My First Pool

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M

mitanc

Member
May 25, 2024
22
Long Island, NY
Pool Size
34000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Autopilot Digital PPC3 (RC-42)
I recently purchased a home with a pool, excited for swim season to begin!

I hired a professional company based on a referral to open my pool. They did the standard shock and got it looking clear but last Thursday was the weekly maintenance and by Saturday it had green spots on in the deep end.

Been researching how to take care of this myself. My setup consists of variable pump, cartridge filter, heater, and Autopilot digital SWG. Few questions -

1. I want to SLAM to get rid of the algae, before doing so I think my filter needs servicing. Every day the small filter in the SWG gets clogged with ultra fine debris and the machine tell me there’s no flow. I unclog that tiny basket and system seems to be working again - but this leads me to believe from the cartridge filter to the SWG it’s not filtering. Does that mean I need to backwash the filter or clean the actual filter?
2. Can I proceed to SLAM without doing the above?
3. I ordered a test kit. Should be here soon so will report numbers when I receive it.
4. Experienced members, what course of action would you begin to take. I got two little kids and don’t want to miss a day of swim season. I am located in Long Island NY and it’s only just starting to get warm.

Thanks
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! If debris is getting past the filter the cartridge may be torn and need to be replaced. Can you give us some more information about your pool equipment by filling out the signature on your profile? Please include brand and size for filter, pump, swg, heater (if you have one) and any other equipment you may have. Also include the size of your pool and surface type (vinyl, plaster, or fiberglass).

First thing I would do is check the cartridge. The bands should be intact, no cracks in the top or bottom, and no tears in the cartridge material. If it looks intact rinse off any debris with a water hose and check the bottom of the filter casing for small rocks or other debris. If the cartridge is showing signs of excess wear it will need to be replaced. Its best to have a spare cartridge to swap out for cleaning anyway.
Until your test kit arrives use plain, unscented liquid bleach to keep the green spots from spreading. How much bleach you need will depend on the size of the pool and the strength of the bleach.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply. I updated my signature best I could. The pool size I got from the building plans which I happened to obtain prior to purchasing the home.

Any recommendation on how much liquid bleach I should start to put in? Can I use liquid chlorine, is it all the same?

I txted my pool guy, he said he was going to stop by today. I have paid him for some services so will see what he has to say - but ultimately think I’m too OCD and will handle this myself going forward.
 
You can use Pool Math PoolMath to plug in your test results to determine how much bleach to use. Yes liquid chlorine is the same, just a higher strength than household bleach. There is also an app version of PoolMath that will save and track your test results. PoolMath

I'm assuming your CYA is around 70-80. Do you have a test result from your pool guy you could use? Until your test kit gets here keep the SWG running and add a gallon of liquid chlorine a day. That should keep you in a holding pattern until you can test properly.
 
Pool guy is here. Since he is still going to be charging me he said he’s gonna do a treatment and vacuuming the algae as we speak. Should resolve issues till test kit arrives. He also said he’d replace the cartridges for me.

I’m gonna let him do that. By the time my test kit arrives I should be able to log everything and then try to maintain this the pool afterwards.

I appreciate your quick responses and feeling confident I can do this. Learned a lot in the last two weeks since we opened.
 
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Alright so the pool guy vacuumed up the algae and put some chemicals in on Saturday. The pool cleared up the next day. While vacuuming he removed some water, so I put a hose in and then we had heavy rains so now my water line is above the skimmers. I just ordered a hose to pump to waste and expel the excess water - that's coming tomorrow.

In the meantime, I did get my test kit and ran the numbers, here's where I am at:

FC - 3.5
TA - 70
CH - 50
PH - 7.4
CYA - I could still see the black dot at 30, so I would say 20 or less.

I placed an order for Stabalizer, few bottles of Liquid Chlorine, some borax for the PH, and 2 bags of Salt. I didn't get the salt test kit yet, but after this is all done I'll test and add salt accordingly.

My plan is to expell water to the proper level, put some CYA in a sock and let it disperse in the pool, then retest levels. In the meantime the pump is running 24/7 and SWG is at 100%. Once the CYA is fixed up I'll work on the PH with the borax and salt last.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
Okay so an update I removed some water so now the level is halfway in the skimmer. Hopefully the leaves and debris can get sucked in now.

I tested the pool for FC and CC. These were my readings

FC - either 0.5-1. It turned fairly clear after I put one drop of the reagent and completely after 2 in a 10 ml sample.

CC - this was 0.5. Turned pink then clear after a drop.

I also rested CYA. It’s def 20 or even less. Didn’t turn cloudy at all. The pool guy had some chlorine pucks in the skimmers when he cleaned the algae the other day. Don’t know what effect they had but I removed them.

So now I also got some chemicals and this is what I added

1 Gallon liquid chlorine
4 lbs conditioner (in the skimmer in a sock)

I removed the pucks in the skimmers and chucked them in the trash and have the SWG at 100%

Any advice, recomendations?

Thanks
 
mitanc said:
I removed the pucks in the skimmers and chucked them in the trash and have the SWG at 100%
Click to expand...
Let the pucks dry outside before putting in the trash to avoid the possibility of an explosion. Given that they were already in the pool and your CYA is low, I might be inclined to put them in a floater and just let them dissolve. Include the CYA they will add in your calcs. No more pucks though.
 

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Deb04 said:
Let the pucks dry outside before putting in the trash to avoid the possibility of an explosion. Given that they were already in the pool and your CYA is low, I might be inclined to put them in a floater and just let them dissolve. Include the CYA they will add in your calcs. No more pucks
Deb04 said:
Let the pucks dry outside before putting in the trash to avoid the possibility of an explosion. Given that they were already in the pool and your CYA is low, I might be inclined to put them in a floater and just let them dissolve. Include the CYA they will add in your calcs. No more pucks though.
Click to expand...
whoa. Why would the pucks explode? They have been there a few days now - they are pretty thin and dissolved already. Gonna go remove them now.
Click to expand...
 
PoolStored said:
Wait until the morning, or sometime tomorrow and retest. Leave your pump on. Post result, we go from there.

If you are still up, perform this test tonight and report results. Link-->Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
Click to expand...
I tested when the sun went down originally. Now it’s pitch black and I don’t have any lights near the pool. It’s also raining lol

I will try to do that test tomorrow if cya and chlorine is at a good level.

Btw the stabilizer, I stuck my hand in the skimmer and squeezed it - it’s still pretty big. Does it take a while to get dissolved in the pool?
 
mitanc said:
Btw the stabilizer, I stuck my hand in the skimmer and squeezed it - it’s still pretty big. Does it take a while to get dissolved in the pool?
Click to expand...
Left alone, it can take a while. I use it as hand therapy. After about 30 minutes of soaking, I just sit there and squeeze until it dissolves. 10-30 minutes of squeezing. All personal preference. LOL
 
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Alright update for today. Came home from work, checked levels

FC - 0.5 maybe even less. After two scoops of powder the 10 ML sample became slightly pink. After a drop of reagent was clear.

CYA - I used the method where I fill then put it waste height and glance. Around 30 I couldn’t see the dot.

I don’t know why the FC was so low so I threw in 3 gallons of LC. I also put 4 more lbs of CYA in the sock and stuck them in the skimmer.

Tonight I’m gonna squeeze those bad boys out, turn off the SWG, and retest FC. Hopefully I wake up at dawn and able to test to see where I’m at with FC. Also just ordered 8 more gallons of LC for some reserves to pickup tomorrow at wal mart.

Think this is a good plan?
 
Alright. I didn’t squeeze those out. Should I remove the 4lb sitting in the skimmer. Or leave those be? I can throw them away. I still have 8 more lbs that I purchased.
 
Take them out, don't throw them away. Put them in a bucket and let them sit.

If you don't pass oclt, it will cost alot more and take more time if your CYA is higher. Saving you $$ and heartache.
 

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