Getting Started and Mineral Unit

[wobuzhudao]

My weeks of free pool service is up in a few weeks, and I'm gearing up to take over. I'll be going though the Taylor tests this week to get practice and to check the company's work.

Any first tips that aren't generally found on the site here are welcome. But one specific question... The service company recommended getting a mineral unit because they saw a little algae on the wall. I wasn't there at the time, and I'm having trouble finding where they were seeing it. What is your opinion about using an algaecide like mineral unit?

 

[Bperry]

. What is your opinion about using an algaecide like mineral unit?

Welcome! Sadly they are a complete waste of money and can cause staining depending on what minerals are being added. If you have algae, it means the chlorine level is too low for how much stabilizer is in the water. Here’s an article about it:

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[TinFoilHat]

Congrats on taking it over yourself. You will do a better job than someone at an hourly wage that sees your pool once per week. Get one of our recommended test kits and then do some reading of the following links to get yourself familiar with how easy this can be. Whether you have algae or not needs to be determined so I'll include the link to the OCLT test that can help determine that and the SLAM process to fix it.
Pool Care Basics
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
SLAM Process
Test Kits Compared