Logging and Reporting My Pool Opening

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mmcwhorter

mmcwhorter

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Jul 13, 2015
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Huntingtown, MD
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Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I thought it would be cool (and useful for some folks in the community) to log and report my pool opening process for 2023...step by step. I assume this will take a few days based on what I saw in the water.
DAY 1
We pulled to cover off earlier today, 9 AM...a bit later than normal as we are usually opening in mid-March. The pool has a bit fewer leaves than normal, but still quite a lot as we have a fair amount of trees nearby...But much greener-looking water than usual. See Pic 1-Day 1. Taken right after the cover was removed.

The pump/filter came right up to prime with good flow using the overflow spa only as a source and return. Pressure reading normal. The heater started right up and ran perfectly for about 10 minutes, till I shut it off...No need to waste Propane. Happy to see my gear is working fine. SWG not installed, have a union bypass installed. Salt level unknown.

The water level in the pool is 3 inches below the skimmer's bottom rim.
Pretty bad scum line on the walls at the water level and 3 inches below. All the way around. The steps int he shallow end have a lot of what appear to be tannin stains from the leaves.

Step 1: 10 AM, Leaf rake, got about 80% of the leaves out. Lots of small particles floating around. A few remaining leaves sitting on the bottom.
Step 2: 10 AM, start to fill the pool up with fill water (underground well) during Step 1.
Step 3: 10:30 AM., measure pool water with TFT-100: FC= 0, CC= 0, pH >8.2, TA= 100, CH= 250, CYA= 0.0, Temp +65F.
Step 4: 110:30-2 PM...Run pump/filter in the main pool using only deep-end suction/drain (1) and sidewall returns (3). Spa isolated. Took just a few minutes to rake and skim out debris from the spa...it looks pretty good actually. Filter pressure increased 25%, and backwashed around 1:30 PM.
Step 5: 2 PM, put some Muriatic Acid in the pool...I added about 30 ounces to start, diluted in a 5-gallon bucket....and 1 hour later the pH indicated virtually no change. Off scale purple on the Taylor kit.
Step 6: 3 PM, added another load of MA, about 45 ounces.
Step 7; 3 PM, got the water level up to 3 inches above the skimmer rim....removed the Gizmos, added skimmer baskets, opened up shallow and deep-end wall skimmers, and left the drain as a suction also. Everything is open except the Spa is closed off.
Step 8: 3 PM, added two pounds of granular CYA. I do it a bit differently than most (it works for me). I "melt" and stir it in water warmed by the sun in a 5-gallon bucket, 2/3 full. After sitting several hours in the bucket with water, and many a good stir with a long-handled brush... what is on the top is poured into the skimmer is a milky white CYA/water solution. There are no granules. What's on the bottom is still undissolved CYA, not poured in. Over the course of 2-3 hours, and using about 6 fills of the 5-gallon bucket and repeated stirring/pouring into the skimmer, ....it's all dissolved. I pour the only pure white liquid into the skimmer, looks just like half and half creamer for your coffee. And stop pouring when I see undissolved CYA. Fill the bucket with water, wait another hour, and stir, rinse/repeat. I'll add 2 more pounds of CYA this evening. Note: If I need to SLAM (and I probably will)...Pool Math says 4 pounds gets me up to 25 ppm of CYA.....that level of CYA I recall is a good number to SLAM. Don't want it to be too high for a SLAM. NOTE: wow, 4-pound Clorox CYA was $13.99 last year at Wal-Mart, now it's $20.99. Very unhappy about THIS!!!!! :(
Step 9: 5 PM, remeasured pH two hours after adding MA in step 5. pH is now around 7.4.
Step 10: 5 PM, added 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%, Pool Math says that'll take me to FC= 4.0. Pool in the shade as the sun goes down behind the trees so no loss of CL due to sunlight. I'll add another 4 pounds soon.
Step 11: 5 PM, add the rest of the CYA, 4 pounds total. I assume the Cal-Hypo will raise the CH a bit, that is my goal.
Step 12: 5 PM, pool floor looks to be clean enough (with a few leaves only) to install my Nautilus CC Plus pool cleaning robot. I'll admit, the pool floor is not super visible at this time LOL. So I may be guessing.
Step 13: 6 PM, added another 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%. 2 pounds in the last hour should take me to around FC=8 ppm. Pump filter running, robot cleaner running.
Step 14: 7 PM....wow, measured FC and it was 0, and CC was around 8, that did not take too long to eat away the FC. The algae are dying though. Will measure everything tomorrow.
Step 15: 9 PM, switched the filter to recirculate....just in case it got clogged up with dead algae overnight. Left pump running overnight. Cleaned robot vac one last time, completely full of green sludge and leaves, and started it up for one last overnight run (3 hours).

Will report on Day 2 later.


PIC 1 DAY 1.jpeg
 
Go M GO !!!!!

If you lost 8 ppm FC in an hour, there may be ammonia present. Have a quick read and perform the FC test to comfirm/deny. Treat per the link if necessary, or continue to SLAM Process on.

Ammonia - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com


Also, pre TFP I used to dilute granuals in a bucket also. It was alot of work. Last year I wrapped many pounds up in an old Tshirt like a roast and hung it in front of the return. Here's the key though. I walk away for a full day. Tomorrow it's mush and it will squish out in 5 mins.

20220624_082127.jpg
 
I used to do the "sock in the skimmer method" and found it to be more work.... because once the sock gets wet it's hard to add more CYA. Too me forever and I lost patience. This is what got me thinking about the method I am using. I usually backwash the filter before I add any CYA....and if the filter pressure goes up I run in recirculate mode for a day. I assume if there is some CYA still in the filter and at $5/pound, I don't want to lose it. I'll run the filter for an hour or so a day later to get the last of any CYA out, before a second backwash....and I am assuming this does not damage the filter in any way. And I think running my robot cleaner for 10-12 hours per day helps a lot too. There is a good bit of dark green sludge in the filter container when I pull it up to clean it.
 
mmcwhorter said:
I assume if there is some CYA still in the filter and at $5/pound, I don't want to lose it.
Click to expand...
It has taken up to a week to dissolve when trapped in the filter.
mmcwhorter said:
because once the sock gets wet it's hard to add more CYA.
Click to expand...
You need a bigger sock. Like a Tshirt. Actually that's what I was doing for a while also, cutting the sleeves from a long sleeve TShirt like giant socks. Then last year I just used the whole dang shirt. With 34k gallons I need ALOT of cya.
 
DAY 2...

The water looked much better than I expected.....sort of Aqua (think Miami Dolphins uniform) versus Deep Hunter Green. See Pic 2.

Step 1: 7 AM, cleaned out the pool vac robot filters, and re-started it.
Step 2: 7 AM, engaged filter, from recirculation to filter mode. Filter pressure up a little bit, not too much.
Step 3: 7 AM Measure pool water with TFT-100: FC= 0, CC= 8, pH: 7.0, TA= 100, CH= 275, CYA= 20, Temp +67F. So, my calcium has as expected gone up 25 ppm. Also, I see that the pH has dropped to 7.0 (as adding 4 pounds of CYA will do)......So, all of the numbers are making sense when considering my original reading yesterday and the new ones today. Still, no FC and all CC. Happy to see a bit of CYA in the reading because yesterday there was nothing at all.
Step 4: 8 AM, added 2 pounds Cal-Hypo 73%, continue to run the filter and Nautilus CC Plus pool vac.
Step 5: Noon, measure FC/CC: FC = 0.5, CC= 8. So, all my FC has been eaten up in 4 hours. My plan is to SLAM tonight. With CYA at 20, I see the SLAM level for FC is 10. I'll make sure it's above 12-14 before bedtime and see what we have in the morning tomorrow. If continues, I'll look at the suggestion from Newdude on Amonia in this thread.
Step 6: Noon, cleaned out robot filters (still completely clogged up a lot with green sludge and a few leaves), restarted pool vac.......and added 4 pounds Cal-Hypo 73%. I have about 10 more one-pound bags and would like to get my CH at or slightly above 300, so it's all good. Then, if needed, I'll switch over to 10% liquid CL2.
Step 7: 1 PM...I realized I have three jugs of 10% bleach that have been sitting for 6-8 months, I think they are just under a gallon each.......so I dumped two of them into the pool.
Step 8: 2 PM, added two more pounds of Cal-Hypo 73%, getting the level up to start the SLAM this evening.
Step 9: 3 PM, measured FC =1 0 and CC = 4.5. Still running the pump in Recirc mode and running the Nautilus CC Plus almost continuously (cleaning filters between runs). Pool color is still aqua green... but thankfully getting lighter and lighter.


Based on the visual quality of the water improvement Day 2 vs. Day 1 I'm feeling good and assume I am on the right track. I will say opening 6 weeks earlier as I have in the past I have always had very clear water (in March). Less effort, less Cal-Hypo.

PIC 2 DAY 2 7 AM.jpeg
 
Last edited:
A CC of 8 is either ammonia from CYA being eaten by bacteria or MPS added to the water. That is not a natural level of CC from consuming ammonia based organics.
 
I have been using the TFT-100 for 6-7 years and have never seen this particular response for FC/CC testing.
So, I thought I'd ask:

When testing for FC and CC.....and after opening to a green pool for the first time ever, I have been getting very low FC and very high CC readings only 1-2 hours after adding 2 pounds of Cal-Hypo 73%.

Normally, It's rare that I ever have any CC at all, so I have no experience with this "issue".

For example, I would add 2 pounds Cal-Hypo 73 and would expect 8 PPM of FC after the CL goes into solution, say 30 minutes run time and retest.

But I got FC=1.5 and high CC at 8. So I did the test a second time and SLOWED DOWN.....

I noticed something the second time I never saw before.

When testing for FC, and after putting in 3 drops of R-0870 and it would go from pink to clear (i.e. FC=1.5 ppm), I let the test sample sit for 10-20 seconds... and NOTICED it began turning pink AGAIN...slowly. The more time, the darker pink. So I WAITED, THEN added more R-0870 to get a clear sample again, and it happened a second time...and a third time. From clear to pink slowly if you wait. If I add up all the drops in the entire test, it was 20. So I am now assuming FC=10. Then I did the CC test and it was around 3.5.

tHIS MAKES MORE SENSE TO ME.

So my question: in the presence of CC, is it normal for the FC test solution to go clear, then begin turning pink again? I have never noticed this before. Is my reading of 10 correct (as it seems it should be based upon the amount of CL I added)? Is my powder reagent bad? It's about 6 months old.
 
mmcwhorter said:
I have been using the TFT-100 for 6-7 years and have never seen this particular response for FC/CC testing.
So, I thought I'd ask:

When testing for FC and CC.....and after opening to a green pool for the first time ever, I have been getting very low FC and very high CC readings only 1-2 hours after adding 2 pounds of Cal-Hypo 73%.

Normally, It's rare that I ever have any CC at all, so I have no experience with this "issue".

For example, I would add 2 pounds Cal-Hypo 73 and would expect 8 PPM of FC after the CL goes into solution, say 30 minutes run time and retest.

But I got FC=1.5 and high CC at 8. So I did the test a second time and SLOWED DOWN.....

I noticed something the second time I never saw before.

When testing for FC, and after putting in 3 drops of R-0870 and it would go from pink to clear (i.e. FC=1.5 ppm), I let the test sample sit for 10-20 seconds... and NOTICED it began turning pink AGAIN...slowly. The more time, the darker pink. So I WAITED, THEN added more R-0870 to get a clear sample again, and it happened a second time...and a third time. From clear to pink slowly if you wait. If I add up all the drops in the entire test, it was 20. So I am now assuming FC=10. Then I did the CC test and it was around 3.5.

tHIS MAKES MORE SENSE TO ME.

So my question: in the presence of CC, is it normal for the FC test solution to go clear, then begin turning pink again? I have never noticed this before. Is my reading of 10 correct (as it seems it should be based upon the amount of CL I added)? Is my powder reagent bad? It's about 6 months old.
Click to expand...
Yes, it’s normal. Don’t let the test sample sit after you’re done. Best to use liquid chlorine to raise the FC
 
End of the titration is when it first turns clear. Ignore it when the sample turns pink again after a while.

From
Water Testing Instructions - Further Reading:

Add R-0871 one drop at a time, swirling the sample continuously, 1-2 sec between drops. Stop when sample turns colorless. Multiply #drops by 0.5 to get FC. (If it turns pink again after a few seconds, don't worry about it.)
 

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Copy that.... but the opposite scenario made more sense to me based on the amount of FC I had put in my water 1-2 hours earlier. So odd...to get 1.5 FC after adding 8 FC just before the test.
 
Thanks, @mknauss, for merging the threads, now it's starting to make sense.

@mmcwhorter, your meticulous logging shows that you have all signs of bacteria turning CYA into ammonia: No CYA and FC at opening, FC disappearing quickly after adding chlorine and pH dropping in the process, CC building up, CYA only registering sluggishly when adding more.

Don't add any more CYA for now, read the article posted above on ammonia, and stock up on liquid chlorine. Don't follow the ammonia process with cal-hypo. Cal-hypo is OK for the occasional use, but you will need lots and lots of chlorine, with cal-hypo you'll create a calcium scaling problem.
 
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Thanks to all for contributing to this thread:

OK, in 35 years of pool ownership...and have learned tons of good pool ownership stuff thanks to TFP.....this Amnoina thing has never popped up in front of me....but 25 of those years were in FL where we do not close a pool. I went off and read all the Ammonia info on TFP I could find....

But, alas: I am still waging the Amonnia battle:

So, 2 hrs ago I put 3 pounds of Cal-Hypo 73 (I have about 12 more pounds) .....and for good measure added my only and last 6-month-old jug of 10% liquid Cl2 in my pool. That should get me to well over 14 ppm FC. One would expect. :)

Nope: Measured 0.5 FC and 9 CC about 10 minutes ago... So, I get it. Amonnia: It's killing my FC. CYA was 0 at pool opening and should be at or near 20, as I added 4 pounds 48 hours ago. Measured it once only and it looks to be around "20"...as expected. And I may have failed to note earlier that the pH was unexpectedly below 7.0 when I added Muriatic volume for 7.4 using Pool Math...Another sign of Amonnia I see.

So, tomorrow bright and early I'll be making the liquid CL run to the nearest local Walmart.

I keep seeing in the Amonnia articles: bring the FC level up to 10-12... and watch it every thirty minutes till it stabilizes and "holds". Not sure if I can check it that often, but I'll try. After it "holds", run SLAM. I get it.

Actually, the pool is looking better visually. Not clear, but more light blue than deep green. But I know it won't stay that way till the Amonnia issue is resolved.

One more question: I used 2 quarts of a Winter Algaecide when closing in the Fall. So, how do I keep this from happening again? Use 4? Should I occasionally add some diluted liquid CL or more Algecide to the pool during the winter months? This is a royal pain (not to mention costly) so I want to learn the lesson and not let it happen again. Thanks.
 
Well, it feels like I am in the Twilight Zone with this Ammonia issue.

Yep, pool was green first time EVER>

For sure we normally close late/open early. I'm usually open by March 15, this year April 19. This year I took my wife to Hawaii for 25th anniversary so we decided to wait till returned, and this is my reward... :(

I woke up this morning to see a zillion tiny bubbles on the surface of the pool. Pic soon. Is this related to the Amnonoia issue?

I bought 10 gallons of 10% liquid pool bleach at Wamart ($5.47 each). Will put the first two gallons in to the pool in a few minutes and start today's process.

This is the product I used when I closed, I thought I used two of these, but I bought only one, 23,000 gallon pool. Added it on Oct 5, 2022. Thanks again.

Capture.JPG
 

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