Hi, GeeGaw from deep east Texas

I have clean cell by soaking with vinegar and it cleans great. But could not do that everyday, takes to much time to soak it. So then I started rinsing it off and light soft brushing. It gets so packced if I don't everyday???
 
Welcome to the forum Geegaw :wave::wave:

Add the stabilizer (CYA) first. Put it in a sock and hang it in front of a return. Second best, toss it in a skimmer. It can take up to a week to fully dissolve and be "testable" so don't bother to check it again for a week once the sock is empty. Try not to backwash during that time as once it dissolves out of the sock it can still be big enough to be sitting in the filter. That's why hanging it in front of a return is the better choice. That way more of it is sitting in the pool dissolving and not in your filter. To speed it up some you can knead that sock as that helps it dissolve faster.

Once you have the sock in the water you should go ahead and use that target CYA as your CYA level for the week and add bleach accordingly. If you're shooting for 70ppm CYA then you should be trying to maintain 3-5ppm FC or if 80, 4-6. You want to be closer to the high side and never let it drop below the minimum FC as that's when you can get some green growing.
 

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Whenever we have any type of algae, the first thing we do here at TFP is SLAM via the Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain. But you must ensure you follow ALL the steps on that page and complete ALL 3 passing criteria. After that, if you still have a stain or two, let us know and we can get more specific on treatment options. The fact that you are on well water may be a reason for some of those stains as well. You may want to look at this page here: Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains. I have a larger bit of info I will cut & paste after this post about metals for you.

Also, you might find this page helpful soon: Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool.

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Some more info on metals (iron) in the water:
If your fill water is from a well, more than likely you have (metals) iron in the water. Iron comes in two forms, particles and dissolved metals. Dissolved metals don't really filter out, they either stay in suspension which is good, or precipitate out and stain your pool and water (especially when FC is increased) which is bad. The only way to remove metals is to drain and refill with metal-free water. Some folks are able to find metal free water and have it delivered, but it is costly. If the water starts to look like coffee, then it requires immediate action.

Ideally, the more “pre-filtering” of iron you can do to physically remove before treating chemically the better. Some folks have had decent success placing layers of dishrags, paper towels, or pillow batting in the skimmer to catch iron/rust particles. Others place socks or other products over the garden hose as they fill. Other methods have been used such as increasing the FC and/or PH levels to help separate the metal ions and then vacuuming and/or filtering-out the residual metal from the main filter media, but this can be risky if the metal is allowed to rest on the pool surfaces and may cause staining if not watched closely. Your best and most reliable bet is to add sequestrant to the water and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Unfortunately, sequestrant breaks down slowly, you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find many other brands with similar products, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.
 
You can add bleach anytime. Just never add bleach and acid at the same time. The CYA will not need to be tested again for at least a week. :)

Generally you should check FC once a day. Since you use a SWG, you may also want to check pH each day to ensure it stays in the mid-7s.

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Everybody tests their water differently based on their personal schedules (i.e. morning, night). Generally, after testing is when a lot of folks will do their math and add chemicals (bleach, acid, etc). Just make sure to let the pump run for at least 30 minutes after adding chemicals.
 

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Good deal.
But only at closing of pool right?
What about on a daily basis? Stuff gathers on floor under them too. And it's to tight to get my arm under them or behind them very far.
And when I close, and take steps out, how to clean out inside of them?
 
You don't have to remove the steps everyday, only for right now to ensure you get them cleaned really well. Those steps have a way of concealing algae that you wouldn't believe. You can leave them out during the SLAM if you want then put them back in. Up to you. Clean inside with a small wire brush or old toothbrush and a chemical mixture of bleach and water or some other cleaning agent. Some individual steps may come apart to make things easier on you.
 
Fc 5
Ph 7.5
Ta 80
Th 100
Cya 30-50
Salt 1840
This is after bringing it up to fc 5 last night And runing swg 8 hrs?? Need to add 7 lbs salt, can I do that with swg still hooked up, but NOT RUNNING??
 
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Okay, about those readings .... I'm a little concerned because I don't think they are from a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 correct? Still using HTH test strips as noted in your sig? But as it stands, here is what I see based on those results:
CYA drives everything. 30-50 is a fairly big spread (range), so it would be ideal to know better what the CYA is. Normally, for a SWG pool, your CYA should be up around 70-80, but if you are going to SLAM because of cloudy or green water, then don't raise the CYA yet. Either confirm a more accurate CYA number or assume it's 50 and use the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart which states to SLAM your FC should be at 20. So if you do have to SLAM (because of cloudy or green water), then turn-off your SWG and use regular liquid bleach to raise your FC level during that SLAM.

Please remember Geegaw, the test kit drives everything. Even with good advice it won't help much if the readings are not accurate, so please take that into consideration. If you still have questions about whether or not you need to SLAM, let us know.
 
Can:confused::handwave: I add salt with swg hooked up but Not Running?
Salt test:1840
It shows on pool math I need to add 7 lbs salt?? And I just added 8.3 oz 8.25% bleach. Advice please??:handwave::handwave::handwave::confused:

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I do appreciate your help. Cya is closer to 50. I realise this hth test isn't good, but I can't do any better right now.

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I added cya and bleach yesterday. (As pool math instructions)
 

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