First off I'm sorry if this is not the place to post this. I have questions along the same line as the topic but only found a place to post a reply.
Split post and sent PM to explain. Butterfly
I found your web-site on another site that I was reading about BBB. I have read on that site for a couple of days now. But am sorry to say I haven't got a chance to read as much here. First I would like to thank you for making it available.(and yes I am a lifetime member now) I know I will spend many hours here!
I have issues with my pool that I think you may be able to help with. First I will let you know the readings that I got on my testing. I am using a HTH 5 in 1 test kit but will order a better one tomorrow.
My total alkalinity is 270
pH is 7.5
CYA is 100
Hardness is 150
Total clorine is 3
YUCK! yes I know this is all way off. I have a salt water generator on the pool running full strength. My pump is running 24/7 and has been for as long as I can remember. (We have had the pool 13 years or so) I do turn it off for the months of Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March, and back on in April.
Every year when I turn the pump back on the water is green. My neighbor has cypress trees about 20 feet from my pool than drop stuff into it all the time. So this year (before I ever heard about BBB) I went to Sam's Club and purchased 6 gal. of Clearon Poolbrand 40 algaecide. I put all 6 gal in at one time. My water turned very milky. So I put 10 puck tablets in my skimmer basket. It didn't clear up completely but was starting to look much better. So then I got a pool man to come over and look at it. He tested the water and the alkalinity was VERY low. I don't remember if it even read on the color scale. So he told us to add Baking Soda to the pool. He said to start with 3 - 12 pound bags and continue to put 3 -3" puck tablets in the skimmer basket. He came and tested again in a couple of days and alkalinity was still low but was at least showing. Had us add a couple more 12 lb. bags and keep adding chlorine via puck tablets in the skimmer. He came back to test the water in a couple of days now the Alkalinity was 7.2 but the chlorine was at the top of the color chart which only went to 5. Told us to quit putting chlorine for a couple of days. The water was starting to look clear. We could see the bottom in the deep. Maybe just a slight (very slight) cloudy. That only lasted one or two days then the steps and skimmer stuff all turned a tea color. And I noticed a slight green tint in the deep. So I started putting 3 or 4 puck tablets in the skimmer basket again. Then I decided to do a web search to see if I could find anything that could help me. For years my husband had been telling me the places that sell pool chem. and test the water only want you to buy their products. One year they told me that I needed to add 150 lbs of something to make my calcium in my pool go up. (I have a vinyl pool liner) They told me that if I didn't get the calcium up that when we swim in the pool it would take calcium from us. I thought this was odd but bought the stuff and put it in the pool. That was the last time my husband let me go back to that place.
After finding a similiar web site I read about BBB and really was liking what I was reading. It was saying what my husband believed and really made sense to me. So this morning I tested the water with my 5 in 1 HTH test kit and got the results that I posted earlier. The only difference is it didn't show any chlorine at all. So I first put 9 gallons of 5.25% bleach. I retested the water about 90 minutes later and it showed a total clorine reading of 3. So with my CYA so high I waited until after sundown and put 3 more gallons of bleach. But it was too dark to test. (sorry) Also I started areating the pool around 2:30 this afternoon. My water temp at that time was 90 degrees.
The pool is still green and steps are still brown. (of course I did nothing to change that) Do I need to get the number down before I put more chlorine?? The instructions that came with my saltwater chlorinator says to keep Free Chlorine at 0.5 - 1.0, pH at 7.2 -7.6, Total Alkalinity at 80 - 120, calcium hardness at 200 - 400, Stablizer at 50 - 80 and phosphates <100.
I will be ordering a better test kit along with the strips that test the salt level. But can't stand to look at a green pool. But I will gladly take any advise given :-D I will continue to test and post my results. But how often do test after I add bleach to see if it indeed brings the numbers up. I know I read to test 3 times a day. Morning, noon and evening. But does that include if I want to see if the chlorine is going up?
Thanks for all your help!
Ramona
ps I have already downloaded the app for my iPhone that converts everything for me. Great job to who ever developed that app
Split post and sent PM to explain. Butterfly
I found your web-site on another site that I was reading about BBB. I have read on that site for a couple of days now. But am sorry to say I haven't got a chance to read as much here. First I would like to thank you for making it available.(and yes I am a lifetime member now) I know I will spend many hours here!
I have issues with my pool that I think you may be able to help with. First I will let you know the readings that I got on my testing. I am using a HTH 5 in 1 test kit but will order a better one tomorrow.
My total alkalinity is 270
pH is 7.5
CYA is 100
Hardness is 150
Total clorine is 3
YUCK! yes I know this is all way off. I have a salt water generator on the pool running full strength. My pump is running 24/7 and has been for as long as I can remember. (We have had the pool 13 years or so) I do turn it off for the months of Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March, and back on in April.
Every year when I turn the pump back on the water is green. My neighbor has cypress trees about 20 feet from my pool than drop stuff into it all the time. So this year (before I ever heard about BBB) I went to Sam's Club and purchased 6 gal. of Clearon Poolbrand 40 algaecide. I put all 6 gal in at one time. My water turned very milky. So I put 10 puck tablets in my skimmer basket. It didn't clear up completely but was starting to look much better. So then I got a pool man to come over and look at it. He tested the water and the alkalinity was VERY low. I don't remember if it even read on the color scale. So he told us to add Baking Soda to the pool. He said to start with 3 - 12 pound bags and continue to put 3 -3" puck tablets in the skimmer basket. He came and tested again in a couple of days and alkalinity was still low but was at least showing. Had us add a couple more 12 lb. bags and keep adding chlorine via puck tablets in the skimmer. He came back to test the water in a couple of days now the Alkalinity was 7.2 but the chlorine was at the top of the color chart which only went to 5. Told us to quit putting chlorine for a couple of days. The water was starting to look clear. We could see the bottom in the deep. Maybe just a slight (very slight) cloudy. That only lasted one or two days then the steps and skimmer stuff all turned a tea color. And I noticed a slight green tint in the deep. So I started putting 3 or 4 puck tablets in the skimmer basket again. Then I decided to do a web search to see if I could find anything that could help me. For years my husband had been telling me the places that sell pool chem. and test the water only want you to buy their products. One year they told me that I needed to add 150 lbs of something to make my calcium in my pool go up. (I have a vinyl pool liner) They told me that if I didn't get the calcium up that when we swim in the pool it would take calcium from us. I thought this was odd but bought the stuff and put it in the pool. That was the last time my husband let me go back to that place.
After finding a similiar web site I read about BBB and really was liking what I was reading. It was saying what my husband believed and really made sense to me. So this morning I tested the water with my 5 in 1 HTH test kit and got the results that I posted earlier. The only difference is it didn't show any chlorine at all. So I first put 9 gallons of 5.25% bleach. I retested the water about 90 minutes later and it showed a total clorine reading of 3. So with my CYA so high I waited until after sundown and put 3 more gallons of bleach. But it was too dark to test. (sorry) Also I started areating the pool around 2:30 this afternoon. My water temp at that time was 90 degrees.
The pool is still green and steps are still brown. (of course I did nothing to change that) Do I need to get the number down before I put more chlorine?? The instructions that came with my saltwater chlorinator says to keep Free Chlorine at 0.5 - 1.0, pH at 7.2 -7.6, Total Alkalinity at 80 - 120, calcium hardness at 200 - 400, Stablizer at 50 - 80 and phosphates <100.
I will be ordering a better test kit along with the strips that test the salt level. But can't stand to look at a green pool. But I will gladly take any advise given :-D I will continue to test and post my results. But how often do test after I add bleach to see if it indeed brings the numbers up. I know I read to test 3 times a day. Morning, noon and evening. But does that include if I want to see if the chlorine is going up?
Thanks for all your help!
Ramona
ps I have already downloaded the app for my iPhone that converts everything for me. Great job to who ever developed that app