Just bought a house with a pool

[TFP-Guy]

I bought a house with an indoor pool. We've been there for less than 2 months, and finally now that we're settled in my focus has been on the pool.

The pool seemed to have been kept in good condition, as per a pre-purchase inspection by a local pool maintenance guy (independent of the previous owner). Here are some details of the pool:

• Size: 6800 USgal (about 20ft long x 9ft wide x 3.5ft-5.5ft deep)
  • A small 2 person spa beside the pool with water overflowing from the spa into the pool
• Type: in-ground, tiled, indoors (with floor to ceiling glass exterior doors, south facing so lots of direct sun)
• Filter: sand (Hayward), runs the pool and spa
• Pumps:
  • 1/2HP Hayward pump, with what appears to be 2" pipes in and out for the pool circulation
  • Unknown pump for pool jets (meant for swimming against)
  • Unknown pump for the spa jets
• Chemistry: the previous owner was using Bromine for both the pool and spa. She had Bromine discs (1") and some Bromine shock.

Once we moved in and settled in with the rest of the house, we called the pool guy over again to give us a tutorial of the pool equipment and maintenance instructions. At the end of that, he recommended we switch this pool over to Chlorine as it's cheaper and more readily available.
We went to the same pool supply store that the previous owner went to, brought a water sample, and provided it to them. They ran their tests and said there was no chlorine in the pool at all. So on their advise, I was told I could just directly switch to Chlorine right away. We bought the recommended chemicals:

• Shock: Chlorinating Granules, 7kg (Calcium Hypochlorite)
• Stabalized Chlorinating Tablets: Trichloro-S, 7kg (3" pucks)
• Alkaline, Calcium, Algeacide, Scale & Metal, and test strips (FC, TC, pH, Alk, TH, CYA)

I poured in the chemicals as instructed and eventually got the pool balanced as per the test strips. Since then, it's been a few weeks and I've gotten the hang of keeping the FC, pH, and calculated CC within recommended limits. I use one 3" puck in an inline Chlorinator, and I find it lasts a few days more than a week. I check it every 3 or 4 days to see where it is at, but keep the flow rate at full (5).

My pool chemistry (as of today is):

• FC: 2
• TC: 2
• pH: 7.6-7.8
• Alk: 100
• TH: 250
• CYA: 20-30

I've read a lot and I'm realizing I may not have been given the best advice/instructions.

1. It seems I should get Liquid Bleach instead of Chlorinating Granules (due to it adding extra calcium each time). I can pick some up for cheap at Walmart, so I'll do that. Is there any issue with using one or the other interchangeably each time? I have 7kg of this stuff for a tiny pool, I don't want to waste it.
2. It seems I probably should not have gone from a Bromine pool to a Chlorine pool. However, I think I might be ok because the pool was tested with neither Chlorine or Bromine (by both the pool maintenance guy and the pool supply store, again independent of each other). Is there a way for me to determine or signs to look out for that would indicate I've still got Bromine messing up the chemistry?
3. For those of you with indoor pools, is it ok to be a bit more relaxed on things like vacuuming and backwashing the filter? I see online that you need to backwash when the PSI is 5-10 psi higher than at clean. My PSI hasn't moved at all in the few weeks I've been checking (it's at 18 psi). I have done a backwash every 2 weeks, but I'm not sure if this is necessary. Same with vacuuming the pool, I don't see or feel anything at the bottom when I'm in there (it's shallow enough most places that I can feel with my feet). I'm just trying to gauge how on top of this I need to be and if it's a big deal if I'm away for a few weeks.
4. Right now the pool pump is running continuously 24/7 because the timer that it had doesn't have the "OFF" clips. I have those arriving today, and will want to set it to about 8 hrs per day. I think that should be more than enough to allow 2 cycles of my 6800 gal pool from a 1/2 HP pump, right?
5. Any other tips for a new pool owner? I'm still reading a ton on this website and others, but any specific tips towards my setup would be really appreciated!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Lots of questions. I will try to answer a few of them. Though I have no experience with bromide other than knowing it is not great in pools. Also, you need your own test kit. Pool Store tests are not reliable. See Test Kits Compared
You can use Cal Hypo as long as you monitor your CH level. Once you are around 350 ppm, switch to liquid chlorine only.
Most bromine pools are forever bromine pools unless they are drained.
You clean your filter when the pressure rises by 25% over clean pressure.
With an indoor pool you can probably just run a couple hours a day. The chlorine you add will be distributed in less than hour.
From the picture the water looks a bit cloudy and dull looking. Your FC is low. See FC/CYA Levels
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[TFP-Guy]

Hi mknauss, thanks for the response!

I am on the hunt for the Test Kits in Canada. It's quite a bit more expensive for the same ones up here, so I may have to make a trip down South.

I've added another photo with the swim jets off, so you can see the clarity of the water.

I had another question about the FC/CYA Chart. I did review it before, but I'm failing to understand the FC levels it recommends. With my CYA currently between 20-30 right now, that means the recommended FC is between 3-6. However, I have read that you shouldn't be in a pool if the FC is over 5ppm? As the CYA goes up (even in the recommended range), the recommended FC seems to be much higher than I see recommended at most places.

Also, on the page, they state this:

For indoor pools we recommend CYA between 20 and 30ppm. The reasoning for using CYA indoors is quite different. For more information please ask on the forum.

I previously did a search, but couldn't find out any more information about CYA in indoor pools.

 

[Msch99]

As far as "high" FC levels...as a non expert and in layman's terms, higher cya holds CL in reserve, protects from sun breaking down. Indoor pools dont need as much cya.
FC of 1 with 20 cya may be about the same effective CL as 5 CL with cya of 80. (Not sure exact numbers but in ball park) swimmer exposure to CL similar.
Tfp recommends CL levels according to cya, many others/pool stores don't admit or recognize the relationship.

 

[TFP-Guy]

That makes sense, all the reading I've seen about high CL levels don't mention anything about the CYA, so it must be a generalized rule they are going off of.

I'm going to get my CL levels up tomorrow and shock the pool as well as it's been about a week and a half since last shocking (but FC has always been above 2 since then). CYA doesn't seem to be raising much, because I think my shock is the calcium type which means I just need to monitor my CH instead. Right now my CH is around 250 which is the minimum recommended for a tile/plaster pool, so I have room if that raises up. I'm going to follow the previous person's suggestion (and a good one too) and keep using the shock with the calcium in it until the calcium is at the higher recommended range and then switch over to liquid chlorine.

 

[Oly]

That is a cool set-up. They even have a dual exhaust fans for dealing with the humidity. Do they work?

 

[markayash]

Would n indoor pool need the same levels as outdoor? Just curious..Would think without rain and other wind blown stuff it would stay fairly clean and clear

 

[TFP-Guy]

That is a cool set-up. They even have a dual exhaust fans for dealing with the humidity. Do they work?

Yea, the right one definitely does. The left one, I cannot tell. I suspect it is on because I don't see stationary fan blades, but I don't hear anything nor feel anything on either side of it. Still need to look into that further. Also on the right between the rest of the house and the pool area is a blower which blows air from inside the house into the pool area. This allows the flow of air to force humid air away from the inside of the home. That works well, humidity inside the home is not elevated from what I can tell.

Would n indoor pool need the same levels as outdoor? Just curious..Would think without rain and other wind blown stuff it would stay fairly clean and clear

That's kind of where I'm coming from in terms of pool chemistry and also maintenance (brushing, vacuuming, algae, etc). It's been relatively easy to maintain, but I'm not sure if I'm having it easy because it was maintained well in the past and keeping this relaxed maintenance schedule will hurt in the long run. I brushed and vacuumed the pool yesterday and saw no noticeable difference in the pool clarity nor pool floor. I know the vacuum is working as I've purposely vacuumed up debris tossed in.

 

[Rollercoastr]

Heya Mclarenf3! It's always good to see indoor folk here.

That's a very cool pool! I was in a similar situation when I took possession of my house and was getting a handle on everything. I wanted to make sure we didn't overlook Marty's statement in post #2:

Most bromine pools are forever bromine pools unless they are drained.

I'm thinking that your pool store meant to tell you that you don't have an "active sanitizer" in your pool, whether it be chlorine or bromine. If the previous owners used bromine (as mine did), the water will continue to contain bromide, which can be re-activated to bromine by adding chlorine.

Others can describe this much better than I can, but at the end of the day, assuming you haven't exchanged the water, I think you have a bromine pool.

 

[TFP-Guy]

So if there is bromide in the pool, and I continue to treat it with chlorine, what risks and/or issues am I opening myself up to here?

I really don't have a preference one way or another as to what I run the pool as. I just decided to go Chlorine because it was easier to purchase and way cheaper. However, if I can keep putting in chlorine and ensure that the pool is staying healthy with the Bromine instead, I'm ok with that. I assume there is a catch, though, and there's a reason why people aren't doing this. I'll try and see what I can find, but if anyone else knows for sure, that'd be great.

Alternatively, if my pool is to be considered a Bromine pool, is there any harm in just switching back to Bromine? My understanding is that I can still continue to shock the pool with Chlorine, but the tablets I should use are the 1" Bromine tabs.

I haven't exchanged enough water to really consider it a new pool.

 

[Rollercoastr]

As far as I know, the "risks" are contained to practical things such cost of supplies and confusion in test results (which you're already experienced).

The previous owners of my home struggled to keep the water clear with bromine. When I performed the SLAM, I got about half-way through before discovering the $140 bucket of bromine tablets in the closet. Soon after the water was clear, it was all drained anyway to re-surface the pool.

By the time it was re-filled, I already owned everything I needed to proceed with the TFP/liquid chlorine method. I haven't looked back. I spend much less money and time keeping my pool perfectly-balanced than if it were bromine. Even without the re-surfacing project, I'd probably have exchanged the water anyway.

I hope someone with more knowledge about bromine chimes-in, but in the meantime I think we should discuss what TFP is all about. The crux is simply accurate at-home testing and understanding the results and only adding to the pool the things it needs to achieve balance. Pool stores are in-conflict with this because they use sloppy testing methods that are designed not to achieve ideal water balance, but to sell product.

Bromine isn't as aligned to the TFP method as chlorine is because several key test results of a chlorine pool don't apply to bromine. The TFP community isn't against bromine (for spas and indoor pools), but it just isn't the central focus.

Another thing to note is using "shock" as a verb. That concept produces revenue for stores. Instead, we use shock more as a noun: liquid chlorine (because it can be labeled as shock)

A TFP SLAM is "Shock, Level And Maintain". Even then, the shock is (arguably) a noun - we add a measured amount of liquid chlorine to produce the desired effect, as opposed to dumping a gallon of stuff in "to shock".

I think long-term, you'd be happier, spend less money and have higher-quality of water using the TFP method in a chlorine pool, but I'm also not sure there's any rush to dump clear water and start over right away.

 

[markayash]

depending on your area a drain an refill can save you money in the long run. Mine got in bad shape a few years back and I estimated around ( 18000 gal ) $250 to refill..Compared that to all the chemicals and time it would have cost to me it was cheaper If you can get a receipt showing you did repairs he water company here will knock the " overage" charge off.

 

[TFP-Guy]

Thank you for you're responses and honesty. I understand that this community has found a good method (SLAM) to make pool maintenance easy and cheaper to do. I feel like I have learned a lot reading through the posts and pool school. I can appreciate that most members here do not use Bromine and therefore cannot speak to its uses, especially when it comes to using it in a pool.

From what I have been reading up on Bromine, I think I fit into a very small group of pool owners where Bromine makes sense to use in my pool. The reasons being:

• When considering an indoor pool, Bromine is well stabilized, unlike it would in an outdoor pool (due to the Sun's UV rays).
• Bromine appears to clean better and requires less addition of bromine/chlorine once it is stable. Unlike Chlorine which evapourates, Bromide stays in the pool and when shocked with chlorine (or non-chlorine) will convert back to Bromine.
• While Bromine tablets and shock is much more expensive than it's Chlorine counterparts, not as much is required to stabilize the pool. Also, I can continue to use the Chlorine equivalents as it will convert to Bromine anyway.
• Bromine doesn't gas off like chlorine. In an indoor space with exposed metals and less ventilation than outdoors, Bromine is arguably safer and less corrosive.
• I must admit, that since my pool is already Bromine, it's a lot simpler to just keep it that way.
• Some have raised the issue of a chemical reaction. That is true that mixing dry chlorine and bromine together can cause it to burn/explode. You must be mindful of that and properly clean anything that comes in contact with both. However, adding dry chlorine and/or bromine to a pool will not have this issue.

Now, for most people, with and outdoor pool, Bromine will not make sense as Bromine will not be stabilized in the sun and it will burn off quickly. That's where Chlorine is definitely the recommended use.

I think for now I will keep reading and researching as it's all been very informative and interesting. If I have to, I know that draining the pool and refilling it is an option and then I can switch it over to Chlorine. The one benefit is that the water is paid for through my property taxes and therefore is not based on usage but rather land size. So it's a fixed rate for water every year regardless of usage!