Florida Pool Owner

[Ramirar]

My kids are bucking to get into the pool but I need to work on the water chemistry first. During the winter I didn't test at all but I did add a gallon of chlorine once maybe twice a week. So today I went out and tested my pool. The chemistry levels are definitely screwy like I expected. Here they are

FC - Nothing
PH - was like 8.0 if not higher. so I did a acid demand test (hopefully did that right) and I only needed one drop to get it back down into acceptable range. 7.4-7.6
Ta - 80
CYA - was nothing

Got a new variable motor for our pump and am learning how to work that. Its a Centruy V-gree165. If you have experience with this kind please and info you might have to help me know how to use it would be great!

Dealing with sand in the bottom of the pool. I in my newbie status last year didn't realize that you were suppose to do a rinse when you were done cleaning, and backwashing. I will start doing that. Any tips in this area would be great.

I'm also having issues with my gauge on the filter. I wonder if the deep freeze Florida had this winter messed it up. its all over the place.

I'm ready for you all to tell me what to do to get the levels back where they need to be. As of right now the pool is crystal clear, except for the debris on the bottom I need to clear out. Thank you in advance for all your wisdom.

Rachel

 

[mknauss]

I would suggest adding CYA via the sock method to get to 30 ppm.
Add acid to drop to 7.4 pH.
Add chlorine to get to and maintain at 3 ppm FC.

Once all that is balanced and the CYA is fully dissolved, do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. If that passes, then raise your CYA to 50 ppm.
Then follow the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] and add chlorine DAILY to maintain the target FC.

Take care!

 

[Ramirar]

I have some of the chlorine hockey pucks would that work for the CYA? or do I need to actually go get some cya?

 

[mknauss]

You need to add CYA quickly. The 'pucks' add it slowly. So you need the CYA powder.

 

[BasicTek]

Using pool math you will need to dissolve 20 8oz trichlor pucks in say a day to get 30 CYA, or use almost 2 gallons of liquid (that runs $30 - $40 a gallon at local pool stores) or dissolve 90 oz of stabilizer powder. I tend to use trichlor to up my CYA as well but that's to move it up 10 when I already have 60 CYA and my pool is only half the size of yours. If you don't add it quickly any chlorine you add will likely get eaten up very fast also wasting $$$

 

[mknauss]

2 - 4lb containers of CYA powder should cost you under $40 at Home Depot or Walmart.

 

[BasicTek]

I was thinking in bulk like $45 for 25 lbs. When I run out of pucks that's where I was looking

 

[mknauss]

You can do that too - would take me along time to use up that much.