Brown spots
- Thread starter Belmonte4
- Start date
Welcome to tfp, Belmonte4 
Please read: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post
Please post what test results you have.
Also, if you can get us a picture showing the spots it might help, or a better description of where, how big, etc.
Please read: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post
Please post what test results you have.
Also, if you can get us a picture showing the spots it might help, or a better description of where, how big, etc.
Thanks for the response. My wife sent the message. Here is a little info about our situation. The pool came with the house we recently bought. It is only 6 months old, it is a 24ft x 52 inches approximately 13000 gallons. It has a sand filter with either a 1.5 or 2 horse pump not sure. They had a perma salt system installed. When we openede the cover this spring we noticed the water level was extemely low. We called the pool company tey came out and determined the liner had failed and replaced it. In the meantime I did some research on permasalt and read it was not very good so I removed it since we were starting out with fresh water. I saw your site and tried following your BBB system. It was working fine until this weekend I saw some dirt or so I thought on the bottom. I vacumed the pool and backwashed the filter and it seemed ok. Yesterday while skimming I noticed it returned and investigated further and saw that dispersed when touched. After some research I realised it was algae. I do not have a kit like you suggest yet. I am working with strips and the kit that came with the pool.According to them everything is fine except the ph was slightly low. The algae looks like dust bunnies and is not covering the entire bottom only on one side mostly. Hope this helps.
Welcome to tfp to you too then "husband of Belmonte4" :-D
That sounds like algae, but it could also be pollen. Can you get a sample? Algae will feel slimy.
If it is algae you need to do the shocking process.
Having an appropriate test kit will really make your pool experience more trouble free (and very likely cheaper in the long run). Many of us like the tf-100 since it has the best value (most reagents for the money).
:-D Belmonte4 said:
That sounds like algae, but it could also be pollen. Can you get a sample? Algae will feel slimy.
If it is algae you need to do the shocking process.
The strips are really useless (except for maybe ph), since they are often wrong more than right. What is the other kit you have?Belmonte4 said:
Having an appropriate test kit will really make your pool experience more trouble free (and very likely cheaper in the long run). Many of us like the tf-100 since it has the best value (most reagents for the money).
I just ordered the TF100, unfortunately they are backordered and won't be shipped until June 14. We have a basic test kit, it is similar to the basic one on the link attached to your response, it tests only chlorine and ph. I did shock it last night hopefully it will look better after work. Once i get it cleared up how do I maintain it. Is there a general rule of thumb, should I be adding bleach and the other items daily or weekly. We are true rookies at this.By the way not sure if our location matters but we are in North Carolina. Thanks for the quick response.
Looks like duraleigh beat me to the punch...
That sounds unusual, did you buy through tftestkits.net? They are located in NC as well and can probably get it to you in a day.Belmonte4 said:
That is better than the strips, but still won't get you a cya number which is needed. Check in with tftestkits and see how soon you can get a kit (if that isn't where you bought) and lets wait till you have a good cya value for the next step.Belmonte4 said:
I just received my test kit and performed my test. Here are the results : TA 80, CYA 35, PH 7.2. My chlorine is extremely high as I hav been shocking the last three days. Therefore I was unable to perform a Chlorine Drop Test. I have been shocking, back washing and scrubbing daily. According to my son who scrubbed today before I got home there seemed to be a improvement but there was still some visible.
The FAS-DPD test will read up to 50ppm of FC .... why can't you do this test are you really above that?
EDIT and clearly that is not the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS that we teach.
EDIT and clearly that is not the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS that we teach.
Since I didn't have a test kit I added chlorine, ran and back washed and brushed the pool to try and get rid of the algae. This is our first pool and we are unsure how to care for it which is why we joined the site. We started treating it before we came upon your treatment process.
Thanks all for your help. It has been a week since first noticing brown spots. I have shocked the pool and tested. I still have some lingering. Here are my test results: TA 80, FC 30 cc 0, cya 50, ph 7.2. I have added baking soda and borax to increase my levels using the pool calculator. How long should it take to clear them up? The water is crystal clear. I have been running and back washing the filter. I will try to post pictures.
Why is your FC so high? With a CYA of 50ppm, you shock level is only 20ppm.
Was the TA of 80ppm before you added baking soda, because that level was fine. Also realize that the pH test is not valid when the FC > 10ppm.
Was the TA of 80ppm before you added baking soda, because that level was fine. Also realize that the pH test is not valid when the FC > 10ppm.
According to the sheet in the TF 100 kit my TA should be between 100-120 this is why added to increase. My FC is high because I shocked before I had the test kit. What should my shock level be?
Take a look at this pool school article on recommended levels. Unless you are going to be a regular trichlor user (which we don't recommend) the levels 70-90 ppm for TA.
Per poolcalculator.com you shocking FC level for 50 ppm cya level should be 16 ppm.
Per poolcalculator.com you shocking FC level for 50 ppm cya level should be 16 ppm.
Ok thanks any thoughts on why it is taking so long to clear up? I tried to take a picture but could not get it to come out.
I performed the test, these are my numbers: last night FC 21.5 CC 0 this morning FC 18.5 CC 0.
That result calls for the pool to be shocked. There is an article in Pool School that will walk you through step by step.
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