First Pool Opening - First Time Trying TFP Method - There is all of the algae.

[CSteen]

Last spring I paid a pool company to install a new vinyl liner and some other equipment, including a pump and some new plumbing, to get our out of commission pool up and running. It had been closed for multiple years prior to our moving in. I used what chemicals I found from the previous owner (a large bucket of large chlorine tabs) and shock + algaecide + baking soda from the big warehouse home stores. I had a couple of algae outbreaks due to poor circulation from not properly backwashing and probably other reasons. This year I want to do this right so I'm not under the thumb of a pool company that is difficult to get on the phone, and who I've found also grossly overcharges for parts. I think I can do this but I need guidance. So far the folks on this forum have been very helpful.

So today I uncovered the swamp.

I closed the pool myself using various tips from YouTube etc. Apparently there are some holes in my knowledge and also my pool cover (I patched the big one, but the patch came off).

I'm pretty sure that part of the issue is that the cover dips into the water and collects debris from the many trees around the pool.
See before picture here:

So now I need to know what my next steps should be. I've been reading a bit at the recommended links at the top of the forum, and I've ordered the TF100 Startup XL. I still need to put my filter back together and remove return plugs etc. I recently cleaned the filter screens with a hose and dryer brush per advice in another thread https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/135605-What-magical-tool-am-I-missing. I know I need to ad DE back to the filter, but at what point should I do that?

We've recently had a lot of rain so the water level is almost above the skimmer currently.

The tree situation:

Here's a shot of the equipment back in the murder trap / spider sanctuary:

Some notes: The valve next to the multi-port is currently duct taped in the closed position because I discovered via an expensive leak test that there is a leak in the vacuum line just behind the fitting, so it's capped off and I don't use it.

The pipe on the far left goes out the back of the shed and has a backwash hose attached which you can see draped over stuff to the right of the filter.

The timer doesn't seem to turn the pool on, and only occasionally turns it off, so I usually just flip it on in the morning and off at night. This is a little annoying, but one thing at a time.

So yeah, anyway, where do I go from here?

 

[Richard320]

This ought to be a fun transformation.

You're waaaaay ahead of most folks. You had it covered. So no heaps of soggy compost to get rid of, just algae.

You start with circulation and then a water test. If CH and CYA are acceptable, move on. If not, do your partial drain now before you waste a lot of chemicals. Then you set the pH and start with the bleach. It's all laid out in the SLAM Process article. If you want step-by-step instructions, post up some test results. And keep those pictures coming. You could end up in Recovering my old inspirational links

 

[CSteen]

Hey Richard, thanks for giving me a place to start! I'll familiarize myself more with that SLAM article and post results once my test kit arrives. Should I get the pump turned on and add the DE back via the skimmer? Also, is it worth my time to try to get more than leaves and surface debris out? Should I bother plumbing the murky depths with my net before I start adding chlorine?

 

[Richard320]

Hey Richard, thanks for giving me a place to start! I'll familiarize myself more with that SLAM article and post results once my test kit arrives. Should I get the pump turned on and add the DE back via the skimmer? Also, is it worth my time to try to get more than leaves and surface debris out? Should I bother plumbing the murky depths with my net before I start adding chlorine?

Yes and yes. The more you remove early, the less the bleach has to deal with. It will go faster.

 

[CSteen]

Once I skim and get things running again, how long should I let it run before testing and adding chemicals?

 

[Richard320]

Once I skim and get things running again, how long should I let it run before testing and adding chemicals?

Half an hour should be adequate, especially if you make a few passes with the brush to get some cross-currents going. It's like mixing Koolaid but on an enormous scale.

 

[gboulton]

I won't propose to suggest anything beyond Richard's excellent advice...he's a master.

I just want to jump in and say : Have faith. It WILL work!





More details if you're curious.

 

[Richard320]

I won't propose to suggest anything beyond Richard's excellent advice...he's a master.

Nonsense. You just did it. You know as much as me about SLAMming now. You can walk anyone through it as well as I can. I probably just type faster.

I just want to jump in and say : Have faith. It WILL work!

View attachment 62242

View attachment 62243

More details if you're curious.

 

[gboulton]

Nonsense. You just did it. You know as much as me about SLAMming now.

You are too kind...and quite possibly delusional.

 

[Pyrodav]

Hello, You could start looking for the cheapest 10% bleach or higher.

 

[CSteen]

Thanks for the tip. I skimmed the thread about it, but haven't checked in my area yet. know of any southeastern US chain stores I should look into if I don't find a local deal?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You know in our neck of the woods you could always skip closing the pool. We just don't get enough freeze days to worry about. If you want to cover it you can set the pump to run an hour or so per day and once you cover it the chlorine sticks around a long time in cold weather. Just open a corner up now and then and test/treat as needed during "the winter".

Maddie

 

[gboulton]

know of any southeastern US chain stores I should look into if I don't find a local deal?

Many ACE Hardware stores in and around TN and KY carry it, wouldn't shock me if some in SC did as well.

 

[CSteen]

Been doing a lot of reading through the forum. Very useful stuff.

It got me thinking, though. Would it make sense to vacuum as much of that algae to waste as possible before I recharge my de filter? Then add water back, get things circulating, and then test cya? I'm worried about clogging things up with algae.

Btw got my tf-100 kit today.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Clearing a green pool with a DE filter is a PITA but you'll just have to bite the bullet and muscle your way through it. When you backwash and recharge, only use about half the recommended amount as backwashing never removes all the DE. It'll also help you to keep the filter from clogging up as fast.

There are non-conventional methods of acid & chlorine bombing the pool followed up by floc and vacuuming to waste but it is not for the pool novice to do as you can easily destroy a liner doing it. Since your liner is new and you want to learn the most about caring for your pool, follow the SLAM process and you'll be a pool pro in no time.

Good luck to you.

By the way, did you buy the TF-100 with XL option and a SpeedStir?? If not, you're going to at least need the XL option or else you're going to run out of reagents.

 

[x2rider]

I don't know if you have an Atwood's in your area, but they have a great price on 10% bleach right now

 

[CSteen]

So is my idea about vacuuming to waste impractical? Does it make more sense to just start filtering with half the normal de and watch my pressure and backwash when needed?

I did get the XL and SpeedStir, so hopefully I'm covered for reagents.

Still need to buy bleach. I currently have no real concept of how much I'll need, but I imagine my CYA test will let me know. X2rider, thanks for the tip but the closest Atwoods is about 550 miles away. May have to look elsewhere.

 

[drharris]

So is my idea about vacuuming to waste impractical? Does it make more sense to just start filtering with half the normal de and watch my pressure and backwash when needed?

I did get the XL and SpeedStir, so hopefully I'm covered for reagents.

Still need to buy bleach. I currently have no real concept of how much I'll need, but I imagine my CYA test will let me know. X2rider, thanks for the tip but the closest Atwoods is about 550 miles away. May have to look elsewhere.

Yes, vacuum to waste if you can. Unfortunately it probably won't make a huge difference, since your pool was covered. Vacuuming to waste is a great way to get rid of junk, but algae itself tends to just blow around when vacuuming. You'll get some of it, but not all. So, it's worth a shot, just realize mileage may vary. It helps most in the early stages.

As far as stores in this area, Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace are some good bets. Pool stores may or may not have good deals on bleach. I've found grocery stores like Ingles and Bi-Lo to sometimes be worth it (concentrated 8% stuff). Learn to calculate the cost per ounce of actual chlorine (cost/(volume * concentration)), and explore. With weekly sales it changes regularly from store to store, just learn to read date codes to get the freshest stuff possible. Walmart is sometimes used a lot solely because they churn through a lot of product, so you'll likely get fresh stuff and the price is pretty stable.

 

[richie0701]

If there's a Namco in your area they were selling 12.5% for 2.99/Gal on Monday.

 

[CSteen]

I got things up and running with half DE (about 1.8lb of the recommended 3.7lb). I think I may have mixed it too thin. I added the powder to about 2/3 of a big Home Depot utility bucket. Will this affect how it coats my grids?

Here's my starting pressure of about 15psi.

Going to let it run for a bit and then do my CYA test. Then I'll make a run to ACE to see what their bleach situation looks like.