New AGP owner

[mufjp]

Hi,
I’m a new owner of a house that came with an AGP. This is a newbie question, but how do I determine if the pool has vinyl vs. plaster vs. fiberglass? I’ve done some reading here and bought the Taylor k2006c kit for water testing. My current t calcium hardness level is at 90. I’m trying to determine what the target range should be. Thanks for your help!

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP.

It's easy, all AGP's are vinyl liners. Plaster/fiberglass are in ground "hard" pool surfaces.

You CH is fine where it is.

 

[mufjp]

Great. Thanks for the quick response!

 

[tim5055]

Now that we have the CH issue resolved, how is everything else looking?

 

[mufjp]

It’s green and cloudy—I’m trying to figure out how to make it clear and swimmable by next Monday before the relatives visit with their little ones. Before I discovered TFP, I had just bought the solar copper ionizer that I left in the pool for a while. The pool wasn’t super clear so I added two bags of Clorox brand shocks (with copper in it)—which turned it green.

After doing some reading here on TFP, I’m trying to learn how to maintain the pool the proper way.

I’ll post the results of the water from this morning

FC 2.0ppm
CC 0.5ppm
pH 7.0
TA 30
CYA 65

Is there an order in which the water needs to be treated first to get to the proper balance?

Thank you!

 

[mufjp]

Another thing I want to mention is that when the water turned green on adding two bags of Clorox shock, I’ve read something about oxidizing reaction with copper ions. So I added a 32oz bottle of Clorox Scale, Metal, and Stain control—which didn’t do anything. Will balancing the water be enough or do I need some type of additional chelating solution?

 

[tim5055]

Well, right now your FC is way too low for your CYA level.

There is no CYA 65. The CYA test in te K-2006-C can not deliver a reading ending in anything other than "0". The tube does not use a linear scale (meaning half way between two numbers would be "5") it uses a logarithmic scale (note the differences between numbers as you move up the tube). Just round up to the next line.

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

With low FC and the CC of .5 I suspect algae. How does the water look?

Any idea where metals (ironor copper) may have come from? Filling from well, using algecides or pool products with the word "Blue" in the name?

 

[mufjp]

The water looks green and cloudy. The copper is from the solar shock copper ionizer that was in the pool for about two weeks and also the shock that I used XtraBlue had 0.26% of copper in it.

As for CYA, should I round that up to 70?

 

[kimkats]

He added it before he found TFP. I really think your best bet is to drain most of the water leaving enough tocover your ankle then refill.

This will get rid of the metals and clear the pool in time for fun with the visitors!

Kim

 

[setsailsoon]

Muf,

Too bad we couldn't help sooner. Kim's right you need to get rid of that copper. TFP pools are crystal clear 100% of the time with nothing other than generic, cheap chemicals. Sadly pool stores are conflicted with their advice because they sell potions with huge mark-ups. We sell nothing. I've been on here about 5 years and Kim helped get me started. Pool has been sparkling envy of neighbors for $10/mo ever since.

Good luck!

Chris

 

[Wobblerlorri]

Muf, Kim and Chris are right. Drain that mess you have, refill it, and start off with the TFP method. I have an AGP that's never known any other care method, and it's blue and crystal clear for the low low price of $4.00 a month in liquid chlorine.c

What test kit do you have? It's the cornerstone of the TFP method. Click on the three lines next to the TFP logo up top and then click Pool School. You'll want to read Test Kits Compared, ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, and FC/CYA Levels to get an understanding of how and why we do what we do.

Good luck and ask any questions you have!

 

[mufjp]

Thank you all for chiming in. I used the Taylor K-2006C test kit this morning.

One other newbie question here--how do I go about draining all that water?
My backyard is pretty big.. almost an acre w/ a lot of trees .. do I just siphon or pump it out far away from the pool?
I don't want to cause an issue if there is any regulation draining a pool.

Also, once the tab water fills the water back to the normal level--other than liquid chlorine, what other chemical should I have handy? I'm thinking about purchasing borax and baking soda in advance.. but I don't know what the expected pH/TA would be.

Thanks again!

 

[tim5055]

Don’t buy borax or baking soda in advance. Most pools need neither of them.

I’m at work on mY phone, but glad others have jumped in to help.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

You need liquid chlorine and CYA, also called stabilizer. That's it to start.

 

[mufjp]

Got it. Thanks! I just solved the draining question btw I found a sewer drain in front of my garage and that’s where the water is being siphoned. Not sure how many days it will take to get the 17k gallons of the water out.

 

[mufjp]

What it looks like right now.

 

[kimkats]

You will also want to get some muriatic acid to have for adjusting the pH as needed. Keep it way from little hands and do NOT store it by metal (will cause rust) or chlorine as they don't lay well together. You can store it in something plastic outside as it does not care about temps or such.

Kim

 

[mufjp]

Thanks for the helpful comment, Kim!

I’m thinking about buying my chemicals from Home Depot. Would these be good ones to use in addition to the regular scented Clorox?

 

[mufjp]

I also have one more question btw. Since my family is usually away for the weekend frequently— that means I can’t test the water daily or add liquid chlorine daily as necessary. Obviously, I don’t want there to be an algae problem. If you are going away for 2-3 days at a time, would you kind of “overdose” the pool with extra chlorine?

I’ve been also reading up on the SWG system. It looks like the Pentair IC -40 is well recommended here. Attached is my current pump/filter setup— I’m not even sure how to even turn on that heater thing (it seems like that’s what it is)yet. Is there any special maintenance for these units? How hard would it be to add an SWG unit to my current system? I’m fairly handy (thanks to YouTube videos) but installing the power center etc. seemed quite involved on these YouTube videos. Thanks again for any help in advance!

 

[kimkats]

That is a heater and a good one. Raypac is well thought of here at TFP. Write down the model number and do a search for your model. I bet you can find an owners manual. We will walk you through anything you can't figure out.

I am going to call in a couple of people to help you set up a SWG. They are going to be the same people I will be calling now that my husband has agreed to a SWG at long last!!!
@ajw22 @Pool Clown @Jimrahbe

Oh I wanted to add the m.a. storage needs to be well vented!

Kim