New SWG pool, problem balancing water and other questions

[JohnnyBe]

Hi,

recently built a SWG pool (inground , vinyl, 18000 Gallon, 16X32).
The SWG is from Hayward (Aqurite) with a T15 cell.

I use deepwell water.

Water (pool and deepwell) is clear, but there is a lot of dirt buildup on the floor. Floor feels a bit slippery, when we brush it seems better.
Perhaps this is also caused by the dirt around the pool (deck is not done yet) that gets blown in.

I am trying to understand the best way to maintain it.

I just tested the values with a strip and these are not good:
pH is 8.4 (or higher)
FC 0-0.5
TA is 240
ppm Stabilizer is 50-100
So only the last value seems at the right level.

Reading the pool school it seems that the TA is too high and should be lowered. This is the thing that seems important to address first
Question is now :
how is this best done?

Not sure whether the deepwell water is the best for the job (but normal water is very expensive here).
The SWG is clogging up with with buildup quickly and I see white scales on the bottom of the pool.
I think this is calcium scaling.

Any suggestion on how to address this?
How can I best lower TA, adding muriatic acid won't do the trick if I am right?

Thanks

John

 

[RobbieH]

First, get a good test kit pronto. Strips are a good method to "guess", but tend to not be accurate.
If pH is 8.4, you need to get that down with muriatic acid quickly. Chances are it is way over 8.4 too. This is fairly common with SWGs, pH will drift up due to aeration.
FC is WAY low. You need to dump enough bleach in there to get it into range for your "guess" CYA of what I'd say is 100, especially if you have been using tablets. Use PoolMath at the top of the page for this.
CYA is the hardest test to get right, and strips aren't going to cut it.
I can't tell you for sure if calcium scaling is your issue, I'd like to see an accurate CH test result. But I will say with pH of 8.4, well water, and TA that high, it probably is.

Pool School has what you need to lower TA.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/129-how-to-lower-lowering-total-alkalinity
If you don't get that down around 70, with your SWG you are going to be fighting pH all the time.
Adding muriatic acid is exactly how you lower pH and TA.

Check out the TF-100 test kit on http://www.tftestkits.net Being able to accurately read the pool chemistry is the first step toward sparkly water!

 

[JohnnyBe]

Hi Robbie,

thanks. Went over to the local pool supply store.
Got some muriatic acid so get the Ph lower.

Funny enough, they said the teststrips work fine. They have a very small test set (two types only) so I think I look around for another supply shop.

To get the chlorine up, can I just pour in standard bleach?

Will then measure again and see what the result is.

Thanks again,

John

 

[jmbradwell]

Have your looked at http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison ? The test kit most recommended here is the TF-100. Available online at http://tftestkits.net/splash-page.html . The SpeedStir is a very nice option and worth every dime.

 

[RobbieH]

You can buy acid at the home improvement store, probably for a lot less.

Can't speak specifically for your case, but typically pool store employees aren't very good at what they do.

 

[JohnnyBe]

Thanks for quick reply.

Not living in USA so getting stuff is sometimes difficult.

To make life easier I think I will buy a Barracuda G3, seems to get good reviews and is not too expensive.
I can than also order the TF-100 testing kit.

Will look at the other places for Muriatic Acid (less money for the same product seems not a bad choice).

Will just bleach work?

On the quality of pool store employees. So many people so many opinions, filtering out the right info is difficult when you have not (yet) enough knowledge.

Thanks

John

 

[bmoreswim]

Yes, standard bleach is chlorine (same thing) just be sure not to get the kind with other added ingredients.

Your will pool will want a constant diet of MA forever with the SWCG. No problem, just always have it on hand. Ours after one year has become like clockwork. pH rises .1 per day during the summer. The reason pH will rise with a SWCG is because the SWCG creates chlorine gas (i.e. air bubbles). It's this aeration that causes the pH to rise, just as it would if you had a waterfall or other form of aeration.

Are you from Willemstad Curacao or Willemstad Netherlands? I've been to the latter (small cool town - like our Fort McHenry - star-shaped), but not the former sadly. If from Curacao, we are enjoying a native Curacaoan on our baseball team, Jonathan Schoop on the Baltimore Orioles.

Best of luck with your pool maintenance.