Is it really this easy? Should I be expecting a curve ball?

[USBB]

This seems nearly too good to be true. I test my chlorine and ph every night. I add between 4-9 cups of bleach each night. My water is sparkly. I test with both the Taylor safety test and the TF 100 drop test for chlorine.

My levels this morning are
FC 6.5
cc 0
ph 7.5
TA 70
CH 225
CYA 30
BOR 50

I added chlorine last night and muratic acid. The above results are exactly what I expected based on what I added. I emptied and filled the pool in November. I haven’t had a hint of algae or any wild swings with my water levels since you all told me what to do and from reading pool school. I use the pool math calculator to tell me what to add each time.

I keep waiting for a surprise. We have had tons of pollen. My water is still stable. It has got up in the 90’s. Still stable. Lots of rain. Still stable. Is there anything that I need to be expecting, or is it just this simple?

 

[mknauss]

Pretty much ----

You might lessen your FC loss each day if you take your CYA to 50 ppm for the summer. But if what you have works for you, stay at it.

 

[GOONiE]

Nice. Don’t jinx yourself lol

 

[zea3]

As long as you test and treat your water regularly, barring any mechanical failures or extreme acts of nature, yes it is just that simple! It does have some side effects however. You may find yourself wanting to test any pool before you swim in it, which may annoy friends, family, and hotel management! You may obsess over every leaf or spec of dust that lands in your pool. You may become an absolute pool snob and refuse to swim in any water that doesn't sparkle like diamonds. We call it sparklypoolitis! Enjoy your sparkly pool!

If you really love TFP, you can also become a supporter and help us keep helping others! CLICK HERE to Become a TroubleFreePool.com Supporter!!

 

[phonedave]

I just went to salt this season, so now I have some "playing around" to do in order to get things dialed in.

However, for the prior 4 seasons, I would go out to my pool every morning, and pour in a quart of bleach. That's it. Just pour in a quart of bleach. Of course I skimmed and vacuumed, but as far as chemical maintenance goes, a quart of bleach.

I would test the pool for FC, CC, pH every day, and do a full range of tests once a week. It got to the point where I stopped writing the results down on the chart in my pool shed because the numbers never changed.

When we would go on vacation, we had a person house sit (because of our dog) and I would leave instructions for the pool

Step one: Once a day, when the filter is running, between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, fill up the green 1Q bottle with bleach and dump it in the pool by the return.

Step two: There is no step two


So yes, it really is that easy.

-dave

 

[CJadamec]

Actually it gets even easier. I've gotten to the point where I only test 1-3 times a week based on how we are using the pool. Over time you will get used to how your pool responds to weather and usage and know what your test kit is going to tell you before you even do the tests. Every now and again one of the numbers gets off tho and you have to adjust something . With 50 PPM borates in a fiberglass pool your pH and TA are going to be super stable to the point that you think the test is broken.

I have almost exactly the same test numbers right down to the CH.

 

[mknauss]

Actually it gets even easier. I've gotten to the point where I only test 1-3 times a week based on how we are using the pool. Over time you will get used to how your pool responds to weather and usage and know what your test kit is going to tell you before you even do the tests.

SHhhhh - don't tell people that!!! Ha!

 

[GOONiE]

I let my chlorine drop to zero over the weekend and woke up to a cloudy pool this morning. A quick shock got me clear within hours.

Still getting used used to manually dosing LC lol

 

[Shekkie]

I have friends that complain about what a pain and how expensive their pools are. They are always fighting something. The only “curve ball” I have been thrown was when I switched to a SWG I miscalculated while dialing it in but because of what I’ve learned here the correction was painless.

I tried to convert my friends BTW but they must be martyrs and stick to what doesn’t work.

 

[USBB]

I get the pool snob thing now that I have a good understanding of water chemistry thanks to pool school. My friend wants me to come over and swim in her community pool. I don’t want to. I am going to Disney and think he water park is out. And I am a little grossed out at the cloudy water in the pool next door when I was growing up. And now I know why my eye burned all the time and were red.

If I could keep the bugs out of my pool, I would be home free.

It is also fun when I do a bleach run. I get all sorts of comments. Mostly about cleaning up crime scenes. I never knew to check the dates on bleach bottles before. The batch I got today expires in November. What I left on the shelf expired in 4 weeks.

 

[mknauss]

Not sure I understand about 'expire' on bleach bottles.

Most I have purchased have a five digit date code.
There is a number 18XXX on the bottle. The XXX represents the number of days in 2018 the bottle was filled. Look for stuff less than a couple months old.

Take care.

 

[jeffchap]

It is also fun when I do a bleach run. I get all sorts of comments. Mostly about cleaning up crime scenes.

When I buy MA at the hardware, I always ask the cashier how much it takes to dissolve a human body. Then I mention that "he's only 12".

 

[kellyfair]

When I buy MA at the hardware, I always ask the cashier how much it takes to dissolve a human body. Then I mention that "he's only 12".

 

[USBB]

Not sure I understand about 'expire' on bleach bottles.

Most I have purchased have a five digit date code.
There is a number 18XXX on the bottle. The XXX represents the number of days in 2018 the bottle was filled. Look for stuff less than a couple months old.

Take care.

on the bottles of bleach at Aldi it says best if used by 10/23/2018 and my other bottles say best if used by 11/15/2018. I am assuming that is the expiration date on the bottle. I didn’t buy the ones that said use by 7/??/2018. I am not sure what it is in my comment above that confused you. I said I didn’t buy the ones that expired in 4 weeks and bought the ones that expire in November. Perhaps, other stores or brands have some code you must figure out. Aldi clearly prints the date on the bottle.

 

[trivetman]

I think they confused their bleach and milk stamps

 

[CJadamec]

Aldi does everything the Aldi way. I would have bought the bottles with the same date as you did. The Aldi bleach last I knew was low in a available chlorine for what it cost tho. It may be worth seeking out more concentrate forms of chlorine from an economics point see 2018 bleach prices.