I'm Losing the Battle

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borjis said:
Wow, you had visible algae on your pool walls but registered a combined chlorine of zero?

I didn't know that was possible.
Click to expand...

Yes, and I still have that. I did another measurement, and the CC was 0.5 day before yesterday. I put 128 oz of 8.25% bleach in. I cleaned the walls this morning, and by 1pm, there was algae again on the walls, yet the water is clear. I put another 256 oz of 8.25% bleach in the pool, and I'll take a measurement tonight. I figure there must be a lot of dissolved organic material in the pool.
 
borjis said:
Wow, you had visible algae on your pool walls but registered a combined chlorine of zero?

I didn't know that was possible.
Click to expand...

If the algae is not dispersed, then chlorine reacting with the algae will form CC in the algae clumps and not in the bulk pool water so you won't register it. CC does not always form when there is something to oxidize in the pool. You will only see it if there are chemicals or pathogens getting oxidized where they form CC faster than the CC is further oxidized by chlorine and such CC is dispersed throughout the pool water (i.e. not clumped or held together in algae or biofilms stuck somewhere).

A high CC is most commonly seen in a pool that has had bacteria convert some or all of its CYA into ammonia. CC may also be seen if one uses non-chlorine shock (MPS).
 
chem geek said:
If the algae is not dispersed, then chlorine reacting with the algae will form CC in the algae clumps and not in the bulk pool water so you won't register it. CC does not always form when there is something to oxidize in the pool. You will only see it if there are chemicals or pathogens getting oxidized where they form CC faster than the CC is further oxidized by chlorine and such CC is dispersed throughout the pool water (i.e. not clumped or held together in algae or biofilms stuck somewhere).

A high CC is most commonly seen in a pool that has had bacteria convert some or all of its CYA into ammonia. CC may also be seen if one uses non-chlorine shock (MPS).
Click to expand...

Thank you for the explanation. Very informative!

I appreciate everyone's words of encouragement.:)

6/20/15

Swept more algae on the pool walls to the bottom drain, although not as much as yesterday. I put in two more 128 oz. jugs of 8.25% bleach.

Was going to keep the chlorine tab floater for vacations, but I found a crack in the bottom. It's following the tradition of the rest of the pool equipment, either broken or missing. The floater is in the recycling bin now.

I tried putting a trichlor tab on the five pool stains. No change in the stains.

Next I'll try crushed Vitamin C tablets in a sock as recommended here for the metal stains. How long do I leave that on the stain?
 
6/25/15

I put Vitamin C tablets (1000 mg) in a sock, and hit it with a rubber mallet to break them up. Then I lowered the sock on a pole to the stain. I left it on there for 10 minutes. No change. I left it on for 15 minutes. No change.

So far trichlor tablets and Vitamin C have not touched these five stains at the bottom of the deep end. I'm at a loss as to what to do next.
 

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I appreciate the warning. Because the plaster is old, is it more susceptible to cracking when I drain the water? Is that due to the heat drying out the plaster and cracking it, or just the stress of having the water out of the pool?

I sure don't need any more problems.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. Given the age of this pool (23 years old), I think I will forego big drainings. I just need to figure out how to get the water out of the pool, and use it to water my yard. I looked at irrigation pumps, but they are over $200.

6/27/15

Installed new parts on Polaris 280 pool cleaner. Replace wheel with stripped out internal gears, backing plate that was damaged, tire treads, and bag. Tested unit, worked fine but backup valve did not work, and there is a leak at the quick disconnect fitting that screws into the pool wall. I unscrewed the fitting from the wall fitting, and found hairline cracks. I used teflon tape to help seal it until I can get a replacement. I also need to order the parts to install the brush on the end of the hose that swings around.

6/28/15

The Polaris 280 does a pretty decent job of cleaning of the pool. I found all kinds of junk in the pickup bag, even fine sand.

I took apart the inoperative Polaris 280 backup valve. I tested the internal mechanism with a garden hose. I found that the gears jammed up after about 10 to 20 seconds. I pressed the water wheel further on the shaft to reduce the side to side play. I put it back together, using silicone grease on the O-rings. I tested it with the 280 in the pool, and so far it is working.

Found skimmer basket pulled all the way down into the skimmer case, and jammed. After much tugging and pulling with a screwdriver blade in the basket weave, I got it free. This skimmer is driving me nuts. I need to find out what brand and model it is so I can order the proper parts.
 
Why not just a sub pump and run a hose to where you want it to go? (This is a real question as I do not know the answer.)

Maybe use a solid hose connected to a soaker hose to get it where you want?

Kim (who is know for thinking out of the box so........)
 
You should be able to find a submersible pump at harbor freight for around $50. It would be slower than the ones you can rent, but then you can fill at the same time. Drain from the top of the shallow end, fill at bottom of the deep end.
 
I wanted to give everyone an update, and maybe some hope to those starting out.

I bought the Harbor Freight submersible pump for $60, and the 25 foot long 1.5" heavy duty hose they sell. I got a hose clamp from Home Depot to attach (pump does not come with one). The hose fit a bit loose, but the clamp held it on anyway.

I did three 25% water changes at night over a period of several weeks. I did it at night to prevent the plaster from cracking from drying out and baking in the sun. I also occasionally sprayed down exposed plaster during the partial drains to keep the old plaster moist.

Once the pool drained a bit, I changed the intake valve to spa only to drain down the spa. That got me about another 500 gallons.

It took about four hours to drain, and about 2.5 hours to refill. I stayed up for the draining, but went to sleep with a 2 1/2 hour wakeup alarm set. One time I slept through the alarm, and the pool was over filled, but at least did not overflow (close though). It's not easy getting up in the middle of the night. I don't have any kids, but this much be what it's like to have a baby. I guess my pool is my baby.:D

So here are my new numbers after the latest fill:

FC 3
CC 0
CH 350 (started out at 750)
TA 110
CYA 60 (started out at 160)
pH 7.7

I added some acid and bleach this morning and will retest after it settles.

Pool still has some stains, and the overall look is still not bright. It was suggested on this forum to run a low pH of about 7.0-7.2 for a while, which I am doing, although the pool seems to eat pH for lunch. I'm really going through it. I get a lot of afternoon wind, and my spa has a spillway, which may account for some of the acid use.

Overall the water is clearer, I have less algae, and it is easier to keep the water in balance. I'm making headway.
 

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