Hi everyone, I'm Jordan. I'm new to TFP and hoping you all can help me out. This is my third year owning a pool and every year we fight and fight with it, only to close it up and open it again the next year with the same awful, knock-down drag-out fights. We are ready for a change, and hoping you folks can give us some advice that makes sense. The three local pool stores all conflict with each other when giving us directions on how to maintain our pool. I'm graying at 30 with a toddler in the house, and I'd like to not add any more grays because of this pesky pool.
This year and last, my wife and I have opened to a swamp. This year the bottom was green, and the water stunk to high heavens. We vacuumed as much as we could (not to waste unfortunately, but through the filter). Eventually with Leslie's Yellow Out and shock we got the water clean and stink-free. There are stubborn small lines of algae that come back regardless of how much shock and vacuum and brushing we carry out. Over all we are happy with the water. It's the chlorine levels that we can not wrangle.
The free chlorine is always very low, even the day after shocking. The pool is 23,000g (according to our estimations) and we usually shock with 2-3 1lb bags of GLB SuperCharge Calcium Hypochlorite 68%. For standard chlorination, we use Bioguard silkguard complete tabs with two in the skimmer and three apiece in two floating chlorinators. I have read on this forum that tabs are the enemy, but when we bring our sample to the pool store, they always say our stabilizer levels are good to go. Here are the results from today using our Taylor Residential Water Test Kit.
pH: 7.2
Alkalinity: 100
Free Chlorine: 0
Combined Chlorine: 0-0.5.
We shocked with two bags last night near sundown. Why is our free chlorine so low? The water is crystal clear and aside from the tiny and incredibly stubborn streaks of algae on the bottom of the shallow end (which we also do not understand how we can't get rid of), the pool looks great. What do we do?
One pool store says to triple shock, and another says that's a waste and only time and regular chlorinating will help.
Thank you for your help in advance.
This year and last, my wife and I have opened to a swamp. This year the bottom was green, and the water stunk to high heavens. We vacuumed as much as we could (not to waste unfortunately, but through the filter). Eventually with Leslie's Yellow Out and shock we got the water clean and stink-free. There are stubborn small lines of algae that come back regardless of how much shock and vacuum and brushing we carry out. Over all we are happy with the water. It's the chlorine levels that we can not wrangle.
The free chlorine is always very low, even the day after shocking. The pool is 23,000g (according to our estimations) and we usually shock with 2-3 1lb bags of GLB SuperCharge Calcium Hypochlorite 68%. For standard chlorination, we use Bioguard silkguard complete tabs with two in the skimmer and three apiece in two floating chlorinators. I have read on this forum that tabs are the enemy, but when we bring our sample to the pool store, they always say our stabilizer levels are good to go. Here are the results from today using our Taylor Residential Water Test Kit.
pH: 7.2
Alkalinity: 100
Free Chlorine: 0
Combined Chlorine: 0-0.5.
We shocked with two bags last night near sundown. Why is our free chlorine so low? The water is crystal clear and aside from the tiny and incredibly stubborn streaks of algae on the bottom of the shallow end (which we also do not understand how we can't get rid of), the pool looks great. What do we do?
One pool store says to triple shock, and another says that's a waste and only time and regular chlorinating will help.
Thank you for your help in advance.
So let me assure you, we have thousands of member in the upper territory of the US (MI, WI, IL, OH, PA, NY, etc), and it all boils-down to a one fundamental principle - accurate testing with a "proper" test kit. Either a TF-Series test kit (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. At all costs, avoid the pool store's testing, advice, and mist certainly their over-priced products that most times are not needed, but make things worse. Yellow Out? Oh no. 