Husband ready to tear down our pool! Help!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

marnielee7

0
Aug 24, 2013
4
Chicagoland, IL
I'm so glad to have found this forum! I have renewed hope now! We were spending a ton of $ at a local pool place trying to correct our AG 24ft x 4' pool (16,000 gallons, right)? Its been green and cloudy since mid July! And everything I bought to correct the water hasn't helped much... but I think the chemicals they sold to me got my pool water a little bit better. Still green and murky though
Here's the latest read out:
FC - 0
CC - test says "total chlorine" 0.5
pH - 8.3
TA - 133
CH - test says "total Hardness" 329 (1/2 well water)
CYA - 133

I couldn't spend yet ANOTHER $100 there this week but I knew my pool needed chlorine so I looked online to find a cheap alternative and found you guys! I ran to Aldi, poured in 4 gallons of 6% bleach this afternoon and then this evening poured in 1/2 a bottle of generic 8.5% bleach. I also added 4 oz. of blue pool clarifier again because tiny green keeps shooting back out into pool. (been vacuuming like crazy)... Cartridge filter btw. They sold me some tiny $20 bag of DE type stuff to gum up the filter... I put a gallon of algaecide in over the past 2 weeks. I put in a small $20 bag of baking soda last week...I KNEW THATS WHAT IT WAS! (could have got the same amount for like $3.00 in grocery store)! Put in pounds & pounds of super Chlor ~ put in expensive lo-n-slo at least 3x in the last month ~ also did the phos free treatment stuff ( 2 weeks ago - and again last night). Also, that super expensive Super Floc stuff! Theres more, but that's off the top of my head, and I'm all spent out. Problem is, I have no test kit yet & by the time I get one online it'll be time to close the pool anyhow, I'm sure. I know I need to SLAM my pool but I really don't understand how to know how much bleach to poor in, when & how often to do it, and how it works. My husband gave up weeks ago, But I'm not so ready to throw in the pool towel YET! Thanks for any advice, marnie
 
Welcome to TFP ! You've landed in the right place.

First off your going to need one of the recommended test kits. TF100 is the best value. You need it to perform the SLAM process. You can get it at TFtestkits.net. It's a must have. It will only take a couple of days to get.

You need to read the SLAM process and follow it to the T. pool-school/shocking_your_pool

Read it couple of times till it sinks in. You'll also need to use the pool calc calc.html.

Your pool volume is probably closer to mine. 13500 gal.

Put your pool and equipment info in your sig, it will help us help you.
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave:
marnielee7 said:
I know I need to SLAM my pool but I really don't understand how to know how much bleach to poor in, when & how often to do it, and how it works.
Click to expand...
The first thing you need is the good test kit to properly do The SLAM Process. Here is a comparison of the test kits we recommend: Recommended Test Kits. The sooner you order one of these kits, the sooner you will stop dropping $ on unnecessary chemicals. Plus, you will be in control of your pool, not the pool store.

Next thing to familiarize yourself with is the Pool Calculator. This will help you determine the proper dosing amounts of several chemicals.

marnielee7 said:
CYA - 133
Click to expand...
This CYA level is waaaay to high. What are you using to test this with? A high CYA combined with low FC is the root cause of your green and cloudy pool. This was likely caused by frequent use of chlorinating pucks and "shock-labeled" products. The only way to lower CYA is to replace water by doing a partial drain & refill. Assuming this test result is reasonably close to accurate, you are looking at needing to replace about 50-60% of your water. I would do this before you SLAM.


A couple of things to help us help you...
  • 1. Please add the state and nearest city in which you live to your profile. Don’t need specific town, nearest major city is fine. Your climate is important to the advice you receive. By doing this, it will appear in all your posts without you having to enter it each time.
    2. Suggest adding information about your pool and related equipment in your signature. By doing this, it will automatically appear in all your posts so you do not have to re-enter it each time. If you have a SWG, please include those letters in your signature so it stands out as the advice for SWG vs. non-SWG is often different.
Here's how to do both of the above: Adding location to your profile and pool info to your signature.
 
You CAN do it! Really! It will be SO much cheaper if you buy your own test kit. Look at my siggy for the kits. Go ahead and get the "big" one as you will run out of stuff since you are going to have to SLAM your pool.

For right now check out your local bleach prices. That might be the only thing you will need to buy from them. Also check on the walmart brand as well. Go ahead and buy quite a bit and start adding some bleach each evening.

I would also pull out quite a bit of water from your pool to get the CYA down. Replacing water is the only way to lower CYA.

It can be done on the cheap once you buy your test kit!

Good luck!
 
As you have heard, the test kits is the one tool you must have. I know it sounds like a busted record but in the process of fixing a green pool and managing it long term, the test kit recommended is critical. I would venture to to say, if you took the $100 the LPS (local pool store) was going to charge and bought the test kit and bleach, you would likely take care of most of your issues. LPS are known for having poor testing skills and a great ability to sell chemicals to empty your wallet. They have no motivation to provide accurate testing. They would rather sell three bottles of this a bucket of that.

The Pool School link on the top corner will describe the process.
 
I forgot to mention, we recommend order this kit since the ones in the store do not have the proper FAS_DPD kits required to accurately measure your chlorine levels. The test kits stocked in retail pool stores only measure to 5 PPM and you will need a larger range. The TF100 is the most economical it. It is not the least expensive but it is worth every penny and will provide you the testing you need for about 2 swim seasons.
 
Hi and welcome to the group! I'm fairly new too, put my pool up only a year ago. As I was reading all the advise on clearing up your pool and the truth that the LPS testing skills are questionable at best, I was wondering how accurate the CYA results are. I mean if all their other results are probably off???

Guys, y'all know infinitely more than I do, would it behoove her to get the TF100 and check the CYA for herself BEFORE unloading half of her water? Replacement could be expensive and might be unecessary.

Marnielee7, if it is deemed necessary to replace a lot of the water, contact your water company first. Mine allows us to take a meter reading before and after the fill and we pay only for the water. Not for the sewer charges normally associated with it. Our sewer charges are about two times the cost of the water. Saved me a bunch.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming! :party:

P.s. the people on here are Fabulous!
 
I agree, but if it's not necessary to replace half, why would you do it? I just wondered if it would be a good idea to test it herself to get a more accurate reading. In a nut shell, if your not going to trust the lps test on one chemical, why would you trust their results on another? She's already paid thru the nose for their advise and chems. And she's fixing to pay for a good test kit. Why not wait two days and find out if it's truly necessary to replace that much water. The water may not cost that much but just in case the lps test was off, that. $40or $50 for water might be wasted. And like I said, the sewage fee here is a lot more than water cost. So that $50 water bill here could turn out to be more like $140.
I'm not doubting y'alls knowledge and expertise, I am doubting the accuracy of the lps testing ability.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 
I usually feel pretty comfortable starting with "drain and fill" as most LPS CYA results are low, if anything. We know when the store says 100CYA, it could be anywhere from 90CYA to over 300CYA as the test is very inaccurate. I have wondered if LPS CYA results done using drop tests are wrong due to the lighting inside the store and that we know the CAY test requires sunlight to be accurate. As for the computers doing CYA, I don't know but since the drop test is based on turbidity, when the CYA is over 100, the visibility must change fast.

As for this pool, if it is anywhere near 133 CYA, it is three to four times the amount we normally recommend for an outdoor chlorine pool.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thank you all so much for your quick reply's and warm welcomes! I so much appreciate all your good advice. Thank you pwrstrk for the correct water volume & Thank you BoDarville for the profile info. My husband kinda left me holding the ball here, so I guess I'll just dive in! (pun-intended).

Okay, I heard drain the pool & that got me a bit discouraged because this spring my husband & I drained the pool completely!!! (we had big problems last year too) A water truck came & filled it half way, cost us $200 - (we couldn't afford more then so the other half was well water)...

I was gonna just say "forget it" (we only have a few weeks left of swimming weather TOPS anyhow) but then kimkats chimed in with some great encouragement! & taterfink gave me a great tip on water co. costs & techguy I can't forget you, now I really wanna show those LPS crooks!

As you all have recommend I plan ordering this test kit. My question is... should I just close the pool now and deal with it again in the spring ((please say yes)) OR do I have to work to get it blue & clear before winter? Also, after I test & if I have drain it now, can I use the water to feed my gardens? (its a drought here - kill 2 birds w 1 stone maybe)?!
 
If you only have a month or less left in your season, I say live with it green , or add enough chlorine to limp along until closing... Or close early. You will need to fix this next spring and there is a very slight chance the CYA will go away on its own. Maybe Santa can bring the TF100 and gift cards to buy chlorine next spring.
 
marnielee7,

Thanks for the nice words about the forum. It's a great place because of the members herre who all give freely of their time and knowledge to help one another learn more about pools and spas.

Some time ago, I did a water rate survey in various cities to find the average water rate was about $5/1000gallons. It would be helpful if you tell us what yours is so I can add that info and get a better average.
 
Do you do the work now or do it in the spring when you are ready to swim? That is up to YOU! Guess you need to go find some Now and Later candy LOL.

Yes you can use the water in your garden/lawn/pond when you are ready to drain it.

Really the first thing you do is order the test kit so that when you are ready you are REALLY ready to get a clear pool.

I am at the point now I can tell you what my test is going to say just by looking at the water.

See I "lost" a pool a couple of years ago to the Pool store. I had NO idea how to work a pool and went in thinking they cared and would only do good. NOT! The ONLY thing they cared about was selling me more stuff that did NO good. "Oh your CYA is a little high but that is no big deal." It got so high that my liner became very brittle and we lost all of the water as it gushed out to the pond! It was kind of neat to watch in a weird sort of way. I sold the rest of the pool and said NEVER again!

Well my husband LOVED that pool and it was good for his joints and spirits so I agreed to get another pool IF I could learn the PROPER way to care for it. I found TFP and have not looked back! In fact the first thing I bought was the test it BEFORE I ordered the pool! LOL I wanted to make sure it was something I could really do.

It takes me longer to get the water out of the pool for testing then it does to do the tests!

It can be done and you will be SO glad you did it when you look out at your clear pool. THEN when you can be floating in it with a cold one in your hand...................THAT is the life!

Make sure to keep us posted on what you decide to do. There are so many here willing to help and encourage!

Kim
 
marnielee7 said:
Oh my! Just noticed Dave, site owner, and want to send a special shout out to you for having this public forum available to all of us, Thank you!!! (Chicago isn't cheap though - I wish we could get 8k of water for $50)!
Click to expand...
Where in Chicago are you? I'm in Gurnee, and we're at about $9 per 1000 gallons, and that includes the sewer charge.
 
I'm in Jacksonville, Florida. It was only $80 to fill my 14667 gal pool. Works out to about $5.40 / 1000 gal. That is without sewer cost. That would have added roughly another $140 to my bill.

Marnielee, I'm glad you're not "throwing in the pool towel" ! Hang in there! You're gonna LOVE it! The TF100 kit and this gang cannot be beat!

Please keep us posted!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
 
I never have to pay a water bill but maybe it's high because of the cost of water in the surrounding communities. I tried to find the rate & I came across this article in the tribune http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005 ... ican-water Come to think of it, maybe the bulk of the cost is tied to the delivery charge? We just used the people our neighbor used (maybe I should've shopped around more).
But what if I drain and refill with Well water? Would that be terribly bad? I'd say we got about 2 weeks left, wouldn't you say Smykowski? Thanks again everyone.
 
Well water might be ok, but you have to know what's in it first. If it's high in metals, then you're just adding a different problem to the mix.

As for how much time is left in the season, who knows? A week and a half ago I thought it was going to be an early year. Now it looks like 80s for the next two weeks. My water is at 82° and climbing. Maybe I'll try for swimming in October :lol:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply