hi all,
I just bought a house that has a 18,000 gallon in ground pool with a SWG. the previous owner kept the SWG running at 60% and let me know that maintenance was fairly easy and all he did was monitor PH and Chlorine amounts. thanks to this site, i know it's more than just that!
here were the first readings when i took some water to the pool store while waiting on my taylor K-2006C and 1766 kits to arrive.
FC - 0
PH 8.2
TA - 170
CH - 340
CYA - 0
Phosphates - 300
I tested my own Salt when I received the kit and it read 3400, which was also on par with the recommended amount for my SWG.
Of course, this info was very alarming but it explained the algae on the walls. after reading many posts, i got started with the Pools School links and began to focus on what needed to be done. I followed the 'Water Balance for SWG's' instructions and began working from there.
Using MA over the course of a few days, I now have:
PH - 7.6
TA - 110
I've also added about 3lbs of dry CYA in a sock in the skimmer basket which got me up to CYA - 50 (but I know that can raise and I should take another reading a week from dissolving)
My water is clear, except when i scrub the pool, in which it gets cloudy but the filter clears it up after a few hours. I've upped my SWG to 80% as well.
Questions:
Do I keep working on the TA to get it to 60-80 range by using only MA and raising my PH through aeration or should I get my TA down to correct levels and raise my PH back up with borax or soda ash?
When and how do I get my FC up to correct levels? I'm guessing my SWG can't make enough as the pool is in the sun the whole day and I had essentially no CYA until earlier this week. Bleach? Shock?
Do I just keep scrubbing my pool every other day to get the algae off the walls?
I just bought a house that has a 18,000 gallon in ground pool with a SWG. the previous owner kept the SWG running at 60% and let me know that maintenance was fairly easy and all he did was monitor PH and Chlorine amounts. thanks to this site, i know it's more than just that!
here were the first readings when i took some water to the pool store while waiting on my taylor K-2006C and 1766 kits to arrive.
FC - 0
PH 8.2
TA - 170
CH - 340
CYA - 0
Phosphates - 300
I tested my own Salt when I received the kit and it read 3400, which was also on par with the recommended amount for my SWG.
Of course, this info was very alarming but it explained the algae on the walls. after reading many posts, i got started with the Pools School links and began to focus on what needed to be done. I followed the 'Water Balance for SWG's' instructions and began working from there.
Using MA over the course of a few days, I now have:
PH - 7.6
TA - 110
I've also added about 3lbs of dry CYA in a sock in the skimmer basket which got me up to CYA - 50 (but I know that can raise and I should take another reading a week from dissolving)
My water is clear, except when i scrub the pool, in which it gets cloudy but the filter clears it up after a few hours. I've upped my SWG to 80% as well.
Questions:
Do I keep working on the TA to get it to 60-80 range by using only MA and raising my PH through aeration or should I get my TA down to correct levels and raise my PH back up with borax or soda ash?
When and how do I get my FC up to correct levels? I'm guessing my SWG can't make enough as the pool is in the sun the whole day and I had essentially no CYA until earlier this week. Bleach? Shock?
Do I just keep scrubbing my pool every other day to get the algae off the walls?