Hello, I've just bought a home with a pool and will be needing some hand-holding as I learn how all of this is done. I've never had a pool but I was an avid fish-keeper and so some of the equipment does resemble the filters and such that I've known from the aquarium world -- much bigger of course! And, instead of trying to grow plants underwater, I will be trying to NOT grow plants. Chemistry was not my strong suit in college but I think God loves irony and so all my hobbies seem to revolve around chemistry.
I'm working my way through the old posts, the school info, and just skipping around randomly right now. Time is short and I still have much to do as we are in-between homes sort of. Bought the new one and have moved small stuff in ourselves as we began to market this old home. Now, we have a contract on the old home and need to pick up speed to get out of here by closing.
Have had contact with several of the local Houston pool companies at this point. Prices are breath-taking, got charged $89 for them to return to repair something that leaked after they worked on it - ouch. So, lesson learned, we need to be smart about this and call those companies as little as possible.
Sounds like the first thing I need to get is a decent test kit. I have had one water test done, to confirm my very low chlorine levels seen via test strips. No one mentiond the rather high CYA level of 100 as why free chlorine was so hard to keep up. I already invested in a huge bucket of pucks and shock and have the chlorinator turned to max at 5, so I guess I will turn it down and switch to bleach and take a look at that CYA level. Also, the free chlorine and total chlorine are not the same, so I think that means something maybe.
With the planted fish tanks I mixed my own fertilizers from dry chemicals so the BBB method will appeal to me. So, test kit, and maybe I need to order a spare cartridge for the filter (only 1? there are 4 in there) and maybe an o-ring (will need it soon based on the lack of gap in band around filter) and maybe that Water Wand thing (if anyone thinks it is useful for washing cartridges).
Welcoming all advice -- bring it on!
Ann, The Woodlands, TX
I'm working my way through the old posts, the school info, and just skipping around randomly right now. Time is short and I still have much to do as we are in-between homes sort of. Bought the new one and have moved small stuff in ourselves as we began to market this old home. Now, we have a contract on the old home and need to pick up speed to get out of here by closing.
Have had contact with several of the local Houston pool companies at this point. Prices are breath-taking, got charged $89 for them to return to repair something that leaked after they worked on it - ouch. So, lesson learned, we need to be smart about this and call those companies as little as possible.
Sounds like the first thing I need to get is a decent test kit. I have had one water test done, to confirm my very low chlorine levels seen via test strips. No one mentiond the rather high CYA level of 100 as why free chlorine was so hard to keep up. I already invested in a huge bucket of pucks and shock and have the chlorinator turned to max at 5, so I guess I will turn it down and switch to bleach and take a look at that CYA level. Also, the free chlorine and total chlorine are not the same, so I think that means something maybe.
With the planted fish tanks I mixed my own fertilizers from dry chemicals so the BBB method will appeal to me. So, test kit, and maybe I need to order a spare cartridge for the filter (only 1? there are 4 in there) and maybe an o-ring (will need it soon based on the lack of gap in band around filter) and maybe that Water Wand thing (if anyone thinks it is useful for washing cartridges).
Welcoming all advice -- bring it on!
Ann, The Woodlands, TX
