I bought a house back in April with an older pool. The pool was abandoned for 3-4 years. I have been a lurker of TFP the entire time during its restoration. Now im here to seek some guidance.
About the pool:
-Concrete Kidney Bean
-2 returns, 1 skimmer, 1 drain
-13,000-14,000 gallons
-Avg temp 85F
-Pentair VS (3000rpm 8-10am / 2000rpm 10am-8pm / 3000rpm 8pm-10pm)
-Hayward Sand filter
-No equipment in the pool. (concrete stairs / above water hand rail)
Pools environment:
-Charleston, SC (Hot, HUMID, Thunderstorms about every other day)
-Neighbors Oak tree drops leaves in it all day long
-Full sun 1pm-8pm
Maintenance:
-Brush 2 times a day (am/pm)
-Vacuum Daily (am)
-Backwash biweekly
Chemistry:
-CYA = 45-50
-ALK = 110
-Hardness = 200
-PH 7.6-7.8 (constantly battling rising PH) (I drop it to 7.4 & it will last a day tops)(I recently learned to lower my ALK so will not raise it so high next time)
-CHL = 7.0/4.0 (I raise it to 7ppm every single night) (I lose about 3ppm daily) (I raised to 7ppm to combat the algae growth, for the most part has been effective)
So, I have successfully SLAMed my pool 4-5 times (usually after going out of town) so removing algae is not an issue. It's keeping it from starting I am struggling with. I religiously test/monitor/adjust to the above ranges. The pool remains balanced 24/7 as long as we are home.
We had some heavy rain on Sunday & this morning when I went out to the pool it looked normal crystal clear. But when I brushed the walls & floor green clouds came up. This seems to be a reoccurring theme of clear pool & algae growth on the bottom.
My thoughts / Questions:
- Is my pool chemistry best for its environment?
-Is my circulation is insufficient? (there are noticeable dead spots)
-How can I improve circulation without digging up concrete & installing return lines?
-Are my jets positioned in the best direction for the pool?
-Is my sand filter the root cause due to poor filtration? (should I upgrade?)
-would a salt water conversion be more efficient?
-Is there an instance where maybe an old outdated pool is just too inefficient for chlorine alone to keep it clear?
-Is it just the amount of rain the pool has been getting? Should I be shocking it after every thunderstorm?
See attached photos!
(The photo with the arrows shows the direction of the jets. The arrows being the return jets)
All & any advice appreciated! Thanks.
About the pool:
-Concrete Kidney Bean
-2 returns, 1 skimmer, 1 drain
-13,000-14,000 gallons
-Avg temp 85F
-Pentair VS (3000rpm 8-10am / 2000rpm 10am-8pm / 3000rpm 8pm-10pm)
-Hayward Sand filter
-No equipment in the pool. (concrete stairs / above water hand rail)
Pools environment:
-Charleston, SC (Hot, HUMID, Thunderstorms about every other day)
-Neighbors Oak tree drops leaves in it all day long
-Full sun 1pm-8pm
Maintenance:
-Brush 2 times a day (am/pm)
-Vacuum Daily (am)
-Backwash biweekly
Chemistry:
-CYA = 45-50
-ALK = 110
-Hardness = 200
-PH 7.6-7.8 (constantly battling rising PH) (I drop it to 7.4 & it will last a day tops)(I recently learned to lower my ALK so will not raise it so high next time)
-CHL = 7.0/4.0 (I raise it to 7ppm every single night) (I lose about 3ppm daily) (I raised to 7ppm to combat the algae growth, for the most part has been effective)
So, I have successfully SLAMed my pool 4-5 times (usually after going out of town) so removing algae is not an issue. It's keeping it from starting I am struggling with. I religiously test/monitor/adjust to the above ranges. The pool remains balanced 24/7 as long as we are home.
We had some heavy rain on Sunday & this morning when I went out to the pool it looked normal crystal clear. But when I brushed the walls & floor green clouds came up. This seems to be a reoccurring theme of clear pool & algae growth on the bottom.
My thoughts / Questions:
- Is my pool chemistry best for its environment?
-Is my circulation is insufficient? (there are noticeable dead spots)
-How can I improve circulation without digging up concrete & installing return lines?
-Are my jets positioned in the best direction for the pool?
-Is my sand filter the root cause due to poor filtration? (should I upgrade?)
-would a salt water conversion be more efficient?
-Is there an instance where maybe an old outdated pool is just too inefficient for chlorine alone to keep it clear?
-Is it just the amount of rain the pool has been getting? Should I be shocking it after every thunderstorm?
See attached photos!
(The photo with the arrows shows the direction of the jets. The arrows being the return jets)
All & any advice appreciated! Thanks.
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