Dead, brown algae?

[Canucklehead]

Hi all. I'm just learning the TFP system, and have not been able to get into it yet. I still have about 60 chlorine pucks that I bought earlier this year, and I can't just send them to the landfill!

Today, after 2 days of cloudy weather and some rain, I uncovered our vinyl pool to find several areas of what appeared to be dead algae. Brown more than green. Perfectly clear water, and a small amount of leaf debris in the bottom. I've yet to take delivery of my titration test system, so I am relying on my hard-to-read strips, which appear to show:
FC 3
TC 1 (what?!!)
Alk 180
pH 7.8
Hardness 250
Temp is 26°C (about 79°F)
I added another puck, aiming to ensure that the FC is in the 3-5 range. Vacuumed the pool to remove most of the debris and the "algae". Backwashed & rinsed. Will leave the pump cycling overnight.
I'd rather not shock the pool because we have family coming tomorrow for a swim.
TFP and its members have been a great resource. May I ask for advice about what I've done, or should do at this point?
Thanks!

 

[Donldson]

I've yet to take delivery of my titration test system, so I am relying on my hard-to-read strips, which appear to show:
FC 3
TC 1 (what?!!)

Exactly! This is impossible. Which is why we tell people to just chuck out those worthless things.

Don't make adjustments based on unreliable testing. Post up your k-2006 numbers when you get them.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

In order to properly care for your pool you need one of the recommended test kits, TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C. Test Kits Compared Nothing else will do.

Test strips are almost worse than nothing at all. There's a reason we call them "guess" strips.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Your purchased pucks will last if kept dry. You can use them when you know you need more CYA in the water. Or while on vacation. No need to toss them in to the landfill. Worst case scenario is you give them to a neighbor who is still using them.....

Maddie

 

[Canucklehead]

Canadian members of this forum who have tried to purchase the Taylor K-2006C kit will be aware that they are referred from the Taylor website to <www.lowryassociates.ca>, the Canadian agent. To make a long story short, Mr Lowry will phone and advise that a smaller version of Taylor K-2006C is advisable for residential use, with lesser quantities of the reagents, some of which would be inclined to pass their "best before" dates before they are used up.
Mr Lowry promises to follow up by email with prices. I am waiting for that to happen.
I hope the URL is of use to some of my compatriots.

 

[Canucklehead]

Your purchased pucks will last if kept dry. You can use them when you know you need more CYA in the water. Or while on vacation. No need to toss them in to the landfill. Worst case scenario is you give them to a neighbor who is still using them.....

Maddie

Okay... but another member has advised that it's not a good idea to use pucks in the skimmer, which is what I've always done. So then it's okay to use pucks in a floating device while away? They won't circulate when the pool is covered.
And how does one decide how many pucks to leave in the water, for a one week versus a 2 week or longer absence?

 

[frogabog]

Okay... but another member has advised that it's not a good idea to use pucks in the skimmer, which is what I've always done. So then it's okay to use pucks in a floating device while away? They won't circulate when the pool is covered.
And how does one decide how many pucks to leave in the water, for a one week versus a 2 week or longer absence?

The reason not to put pucks in the skimmer is because when the pump is off, they still release chlorine and CYA, and the CYA is acidic. It can damage your equipment if the concentrations build up when the water is not moving.

If you use pucks in the floater, even under the cover stuck in one spot there's a LOT of water underneath it, and the concentrations will not be great. When the pump turns on, the water will again mix and flow through the floater.

You can use Pool Math to determine how much trichlor (pucks) you'll need depending on your daily FC demand and time away. Each 3" tablet weighs 8oz. Pool Math will also tell you how much CYA will be added. It's roughly .9ppm per 1ppm FC.

 

[Donldson]

Mr Lowry will phone and advise that a smaller version of Taylor K-2006C is advisable for residential use

What he is talking about is the k-2006. We have the comparison here: Test Kits Compared

We specifically recommend the C version for several reasons. The FAS-DPD chlorine test can only do about 25 tests in the 2006, versus the 70 in the 2006c. 6 CYA tests versus 25. Those alone make the 2006c a better value when you consider the cost of buying refills. This is doubly true if you are finding algae and may need to perform the SLAM Process, you would be using 2-5 FAS-DPD tests per day. The 2006 would run out before you could get refills. Unless he is selling old stock the kit will last at least one year, and while individual components may reach their expiration date many of us store our kits indoors and get two years out of them.

Canadians get the short end of the stick when it comes to test kits, we know. The exclusive contract eliminates competition and choice which drives up the price. However, that doesn't change anything. Taylor is still the gold standard, the FAS-DPD is still the best chlorine test available to the consumer, and proper testing is still the basis of proper pool care.

 

[frogabog]

If Mr. Lowry takes his time to make personal phone calls urging people to buy a cheaper test vs one with a higher price point (assuming, higher margin) he's a terrible businessman.

Why not just sell the test kit the customer asks for?

 

[Canucklehead]

If Mr. Lowry takes his time to make personal phone calls urging people to buy a cheaper test vs one with a higher price point (assuming, higher margin) he's a terrible businessman.

Why not just sell the test kit the customer asks for?

Au contraire, by creating the impression that he is saving the customer some money, he is hoping to gain a long term following? He felt that the 2006-C was more suited to public pools, with more frequent testing, higher FC requirement, etc. He also commented that certain reagents would last longer if kept in a cool, dry place.

Any Canucks able to comment about availability of replacement reagents when they run low?

I get the points that you TFP veterans are making, and I thank you for your input. I still haven't heard from the dealer, who implied that he would be emailing me within minutes! Terrible businessman?

Does acid corrode PVC pipes? I think there's very little metal in my system's plumbing. I'm about to order the floater from Amazon, but a thousand pucks have dissolved into my system, over the last 34 years that I've lived here, not to mention the previous owners' 16 years.

 

[Canucklehead]

Nobody can advise how easy it is for Canadians to obtain the Taylor reagents? I'm putting off the purchase until next season, given that this pool season is almost done, and the reagents have limited shelf life. (Plus Mr Lowry's quote of CAD175 for the "non-C" version of the kit. About USD130.)

I'm now using the new puck float, trying it out so that I can advise the house-sitters who will arrive tomorrow when we leave for 4 weeks vacation. Biggest (minor) issue so far is how to keep track of how many pucks are still in the floater!

Scratching my head over the Pool Math app. The sitters are asking what should they do if they decide the pool is no longer swimmable due to temperature? Can someone advise whether it makes sense for them to load the floater with 4-5 pucks, top it up once/week, and not bother to test the water? I'm trying to minimize their hassle. Will winterize the system when we get home.

Vinyl, 25,000 gal. Thanks again, everyone!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Does acid corrode PVC pipes? I think there's very little metal in my system's plumbing. I'm about to order the floater from Amazon, but a thousand pucks have dissolved into my system, over the last 34 years that I've lived here, not to mention the previous owners' 16 years.

You're forgetting about gaskets, the pump, etc.

 

[duraleigh]

The consequences of placing pucks in the skimmer is not "nuclear fallout World War III" type disaster but it just makes sense to TFP not to accumulate that high FC in the skimmer basket and pipes and then suddenly shoot it through the system when you turn on the pump. Floating the pucks dilutes them to a much less caustic level.