newbie drain and refil, now what

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I would suggest you get your pool up and running and your water balanced for a month or so and then reconsider borates. I personally do not use them. Several people who know more about pool water chemistry than I do use them with apparently satisfactory results. They are an option.

That said, don't think of borates as the magic bullet. Rather something that you might attempt after you have the basics of your pool water under complete control.

PS - leave your TA alone......you are close enough. FC, CYA and CH you posted is fine.
 
Also I notice you have mentioned salt. Do you or do you not have a salt water generator? Borates and salt aren't necessary even if they're one of the options on the Pool Math page. Some people use borates, some folks add salt, not all people. Only add that which *your* pool needs based on its requirements.
 
sjmichaeld said:
Great just when I thought I was getting this stuff. The pool calculator says TA 70-90+ and puts a 100 in the goal box, so how could I not think that it should be this high?
Click to expand...

When you first open up Pool Math, you need to go all the way down to the bottom to select how you cholorinate, which pool surface you have, and whose numbers you want follow (in my opinion, this section should be up at the top of the ap). Then you type in your actual test values in the first left hand boxes for all that you test, and then you tell the ap what your own "target" desired level is. That is also a variable, not a set-in-stone number. Ignore that "100" and put your desired amount in and Pool Math will then tell you how much to add to get from your current amount to get to the desired target amount.

Have you seen this reference in Pool School?- http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels
 
thanks, I did see the section on the bottom and when I entered the values the "100" popped up in the TA goal, so I assumed that is what I should set it to. So I will wait on the borates for now, but as far as the salt I don't know if I said I was adding salt, I meant the calcium chloride to raise my CH. I will be adding 42lbs of the calcium chloride to bring my CH up to 260.
I do not have a swg by the way.
 
It sounds like I got everything else right except the TA...I will test again and at what level would you suggest I bring it down and what level should I leave it. Say it's 100 or higher should I bring it down or just leave it be, will it go down over time, or do I need to drop my ph then raise they ph again
 
sjmichaeld said:
It sounds like I got everything else right except the TA...I will test again and at what level would you suggest I bring it down and what level should I leave it. Say it's 100 or higher should I bring it down or just leave it be, will it go down over time, or do I need to drop my ph then raise they ph again
Click to expand...
PS - leave your TA alone......you are close enough. FC, CYA and CH you posted is fine.
 
New readings
Cya...50 (after 2 days with pump running for 36 hours) I know I need to check it again in a couple more days but does this number get higher or lower as the days go by, I'm worried that it is going to get too high and I only put in 6 of the recommended 8lbs of stabilizer, I just drained 85% of my water and refilled it I'm not going thru that again)
FC...1
CC...0.5(why do I have CC and how do I get it back to 0)
PH 7.5
TA....140 (leave this alone or drop it)
 
The CYA will generally climb after to added it. This is exactly why we recommend doing it in steps. Your CYA must have been near 20ppm before you added the CYA.

Get more FC in the pool ASAP ... maintaining FC and pH (which is fine) are WAY more important than worrying about the TA.
 
sjmichaeld said:
Trouble free pool sounds more like extra trouble pool, might as well just call a pool guy
Click to expand...
Good luck with whatever you decide ... the thousands of members here would likely disagree with you.

It seems like you keep adding chemicals before you understand the implication and are now on a roller-coaster similar to what a pool store would put you on.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
sjmichaeld said:
Trouble free pool sounds more like extra trouble pool, might as well just call a pool guy
Click to expand...

I dunno, I get the impression you want to be told exactly what to do yet without putting in much effort to learn yourself via Pool School articles. This is a lot to learn, no one denies that. But it can be very simple if you just go slow with the chemical additions (and KNOW why and what you are adding the chemical) and test frequently to learn how your pool reacts to the chemicals.
Once your pool is balanced you'll be amazed at how fast and inexpensive it can be using these methods.
 
Trouble free pool sounds more like extra trouble pool, might as well just call a pool guy
Click to expand...
That may very well be your best bet. I have been doing this for nine years so I read between the lines pretty readily. YOu have been asked on multiple occassions to get answers in Pool School and you appear to have ignored that advice.

TFP has a method we teach. It is important to understand we TEACH it....we do not do it for you. The idea is to graduate from Pool School so you can manage your own pool with confidence.

If you don't want to learn what we teach, then a pool guy will be a better bet and there is nothing in the world wrong with that.

I have no interest in learning how to fix my car so I pay someone to do it.
 
jblizzle said:
:lol: I suppose a pillow case would work. What are you targeting? You may not want to do it all in one step. I calculate that 6.5 pounds will add 30ppm ... I would start with that and remeasure in a week and decide if you want to add more.
Click to expand...

I am getting frustrated because i did read everything many times..i followed pool calc. to a tee and my levels still come up high...when i ask a question i get the most vague answer then when i do it wrong im criticized. I had no cya in my pool and was advised to add 6.5 lbs of the recommended 8+lbs now its too high, and I am being told that i should of done it in steps, well that is what i did....now I basically have to start over with draining my pool and refilling. I asked many times about the TA plus i followed the pool calc. now im told why did i do that, what made me think that way. I understand you guys have your own society, but unless you make it new user friendly how can any new people feel welcome. Ive read many answers on other people's forums and i hear the same type of response...the questions are always answered like the solution is sooooo simple, and when mistakes are made there is sarcasms. Im just saying I like the method but help is not that easy to come by, or is it in a welcoming way
 
I have to say I STRONGLY disagree with you!

This is one of the MOST welcoming sites I have ever been on. I have seen the same questions answered over and over again with time/care/effort to help the new person UNDERSTAND the whys of what they are doing or should be doing.

It IS simple!

1. Get a good test kit
2. read Pool school while waiting on test kit
3. test
4. post test results
5.follow instructions given on site AND in pool school AND pool calculator
6. post pictures of the clear/sparkly pool

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Kim
 
I'm sorry you are getting frustrated ... I remember feeling lost and frustrated when I first started reading here, but with more reading and practicing all of the tests it became easier. I'm certainly not one of the experts here, but maybe I can help you out a bit since I still remember what it was like to be new!

First - which test kit do you have?

Second - are you using "pool calculator" or "pool math"? From what I understand pool calculator is the older one, and you should use the pool math one - http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

When you use pool math you have to enter numbers in the "now" column AND the "target" column (that confused me when I started!) ... you will learn the target numbers by reading (and learning) pool school - or you can ask what your targets should be.

If you ask though then you need to be prepared to provide additional information since the relationship between numbers/locations/how you chlorinate/ and other things will change the advice you are given.

"trouble free pool" does have a learning curve as you need to understand the chemistry of what is going on in your pool. Once you start to understand what is going on then maintaining your pool becomes "trouble free" - That does not mean maintenance free or that you won't have to do anything - it means that you will understand what is going on, what you need to do, and how to maintain your own pool.
 
sjmichaeld said:
I am getting frustrated because i did read everything many times..i followed pool calc. to a tee and my levels still come up high...when i ask a question i get the most vague answer then when i do it wrong im criticized. I had no cya in my pool and was advised to add 6.5 lbs of the recommended 8+lbs now its too high, and I am being told that i should of done it in steps, well that is what i did....now I basically have to start over with draining my pool and refilling. I asked many times about the TA plus i followed the pool calc. now im told why did i do that, what made me think that way. I understand you guys have your own society, but unless you make it new user friendly how can any new people feel welcome. Ive read many answers on other people's forums and i hear the same type of response...the questions are always answered like the solution is sooooo simple, and when mistakes are made there is sarcasms. Im just saying I like the method but help is not that easy to come by, or is it in a welcoming way
Click to expand...

I suggest you don't give up on the TFP method. I also believe that everyone in this thread has been trying their best to be helpful. Some of your responses indicated to me that you did not read Pool School, or if you did, you weren't understanding it. But based on your response above it seems you generally understood it, but were looking for support and perhaps clarification. Some might call this "hand holding". Nothing wrong with that.

I can tell you that I've been following the TFP method after I ditched the evil tri-chlor pucks 3 months into my pool, and it truly has been a trouble free experience for over three years. Don't give up. This really is the easiest and cheapest way to maintain a pool.
 
Newbie here too. I think most of us have been frustrated with our pools which is what led us here. It seems you have read pool school, but it is good to read it over and over until you feel really comfortable with the information. Also, it helps reading through threads of other members and see how they fixed the problems they had with their pools. In case I am not being clear, my advice to you is to just keep READING. Before you know it, everything will start to make sense.

Here is a suggestion regarding Pool Math. If you find that you are overshooting when adding the chemicals you might have to reduce the size (number of gallons) of your pool in the calculator.


PS.
I tried the pool store method. I was spending at least $30 a week and my pool was always cloudy.
I tried a pool guy with 26+ years of experience. He was better than the pool store and cheaper at $80 per month but I still had 2 Algae blooms last season.
I have been on the Trouble Free Pool Method for 4 months. My pool has never looked better and I spend less than $30 per month to maintain it.
 
cottielee said:
Also, it helps reading through threads of other members and see how they fixed the problems they had with their pools. In case I am not being clear, my advice to you is to just keep READING. Before you know it, everything will start to make sense.

Excellent advice! I too learn a LOT by reading threads that might not have anything to do with my pool directly but the post sounds of interest. I pick up a LOT of information that I later can draw from if the same problem or event occurs in my pool.

Here is a suggestion regarding Pool Math. If you find that you are overshooting when adding the chemicals you might have to reduce the size (number of gallons) of your pool in the calculator.

Again, excellent idea. If the numbers aren't making sense or you're consistently overshooting your desired goal, its time to re-assess your pool capacity.
Click to expand...

:) Rock on!
 
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