Guidance needed, 3 years using TFP and I am at a loss (Solved)

[Dirk]

Oh, that orange thing. Floatie?

 

[jsnpckns]

Sails up! Spent the morning cleaning the white one. Went better than I thought considering how grungy it was.

The orange bit is a cheap 5 dollar float, dumbell-ish shaped to keep the Betta bot from getting stuck on the skimmer(well 90% of the time), while obstructing the skim flow as little as possible. I it affixed over the concrete to the skimmer cover with some nylon rope.

And a pic of the bot waiting for the FC to drop closer to normal. He is the version 2.0 with the shallow water step guards and better motors. Supposedly the 3.0 is chargeable so it can have a longer life in low sun months or if you have a high shade pool.

 

[jsnpckns]

Oh the green corkscrews in the flower bed are just decorative rubber covered metal. Kind of mid-mod. Usually they are accompanied by orange and yellow bulbine plant, but the winter was hard on them. Some signs of life, but it will be a few weeks before they are back.

 

[Dirk]

Sails up! Spent the morning cleaning the white one. Went better than I thought considering how grungy it was.

The orange bit is a cheap 5 dollar float, dumbell-ish shaped to keep the Betta bot from getting stuck on the skimmer(well 90% of the time), while obstructing the skim flow as little as possible. I it affixed over the concrete to the skimmer cover with some nylon rope.

And a pic of the bot waiting for the FC to drop closer to normal. He is the version 2.0 with the shallow water step guards and better motors. Supposedly the 3.0 is chargeable so it can have a longer life in low sun months or if you have a high shade pool.

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Doesn't that orange floatie, lying on the surface in front of the skimmer, completely defeat skimming? At least skimming leaves off the surface?

 

[Mdragger88]

Be sure to scrub the orange thingy

 

[Dirk]

Tsk, tsk! No glass near the pool (if that's what those are). I learned my lesson the hard way, or rather one of my friends did. He snuck a glass (cocktail) into the jacuzzi, after being told expressly not to. Glass broke. Hours ensued him trying to find every shard before we discovered what he had done. Next day, we were all in the jacuz, and I felt something on my toe and brought it up: big ol' hunk'a shard! Busted! Then he confessed. Needless to say, he did not get another invite to that jacuzzi. And I couldn't really defend him, seein's how I almost lost a toe. We were all on a ski trip and his carelessness could have cost one of us the entire trip.

Anywho, the jacuzzi had to be drained, because the glass was invisible underwater and the owner couldn't take the chance.

A'course, if you're looking for an excuse to drain your entire pool, just so's you can use my meter trick to figure out the volume, then you're on the right track.

 

[jsnpckns]

Doesn't that orange floatie, lying on the surface in front of the skimmer, completely defeat skimming? At least skimming leaves off the surface?

The only part that has contact with the pool is on either side. Yes, leaves coming from the side get hung up, but with the skimmer bot in the pool that is infrequent. I only set it in the spring through the summer when the bot is operating.

Otherwise the middle of the float arches over the skimmer opening, and I get plenty of skimming... at least as much as that one small skimmer cOK. As the water rises and falls, the float does as well, giving me a bumper for the bot but not getting in the way of skimming.

Wind blows it up sometimes, still working that out. But mostly in the summer it stays in place. So.etimes, if the bot approaches at just the right angle, it can get pulled in and stuck. I just bump him out. Not the most perfect solution but I haven't been able to figure out a better one that keeps the bot from getting stuck while also not obstructing the skimmer.

It gets rinsed every day, and I cleaned it along with the skimmer the other day. It is new out of the box since March, so I think it's ok.

 

[jsnpckns]

A'course, if you're looking for an excuse to drain your entire pool, just so's you can use my meter trick to figure out the volume, then you're on the right track.

I know. They are old telegraph insulators that were in a box in the shed. We cleaned this winter and the wife was supposed to put them in the courtyard garden.

I will now chastise her, armed with your post and get her to move them (and by that I mean tells me where to put them ).

We are pretty vigilant about that though. As a former bench chemist, I can't count the number of times I have had to clean shards of glassware out of a sink or soaking bin where they literally vanish in solution.

 

[Mdragger88]

That is an impressive collection of insulators! I just love em’ but not by p00l

 

[jsnpckns]

Using the OTO just to see where I am as the FC slides back down. If I remember this orange is between 15 an 25 FC. When it goes to the darker yellow, I will check with the FAS-DPD. New chema are coming late Monday.

 

[Newdude]

If I remember this orange is between 15 an 25 FC.

10 to 20 with a similar light orange to dark orange. Then it goes brown around 20.

(Give or take as the test itself has a wiiiiiide variance)

 

[Dirk]

I haven't been able to figure out a better one that keeps the bot from getting stuck

I have an idea for you, but no time this weekend to draw it out. Remind me next week if I forget.

We are pretty vigilant about that though.

I dedicated a kitchen cabinet to all things pool: cups, plates, bowls, wine "glasses," coffee mugs, etc, all plastic or metal. Even a carafe for wine. I went to Walmart and stocked up. And found a few things on Amazon. Guests are the worst. I'll remind them, several times, but they can't seem to figure out that beer and wine bottles are glass!! The plastic wine glasses and carafe help. And I bought a set of insulated cups (YETI) that solve for tall boys and beers. Those are "color coded" so everyone gets their own color. And then I just point guests to the cupboard: "Anything in there..."

Still gotta chase down one or two, just about every party, but the MO helps.

Ironically, I have two patio tables with glass tops. They were crazy expensive, so I haven't done anything about those yet. Which I'll probably someday regret, unless I do.

 

[jsnpckns]

Our area is a work in progress. We are wishy washy about what we want. I want to do some covered seating on that large area by the shallow end. I have waffled from midmod pergola to more shade sails, to a cantilevered overhang. They all have their pros and cons.

We most always just do canned drinks adult or otherwise. We don't have that many local friends, and even fewer that are not sun averse. Most people are pretty good about it though. One of the things I want to get is like a side buffet/bar side table, but I want to finish the covered seating first.

Good ideas though!

 

[jsnpckns]

Time to test with the fas-dpd?

Did a 10 ml sample because I already know what the answer is going to be lol. FC 11.5, CC 0.0. I didn't record the pH since FC is still above 10.

I guess I'll let it sit one more day, then test again tomorrow evening and run the SWG overnight to get a general idea of its output and keep the FC around what I assume will be around 8 tomorrow evening. New chems should be here by then too.

 

[jsnpckns]

Just checked FC at 9.5 on 10 ml FAS-DPD. Its been cooler, and I think the shade sails go a long way in helping minimize some FC loss.

Going to run SWCG at 15% overnight. Hope new chems come tomorrow.

 

[jsnpckns]

Got up later than I wanted. FC at 8:45 was 10. pH was 7.8. I only ran the swcg 11 hours. So everything seems to be on point.

 

[jsnpckns]

Just an update. Things seem to be falling back into line. My average daily FC loss seems to be around 2.5, which is in line with previous years results under similar conditions. These are all 10 ml samples.

23rd 9 am FC 10
24th 7 pm FC 9

I've had the swcg running at 15%/12 hrs 7a-7p since the FC dropped below 10 on the 22nd. I upped it to 20% last night for today's addition. If tonight's FC lands between 8 and 9, I'll be happy that everything is back in working order.

I did do two small water additions which probably had some impact on FC levels as well. I don't have a meter so I rough in 9 gpm (100 foot 5/8th hose assuming 50 psi), and both additions have been for about 15-20 min to get water back over the shallowest step. So overall at most about 500 gallons. I haven't tested the city water in a while. It is showing in my TA which has risen, and typically rises, with city water additions. My last testing of it showed little to no FC, some CC (I forget exactly, around 2 I think), no CH, and about 150 TA with a pH over 8.

I am unfamiliar with whether the slam process can affect TA.

 

[HermanTX]

Thanks for posting test data and also keeping your PM Logs up to date. That is very helpful.
TA is only affected by additions of MA. Before a SLAM pH should be 7.2 so if one had to add MA to drop pH before the SLAM then that same MA addition affects TA somewhat.
Looking at your PM logs - all is good. A higher CH would increase the CSI slightly and with a FG pool the ideal range is 350-550 per Pool School. This would make your CSI less negative. Target -0.3 to zero
The last test in your logs showed CYA at 70. Not sure if you have tested lately but that is still good.

 

[jsnpckns]

A higher CH would increase the CSI slightly and with a FG pool the ideal range is 350-550 per Pool School.

I have an 8lb bag of CaCl on standby to be added today for just this purpose. I know from previous years that increasing temps bring me more positive, along with a creep of pH from the swcg. Luckily, our fill water has very little to no CH, so keeping it at level once I get it there is pretty easy, depending on rain amounts. I have been wanting to get everything else under control first so as not to confuse the issue during slam.

The last test in your logs showed CYA at 70. Not sure if you have tested lately but that is still good.

I didn't test for it last night because the light was already not great. Going to try to get it tested this afternoon before 5 while I still have decent light (at least for me) to read it in a consistent manner. I am dosing based on 70 though, assuming it won't be higher and probably not much lower.

 

[Dirk]

The Pool Math app allows you to track test results for more than one pool. You can create a "pool" called "City Water" and then test CH and TA out of the tap. Salt and FC if you're curious. (No need to test CYA, as there won't be any.) And then record those results in your "City Water" PM pool. It's a convenient place to store that info, plus we can see it, too.

Then you'll have a good baseline reference, which you can update once or twice a year, to keep track of what the city is supplying, and how it might affect your pool chem maintenance strategy.

I have a "pool" for my pool, my city water (hard water) and the water coming out of my water softener (soft water).