sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread, sometimes work gets in the way! I think I'm ready to shock this pool to 12ppm FC given my CYA reading of 30ppm and wondered about my CH of 388. I have 25 lbs of 73% calcium hypochlorite and 50-75 pucks (93% strength but it's not cal-hypo) on hand and I'm out of bleach. I've been using bleach since last week to maintain my FC level but it's more cost effective to shock with the cal hypo since i have it on hand and it's only a month old. Should I be concerned about raising my CH levels too much if I use this cal-hypo until it's gone? I'd like to use what I have on hand if possible without suffering ill effects. I'll post my numbers this evening before I shock so we can monitor progress. on a side note, what levels of FC in the water are harmful to swim in?
help me help myself. . .figuring out test results
- Thread starter jetcycles
- Start date
Yes, you should not use the cal-hypo in my opinion. Stick to bleach.
It is safe to swim in FC up to shock level.
It is safe to swim in FC up to shock level.
I agree, if your CH is already >350 then you want to skip the cal-hypo.
With your low CYA the pucks (presumably trichlor) would be okay to use, but they work slowly and aren't really useful for shocking. Go back to bleach.
--paulr
With your low CYA the pucks (presumably trichlor) would be okay to use, but they work slowly and aren't really useful for shocking. Go back to bleach.
--paulr
Thanks for the info. . .I'll use the trichlor in the floating chlorinator to slowly build the CYA level. I shocked w/ cal hypo prior to checking this thread since it's what I had available (attempting to gain 12 ppm) and tested an hour later. FC 15ppm CC 1 ppm TC 16ppm. I've brushed the pool 2x since shocking to try and beat (what I believe) is algae and try to brush away old organic stains. I'll stock up on 6% bleach tonight and use it from now on instead of the cal-hypo. How long will the cal hypo stay "fresh" in storage? I'll have to drain some water at the end of the season to attempt to patch a chip on one of my stairs caused by a rock thrown in the pool while it was vacant. If my CH lowers enough maybe I can use the cal hypo during the winter. Also, it's apparent my size (16000gal) or my scoop measurements were off, probably the latter of the two. I'll test chlorine levels again before bed to see how they're holding. I think I'm on the right track here. . .all b/c of TFP!!!
The cal-hypo should store long term if the container is well sealed and you keep it in a well ventilated but temp/humidity controlled environment.
Another topic that's been floating around in my head is replacing my bad secondary pump motor (is this the booster pump?) I have a magnetek B-121 that is bad and i can replace the motor for $150 + the cost of gaskets if I do the work myself. Will this allow me to run a robotic skimmer and decrease the amount of manual brushing and vacuuming I'm doing every week? I know I can maintain the pool as is but this will help for those times that I'm on the road for work. Right now my budget allows for a new cleaner and pump motor. . .
anyone care to take a quick look at this "stain" and give me your opinion on what it could be? The majority of my pool bottom is covered with these stains. . .I've tried the Trichlor puck crushed up in a sock for 30 minutes test and it didn't seem to have any effect on the stains. I'll try the vitamin c test saturday morning and see what that does. FWIW, most of the darker spots in the pool feel smoother than the rest of the plaster, could this be calcium scaling? If so, any reason it's only on the bottom of the pool? I have no idea how this pool was treated the first 15 years of it's life. . .I do know it had heavy leaf/organic litter after hurrican ike for who knows how long. I had originally assumed it was organic staining but regular brushing during shock levels have no effect nor did the trichlor trick. Is a jacks magic stain ID kit worth the $ or should I try something else? I would like to minimize these if possible. Now that I have a crystal clear water with proper chemical levels i would like to attack this issue!!! Thanks!
this pool is hard to photograph due to the abundance of sunlight and shadows. . .the "stain" in this picture is just off center beside my shadow.
this pool is hard to photograph due to the abundance of sunlight and shadows. . .the "stain" in this picture is just off center beside my shadow.
Try the Vit c tablet. Honestly the Jack's kit can be useful, but if it's anything other than Iron I don't know if you'll have success removing it anyway... but that's up to you. But before buying the stain id kit try the vit c first.
Fixing the booster pump will let you run a pressure side cleaner, not robotic and not a skimmer but it does help you reduce the amount of brushing and vacuuming you need to do. You also need a timer to turn the booster pump on and off and the pressure line from the booster pump to the pool needs to be intact.jetcycles said:
As usual, thanks for the information. I had already learned to live with these stains before I found TFP so they don't really bother me too much. . .I knew if anyone had any advice it would be this crowd. I'll try the vitamin c trick saturday morning and see what happens. My water looks, feels, and tests great thanks to the advice I've found on this site!!!!