Will some of you BBB masters backstop me please?

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gboulton

gboulton

0
Bronze Supporter
Apr 24, 2012
380
Nashville, TN
Hey BBBB (The 4th one is Bretheren)

Got a friend who's finally tired of being pool stored. He's got a ~ 16000g irregularly shaped IGP, vinyl liner, that he acquired with a foreclosure house he bought 2 years ago.

Last year, he argued and fought with it, spent thousands at the LPS, and eventually got it "clear" with a whopping giant dose of "shock" and then "maintained" it with pucks all year.

This year he's unable to keep it clear for more than a day or so...it just keeps "turning green", and he's already $300 into the LPS, and is tired of it. His most recent efforts have included dumping a bunch of stuff to "get rid of metals" and a boatload of pucks and shock into the thing, to no avail. He researched online and found out about "chlorine lock" and that's when he called me. :) He's seen our sparkly BBB pool, and decided he doesn't care what it takes any more, he's ready for a trouble free pool. :goodjob:

SO...I've offered to help. We started today by taking my TF 100 over to his place.

The numbers that matter:

CYA : 100+. My estimate is 120, but obviously the lines stop at 100, so i may be off. Tested this 3 times, came out right around 120 each time, so I'm pretty confident in this number.
pH : 7.8
FC : 8-10 - tested this 3 times as well, got 17 drops, 19 drops, and 21 drops the 3 times. I know very high levels of CYA and FC can make this test a bit flaky at times, so I'm going to go with 9. :)
CC : 1.0 (Really kind of expected this to be a bit higher)
Pool condition : Pale green, unable to see the bottom of the 4' area.

--------

Our plan so far :

1) Buy a TF 100. Not tomorrow, not when he got around to it, but tonight. Immediately, if not sooner. He assured me one would be on the way ASAP.

2) Drain 1/3-1/2 of the pool (I told him to drain as much as he felt comfortable draining without worrying about his liner, but no more than half, since we're not sure about the water table there) and refill. The goal here is to get the CYA down to 60-70 or so, where things are at least a bit more manageable. Heck, I'd even take 80.

3) Stop throwing things into the pool, dangit.

4) Starting Wed/Thurs, with a refilled pool and armed with a TF-100, we're going to learn the shock process, and shock this thing back to health snad sparkly goodness.

5) Send him to Pool School!

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So...2 questions for you masters?

First...am I missing anything? I don't think I am, but I want to avoid any gotchyas. :)

Second, I KNOW he's used copper-based algae treatments in there. What is our best plan of attack to address whatever copper may remain in the water?
 
I'm not an expert but I'm sure one will be along. Did you use the pool calculator to estimate the water replacement? Did you dilute your sample water with tap water to get a more accurate CYA reading?.......I might start with that to determine proper level of water replacement.
 
No... I think you about covered it.

Drop the CYA, adjust pH and go.

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AimeeH said:
I'm not an expert but I'm sure one will be along. Did you use the pool calculator to estimate the water replacement? Did you dilute your sample water with tap water to get a more accurate CYA reading?.......I might start with that to determine proper level of water replacement.
Click to expand...

In this case, no. To be brutally honest, I went in with the presumption that I would find a sky-high CYA reading...and I did. Knowing whether it's 120 or 130 really isn't going to change the plan of attack here...it needs to come down as much as is practical. Once the refill is done, I'll do another reading of course, and then adjust the plan from there if we decide it's still too high to shock with a practical amount of bleach.

Richard320 said:
Drop the CYA, adjust pH and go.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I did indeed forget to mention that we will monitor and adjust ph as necessary of course, using some pH up and/or dry acid, both of which he has on hand.

techguy said:
Drain as much of any muck in the pool out at the same time.
Click to expand...

We DO have that one thing going for us. He's run the vacuum like crazy, so the pool is about as "clean" as you can make it. No leaves, twigs, dirt, etc.
 
I agree the diluted CYA test would give you a little better idea of the true CYA level. But a 50% water change should put you in the ballpark ... or tell him to do two 1/3 replacements and that would lower the CYA by 55%.

On the plus side, replacing the water is also removing some of the copper. But, I am fuzzy myself on how to handle metals in the water beyond this: pool-school/metal%20stains
Although I think you want the water clear before you would do an AA treatment if required. Or maybe you should add the sequestrant before the shock process? Someone else will have to chime in.
 
Its a really beautiful pool...the whole house is gorgeous in fact. And the friend in question is quite the craftsman, so he's done many upgrades/refreshes/refurbs, to make it truly stunning.

I'm really quite excited about the idea that soon the pool will live up to the rest of the home, AND make his life easier at the same time!
 

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Personally, I'd be prepared to do two water replacements. I wouldn't really want to settle for 80 CYA; I'd prefer 50 for more manageable shock and maintenance levels, though I wouldn't feel bad if a single 50% replacement got me to 60.
 
If it were mine, I'd agree, Soupy. I'd shoot for 30-50 CYA.

In this case, however, let's just say that the friend and I are dealing with some...impatient family. ;)

So, I've suggested to him that this water change should bring CYA to at least something manageable...the 60-70 range...and then this fall, when closing, another one will get it down to a nice sweet-spot for next season.

Gotta work with what they give ya, man. :)
 
your near nashville, me too. with the fact you got 32" rain this year so far and a few inches the last two days alone.
have him run the vaccume to waste position and not through the filter every time it rains. he did stop using tablets right?
1; I just would add the bleach every day and brush the sides one day (just after adding the bleach)
2; add bleach the next day brush bottom.
3rd; add 4 or 5 bottles of 8.25% bleach run filter 24/7 a over night, rest it day 4
vaccume bottom to waste.
repeat until clean clear water.
I'm in Columbia....here you get charged extra for as much water you add to pool you are charged for
sewerage water treatment.
pool looks to be vinyl does it have a SWG?
if it is a vinyl pool do not drain it too far. the sides will come off the walls.
and I do not know how much shock you can add before the color bleaches out.
my preforeclosed home had a CYA of over 310 I had to over come.
 
eaamon said:
your near nashville, me too. with the fact you got 32" rain this year so far and a few inches the last two days alone.
have him run the vaccume to waste position and not through the filter every time it rains.
Click to expand...
He does.
he did stop using tablets right?
Click to expand...
Yes
1; I just would add the bleach every day and brush the sides one day (just after adding the bleach)
2; add bleach the next day brush bottom.
3rd; add 4 or 5 bottles of 8.25% bleach run filter 24/7 a over night, rest it day 4
vaccume bottom to waste.
repeat until clean clear water.
Click to expand...
We'll follow the shock process, testing regularly. :)
I'm in Columbia....here you get charged extra for as much water you add to pool you are charged for sewerage water treatment.
Click to expand...
Not my pool, friend's. :)
pool looks to be vinyl does it have a SWG?
Click to expand...
No, see OP
if it is a vinyl pool do not drain it too far. the sides will come off the walls.
Click to expand...
Have mentioned several times that pool is being drained as is practical.
 
You have a great plan. I'd like to see that CYA down around 50, but like you say, you gotta' go with the hand you are dealt.

His shock value with a CYA of 70 will be about 28 ppm so be prepared for him to flinch on that and you will have to coax him repeatedly to keep it there until his pool clears. People just aren't used to that. The reward will be stunning.
 
duraleigh said:
You have a great plan. I'd like to see that CYA down around 50, but like you say, you gotta' go with the hand you are dealt.
Click to expand...
Thanks man, appreciate the support. :)
His shock value with a CYA of 70 will be about 28 ppm so be prepared for him to flinch on that and you will have to coax him repeatedly to keep it there until his pool clears. People just aren't used to that. The reward will be stunning.
Click to expand...
I've prepped him for the fact he'll need "an unholy boatload of bleach"...but, at least it's better than "more bleach than your truck can carry" at 100+. :lol:

He ordered his TF100 tonight, so if you got one for somewhere in Middle TN, stamp it with a smiley face and mark it "Good luck, Scott!" ;)

techguy said:
I don't have this issue but I have heard that if you let the water/sewer district know you have filled a pool, they may wave the waste charges on the number of gallons used in the fill.
Click to expand...
Yep, they'll do that here where I am, once a year. Just note the starting and ending point on the meter, and they'll deduct the sewage charge that amount. Not sure if they'll do it in his community or not.
 

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