Tested, used pool math, so now where do I go to buy particular things it needs?

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swimcoachtdawg

swimcoachtdawg

0
Jun 8, 2015
35
Salem Indiana
Let me say that I love the forums. I'm already learning so much, despite feeling fairly confident in my knowledge after maintaining this pool for over nine years. So, I got my new kit and before I go about getting my SWG back in order I want to make sure everything is well balanced. Here are my numbers:
FC 9.5
CC 1
TC 10.5
pH 7.2
CH 250
TA 90
CYA 60

I'm a little relieved that the CYA is not higher, since after reading up on using the trichlor I was concerned it would be much higher. So according to pool math I need: (I put the weight/volume numbers like this) 55/48 oz washing soda/soda ash or 109/105 borax, 79/63 baking soda, 50/40 calcium chloride. Do these numbers look right for what I listed above? This is my first time ever using anything other than the overpriced pool store chemicals so I have no barometer to go by here. Also, do I need to do something about the CC number to fix it? My chlorine is high, although the first test with the gauge did not look that high, so is it possible I messed something up? There was a some undissolved stuff in the bottom even after mixing well. I tried to follow directions carefully. I added more chlorine the end of last week because the bottom of the pool was starting to get slippery which usually indicates the start of algae (unless I'm wrong about that??).

Next question, where do I go (best places) to buy the above list?

Just one small piece of information about me -- I have color distinction problems. I don't have what most consider true color blindness, but I have trouble with colors that are close together on the spectrum (blue/green, red/pink/orange, purple/black). I believe I can still accurately gauge the test colors, they just look a little different to me than to other people.
 
So you added all those chemicals or your are going to add them? Sounds like you added them already. If so, retest for pH for sure and do your FC/CC again.

How does the water look? Cloudy? Crystal clear? Green? Blue?

If your water is cloudy at ALL or you still have a CC of greater than 0.5, you need to SLAM the pool. Read up on the procedure via the link in my signature.
 
The water is crystal clear, which is why I was a little confused that I had any CC at all. No chlorine smell either, which would be a dead giveaway and I would expect to smell it, since it's an indoor pool.

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I have trouble with knowing if the water is green or blue, since those two colors look exactly the same to me. I have not added anything yet. I'm still trying to figure out where to buy stuff. We are very rural, with the nearest Walmart 30 miles away, so I was hoping someone could give me a suggestion. I don't know if places like Tractor Supply would carry stuff or not. I will make the drive if I need to but wanted to see if there were alternatives first, and make sure some of the "experts" on here thought I was headed in the right direction! Thanks for your help
 
aside from the cc=1 i thought everything looked pretty decent for a SWG/vinyl pool. if you raise the pH with washing soda or borax, it will also raise the TA somewhat - your current level of 90 is fine. a better way would just be to aerate the pool, which will raise the pH without raising TA. if you need to SLAM however keep it at the recommended starting pH of 7.2 as April stated.
 
Your indoor pool must get a lot of sun if you're intentionally keeping the CYA that high. Natural light should be helping you get rid of CC but perhaps not enough light on the pool.

Regardless, a CC of 1 means that you should SLAM the pool. Because your water is clear, it likely won't be an extended SLAM process. You may have trouble getting the CC to go down unless you have lots of sunlight and sunny days. Do whatever you can to maximize natural light on the pool to keep CCs low.

If your indoor pool does not get much sun, a lower CYA and thereby a lower FC maintenance level might help keep CCs down.

A photo of the pool and the enclosure would help.

EDIT: All you really need now is muriatic acid and bleach. Your TA is low so probably not much MA. You can get muriatic acid at Tractor Supply. It's much cheaper than pool stores. As far as bleach, they may have some at Tractor Supply as well. If they have household bleach, concentrated bleach or even milkhouse bleach, it's all the same. It's only a matter of what concentration it is and how fresh it is. Most containers will have a "born on" date on them. The fresher the better. 8.25% or higher concentration is also better as you don't have to haul as much around or recycle as much plastic.

You shouldn't need any other chemicals regularly other than bleach and acid. Eventually you may need baking soda or borax but those can probably also be had at Tractor Supply in the laundry aisle, if they have anything like that. Your CYA level is high enough, so you don't need to worry about that.
 
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Shopping list:

-chlorine/bleach--------your pool store may have 11% chlorine. You will have to put a one time deposit down on the jugs. Do you have a SAMs or costco? Some people find their best price there on the 3 pack. Walmart is a good source as well. YOU just have shop it and see what is easy for you to get at the best price.

-Baking sode-walmart or Sams They sell it in BIG bags.

Kim
 
Kim, thanks for the tips on where to buy. I know I need to do some shopping around myself, but there is so much to learn here that it can be overwhelming at times, and a little help (with no judgment) is a wonderful thing. No pool store locally either, nearest one is over 40 miles. Looks like a trip to Sams Club is in my future for the day. It's only 30 miles :)

I'm inserting some pictures I took of the pool today (if I can figure out how to do it). The reason the CYA is so high (in my unexpert opinion) is that my SWG is currently down, and I've been using trichlor tablets. After some research on here I believe that is also why I've been fighting to keep my pH up. When I was using the SWG the CYA registered almost 0 (not sure if that's good either). Very little sun hits the pool even with doors up. The doors are on the east, so if they are open I get some sun in the morning and then through the windows in the afternoon, but otherwise, not much at all. I'm not intentionally keeping the CYA that high, I think it's just happened over the course of using the trichlor. Until I found this site, I had not checked the CYA for probably six months. So I honestly had no idea.038.jpg039.jpg040.jpg

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Oops, please disregard the last picture. I tried to remove it and can't figure out how to do it.
 

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Sounds like you have a good understanding of the process and the effects of tablets on your CYA. I suppose being covered it saves you a lot of FC as well which is why the CYA could be so low. Regardless, that is a gorgeous looking pool. Nice pics!
 

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Do you have any kind of store around you that sells bleach? Just trying to make your life easier.

See a pool store sells chlorine cheaper than my ACE Hardware store BUT it is quite a bit further and harder for me to get to so...it is not worth it for me to go there.

Will you be able to get your SWG up and running again? That will help you the most long term. Until then bleach it is for you!

Kim
 
kimkats said:
Do you have any kind of store around you that sells bleach? Just trying to make your life easier.

See a pool store sells chlorine cheaper than my ACE Hardware store BUT it is quite a bit further and harder for me to get to so...it is not worth it for me to go there.

Will you be able to get your SWG up and running again? That will help you the most long term. Until then bleach it is for you!

Kim
Click to expand...

Yes, of course there are stores that sell bleach. In this particular case I wasn't even looking for bleach at the moment, since my FC numbers are more than fine. It's the other things that apparently are hard to find around here. I went to Sams and bought the baking soda, but three other stops yielded nothing on the calcium chloride and the soda ash. I finally ended up at the pool store (ugghh) and paid 12.99 for six pounds of soda ash (pH increaser in their lingo) and 9.99 for 5 pounds of calcium chloride. I guess I'm going to have to resort to either: 1. asking my local Ace Hardware if they can special order this stuff for me or 2. shop online and have it shipped to me. Unfortunately, with trying to get this chemistry right today (my only day off until next Monday), I gritted my teeth and spent MORE money at the pool store. I added the soda ash as per recommendations by pool math, and 1/2 of the recommended baking soda until I see how much the alkalinity is affected by bringing my pH up.

My SWG is next on the agenda, because yes, it will save me in the long run. Then I can truly be a happy TFP poster :crazy:
 
You can get washing soda (use in place of soda ash) at Walmart in the laundry aisle. Calcium chloride is ice melter- I bought a 40 lb bag last winter. If you find some this time of the year ( it should be right next to the hen's teeth) make sure to check the ingredients- some ice melters have other additives, some are 100% calcium chloride.
 
Thimble said:
You can get washing soda (use in place of soda ash) at Walmart in the laundry aisle.
Click to expand...

If you have trouble getting washing soda (sodium carbonate), or are just adventurous, you can make it yourself in your oven from baking soda. Since I can buy 13.5 lbs of baking soda for $8 at Costco, I can make about 11 lbs of sodium carbonate for $8. Beats Walmart's price of $12 for the same amount. Of course, it's more work.
 
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