Moved into home, had a pool (about 3+ years old according to docs from previous owner). Pool inspection received high remarks and everything looked great during showing. Fast forward a couple weeks, closed on house, conditions a bit different. Have some slight green algae on walls/surfaces (nothing overly crazy). Was told to take water to Leslie's to get a comprehensive test. Wasn't exactly sure how to get a solid estimate on pool water volume at first--it's basically a freeform/kidney shape (with a sun ledge at the top of the kidney area and a connected/waterfall spillover spa on one side and a diving board on the other. Pool inspection gave me some measurements, but they didn't exactly add up to docs I later found from original owner/pool builder. Pool builder docs stated 20,000 gal--but I think that's just for the pool and not the spa? I've done the pool math estimator using the builder's schematics and I come out to around 25,000. If I use the pool inspector's measurements, it's closer to 30,000 gal. So hoping that 25 is a good middle ground place to sit.
The water test from Leslie's came back with the following issues:
2860 ppb Phosphates
FC: 0.14
TC: 0.14
pH: 7.8
Total Alk: 124
Cal Hard: 195
CYA: 78
Was told to tackle the phosphates first. The treatment result print-out stated I needed 5 gal 34 oz of phosphates remover. I didn't buy a thing from Leslie's at that point because I didn't know what was on hand in the pool shed and I knew from previous experience they were usually a little more pricey. A pool guy I had recently met stated that seemed quite a lot to obtain anyhow, and seemed to focus on getting the chlorine up, and to use liquid chlorine and drop some muriatic acid in--that both of the latter would work well to get the relatively small population of algae killed off anyhow.
I poured one jug (2.7 L) of Chlorox Phunky Phosphate Remover into the skimmer (half one day and half the next) and kept a watch on my filter pressure, with the filter pump and polaris vacuum ("clean" setting on my control box) running most of the day both days; brushing down the pool, dropping in muriatic acid; as well as two gal of liquid chlorine--which still could barely get the FC up to 1-1.5 ppm.
I did all of this the last two days or so (BEFORE finding/reading TFP, Swim Univ, and another website all saying that phosphate remover was either irrelevant, unnecessary except in rare situations, and/or contained lanthanum--bad juju.
So all to say, the other four jugs of phosphate remover are being taken back to walmart and I will grab a Crud ton more liquid chlorine and run by Leslie's to grab the R-0870 DPD powder and R-0871 FAS/DPD reagent since the Taylor kit that was here with the house doesn't have that (and I definitely remember using that as a guard/asst mgr of pools at clubs/Y's many moons ago). I will order a fresh TF Pro kit from TF test kits and get to reading/refreshing my foggy chem knowledge.
After the first day, the pH did come down a it (wasn't bad obviously to begin with), and with the algae brushed off, clear water, and a 1-1.5 ppm FC, I caved to letting folks get in that night and the next morning, but I know I've got to get things straight/stabilized or I'll just be wasting time and money. Not happy to learn about the lanthanum in the phosphate remover--but glad I didn't use all that much to begin with!
Overall feeling a bit overwhelmed with the unfamiliar equipment (cartridge filters with no backwash/waste/etc. options vs. the old DE & sand filters with backwash/etc. options), the DEL AOP UV/ozone thing (clueless how to maintain/check this thing), etc., but feel confident I will get to a better place with a little time (just moved in so I have a ton of other things to address/focus on, but of course high demand to get the pool squared away). Look forward to interacting/learning here on TFP.
Thanks in advance!
The water test from Leslie's came back with the following issues:
2860 ppb Phosphates
FC: 0.14
TC: 0.14
pH: 7.8
Total Alk: 124
Cal Hard: 195
CYA: 78
Was told to tackle the phosphates first. The treatment result print-out stated I needed 5 gal 34 oz of phosphates remover. I didn't buy a thing from Leslie's at that point because I didn't know what was on hand in the pool shed and I knew from previous experience they were usually a little more pricey. A pool guy I had recently met stated that seemed quite a lot to obtain anyhow, and seemed to focus on getting the chlorine up, and to use liquid chlorine and drop some muriatic acid in--that both of the latter would work well to get the relatively small population of algae killed off anyhow.
I poured one jug (2.7 L) of Chlorox Phunky Phosphate Remover into the skimmer (half one day and half the next) and kept a watch on my filter pressure, with the filter pump and polaris vacuum ("clean" setting on my control box) running most of the day both days; brushing down the pool, dropping in muriatic acid; as well as two gal of liquid chlorine--which still could barely get the FC up to 1-1.5 ppm.
I did all of this the last two days or so (BEFORE finding/reading TFP, Swim Univ, and another website all saying that phosphate remover was either irrelevant, unnecessary except in rare situations, and/or contained lanthanum--bad juju.
So all to say, the other four jugs of phosphate remover are being taken back to walmart and I will grab a Crud ton more liquid chlorine and run by Leslie's to grab the R-0870 DPD powder and R-0871 FAS/DPD reagent since the Taylor kit that was here with the house doesn't have that (and I definitely remember using that as a guard/asst mgr of pools at clubs/Y's many moons ago). I will order a fresh TF Pro kit from TF test kits and get to reading/refreshing my foggy chem knowledge.
After the first day, the pH did come down a it (wasn't bad obviously to begin with), and with the algae brushed off, clear water, and a 1-1.5 ppm FC, I caved to letting folks get in that night and the next morning, but I know I've got to get things straight/stabilized or I'll just be wasting time and money. Not happy to learn about the lanthanum in the phosphate remover--but glad I didn't use all that much to begin with!
Overall feeling a bit overwhelmed with the unfamiliar equipment (cartridge filters with no backwash/waste/etc. options vs. the old DE & sand filters with backwash/etc. options), the DEL AOP UV/ozone thing (clueless how to maintain/check this thing), etc., but feel confident I will get to a better place with a little time (just moved in so I have a ton of other things to address/focus on, but of course high demand to get the pool squared away). Look forward to interacting/learning here on TFP.
Thanks in advance!
