going to cause a long term issue)
TA is currently 80-90 - I've learned to adjust that upwards with banking soda as needed
PH 7.8-8 - this creeps up constantly - natural result of the SWG? Would my non-existent CYA up to this point result constantly rising PH?
CYA - zero when I tested, but added conditioner (my bad - somehow I thought sodium bisulfate was CYA, but I found my error and added conditioner today! Will shoot for around 60 CYA level)
Calcium Hardness -500-525
Salt ~3600 -pool manual recommends around 3200
Here a few conflicts I'm trying to sort through...
1) dry sodium bisulfate or liquid muriatic acid to lower PH? - Viking pool manual recommends sodium bisulfate. SWG manual says in areas with hard water (my calcium hardness runs around 500) NEVER use sodium bisulfate. Local pool store says never use muriatic in a fiberglass pool, but another local pool "professional" says never use sodium bisulfate. Who's right? I am having to add one or the other weekly to keep the PH around 7.6. Sodium bisulfate is certainly easier to handle, but don't want to damage fiberglass or burn out SWG prematurely.
2) Total Alkalinity -pool manual says keep it between 125-150, but forum says maybe 60-80. Is there a chance I will damage the fiberglass by going with the lower number?
3) Free chlorine - fiberglass manual says around 1-2 ppm is good-but i see recommendations of up to 4ppm. What's best for the fiberglass?
4) metal staining. Just recently appeared a few quarter-sized pale rust-colored stains in deep end. Threw some ascorbic acid tablet on the and they seemed to resolve, so iron? What the best sequestrant for fiberglass with a SWG? I have a natural rock water feature that may be added some extra mineral and/or metals as well.
5) Would I benefit by adding Borax?
6) What can I do to prevent scaling/calcium buildup on the fiberglass?
7) Has anyone tried Marine wax above the water line to keep the fiberglass protected and shiny? What has been your experience?
Thanks so much - I appreciate experienced input on any or all of my questions!