Ok, It's sort of pool related but I think this belongs in the Coffee Bar.
I'm fairly new to this site so I've been busy reading a lot of threads and had a lot of help getting the pool looking fantastic (and the pump running properly, for those following my thread). Every now and then I would pass on a snippet of information to the wife who, at first, showed a modicum of interest in my new learnings. As time passed and I started quoting how bicarbonate of soda will increase total alkalinity and also PH (a little) but aeration will increase PH without increasing total alkalinity, I could see her eyes start to glaze over and eventually roll back into her head.
I soon discovered that my CYA was very high and had to drain half the pool but decided not to tell the wife but to start the process when she left for work and hope the pool would be filled by the time she got home. Alas this was not the case so on her arrival back home I had to quickly explain that we HAD to drain half the pool and that although we would pay for the water now, we will save on chlorine and other chemical costs in the long run….and before I could convince her she said “not this year, leave it until next”. I thought you might say that (I said) so I went ahead and did it anyway (pulling open the kitchen curtain for her to see the still 40% empty pool). Turns out I needed nearer 24 hours to refill the pool so my plan was scuppered from the start. She was not best pleased (to put it politely) and so began the start of my “new love affair” with the swimming pool.
I’d already spent close to $200 on a LaMotte test kit which I'd been told not to buy and the water drain and refill put me well and truly in the dog house but the damage was done so I had no choice but to get my head down and sort the pool out. After days of water blasting the walls and floor clean and SLAMing the pool….twice (messed it up the first time with a panic dumping of PH- followed by a panic dumping of PH+. I stupidly tested the PH DURING the slam…doh!) and so the on/off love affair continued. “The Combined Chlorine has come down love!” I would call out, only to be met with a humph. “The CYA is also much lower now, that will save us a lot of money on Chlorine!”….”Wha’eva!” came the reply (I swear I could hear her eyes rolling in her head) and then came the day. I had passed the OCLT test…twice, the PSI was stable at 15 for several days, the water was beautifully clear, even the Ebay bought handmade slimebags were not pumping out white powder back into the pool. I had made it…sanctuary!
A few days passed and all was calm between me and my new love. I would check the FC, top up with a bottle of weak bleach, pour in some acid to get the TA down, add a little Sodium bicarbonate because I had overcooked the acid; all was calm and remained so for a few days. It was then that my wife started to feel a bit dizzy. Her blood pressure had gone up and after a day or so I said she should go to the doctor to get herself checked out. She was pleased that I was concerned about her health and that my other love was now taking up less of my time. On the way to the doctor I thought it best to drive calmly, leave the radio off and just let her relax. We drove for a while in silence and my mind started to wander. After a few minutes of silence I asked “Do we have any vitamin C tablets?” She looked at me and said “Are vitamin C tablets good for high blood pressure?”…..I paused and then said “Ummmmm, they're not for you, they're for the swimming pool”.
Thankfully she saw the funny side and we laughed the rest of the way.
So, how obsessed are you? :grin:
I'm fairly new to this site so I've been busy reading a lot of threads and had a lot of help getting the pool looking fantastic (and the pump running properly, for those following my thread). Every now and then I would pass on a snippet of information to the wife who, at first, showed a modicum of interest in my new learnings. As time passed and I started quoting how bicarbonate of soda will increase total alkalinity and also PH (a little) but aeration will increase PH without increasing total alkalinity, I could see her eyes start to glaze over and eventually roll back into her head.
I soon discovered that my CYA was very high and had to drain half the pool but decided not to tell the wife but to start the process when she left for work and hope the pool would be filled by the time she got home. Alas this was not the case so on her arrival back home I had to quickly explain that we HAD to drain half the pool and that although we would pay for the water now, we will save on chlorine and other chemical costs in the long run….and before I could convince her she said “not this year, leave it until next”. I thought you might say that (I said) so I went ahead and did it anyway (pulling open the kitchen curtain for her to see the still 40% empty pool). Turns out I needed nearer 24 hours to refill the pool so my plan was scuppered from the start. She was not best pleased (to put it politely) and so began the start of my “new love affair” with the swimming pool.
I’d already spent close to $200 on a LaMotte test kit which I'd been told not to buy and the water drain and refill put me well and truly in the dog house but the damage was done so I had no choice but to get my head down and sort the pool out. After days of water blasting the walls and floor clean and SLAMing the pool….twice (messed it up the first time with a panic dumping of PH- followed by a panic dumping of PH+. I stupidly tested the PH DURING the slam…doh!) and so the on/off love affair continued. “The Combined Chlorine has come down love!” I would call out, only to be met with a humph. “The CYA is also much lower now, that will save us a lot of money on Chlorine!”….”Wha’eva!” came the reply (I swear I could hear her eyes rolling in her head) and then came the day. I had passed the OCLT test…twice, the PSI was stable at 15 for several days, the water was beautifully clear, even the Ebay bought handmade slimebags were not pumping out white powder back into the pool. I had made it…sanctuary!
A few days passed and all was calm between me and my new love. I would check the FC, top up with a bottle of weak bleach, pour in some acid to get the TA down, add a little Sodium bicarbonate because I had overcooked the acid; all was calm and remained so for a few days. It was then that my wife started to feel a bit dizzy. Her blood pressure had gone up and after a day or so I said she should go to the doctor to get herself checked out. She was pleased that I was concerned about her health and that my other love was now taking up less of my time. On the way to the doctor I thought it best to drive calmly, leave the radio off and just let her relax. We drove for a while in silence and my mind started to wander. After a few minutes of silence I asked “Do we have any vitamin C tablets?” She looked at me and said “Are vitamin C tablets good for high blood pressure?”…..I paused and then said “Ummmmm, they're not for you, they're for the swimming pool”.
Thankfully she saw the funny side and we laughed the rest of the way.
So, how obsessed are you? :grin:
