I saw sharky, cute. I’d use a couple of rocks for ballast.
New House...First Pool = LOT’S of Questions!
- Thread starter BuckeyeMac
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,724
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Doesn't need it - but if current CH low - no issue in using the Cal Hypo.It's AG vinyldoesn't need CH
- May 23, 2015
- 24,487
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The thing to understand about sequestrants is that they do not remove calcium ions from water; they simply bond them up and keep them from reacting to form insoluble carbonates. Sequestrants also interfere with the standard CH test and so when it “appears” that your CH is lower, in reality it is not. You have simply bound up some of the calcium ions in solution and the indicator dye can not react with them. As the sequestering agent breaks down from chlorine oxidation, the calcium is released back into solution. This is why most sequestering products will instruct you to add an initial high dose of the chemical and then follow that up with weekly or bi-weekly “maintenance doses” to compensate for oxidation loss.
The best way to handle calcium is to lower it through water exchange and use softened water for filling a pool.
I don't want to sidetrack this thread at all, but the cloud that we vacuumed to waste wasn't the CH? We never added more (sequestrant) and our CH had not risen (we've emptied the pool and setup a new one, so I'm really curious). I do understand what's being said. And I don't disagree. We might have had a really curious case, or just that much excess calcium. ROFL! It was a small pool, so it was easy to add super strength doses, I doubt it would be cost/effective in a large pool
Full set of test results:
4/30 - 8:15 PM
FC - 22 drops - 11 FC
CC - 0 drops - 0 CC
CH - 15 drops - 375
TA - 12 drops - 120
PH - 7.4-7.5
CYA - 30
Water is pretty clear, came home from daughters soccer practice and noticed some small piles of black around the bottom. No biggie topped off the LC to get right back to SLAM level. We are now officially on Day 16 of SLAM. Tomorrow when I get home from work, I’ll Manually Vac those small black piles out.
4/30 - 8:15 PM
FC - 22 drops - 11 FC
CC - 0 drops - 0 CC
CH - 15 drops - 375
TA - 12 drops - 120
PH - 7.4-7.5
CYA - 30
Water is pretty clear, came home from daughters soccer practice and noticed some small piles of black around the bottom. No biggie topped off the LC to get right back to SLAM level. We are now officially on Day 16 of SLAM. Tomorrow when I get home from work, I’ll Manually Vac those small black piles out.
Nice!
Hmmm, wonder what the "black piles" are! Pics per chance? lol
Just a quick note: Your PH might be a bit lower as FC of 10+ usually causes a false higher PH result, (the overly simple rule is don't adjust PH down when there is a FC reading of 10+)
It’s starting to get dark so I’ll post pictures tomorrow before I vacuum
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- May 23, 2015
- 24,487
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I don't want to sidetrack this thread at all, but the cloud that we vacuumed to waste wasn't the CH? We never added more (sequestrant) and our CH had not risen (we've emptied the pool and setup a new one, so I'm really curious). I do understand what's being said. And I don't disagree. We might have had a really curious case, or just that much excess calcium. ROFL! It was a small pool, so it was easy to add super strength doses, I doubt it would be cost/effective in a large pool
It depends on the sequestering agent. Simple phosphonate agents like HEDP only chelate calcium but do not typically fall out if solution. If one uses a polyanionic compound like polyacrylic acid (PAA) or a polycarboxylic compound like stearic acid or lauric acid, then they can “capture” enough calcium and fall out of solution as a scale. Stearic acid is famous for this as anyone with hard water knows - the stearic acids used in soaps and shampoos form calcium stearate which is the primary compound in soap scum and the chemical that makes your skin feel “tacky” when you bath in hard water with older style soaps (Ivory soap). So you may well have dropped some calcium out of solution but I would highly recommend against that as precipitating calcium is not controllable and one could leave their pool surface with a mess.
Almost all the calcium sequestering agents sold for pools are HEDP or some mixture of HEDP and a low molecular mass carboxylic acid. Those are ones that don’t form a scale and will break down with chlorine oxidation.
Here’s those piles at the bottom. I’m thinking dead algae? They are scattered throughout the pool randomly and all are small
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Sure does look like dead algae. Does it "poof" if you bring the brush near it?
Kim
Kim
Not sure as I vacuumed it all up ? but my guess is yes it would haveSure does look like dead algae. Does it "poof" if you bring the brush near it?
Kim
Could pollen also be contributing to it? We have some HORRIBLE pollen right now.
This was 2.5 hours after cleaning the skimmer sock yesterday afternoon/early evening
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The black stuff at the bottom of the pool just started the other night when we had a front move through with some pretty good wind. And yesterday we had some gusts 20-30mph.
I am still in SLAM...water is pretty dang clear, but I have not yet tried an OCLT. Probably will this weekend/Monday as we are supposed to get a bunch of rain today, tomorrow, and Saturday.
Well, it was just over 80 degrees today, and the pool temp got up to 78. The kids and I jumped in for a little swim. FC has dropped to 8 during the day today due to all the elusive sunshine we got. So I figured why not.
I am still getting those little gray-ish piles on the bottom. I’ve been vacuuming, roboting, etc. I’m still thinking it’s pollen but not 100%.
I also backwashed for the first time today in 1.5 weeks. So maybe the filter just needed that too. We’ll see.
I am still getting those little gray-ish piles on the bottom. I’ve been vacuuming, roboting, etc. I’m still thinking it’s pollen but not 100%.
I also backwashed for the first time today in 1.5 weeks. So maybe the filter just needed that too. We’ll see.
SWEET! You got to enjoy all of your hard work!!!
The gray could be dirt or more dead algae.
The gray could be dirt or more dead algae.
Here’s my test results this morning:
5/11 - 8:30AM
PH - 7.5
FC - 16 drops - 8FC (letting it drift down from SLAM)
CC - 1 drop - 0.5CC
CH - 12 drops - 300
TA - 12 drops - 120
CYA - 30
CSI - -0.04
Water Temp - 70
Air Temp - 55
IT’S SO SPARKLY! ???
The pool gets sun ALL DAY. In fact the other day when we got up to 82 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, I lost 5.7ppm of FC. Water temp was 78 degrees. Edit - we have also had VERY HIGH pollen around here. So much that the skimmer socks I’ve got only last about 2 hours until it’s about 1/2” caked on all the way around ?. I’m sure that’s also a contributing factor.
Do I neeed to up my CYA - thus increasing recommended levels of FC to help combat that? I also haven’t put the solar cover on, so I think that will help some too? Recommendations on any other test results?
5/11 - 8:30AM
PH - 7.5
FC - 16 drops - 8FC (letting it drift down from SLAM)
CC - 1 drop - 0.5CC
CH - 12 drops - 300
TA - 12 drops - 120
CYA - 30
CSI - -0.04
Water Temp - 70
Air Temp - 55
IT’S SO SPARKLY! ???
The pool gets sun ALL DAY. In fact the other day when we got up to 82 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, I lost 5.7ppm of FC. Water temp was 78 degrees. Edit - we have also had VERY HIGH pollen around here. So much that the skimmer socks I’ve got only last about 2 hours until it’s about 1/2” caked on all the way around ?. I’m sure that’s also a contributing factor.
Do I neeed to up my CYA - thus increasing recommended levels of FC to help combat that? I also haven’t put the solar cover on, so I think that will help some too? Recommendations on any other test results?
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