Managing my own pool

[beautifulpool]

hey pool forum
Question ??
does TFP recommend adding calcium to an15,000 G, 14 year old, IG pool with 5 week old city water (Drained in late June 2019)
pH 7.7, FC 4ppm, TA 90, CH 150, CYA 40.
i chose 'Beautiful Pool', for user name, precisely cause of the beautiful water effects our pool has. It's surrounded by LOTS a-landscaping AND dirt from flower beds....
(water-fall w cascading sound and fountain). Yep, so nice ambiance BUT algae potential nightmare. …..I stumbled upon TFP, after 11+ years of not enjoying our pool cause i was my own pool lady and i couldn't keep the pool clean, cause i didn't understand the chlorine/CYA dynamic....
But im catching on.....no algae for 5 straight weeks.....first time that's ever happened....
Since my last drain and re-fill, TA usually staying between 60-70ppm, doing liquid bleach with muriatic acid as needed.
since yesterday, ive gotten TA up to 90, only after adding 10 lbs Baking soda.
after 11 years of CYA nightmares...i finally swore off the pucks, and di-chlor, they still live in garage but are NO Longer allowed in pool ...because of 4 drains in 11 years....ADIOS leslie's chemicals....
and looking back at this past decade, what hurt wasn't just the lost swimming days along with the high cost of drains and refills, but also the mosquitos and frogs and each drain and refill, i, in my 50's was thinking, Lord please don't let me have a stroke...i was THE pool guy....
or lady so to speak…. not near as athletic and good looking as the pool guys in the you-tube
videos.....

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
With a gunite pool, unless your fill water is very high in CH, you should add calcium to get to at least 200 ppm CH.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[beautifulpool]

with a waterfall and fountain , just kinda wondering if other pool owners dial back some of the amount of their pool water volume going over to special affects water, by restricting some of that special effects flow, by
tightening their Jandy valve, there-by sending more volume over to the jets. guessing, if splash is lowered then might help rising pH.
....then for parties redirect maybe 1/3 of water flow back to special effects PVC.....but idk, this waterfall sounds amazing, more relaxing than any cocktail, and spa fountain so pretty....i may just leave it, and use the Muratic as needed.....haven't burned my lungs in over 3 weeks....2 tricks with that, hold your breath, or make darn sure your upwind instead of down when walking and pouring....

 

[YippeeSkippy]

We generally advise folks who are having high pH problems to limit their use of the water features if possible. Yet you have to allow for some daily chlorinated water to go thru to keep the lines clean. If you don't mind adding MA, you can leave them running. If you want to try to dial it back and see if it helps, do so and monitor.

Can you tweak the features or are they hard plumbed "on" ??
Let us know how it helps/not helps. Any changes it makes.

Maddie

 

[beautifulpool]

We generally advise folks who are having high pH problems to limit their use of the water features if possible. Yet you have to allow for some daily chlorinated water to go thru to keep the lines clean. If you don't mind adding MA, you can leave them running. If you want to try to dial it back and see if it helps, do so and monitor.

Can you tweak the features or are they hard plumbed "on" ??
Let us know how it helps/not helps. Any changes it makes.

Maddie

The jandy valves are easy enough to turn. But, i guess i really prefer to keep waterfall and spa fountain going daily, If this isn’t violating Good pool chemistry protocol???? actually I didn’t even know that water effects raise pH by releasing carbon until i stumbled upon TFP
And its partly the effects that make our pool relaxing .... now that we’re not swimming in algae... plus the upside here,
I have gotten much better at adding acid without choking.