First time pool owner: my story and question about iridescent glass tile cleaning

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

Slpoolowner

0
Jul 5, 2018
61
Sugar Land/Texas
Hi All,
Moved into my house a few weeks ago, which has a 14,500 gallon pool. The first week I moved in, I got a call from the previous pool guy, who was extremely obnoxious and was charging over 200 a month to maintain the pool, and I balked at the price (probably the going price, but I was just stressed at the time with all the expenses mounting). He then offered a pool school to me for an hour, at $275, at which point he would teach me everything he knows; i told him thats a pretty high hourly rate, anyways, i didnt use his service. Then i found troublefreepool, bought the taylor test kit, and downloaded the poolmath app, and read through the forum. My first readings:

7/5
FC = 18
CC = 6
pH = 7.2
TA = 60
CH = 400
CYA = 110

added baking soda, and borax

today 7/12
FC = 6.5
CC =.5
pH 7.8
TA = 80
CH = 340
CYA = 110

Added recommended liquid bleach (Clorox 6%) right after testing, and yes I know my CYA is very high, but thats because the pool guy was using the chlorine pucks in the automatic chlorine inline feeder (Pentair Rainbow Model 320). It will be very expensive for me to drain the pool even half-way since water is sooo expensive my county.

A couple of questions, which i didnt see answered
1.) Can I add clorox directly to the in-line Chlorine Feeder (Rainbow Model 320) while my filter pump is running? It seems easier to do than add slowly in front of the return? I also have a Catch a kid net over the pool, as i have young ones, and i have to remove it to add bleach...

2.) I have iridescent glass tiles right at the water line, and above, and I see some mineral deposits sitting on them, giving it a white ashy look. I read that I can use a pumice stone to rub it off without scratching the glass tiles. However, this is time-consuming to do, and leaves so much pumice dust in the pool. Is there a chemical that i can use to do this instead, and it is a bit easier? I believe folks in previous posts have cautioned against using abrasives like wet/dry sandpaper or standard tile cleaners that have abrasives as it will lightly scratch your tile creating a haze.

Any recommendations on either of the questions above is very helpful. Thanks again for eveyrones help and teaching me the basics.
 
Good that you fired the pool guy before you hired him.

How do you know your CYA is 110? Did you dilute pool water by 50% and then double the result?

Assuming CYA 110 is correct you need a minimum FC of 8 and a FC target of 11 - 13 according to this chart Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Good luck on your new house and pool. We are here to help.
 
Welcome to the forum! :wave: I would not pour the bleach in the feeder. Pouring slowly near the returns jets is best. You can try a water/muriatic acid ratio mix of about 4/1 on those tiles along with some good scrubbing to see if that clears-up your tiles. Don't forget to update your signature with all of your pool and equipment info, to include which Taylor kit you are using. It will help us later.
 
Keep your pH in the 7.0 to 7.2 range and that will reduce haze formation on your tiles. You might try a Mr. Clean magic eraser on them and see if that helps, but if it is calcium deposits then the mild acid solution would be best. Use a stiff nylon brush, no metal brushes, to scrub with.
 
I used the Taylor K-2006 to check my CYA level, to be honest, the approach for testing CYA is a bit odd to me, in terms of waiting for the dot to disappear (it feels so inexact). I didn't know I had to dilute my pool water by 50%, i do not recall seeing that in the instructions for the Taylor K-2006 kit, I believe you fill it to 7ml with pool water, then another 7ml (to 14 total) with their reagent and then use the dropper to fill the smaller testing tube waiting for the dot to disappear.



ajw22 said:
Good that you fired the pool guy before you hired him.

How do you know your CYA is 110? Did you dilute pool water by 50% and then double the result?

Assuming CYA 110 is correct you need a minimum FC of 8 and a FC target of 11 - 13 according to this chart Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Good luck on your new house and pool. We are here to help.
Click to expand...
 
Slpoolowner said:
I used the Taylor K-2006 to check my CYA level, to be honest, the approach for testing CYA is a bit odd to me, in terms of waiting for the dot to disappear (it feels so inexact). I didn't know I had to dilute my pool water by 50%, i do not recall seeing that in the instructions for the Taylor K-2006 kit, I believe you fill it to 7ml with pool water, then another 7ml (to 14 total) with their reagent and then use the dropper to fill the smaller testing tube waiting for the dot to disappear.
Click to expand...

I think the lowest line on the Taylor CYA tube is 100. So how do you know it is 110? Thats my question.

The kit instructions do not contemplate testing CYA over 100.

When you have CYA that high you can get a more accurate measurement by the 50% dilution then double the result method.
 
Every pool is different, so I can't predict what will work for yours, but I also have glass tile and use my robot religiously. It scrubs the waterline and the tiles just above it and I never get any build-up of any kind.
 
ahh, yes, I see what you mean. I guessed, cuz it was passed the line :/

an educated guess, i promise

ajw22 said:
I think the lowest line on the Taylor CYA tube is 100. So how do you know it is 110? Thats my question.

The kit instructions do not contemplate testing CYA over 100.

When you have CYA that high you can get a more accurate measurement by the 50% dilution then double the result method.
Click to expand...

- - - Updated - - -

very helpful, thanks for the link. Will definitely do this.

Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
See Step 8 HERE for the diluted CYA test.
Click to expand...
 
Slpoolowner said:
ahh, yes, I see what you mean. I guessed, cuz it was passed the line :/

an educated guess, i promise
Click to expand...

CYA scale is logarithmical, not proportional. Half in between two values is not half. You can't eyeball in between markings.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Looks like you have a handle on it, but for future testing, the Ph test is not accurate when free chlorine is above 10ppm. The elevated chlorine level changes the color the reagent turns the water and throws off your test results. Some people don't realize this and it can cause them to adjust their Ph when it's not necessary. Also, if you have scaling on your tile, once you remove it keep an eye on your CSI (bottom of pool math) to prevent the scale from coming back.
 
I just wrote a reply and thought I posted, but it didn’t show up. I’m going to write again, so please pardon me if you end up with two similar replies.

I, too, have a Katchakid safety net (as well as a leaf cover for the off season and days when I know storms are coming). I love the safety net and leave it on whenever we aren’t swimming. That includes when I add chemicals (most of the time) unless I’m doing other work like brushing or skimming. I have a SWCG, so usually I don’t need to add chlorine, but I do add muriatic acid more frequently than I would like. (Thankfully it’s getting better as my TA is coming down, and we got a nice fill with rain water this week.)

My system for pouring through the net goes directly from the gallon jug. I don’t remove the plastic seal under the lid. I simply poke a pencil-sized through it, and that helps control the aim and rate. I lay the side of the jug down on the net and point the top through a square in front of a return. I use a kitchen scale to get the right amount, and I’ve had enough practice to know that my rate is about one ounce per second if I squeeze. (If I’m adding 30 oz, I’ll stop at 20 so as not to overshoot, but then I’ll add another 7 seconds and another 3 if that’s what the scale indicates, and it usually does).

I don’t usually see any splashing toward the net, but I like to wash it off with water. If it’s a day I’m topping off the water, I’ll spray the area with the hose. I also keep a watering can under a very nearby air conditioning condensation drain line, and I’ll “water” the net with a good amount from that just in case.

I love our safety net and want to keep it in good shape, so I really understand your concerns about chemicals. If you really feel uncomfortable pouring through the squares, do you have a good spot where you could loosen just some of the hooks and still keep the net out of the water? Our pool is not regular in shape, so I have areas where I can do that and need to when I forget to reinstall the Polaris after swimming and have already reinstalled the safety net. Thankfully I can change the bag through the slats because I don’t prefer to loosen and tighten that ratcheting fastener more than necessary as it is a lot of work (and I do love that it is a lot of work because my kids can’t do it without me).

I, too, have whiteness on my waterline tile simply from evaporation of our high calcium water. I haven’t tried to remove it because I figure it will just come back. I’ll watch to see what might work for you.
 
Just tried the 4/1 mix water:muriatic acid, and scrubbed a ton with a nylon brush, but it didnt make a dent in the white mineral deposits. Next up, i'll try the magic eraser and report back.

Texas Splash said:
Welcome to the forum! :wave: I would not pour the bleach in the feeder. Pouring slowly near the returns jets is best. You can try a water/muriatic acid ratio mix of about 4/1 on those tiles along with some good scrubbing to see if that clears-up your tiles. Don't forget to update your signature with all of your pool and equipment info, to include which Taylor kit you are using. It will help us later.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply