Not new to my pool, but trying new tactics!!

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psycko069

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Jul 14, 2013
27
Coastal North Carolina
Greetings!!

First off, I would like to say that this site seems to have a plethora of knowledge, which is what I am in dire need of. We have had our pool for about 6 years now, and it seems like every year is a struggle. Im getting older and a bit more impatient, so I am looking at trying things differently.

Some information about the pool:
15 x 30 above ground pool which IIRC is 52 inch deep
replaced the vinyl liner last spring
21 inch sand filter (Sta-Rite I think)
1 hp hayward pump I think

When I built the pool, I had a PoolFrog system installed in line. It worked great for a while, but I think the internal valving took a Crud because the chlorine levels started going whacky.. I took it out and went to 3 inch chlorine tabs.

I have been dealing with chlorine tablets since. When I first started going to the local pool store, it was fairly close. Well they closed their doors a couple years ago, so I was forced to find another place. The closest pool store is now a half hour away, and I have been relying on them for water testing as well as chemicals (they sell BioGuard)...

Here is where the wrench gets thrown in the system. I am a full time firefighter/EMT. I work a 24 hour on, 24 hour off schedule. I can not get my hands in the pool on a daily basis to perform maintenance and check chemical levels. My wife was helping the best she could, but she in an Emergency Medical Technician that works crazy off the wall hours. This spring she started her Paramedic courses, so on top of working her crazy unheard of schedule, she is also in class three nights a week. So pretty much neither one of us are home to maintain the pool on a regular schedule, but we both want the pool to be ready to swim when we finally have a spare minute to enjoy it. (i know... asking for the world here i think)...

As said earlier, I have always relied on the local pool store for testing. I am finding that I need to start testing on my own. Case in point, today its FINALLY not raining and I want to get a test on the pool but its Sunday and nobody is open. I work tomorrow, so it will be Tuesday before I can get to the pool store and get a test (provided its not down pouring again)... I need to learn how to test my water.

I also want to find a way to automate my pool the best I can. I did a little reading before creating this profile, and I see something about the Stennar pump, and the Liquidator?? No idea what these are, so I think I need to read more.

Anybody out there have some advice for a relative noobie in this respect? I will be building my signature to answer some questions that I saw in the beginners corner.

Thanks
Jeremy
 
Welcome to TFP.

Start by attending pool school and take all the courses. Its free!!!

Arm yourself with one of our reccommended test kits. This is a must for you to take control of your pool.

Any other questions ask away. The only dumb question is the one not asked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
 
You can get away with testing every couple of days---------AFTER you know how your pool behaves with whatever chlorine feeding system you decide on. NEVER let the FC bottom out below our recommended levels per your particular pool.
 
Welcome! A person that does what you do for a living deserves a perfect pool during your downtime! Thank you for your service where ever you are.

When you order the test kit get the speedstir, it makes testing so easy and fast.

Have you considered getting a SWG? Commonly known as a "salt water pool" the SWCG turns salt into chlorine. This might be a great option for your work schedule.
 
Thank you all for the responses, and the kind words!!! I will be putting the TF100 on order within the next day or two, along with the speed stir and the XL option.

Harleysilo, I have looked into salt water generators in the past, but I really don't know much about them, and it seems like the entry prices seem to be pretty steep. As I said, I don't know anything about them so I don't even know if the cheaper setups are worth the money....

Thanks again
 
With yours and your wife's schedules, an SWG would make sense. It will cut down on the mantainence time, however until you get to know your pool's unique quirks and personality (yes, every pool has a personality), you will need to test as often as your schedule permits.

This forum is a treasure trove of pool info, don't hesitate to tap into it for what you don't know. That's what we are here for.
 
The purchase price for a SWG is expensive, but I believe it is said that in the long run it tends to work out to about the same as bleach. I think an Intex SWG might work for your pool, because I know there is someone else on here who has a 24' round (13500 gallon) pool with one.
 
TF-100 test kit is on its way!!! I still am not too sure on what the next step is going to be. I did a little reading yesterday into the SWG world, but I am undecided right now. I think my first priority is to get some tests run on this pool as she sits right now, and get everything stabilized.... I have more reading to do about SWG.. Thanks again for the help....
 

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I would agree that a good path forward would be the get your pool balanced as is ... and get used to the maintenance. Then consider methods of automating the addition of chlorine ... either with a SWG, or liquidator, or peristaltic pump.
 
Test kit came in. MAN THAT WAS FAST!!!!

So I just ran my first test and came up with the following results:

ph - 7.2
FC - 0.5 ppm
CC - 0.5 ppm
TC - 1.0 ppm
TA - 90
CH - 260
CYA - 0

I assume the CYA reading was zero because I filled the cylinder all the way to the top and could still see the black dot at the bottom? What to do first? Any suggestions? Ill be in the pool school reading,,,,
 
How many and how often are you adding tablets? It make very little sense that your CYA would be close to zero.

First thing is to get the FC up to around 2ppm using bleach and keep it there until you get some CYA registering in the water.
 
Tablets are consumed and re-added every two days or so. I have one Bioguard 3 inch silk tab in the skimmer basket.

According to the pool calculator, here is what I should be doing (provided I entered everything properly)...

83 oz of 6% bleach to bing FC to 4ppm
46oz of Borax to bring ph to 7.6
54oz of Baking soda to bring TA to 110
61oz of stabilizer to bring CYA to 40

Does this sounds about right? What should be used for stabilizer? Or am I missing something??
 
How many tablets have you used? Again they are adding CYA, so I am not sure how it could be zero.
There is no reason to adjust the pH or TA at this time.

What does your water look like?
 
I don't think I understand the question. I use a single BioGuard 3 inch silk tablet in the skimmer basket, and it is dissolved and replaced about every two days. As far as the water, it is pretty clear. I wouldn't go so far as to say "crystal clear". It is not the best I have ever seen it, but I can see the bottom, and I do not see any cloudiness...
 
Not sure how to say this any differently:
How many tablets have you used in the pool since it was filled? Or at least this season.

Each one should have added 2.5-2.9ppm of CYA to your pool.
 
Now that I have read your question a few times, I think that I may have an idea as to why the CYA is so low. We have had a VERY wet past month or so. Several inches of rain on multiple occasions, and I have had to send a lot of water to waste on a few different occasions because the rain water overfilled the pool. Could this have something to do with it?? The last time the pool overfilled and I had to send water to waste was on Sunday if I remember correctly....
 
Well, assuming each tablet is 8oz ... that would mean each jug only had 7 tablets in it ... does that sound right?

So a jug and a half would be 10 tablets * 2.9 = about 29ppm of CYA, but given the info about a lot of rain and pumping to waste, it would in fact be lower and thus could show up on the test as < 20ppm and look like 0.

So, what is your intention going forward? Continue to use pucks and supplement with bleach or stop using pucks and only use bleach?
 

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