New pool owner and need help

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sasanewpool said:
it has been a month of the pool story here are the latest test results (pool store)


cya: 21
tc : 10
fc: 10
ph: 7.4
ta: 104

here is a new picture of the water still can't see bottom and want to know if this is what it is suppose to look like if I am doing this right.
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On a kinder note, yes the 2nd pic does look better than the first. You are getting somewhere on the plus side. But, having accurate test results will get you to posting the pics of your neat liner much more quickly, at less expense. So many here on this site have had very poor results with inaccurate Pool Store testing, (taking in tap water for a test & employee telling them they have high CYA, etc. :roll: )

Which ever you decision you make or decide to follow, good luck. And, we do expect to see some final pics of your liner, with sparkly water.
 
From the pic, yes it does look milky/cloudy to me. If it was clear, I would expect to see some of the print on your liner showing through. The test kit your using probably measures only to 5 FC, or maybe only 3? You could try the dilution trick, mix 1:1 ratio of pool water and distilled water, then your FC level would show approx 1/2 of what it actually is. The FasDPD chlorine test in the TF100 will measure much higher amounts of chlorine, that's why we really try to press the value to new users that are unfamiliar with it.

The reason we like to know exactly where our FC levels are for shocking, (among others) are #1, to maintain enough FC to kill all the algea & organics without going backwards, lengthening out the process, & #2, making sure we don't have too high a chlorine level that can bleach liners. Your PH reading right now is not valid with the FC that high (guessing) & don't adjust till you know your FC is below 10.

Hope this helps,
Dave
 
Also, as a 4th year TFP'r, although I'm not an expert by any means, I sometimes I over estimate that newcomers to this site should understand some of these things already, even though it's a lot of new information to soak in, & usually in violation of what a lot of Pool Stores preach & try to sell.

So..don't be intimidated by any of my comments personally & feel free to make comments & ask questions. That's what this board is for..we're all here to help.
 
When your sand filter dies. Mine was 20+ years old and still filtered fine. Don't sweat the age of the sand.

Honestly there is one reason, if it gets scaled beyond recovery. But as long as your numbers are good, you won't scale your sand.

You need a good kit to test for CYA. And it's very important.
 
sasanewpool said:
How do we decide that maybe it is time to change to filter sand. I feel like until I get a real test kit how can I test for cya
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If you can tell us what your filter pressure reads on "filter" right after a backwash, & if the pressure rises & flow from the return into the pool slows down before you do a backwash, I think we can get a pretty good clue if your sand is ok. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the sand right now, & I don't think that's the problem. Also, make sure the pressure gauge reads "0" when you have the pump shutoff. If it doesn't fall to zero, you have a faulty gauge. Also, do you know how old the filter is?

I think I've read somewhere on here that some of the HTH 6 way kits at Wally World have a cya test in them, though I think you're limited to only a couple tests before you run out of regent. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I think that would be money wasted towards getting a TF100 if you plan on doing it soon. Only my opinion. Otherwise, you could trust the pool store's reading, but more often than not, they error out on that one also.

I wish I could give other ideas on what would help, & believe me, I do know (along with many others) what it's like to be staring at a cloudy pool for an extended amount of time. It's tough making decisions when running blind, so to speak.

Dave B
 

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:rant: Stop the presses everyone while I was at work yesterday my husband (who has done nothing up to this point) has listened to some friends and hits gone and purchased the flocc stuff and had the pump off when I got home I can't believe this now I have to start this process with the bleach all over because I a sure that by the time thus stuff causes more pain than it's worth ask the chlorine I had in the pool will be gone I have given him all control. I am at loss for words. Don't know where to start.
 
Take a deep breath..all might not be lost. Maybe he really thinks he is doing you a favor..??

But, that is kind of disappointing of him taking control, especially when he hasn't put forth effort till now. Some get lucky with floc, others don't. Usually it is one of the last things to try to get the pool clear, after the shock process is complete & your chlorine isn't fighting organics anymore. Maybe you will get lucky with the process. I've never saw much progress using it in 17 years my pool has been up. I haven't purchased any in the last 5 years for sure.

The methods taught here are sure fire for success. There are thousands on this site that can back me up on that statement. That's why we stay hard & fast to the rules for the shock process. We know it works.

I guess my advice is to continue on as best you can. Maybe others will have better words of wisdom.
 
It turned milky, you are on the right track. Dead algae is the cloudiness if I am not mistaken. I had that happen to my 18' round many years ago. Try to avoid the marketing tactics of the pool store. Algeacides, clarifiers, all those seem to cause more problems than they fix. Looks like you are on the right track now though.
 
Like the others have said, you need a better test kit. The better kit allows you to get a more accurate reading which tells you what you need to add to fix the problem, not patch it and cause other problems. They are not very expensive and will save you alot of money in the long run. I saved about 300 on startup chemicals for my new pool just by reading pool school.
 
As we were waiting with the pool turnrd off I can see the bottom of the pool and I see little bits of white stuff floating in the pool but once it was turned back on and got the water moving again I couldn't see the bottom I could vacuum some things out but other than that from what I could see the bottom was clean it was just those things that where floating around.
 
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