Well...I'm sure this tale's been told on here countless times. We bought a house with a pool. We've never had a pool before. I've taken the cover off and now realize that I have a pit full of green water in the middle of my backyard that I have only the most basic inkling of how to address. Now, I've devoured a ton of info on here, checked the mechanicals, got the TF-100, got my levels, have settled on a rough plan of action for the BBB method, and I'm still left with a few questions.
First the basics:
First issue is the stubborn perfectionist that will be doing the work. He's prone to over analysis and wants things done right the first time.
Now, the patient. Located just outside of Boston, it's a 25,000-30,000 tank of a gunite pool built in the seventies in fair condition from what I can tell. No bottom drain, but two skimmers and four jets on one pipe loop. Hayward Swimclear 4025 cartridge filter and Hayward pump. Seems to have good circulation although the filter pressure is only at about 5-6 psi which I suspect is due to the filter cartridges needing to be replaced (I cleaned them as they were filthy and it looks like the plastic holes on the end have warped and failed which is letting water in decreasing the pressure). Tiny leak on the fitting on the out valve of the pump as well, but all can be addressed when I install a heater shortly. All in all, I was happy with what lay below the pool cover, and I have some replacement filter cartridges on the way.
Now, the water readings from yesterday after I pulled a noob move and dumped in three jugs of bleach...
Cl - .5
Ph - 8.2
FC - 2.0
CC - 2.5
TA - 110
CH - 240
CYA - 0
Now, I have the CYA arriving tomorrow, and I will buy a boatload of bleach and some muriatic acid on my way home today. I will be starting the shock process this week and herein lies my questions on the finer points...
1 - It is supposed to rain for the next couple days. Does this impact me at all? Should I wait for the rain to move through or can I use the aeration to raise my Ph back up if I wanted to drop TA? Additionally, what effect does rain have on pool chemistry?
2 - Should I just dump the CYA in by the amount on the pool calculator to bring it to 40-50 and have faith that it's in there? Also, does CYA decrease over time?
3 - Is it okay to go to work for the day during the shocking process or is this something ideally done on a weekend?
4 - Lastly, do I have the shock process correct - Add muriatic acid to fix Ph, add enough CYA to bring it to 40-50 based on the pool calculator, add enough bleach to bring FC to 16-20, keep adding bleach until it starts to hold and passes the OCLT?
Thanks in advance for any help. This is a great forum.
First the basics:
First issue is the stubborn perfectionist that will be doing the work. He's prone to over analysis and wants things done right the first time.
Now, the patient. Located just outside of Boston, it's a 25,000-30,000 tank of a gunite pool built in the seventies in fair condition from what I can tell. No bottom drain, but two skimmers and four jets on one pipe loop. Hayward Swimclear 4025 cartridge filter and Hayward pump. Seems to have good circulation although the filter pressure is only at about 5-6 psi which I suspect is due to the filter cartridges needing to be replaced (I cleaned them as they were filthy and it looks like the plastic holes on the end have warped and failed which is letting water in decreasing the pressure). Tiny leak on the fitting on the out valve of the pump as well, but all can be addressed when I install a heater shortly. All in all, I was happy with what lay below the pool cover, and I have some replacement filter cartridges on the way.
Now, the water readings from yesterday after I pulled a noob move and dumped in three jugs of bleach...
Cl - .5
Ph - 8.2
FC - 2.0
CC - 2.5
TA - 110
CH - 240
CYA - 0
Now, I have the CYA arriving tomorrow, and I will buy a boatload of bleach and some muriatic acid on my way home today. I will be starting the shock process this week and herein lies my questions on the finer points...
1 - It is supposed to rain for the next couple days. Does this impact me at all? Should I wait for the rain to move through or can I use the aeration to raise my Ph back up if I wanted to drop TA? Additionally, what effect does rain have on pool chemistry?
2 - Should I just dump the CYA in by the amount on the pool calculator to bring it to 40-50 and have faith that it's in there? Also, does CYA decrease over time?
3 - Is it okay to go to work for the day during the shocking process or is this something ideally done on a weekend?
4 - Lastly, do I have the shock process correct - Add muriatic acid to fix Ph, add enough CYA to bring it to 40-50 based on the pool calculator, add enough bleach to bring FC to 16-20, keep adding bleach until it starts to hold and passes the OCLT?
Thanks in advance for any help. This is a great forum.