Help for a new but soon to be proficient pool owner.

[Amyannwilson]

Good morning. So I am new to pool ownership. We have a 22000 gallon in ground vinyl liner and live in Iowa. We’ve Been here 2 months and have a pool company come out to check chemicals and replenish got our bill which was close to $800.....who knew. Pool people were here 4 days ago on Monday before I canceled and go figure the water has been cloudy since. So awhile back I ordered the recommended test kit. Put my big girl pants on and put it to use this morning. I am having problems with the CYA I can see that black dot no matter what. The rest I seen confident in. The pool people left the following: Pool life 3inch stabilized chlorination , pool life gold medal clarifier, pool life turboshock 78%, pool life ph minus and pool life super algaebomb algaecide. The app is saying reduce PH. I think I am screwed on calcium, we have naturally hard water here. Don’t want to create a bigger problem. I just need some encouragement and reassuring advice. I presently have no algae and typically the pool is cloudy the rest of the day when the pool people come which was Monday but then stays clear the rest of the week. But not this week slightly cloudy. Thanks sorry for the long post. Happy weekend to all!

 

[DorsalSpine]

You are in good hands here. Most of the stuff they left you won't want to use. You need some stabilizer and some liquid chlorine. Try reading the articles under Pool School to get a better idea of how the chemistry works. I'm sure there will be somebody along to give you more detailed advice.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome Amy! You're in good hands now here at TFP. Your CH is a bit high, and I suspect that's from the use of lots of Cal-Hypo sanitizers in the past. As long as you don't add calcium and your water isn't too hard, it shouldn't go up much more. To compensate for that elevated CH, make sure to keep the pH controlled and begin lowering the TA (see below). If you get the TA down to about 70-90 your CSI will get much lower and your water will be better balanced to prevent scale.

For the CYA, it's a bit tricky at first but you'll get it. Check out my CYA note below. You definately want at least a CYA of 30. As for the other products they left you, most won't be used at all. Perhaps the 3" chlorine tabs if you go on vacation, but not the other stuff.

Continue to monitor the FC to avoid algae. You mentioned the water being cloudy, so algae may already be trying to get in there. Once you have the stabilizer in the water, I would increase the FC to about 6-7 and perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test . If you fail the OCLT, you may need to start a SLAM Process, but the sooner you do it the better. But do the OCLT and watch the water for a day or so.

For now, get the CYA to 30 and lower the TA. Let us know how it goes.

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.troublefreepool.com

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the Poolmath calculator into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. Squeeze the sock periodically to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Use the mixing bottle to gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Recommend standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body at waist level. Then, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. To help the eyes and prevent staring at the dot, some people find it better to pour & view in stages. Pour some solution into the viewing tube, look away, then look back again for the dot. Repeat as necessary until you feel the dot is gone. After the first CYA test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, gently shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate your own CYA reading. Finally, if you still doubt your own reading, have a friend do the test with you and compare results.

 

[TomGallopavo]

I will sound like a broken record but...

I’m up to about 135 this year in chemicals including the refills on the test kit this year.

I can’t see if you have a swg or a robot but if you put money into those the maintenance on the pool goes way down. I barely do anything and my water is amazing..no chlorine smell, weird hair colors, burning eyes....and have had no trouble with algae despite my algae filled pond not more than 150 yds away.

Get the test kit, follow the advice you will get.

 

[Amyannwilson]

I will sound like a broken record but...

I’m up to about 135 this year in chemicals including the refills on the test kit this year.

I can’t see if you have a swg or a robot but if you put money into those the maintenance on the pool goes way down. I barely do anything and my water is amazing..no chlorine smell, weird hair colors, burning eyes....and have had no trouble with algae despite my algae filled pond not more than 150 yds away.

Get the test kit, follow the advice you will get.

 

[Amyannwilson]

Omg this is the chemicals they have used in 2 months!

 

[Amyannwilson]

I will sound like a broken record but...

I’m up to about 135 this year in chemicals including the refills on the test kit this year.

I can’t see if you have a swg or a robot but if you put money into those the maintenance on the pool goes way down. I barely do anything and my water is amazing..no chlorine smell, weird hair colors, burning eyes....and have had no trouble with algae despite my algae filled pond not more than 150 yds away.

Get the test kit, follow the advice you will get.
[/

Welcome Amy! You're in good hands now here at TFP. Your CH is a bit high, and I suspect that's from the use of lots of Cal-Hypo sanitizers in the past. As long as you don't add calcium and your water isn't too hard, it shouldn't go up much more. To compensate for that elevated CH, make sure to keep the pH controlled and begin lowering the TA (see below). If you get the TA down to about 70-90 your CSI will get much lower and your water will be better balanced to prevent scale.

For the CYA, it's a bit tricky at first but you'll get it. Check out my CYA note below. You definately want at least a CYA of 30. As for the other products they left you, most won't be used at all. Perhaps the 3" chlorine tabs if you go on vacation, but not the other stuff.

Continue to monitor the FC to avoid algae. You mentioned the water being cloudy, so algae may already be trying to get in there. Once you have the stabilizer in the water, I would increase the FC to about 6-7 and perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test . If you fail the OCLT, you may need to start a SLAM Process, but the sooner you do it the better. But do the OCLT and watch the water for a day or so.

For now, get the CYA to 30 and lower the TA. Let us know how it goes.

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.troublefreepool.com

I’m off to Buy stabilizer and practice my CYA test technique. Thank you for your help. I may have more questions this afternoon about the overnight test. Will keep you posted.

 

[Amyannwilson]

You are in good hands here. Most of the stuff they left you won't want to use. You need some stabilizer and some liquid chlorine. Try reading the articles under Pool School to get a better idea of how the chemistry works. I'm sure there will be somebody along to give you more detailed advice.

Talk you!

 

[frogabog]

And the pool company's name is "Afford-A-Spa & Pools"??!?!!???

Talk about an oxymoron.

 

[Amyannwilson]

Welcome Amy! You're in good hands now here at TFP. Your CH is a bit high, and I suspect that's from the use of lots of Cal-Hypo sanitizers in the past. As long as you don't add calcium and your water isn't too hard, it shouldn't go up much more. To compensate for that elevated CH, make sure to keep the pH controlled and begin lowering the TA (see below). If you get the TA down to about 70-90 your CSI will get much lower and your water will be better balanced to prevent scale.

For the CYA, it's a bit tricky at first but you'll get it. Check out my CYA note below. You definately want at least a CYA of 30. As for the other products they left you, most won't be used at all. Perhaps the 3" chlorine tabs if you go on vacation, but not the other stuff.

Continue to monitor the FC to avoid algae. You mentioned the water being cloudy, so algae may already be trying to get in there. Once you have the stabilizer in the water, I would increase the FC to about 6-7 and perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test . If you fail the OCLT, you may need to start a SLAM Process, but the sooner you do it the better. But do the OCLT and watch the water for a day or so.

For now, get the CYA to 30 and lower the TA. Let us know how it goes.

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.

www.troublefreepool.com

Good morning!! So I added the recommend amount of stabilizer yesterday I did the OCT last night and got a FC of 4.5 and this am I got 3. The water clarity is much improved today. So according to the rules I would begin the SLAM process. My question before I do is. We got about 2 inches of rain overnight. Should I do my normal testing at noon and redo the OCT tonight or disregard the possible effects rain had on the test and begin slamming. Thanks!!!

 

[Katodude]

The rain will not affect your results unless you drained water. You still have cloudiness, you need to be crystal clear. Start your SLAM.

Post pictures, follow the advice you get from the moderators/experts. You will have the best looking pool in the neighborhood.