How to vacuum to waste correctly

[DaninFLA]

Pool stores really need to be open on weekends. Here they are even closed on Monday!!!! I don't have a test kit yet so I have to take it there to test and see what is happening. My chlorine tabs are not disintegrating as fast as all the comments say they would but that could be a circulation issue which is what I suspect. Since I already did the shock and algaecide do I just continue with bleach? What concentrate? How many gallons? I know I read it on here somewhere, I'll search and try and find. This is a rock and a hard place. I have zero money to put towards all this yet if I don't everything will get in a much worse state.

you cant do the SLAM with pool store tests, you just cant. you are going to have to test too often and their testing isn't accurate. as far as money goes, do you have extra algaecide, chlorine tabs, and shock that you can return? if you can do that as soon as you can. all you need is bleach, need to find the cheapest local source for that and start stocking up. bleach is super cheap compared to that shock and algaecide. and the shock you are talking about doesn't help, a one time raise in chlorine doesn't do much, its all about sustained chlorine levels at or above the shock level for your CYA. accurate testing is a requirement. you can use pool math to calculate the amount of bleach needed to reach target levels.

as far as money goes, I hope you realize what people are suggesting on this forum is the absolute cheapest way to clean up and maintain your pool. going to the pool store is going to cost you a LOT of money. stay away and only go if you need something specific.

did you order the test kit yet? your friend from here has one I believe. if you wanted to cheapest option, just order the chlorine test only and use his test kit to verify CYA. that's all you really need to worry about at the moment. you will need to full test kit soon, but that could save you a week or two.

 

[Azgirl71]

No more shock or algaecide. You really need to get a TF 100 it will be the best investment you make. Only use bleach or liquid chlorine. Bleach is generally 8.25% in 121 oz jugs. No easy pour or splash less scents.

You just cannot do a SLAM with pool store readings. You have to test and add bleach every couple of hours during a SLAM

 

[wowens]

Okay--so here is the status. I hear what everyone is saying and I am THAT thrifty person that finds the least expensive way to get things accomplished. Even my husband thinks I am too tight with money. However, THIS is NOT where I want to be spending my time and sometimes time and stress are expensive too and to save on them the offset is spending elsewhere. If I were more familiar with this whole pool concept and how it all works I would definitely be testing and bleaching. However, I found that was going to take a whole other learning lesson as I looked at bleach and found germicidal bleach that showed concentration percent and cleaner bleach that had NO WHERE on the bottle the concentration then I thought there had to be somewhere that would sell it by the barrel or larger than gallon container. --see all these decisions and research???
I thought bleach was .99. NO, its almost $4.00 which is the same price as shock. I don't know how much bleach I would need and that is another who knows how many hours of learning to figure out and if it was 20, 30, 40 gallons etc. Or only 5. I have no idea. (and I am still stuck on bleach being harsher for the liner---hard to retrain brain)

And I may have still done the bleach had my morning worked out differently. (I will definitely do in future) I was first in the door when the pool store opened and told them all that happened over the weekend. The owner overheard and felt sorry for me. He in turn GAVE me chemicals, a pressure gauge and came to my house FOR FREE. Yes, I overpaid for some chemicals but it feels so good to get some stress relief.

All he poured in caused it to bubble like alka selzter and he created a bottom drain with the vacuum hose. Currently the cleaner line (for automatic vacuum, that hole in shallow end) is capped and hose is directly in skimmer hole. Still no suction over basket. When clear he said he would find where air leak is. My pump has been repaired by a non-pool person, he said, that has replaced some pipes with non pool piping. He showed me where I used to have a lever to switch between lines but it was broken off and sealed.

What I am unhappy about is knowing the monthly expense and wishing I could have put all this money on converting to a salt water pool. We need a roof and windows and so many other things, so trust me, it HURTS to spend ANYTHING on this pool!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I have learned so much from this site and from all the posts. I feel like I have gone through YEARS of school with all I have learned in 4 days!!!

 

[pbhound]

I found that was going to take a whole other learning lesson as I looked at bleach and found germicidal bleach that showed concentration percent and cleaner bleach that had NO WHERE on the bottle the concentration then I thought there had to be somewhere that would sell it by the barrel or larger than gallon container. --see all these decisions and research???

I thought bleach was .99. NO, its almost $4.00 which is the same price as shock. I don't know how much bleach I would need and that is another who knows how many hours of learning to figure out and if it was 20, 30, 40 gallons etc. Or only 5. I have no idea. (and I am still stuck on bleach being harsher for the liner---hard to retrain brain)

Most on here will tell you to just get the Great Value bleach (if you shop at Wal-Mart), get the non-detergent, non-scented bleach.

anyone correct me if I am wrong here. at first don't worry about the testing as it will tell you to add a bunch of chemicals; what you are primarily concerned with is getting rid of the algae. just keep adding bleach by the bottle, one to two at a time (depending on how bad the algae bloom is), when you can start to see the bottom of the pool, keep adding bleach but not as much as when you could not see the bottom. maybe reduce by a half to a full bottle. but keep adding it until the water is either slightly cloudy or clear. then start testing and looking at what you need to add. if you have to use the pool store to test your water. DO NOT be pressured by them to get the chemicals from them. have them print you out a results sheet with at the very least FC, PH, TA, CYA; if they test for more than have them test for all available. once you have the results back from the pool store, enter the numbers into this handy dandy pool calculator. it will tell you what about of Bleach, Borax, or Baking soda (the BBB of pools) you need. once you get to this point it becomes SO much easier.

good luck and breath deep it can be over whelming at first.

 

[kimkats]

pbhound, You DO need to test for FC (free chlorine) before you add your chlorine/bleach. You can add too much and you can add too little.

The main thing about TFP is knowing what and how much you need to add of anything to your pool.

wowens, The learning curve is not that big AND we are here to help along the way. I hope that you get a good test kit one day. We will help you learn how to use if.

As for bleach/chlorine most people do not get more than a few gallons at a time due to the fact that it degrades over time. I get 4 2.5gal. jugs at a time. They last me just over a week depending on conditions.

Let us know if there is anything we can help you with. We will be here.

Kim

 

[pbhound]

pbhound, You DO need to test for FC (free chlorine) before you add your chlorine/bleach. You can add too much and you can add too little.

The main thing about TFP is knowing what and how much you need to add of anything to your pool.

Kim

true if it was under normal conditions; but with it having a full on algae bloom would you be that worried about the FC? now I'm not saying to dump 4+ gallons of bleach at the same time, but if its still green and really thick would you spend time on testing when you know you wont swim in it yet? just asking as to me it seems counter productive at this stage. I could see if it was swimmable water.

wowens, The learning curve is not that big AND we are here to help along the way. I hope that you get a good test kit one day. We will help you learn how to use if.

As for bleach/chlorine most people do not get more than a few gallons at a time due to the fact that it degrades over time. I get 4 2.5gal. jugs at a time. They last me just over a week depending on conditions.

Let us know if there is anything we can help you with. We will be here.

well said

 

[kimkats]

true if it was under normal conditions; but with it having a full on algae bloom would you be that worried about the FC? now I'm not saying to dump 4+ gallons of bleach at the same time, but if its still green and really thick would you spend time on testing when you know you wont swim in it yet? just asking as to me it seems counter productive at this stage. I could see if it was swimmable water.

Too much you can hurt the liner and equipment. Too little and you are wasting your time and money.

The TFP method is based on sound science for the long term benefit of equipment, time, effort.

Test and only add what is needed.

Kim

 

[iam4iam]

The learning curve is not that big AND we are here to help along the way. I hope that you get a good test kit one day. We will help you learn how to use if.Kim

And your friend (I) can let you use his (my) test kit until yours arrives and show you first hand how EASY it is to use!

As for bleach/chlorine most people do not get more than a few gallons at a time due to the fact that it degrades over time. I get 4 2.5gal. jugs at a time. They last me just over a week depending on conditions.Kim

Last time I SLAMmed my pool (and only time I've ever had to thanks to TFP!) I bought multiple cases at a time--as many as 8 cases (24 jugs)! I don't remember how much I ended up using altogether, but it was a lot, and will keep fine if stored indoors (basement, garage, etc.) According to my estimates based on pool calculator and chlorine/CYA chart, you're going to need over 4 121-oz jugs of 8.25% (available at Sam's Club--anything you might find less expensive per oz. of actual NaHClO won't be worth the time it took you to find it) just to get your pool to shock level., and I can to with you to SC if you don't have a membership).

I was first in the door when the pool store opened and told them all that happened over the weekend. The owner overheard and felt sorry for me. He in turn GAVE me chemicals, a pressure gauge and came to my house FOR FREE. Yes, I overpaid for some chemicals but it feels so good to get some stress relief.

All he poured in caused it to bubble like alka selzter and he created a bottom drain with the vacuum hose. Currently the cleaner line (for automatic vacuum, that hole in shallow end) is capped and hose is directly in skimmer hole. Still no suction over basket. When clear he said he would find where air leak is. My pump has been repaired by a non-pool person, he said, that has replaced some pipes with non pool piping. He showed me where I used to have a lever to switch between lines but it was broken off and sealed.

That was really nice of him. This may be a HORRIBLE analogy, but most drug dealers give away the first round. I will be astonished if your pool is clear by the weekend with no further attention like you told me the pool guy from Dave's said. I have to think that anything that could kill that much green by being administering in a single dose would also kill your liner! I think he knows that and he knows you'll be calling back on the weekend to tell him it's not clear yet and you'll be hooked. Sorry for the pessimism!

 

[wowens]

I am not having any luck understanding calculator: Here are my test results from pool store:
FC, .2
PH, 6.5
TA, 39
CYA 0

I have had 3 tests this week, 12 bags of shock. only pH and TA have changed going down. FC started 0, .7 now .2

 

[danpik]

(and I am still stuck on bleach being harsher for the liner---hard to retrain brain)

Try to retrain your brain to say chlorine instead of bleach. That is all bleach is...A low cost liquid chlorine

What I am unhappy about is knowing the monthly expense and wishing I could have put all this money on converting to a salt water pool.

Remember, a salt pool is a chlorine pool

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Is draining most of the water and replacing out of the question here???

 

[eaamon]

I am not having any luck understanding calculator: Here are my test results from pool store:
FC, .2
PH, 6.5
TA, 39
CYA 0

I have had 3 tests this week, 12 bags of shock. only pH and TA have changed going down. FC started 0, .7 now .2

good to start some where. the readings.
if you have a bit look up the BBB method of pool care.
bleach, borax and baking soda.....BBB.
you probably need a few boxes of boraxo the 20 mule team from your grocery store where you might get
you laundry soap. they usually are 4 pound 12 oz pure and no additives. this is needed to balance the PH first.
install it in the shallow end. one at a time until melted.
pool calculator; http://poolcalculator.com/?utm_sour...om&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=redirect/
so just add a little at a time, one box and check ph, the calculator will usually give you a clue how much you may need total.
my pool is about the same size about 24000 gallons. you do need to ad some more chlorine.
after viewing your pictures. what was your pressure reading while the filter was running?
when you are changing your filter valve to backflush you do shut down your pump before doing that right?
also be sure you also make sure you press down on the handle to lift up the inner valve to not cause the spider gasket to get
out of place.
I would also check out the web page of your individual filter. my manufacturer recommends a back flush of 3 minutes
to fully clean the filter. then the recommend to rinse the filter for another 30 seconds. before going back to the filter mode.
several videos on youtube about filters and valves.
while backflushing the filter see what the pressure is and what it is when you are done. let us know. keep a eye on that filter number
and if it goes 10 PSI above that number you may need to back flush again.
to understand the pool calculator, when you entered the numbers you have and pool size, as you mouse over the results it
will show you the approximate amount you need to add at the line next to your pool gallons.
just do not add it all at once. let it dissolve and then recheck.
my pool was similar but black and could not even see the shallow end bottom.

edit; add cya as last item. and when adding it put some in a small amount at a time, it may take a week to
really show how much you put in.....testing wise.

 

[eaamon]

Is draining most of the water and replacing out of the question here???

my pool similar in size, water was black. in 4 weeks clean for swimming 6 weeks clean enough to drink.
water costs where I live costs twice as much as the water because sewage taxes are added at twice the amount of the water used.
fortunate to have 15" rain this year so far, 2" just today.

 

[eaamon]

it should only be about a week to recover from the green pool.
1, she needs to figure the exact pool gallons from the pool calculator page.
using a 20' long pool brush pole. see if the pool is 8-9 or 10' deep at the deep end and 3-4 or 4 1/2' at the shallow end.
she needs the exact number of gallons she is working with or she may be short on the chemicals added.
2, the full back flush, her pool filter looks to be a 400 lbs sand, it might require 4 minutes backflush. after reviewing the picture
it might be as much as 29,000 the mouse over the readings for the more accurate amounts of chemicals she needs.
3, when she adds the pool water readings into the calc. then change the ph and alk with the boraxo and baking soda as I said
not to put the full amount in.
4, from those readings, then substitution of the amount she need for chlorine at the total at the bottom of the page into the chlorine
level desired for shock, and a mouse over to get reading how much she may need. shock the pool.
5, shock the pool, leave the pool pump run for a day and see. if it is clearing and the chlorine level is still high let it run one
more day full time. moving chlorine needs to be circulated. during this time even if your pressure at the filter is above the
10 PSI above the after backflush level let it go up to 15 PSI but not higher than 25 total PSI above zero.
6, after adding the shock chemicals. brush the pool sides top to bottom and along the bottom. even if you can not see
what you are doing because it is so green. algae is a biological organism the lives in a bubble of oxygen
on the side of your pool. day two of the shock, I am guessing it will clear enough to see any more green attached
to the walls or bottom.......brush it again to remove that green.
7, day two if you have not bought any CYA (cyanuric acid) get some.
be sure to still add chlorine and put 1/4 the CYA you need into the pool it will take about 1 week to fully dissolve.

note; my filter is a 300 lbs sand yours looks to be bigger. now one more thing, look to see if there is a valve for your bottom pickup
it may be in your yard and not at the filter location. it may need to be shut off to use the top skimmer intake to run your manual vacuume.
and most vacuume hoses have ends you can remove by unscrewing it, cut off the bad hose section and replace the hose end.


note: even though you pool looks to have possible flat sides that would change gallon guess.