On the small style return eye, you can. Retainer is held in with a couple of plastic clips.
I haven't tried yet with the large style return.
I haven't tried yet with the large style return.
Metal framed pool and SWG
- Thread starter KrisIL
- Start date
High TA usually leads to high PH and that is a problem with a SWG - the higher the PH the faster you'll get calcium scale on the plates. Bring down the TA and the PH won't rise as much or as fast, and without the pH being super high (I've been trying to keep mine between 7.4 and 7.6) the scale won't develop as fast - in fact if you bring your TA down far enough to get your satutation index just slightly negative you won't really have any scale develop at all.
I also recommend getting your pool running smoothly with BBB first so that you aren't trying to "solve" any water quality problems with the SWG. Likewise, if you find that your SWG isn't producing enough chlorine while you are figuring out how long to set the timer to, it's okay to top off with bleach, and in fact if your FC drops too low you may have to shock your pool to clear any developing algae bloom - if you try to rely on your SWG to "bring up" a chlorine level that is too low you could inadvertantly create more problems than you solve, and you may have stuff growing in your pool consuming the chlorine faster than it's generated. SWG are good for maintaining chlorine levels once your pool is balanced and figure out how long it needs to run to hold a chlorine level, but it will fail at bringing up chlorine levels once you already have a problem in your water.
I use the intex SWG and I always keep enough bleach on hand to shock my pool, and if by chance I test my chlorine level and it's not as high as I want it, I'll just add some bleach and then adjust the timer on my SWG the next time it runs (I only run mine after dark). It's good to have a backup plan if something happens to the SWG (power outage, GFCI is tripped and you don't notice for a couple of days, or whatever) - because if you take action fast enough it will stop a minor problem from becoming a really big one.
I also recommend getting your pool running smoothly with BBB first so that you aren't trying to "solve" any water quality problems with the SWG. Likewise, if you find that your SWG isn't producing enough chlorine while you are figuring out how long to set the timer to, it's okay to top off with bleach, and in fact if your FC drops too low you may have to shock your pool to clear any developing algae bloom - if you try to rely on your SWG to "bring up" a chlorine level that is too low you could inadvertantly create more problems than you solve, and you may have stuff growing in your pool consuming the chlorine faster than it's generated. SWG are good for maintaining chlorine levels once your pool is balanced and figure out how long it needs to run to hold a chlorine level, but it will fail at bringing up chlorine levels once you already have a problem in your water.
I use the intex SWG and I always keep enough bleach on hand to shock my pool, and if by chance I test my chlorine level and it's not as high as I want it, I'll just add some bleach and then adjust the timer on my SWG the next time it runs (I only run mine after dark). It's good to have a backup plan if something happens to the SWG (power outage, GFCI is tripped and you don't notice for a couple of days, or whatever) - because if you take action fast enough it will stop a minor problem from becoming a really big one.
Okay I did some tests.
ph about 6.9
TA=310
CH=360 (probably lower because it start to change to blue when it was at about 260. Hard to determine what blue they refer too. I think they should include color samples with the kit.)
Salt = 3110
I already start the fountain. I will run it till 5pm tomorrow night and when I come back from work (about 5pm) I will perform the test again. Also I put sock filled with chlorine stabilizer in the skimmer.
ph about 6.9
TA=310
CH=360 (probably lower because it start to change to blue when it was at about 260. Hard to determine what blue they refer too. I think they should include color samples with the kit.)
Salt = 3110
I already start the fountain. I will run it till 5pm tomorrow night and when I come back from work (about 5pm) I will perform the test again. Also I put sock filled with chlorine stabilizer in the skimmer.
You didn't give an FC. How low (or high) is it?
Other than that, what you are doing looks ok. BUT! I am not an expert in chemistry.
Other than that, what you are doing looks ok. BUT! I am not an expert in chemistry.
If you don't want to start out with a green pool, get some chlorine into it ASAP. Put enough in to match the intended CYA level according to the chart in Pool School. You could even go a little higher than that, so it doesn't fall below the minimum.
Yes but Walmart's great value bleach is a bit cheaper... my store currently has a box of 3 121oz bottles of 8.25% for $6
What about the concentrated one? Is it any good?
Also I found this at my local HD store: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Smart-4x1-gal-Chlorinating-Solution-1120-HD/100186484#.UcHlqZxq-iU
Here are specifications: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/12/1259d78e-0d99-4a70-9288-8635521c2239.pdf
Also I found this at my local HD store: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Smart-4x1-gal-Chlorinating-Solution-1120-HD/100186484#.UcHlqZxq-iU
Here are specifications: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/12/1259d78e-0d99-4a70-9288-8635521c2239.pdf
Yes. But I have to drive over 30 min to closest WalMart and HomeDepot is 2 minutes from my housesarahspins said:
Well, that is a valid concern 
Where I live it's a 20 minute drive to either one (they are literally next to each other) and there aren't any other stores close to me.
Where I live it's a 20 minute drive to either one (they are literally next to each other) and there aren't any other stores close to me.
Okay. I performed the test again:
pH 8.2
FC 3.0
CC 0.5
TA 400
CH 340
CYA 20 ( i know it's not accurate because I have to wait at least a week)
I have been aerating for 24 hours and in that time my pH raised from 6.9 to 8.2 and TA from 310 to 400
pH 8.2
FC 3.0
CC 0.5
TA 400
CH 340
CYA 20 ( i know it's not accurate because I have to wait at least a week)
I have been aerating for 24 hours and in that time my pH raised from 6.9 to 8.2 and TA from 310 to 400
Your TA should have gone down - are you sure you are doing the test correctly? You can dose with MA again to bring your pH down to 7 and keep aerating.
What will your target CYA level be?
Add MA to bring the pH back down to around 7.0 As SarahSpins suggested. Your TA will drop with it. Continue to aerate.
You might want to bring your FC up to about 12, in case that CC is indicating the beginnings of algae, since you waited so long to put chlorine in.
Add MA to bring the pH back down to around 7.0 As SarahSpins suggested. Your TA will drop with it. Continue to aerate.
You might want to bring your FC up to about 12, in case that CC is indicating the beginnings of algae, since you waited so long to put chlorine in.
I did add the MA yesterday and bring pH down to 7.0. I'm kind of afraid that I destroyed my test kit. It was stored in garage during the winter. Solutions might freeze.
Also if I do the aeration for 24 HR straight is that might affect the whole process? Maybe I should do it only like 8 hours a day
Also if I do the aeration for 24 HR straight is that might affect the whole process? Maybe I should do it only like 8 hours a day
Running the filter more only speeds up the process - it doesn't create any problems. When I was working hard to reduce my TA, my pool could go from 7.0 to 8+ overnight and I was often adding MA twice a day.
If you kept the test kit in the garage and don't know what happened to them over the winter it might be worth replacing those reagents.
If you kept the test kit in the garage and don't know what happened to them over the winter it might be worth replacing those reagents.
That's what happened to me. My pH jumped from about 6.8 to 8.2 in 24 hours when I was aerating. I think I need to add the acid more often.sarahspins said: