Just discovered Pool School - Need Advice

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Brennan

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Jul 7, 2013
11
Palm Springs
I'm new here. I just found TFP and I'm trying to get up to speed as quickly as possible, please understand.

I need help. I bought a house with a pool and thought it would be so easy to take care of it. Well, it might be easy, but not for me, at least not so far. When I moved in I fired the Pool Guy because I wanted to handle it myself. I have to be honest, I neglected testing and maintenance for two months. Then I found out that my Chlorine went to zero and I have an outbreak of what I think is black algae.

I've been going to Leslie's Pool and getting all kinds of advice, but I just have a feeling that the right thing to do is take control of this now, and start a dialogue here, where I will feel much more comfortable with the advice that is offered.

Here are today's test results from Leslie's:

FAC 6.0
TAC 6.0
Salt 3300
CH 450
CYA 100
TA 90
pH 8.0
Acid Demand 1
Copper 0
Iron 0
Pho 100

I have been trying to stop the black algae from getting worse. I set my SWG to super-chlorinate and ran it non-stop for the past two days, after cleaning the cell because it stop working due to calcium build-up. I have been brushing the algae spots a few times per day with a wire brush, and I shocked the pool overnight Sunday July 7th. Today the manager at Leslie's said I need to add Muriatic Acid and I should reduce the setting on the generator to about 60% and run the filter/pump 8 hours per day. He is also telling me that I need to keep adding Phos Free at a rate of 2.5 capfuls per week. I know I need to check/clean/replace my cartridge filters, and I will do that soon. I also noticed this week that the pressure gauge/release valve on the filer is not functioning at all, so I have a new one on the way. My biggest concern right now is keeping the black algae from getting worse. I need advice on how to methodically go about getting rid of it, so I can get back to learning the basics of pool care and maintenance that I should have been doing two months ago.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can get me on the right path towards a balanced, happy pool.
 
First step is to get a good test kit, read and reread pool school (upper right hand corner) and the shock process while you wait on your test kit (TF-100 is the best IMHO http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html ). Pools stores are notorious for bad readings.

Your CYA is almost certainly higher than 100 if they were testing at 100. That is the very first thing you will need to do is to get that under control (partial drain and refill ... at least half the pool) and STOP USING PUCKS, plain old bleach from Walmart or Home Depot is a good place to start. The Pool Calculator (in pool school) will get you pointed in the right direction with the correct amounts to add based on your pool size and current chemistry.

Once you get a good test kit we can help, but plan on at least a 50% drain and fill to get your CYA level down.

Not to worry we will have you sparkling clear and spending WAAAAY less on your pool chemistry in no time.

BTW ... Welcome to TFP!

and we love pictures, post em up!
 
The CYA was 70 four days ago at Leslie's ...

I will invest in a good test kit, not sure which one yet. I was considering pucks, but I'm glad you warned me. This may sound like a stupid question, but what's the easiest way to drain & refill?

Thanks!
 
Since you are in-ground, and don't have a vac to waste setting, you'll probably need to use a submersible pump.

The key to eradicating black algae is holding the FC at shock level for your CYA and brushing to knock the heads off the algae. Running the pump 24/7 and brushing is while at shock level is key. Use liquid chlorine to hold shock level, ignore phosphates.


CAM00103
the next day

CAM00107
 
What should I be doing at this very moment, while I figure out how to get a submersible pump to partially drain/refill? I can go buy more liquid chlorine tomorrow. Should I turn the pump & filter back on again now, switch back to super-chlorinate, and keep brushing the algae with a wire brush?
 
Welcome to TFP. What makes you think you have black algae? Have you compared them to other posts and pics on this forum to confirm?
You can drain without a submersible pump its a bit more work but it is possible. We will need a pic of your pump and filter set up to give you the proper instructions to drain but for now I will tell you what to look for. You will need to find the hose spigot connected to your pool plumbing, you will also need a diverter for your skimmer and there will be some valve turning. You can find pics for all these things in pool school. If I were you I would just leave the pool pump on for now and start reading pool school. Go stock up on bleach/liquid chlorine. No need to add chlorine since you will be draining anyways. Actually you could go either way bleach is cheap so you could bump it up to the proper shock value Then hit it hard in the morning or after work. Stop going to the pool store, read pool school, listen to the advice given here and above all else realize the CYA/ chlorine relationship and that they work in harmony with one another. To much CYA and your chlorine isnt as effective, to little CYA and your chlorine is lost to quickly the suns UV rays.
Edit* Forgot to add that if you have an auto fill valve make sure its off before you start the drain * Edit
 
Super chlorinate on the swg will just shorten the life of the swg. Crank the pump back on and filter and grab some liquid chlorine tomorrow and get your FCC up to 39. Turn the swg OFF during the SLAM (shock level and maintain) process ... As found in pool school.

If the CYA truly is 100 you are looking at a 30% drain and fill. If it is 70 you are at ideal for a salt pool and should be good to go after the slam process. The key to eradicating the algae is knowing your levels hourly and maintaining the FC level at the appropriate level for your CYA.

For tonight ... Read pool school. The pool can wait. The knowledge you will gain is worth more than monkeying with levels and staring at the algae.
 
Oh ... Forgot to mention .. STAY OUT OF THE POOL STORE. All you need is bleach / muriatic acid ( I forgot to mention that you do need to get your ph down, should be around 24 or 28 oz of muriatic acid to hit the target. Use the calculator)
 
karmabiker said:
Super chlorinate on the swg will just shorten the life of the swg. Crank the pump back on and filter and grab some liquid chlorine tomorrow and get your FCC up to 39. Turn the swg OFF during the SLAM (shock level and maintain) process ... As found in pool school.

If the CYA truly is 100 you are looking at a 30% drain and fill. If it is 70 you are at ideal for a salt pool and should be good to go after the slam process. The key to eradicating the algae is knowing your levels hourly and maintaining the FC level at the appropriate level for your CYA.

For tonight ... Read pool school. The pool can wait. The knowledge you will gain is worth more than monkeying with levels and staring at the algae.
Click to expand...

I tested the CYA (HTH 6-way test kit) on 7/7 and got 50 ppm, so between my results Bob's results (70 and 100 ppm) at Leslie's, something doesn't seem right. I used 4 gallons of Kemteck Clorinating liquid on Sunday night to shock, should I try that again?
 

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karmabiker said:
Oh ... Forgot to mention .. STAY OUT OF THE POOL STORE. All you need is bleach / muriatic acid ( I forgot to mention that you do need to get your ph down, should be around 24 or 28 oz of muriatic acid to hit the target. Use the calculator)
Click to expand...

I added about 24 oz. Muriatic Acid yesterday. I checked the pH this morning with a test strip and it looked like it is now down to 7.5-7.8 from Leslie's reading of 8.0 yesterday.
 
I'm not sure what's in chemtec chlorinating liquid. Can you post up the contents from the label? Just wanting to make sure there isn't any cya or ch in it.

CYA strips and pool store are notorious for being wrong. Until you get your test kit assume 70 for cya since that is the mid point and follow the slam process ( after you adjust your ph to 7.5 ... Roughly 28 oz of muriatic acid if I recall )
 
Chlorinating liquid is the same as bleach, just a higher percentage. What type of hth kit do you have, is it the drop based kit or strips? If it is the drop based kit, trust those results. If a test strip, don't trust any results, including pool store.
 
karmabiker said:
I'm not sure what's in chemtec chlorinating liquid. Can you post up the contents from the label? Just wanting to make sure there isn't any cya or ch in it.

CYA strips and pool store are notorious for being wrong. Until you get your test kit assume 70 for cya since that is the mid point and follow the slam process ( after you adjust your ph to 7.5 ... Roughly 28 oz of muriatic acid if I recall )
Click to expand...

KemTek Chlorinating Liquid:
Sodium Hypochlorite .... 10.0%
OTHER INGREDIENTS ... 90.0%

The label says "Calcium Free" and "Salt System Compatible"

I haven't made a final decision on which test kit to get ... any suggestions?
 
JohnN said:
Chlorinating liquid is the same as bleach, just a higher percentage. What type of hth kit do you have, is it the drop based kit or strips? If it is the drop based kit, trust those results. If a test strip, don't trust any results, including pool store.
Click to expand...

Yes, my HTH kit is drop based, but I only have a few more drops of CYA acid reagent in the bottle. LOL! ( I also have test strips for FC, TC, Alkalinity, pH and Total Hardness) So I really need to get a good test kit soon.
 
Brennan said:
JohnN said:
Chlorinating liquid is the same as bleach, just a higher percentage. What type of hth kit do you have, is it the drop based kit or strips? If it is the drop based kit, trust those results. If a test strip, don't trust any results, including pool store.
Click to expand...

Yes, my HTH kit is drop based, but I only have a few more drops of CYA acid reagent in the bottle. LOL! ( I also have test strips for FC, TC, Alkalinity, pH and Total Hardness) So I really need to get a good test kit soon.
Click to expand...

In that case TRUST YOUR readings and no one elses. That puts your CYA at 50. Order the TF-100 TODAY: the test strips are misleading for normal testing and useless when following the SLAM (Shock Level and Maintain) process.

Based on a CYA of 50 your target FC is 30 (per the chart pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock )

Use the pool calculator http://www.poolcalculator.com/ to figure out how much bleach (liquid chlorinator) to add to get to FC 30 based on your current FC, you will then need to maintain that level (check and add bleach hourly) until the water is clear and you pass the overnight drop test all of which you will need a good test kit for.
 

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