Yikes, free water testing!

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grrltraveler

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Oct 25, 2010
122
Temecula, CA
As you may or may not know from reading, I was recently having a problem with my filter PSI increasing dramatically. The water is foggy and although it looks better than it did, we decided to move our pool equipment last weekend and the project is not completed yet.

I have been testing the water religiously with my crappy little tester - chlorine is gone every day (tonight I will remember to add it after dark), Ph has been up and down. I took a water sample to Leslie's after testing it myself today and they pretty much came back with the same results I have which isn't telling me to do anything. I mean, the water is foggy for god's sake! lol

I bit the big one and purchased the TFT100 - should be here by the end of the week. I'm guessing the equipment won't be done until next weekend either. Is there something I can do to keep the water from getting less foggy in the interim? I know there is stuff going on in there I don't want to know about - algae etc - have a feeling I'm going to have a lot catching up to do once the equipment is back in. :(

Just wanted to vent since it is easier than panicking. No doubt many of you have seen something like this (or worse) before so at least you know what I'm dealing with.

By the way, is there a good recommendation of online vendors of different pool items? I'm probably going to need to replace my vacuum hose since the dog has tracked in so much dirt that my pool sweeper will take 100 years to clean up, as well as a few other standard items. Thanks!

Anne
 
Do you know what your CYA level is? If you have some CYA in the pool then your chlorine loss is due to organics most likely.

If that's the case you can bring the pool up to shock level and manually mix the water for this week. Keep the FC levels elevated you'll at least get a head start on the shocking process. Obviously there will be a bit of guessing - but you'll get a test kit in a couple days and at least not loose any ground.

If the cloudy is due to DE or something being blown into the pool from the filter issue, or calcium etc. - shocking wont clear that up.

Post your Leslies results and we can better guide you.

Either way - your TF100, the board , and a new filter will get you cleared up pretty quick. :)
 
Hi lightingguy,


My CYA level is 30
FC 3
PH 7.6
TA 80

I've seen the phrase "bring it up to shock level" but wasn't sure what it meant. I will take a look at the pool chemistry section and see if I can figure out what that is.

I think it's organic, not DE, but not positive.

Thanks for the help!
 
Hey,

So "Shocking" is when you bring the Chlorine up to a higher level so there is more active sanitation going on. You want to do this when you have active algae growing in the pool - you have to overwhelm the algae. Otherwise the algae will overwhelm the chlorine, and then continue to grow.

So in your case you can bring you FC up to 12ppm - because your CYA is 30.

Are you familiar with http://www.poolcalculator.com/ ? You can use the calculator to determine how much Chlorine to add.

If this is kinda new to you - spend some time in Pool School before you add any chems. Getting to grips with how the chemistry works will help make the whole process much easier.
 
Yes frustratedpoolmom, I have no circulation currently. Is there something I can do manually or does it need to be a nonstop thing?

Probably should have fixed the issue in the water BEFORE we started on the moving of equipment but DH is one of those people who likes to get started when it suits. :)
 
It's probably better to get the equipment moved first.

I think the question is - is it better to elevate the chlorine somewhat to try to keep the algae from getting worse while the pool is not filtering - or just let it go and take care of it properly when the pump is back and the test kit is in.

It's a bit of a judgement call - but if it were my pool I'd boost the chlorine a bit for this week while you wait.

I'd be curious as to moderators opinions on this.
 

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When hurricane Ike blew threw Houston, I was without power for 10 days. To keep up their pools, my neighbors were adding bags of chlorine powder and brushing daily. It kept their pools in good shape so the manual method can work but it's not easy. I did nothing and watched my pool turn into a swamp. I only did that because my CYA was well over 100. Since I had to do a drain anyway, I figured why fight it when I had plenty other to worry about then.

Good luck with your manual circulation!
 
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