New House, New Pool Owner Nerves

[Mfrank]

Update! My TF100 (and bonus pen style PH meter) just came yesterday and we are doing the final walk-through this evening. Thinking of grabbing some water from the pool to test, any cons of doing this as far as transporting the water goes?

 

[ajw22]

any cons of doing this as far as transporting the water goes?

No, pickup a jar of water and test when you get home.

 

[Mfrank]

2nd update! Met seller at the walk through as they were adding chemicals to the pool! The liner and pump motor are both 4 years old. She confirmed it is 20,000 gal. She recommended a local pool company for chemical purchase & checking water levels, obviously I am not doing that and why I am here! She said the water will not need to be checked until next week, but I do plan on testing some tomorrow. I did not bring a sample home with me this evening. It looks as though we're inheriting quite a bit of pool chemicals & supplies from them, I will make a list of everything when we see it all laid out & I have the time. Thanks everyone!!

 

[borjis]

Excellent!

Always good to have that interaction with them to get details.
Funny enough the guy that owned my first home before me, showed
me how to back wash the sand filter. When he skipped the rinse cycle
and some sand came out of the returns, he said "That is normal." LOL

If you can, post photos of the chemicals.

It's kind of fun and funny to see what potions they think it needed.

My second house came with a bucket of pucks with copper and some VERY OLD baquicil.
Thank goodness they had converted it back to chlorine a few years before I bought the home.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

My advice is to not add any of the previous pool owner's chemicals without asking us first. They sound like they're following a pool store's methods which aren't necessarily how we would advise you.

Take a pic of the equipment pad for us so we can tell you what we see you have.

When using PoolMath (found at top of page) input "Troublefreepool.com" "vinyl" and "bleach" in the drop down selections at the bottom for now. It will suggest goals to keep your levels at in the individual chemical boxes.

Maddie

 

[Shirker]

When I sold my house (and pool) last year I left them a 1/2 full TF-100, A link to this site, and 3 page printed Word doc of how to keep the pool maintained. I completely understand your seller adding chemicals the day before close. My pool water was more like a pet than a yard ornament. I wanted it to be perfectly healthy when I handed the keys over.

A couple months later I saw a couple of photos on facebook of my old pool. It was GREEN! It was all I could do to not go over there and fix it for them!

 

[borjis]

When I sold my house (and pool) last year I left them a 1/2 full TF-100, A link to this site, and 3 page printed Word doc of how to keep the pool maintained. I completely understand your seller adding chemicals the day before close. My pool water was more like a pet than a yard ornament. I wanted it to be perfectly healthy when I handed the keys over.

A couple months later I saw a couple of photos on facebook of my old pool. It was GREEN! It was all I could do to not go over there and fix it for them!

haha! I had the EXACT SAME thing happened when I sold my first house! Left the TF100/speedstir and a 3 page printed word doc I wrote for them.

I drove by it a few months ago to show my girlfriend and it was an ugly swamp.

 

[Mfrank]

Alright guys, I'm finally moved in enough that I can take a break and get to an update. Turns out they left us nothing. No chemicals, not even the pole vacuum she was using during our final walk through. They also left no info as far as what they were using, routine, etc. I am okay with all of this EXCEPT for the fact that we have no vacuum. That scares me a little.

They did leave a winter cover, waterbags, a locking chest with various brushes and random pool toys. Lo and behold, after digging around in there I found a dirty Aquabot! No clue when the last time this was used or why they weren't using it. I am seriously interested seeing whats up with this, I planned on investing in one next year and using the vacuum that I was told stayed with the house in the meantime. But, unfortunately that plan has been scratched. So like I said, no vacuum at the moment and I definitely need some direction on that issue.

So, I have my TF100 test kit ready to go. I must admit, the directions are a little intimidating and I feel that I need some help getting started. Please feel free to share your experience with using it, any tips or tricks are welcome! I have literally never used any sort of testing kit before so please excuse my possibly stupid questions. Thank you!!

 

[Oly]

If you intend to hand vacuum your pool you can pick up the pole, hoses and vacuum head at Home Depot or Lowes. You will need have a look at your pool system to determine where to connect your hose and if you will need a connection fitting. I really suggest you look into a cleaning robot as it is so much easier than hand vacuuming and a big improvement over suction side or pressure side pool cleaners.

Don't over think the test kit just start using it according to the instructions and you will be an expert in no time. Post your results and the fine folks here will not be able to resist giving you good advice.

 

[ajw22]

So, I have my TF100 test kit ready to go. I must admit, the directions are a little intimidating and I feel that I need some help getting started. Please feel free to share your experience with using it, any tips or tricks are welcome! I have literally never used any sort of testing kit before so please excuse my possibly stupid questions. Thank you!!

Grab some water samples and do the tests one by one. CL and PH are the most important so begin with them. Separate the vials and reagents and identify the ones for each test. Follow the Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions If you don't have the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer then swirl well between each drop. Take your time and count the drops.

With a new kit wipe the tip of the reagent for TA and CH before each drop. Hold the bottle vertically and let a full drop fall from the tip. Drop size matters in those tests.

CYA is the toughest test for many folks. You can squirt the mixture into the CYA tube until you think you don;t see the dot then put the mixture back into the bottle and do it again. Best to do the test outdoors in full sun and glance at the dot. When you don't see the dot at a glance you have your value. Round UP to the next line for your CYA value.

 

[Mfrank]

Grab some water samples and do the tests one by one. CL and PH are the most important so begin with them. Separate the vials and reagents and identify the ones for each test. Follow the Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions If you don't have the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer then swirl well between each drop. Take your time and count the drops.

With a new kit wipe the tip of the reagent for TA and CH before each drop. Hold the bottle vertically and let a full drop fall from the tip. Drop size matters in those tests.

CYA is the toughest test for many folks. You can squirt the mixture into the CYA tube until you think you don;t see the dot then put the mixture back into the bottle and do it again. Best to do the test outdoors in full sun and glance at the dot. When you don't see the dot at a glance you have your value. Round UP to the next line for your CYA value.

We got a pen type PH meter (to qualify for free shipping) - can I use this instead of the PH drop test or do you recommend to just stick with what was included in our kit?

 

[ajw22]

We got a pen type PH meter (to qualify for free shipping) - can I use this instead of the PH drop test or do you recommend to just stick with what was included in our kit?

See my thread on PH Meters

You can use it but you need to periodically check the calibration with standard solutions. You should occasionally check the meter with the drop test.

I found the inexpensive ATC meter holds calibration better then the Hanna meter. I have only found the ATC off by .1 in my calibrations.

 

[Mfrank]

See my thread on PH Meters

You can use it but you need to periodically check the calibration with standard solutions. You should occasionally check the meter with the drop test.

I found the inexpensive ATC meter holds calibration better then the Hanna meter. I have only found the ATC off by .1 in my calibrations.

Awesome, I have the ATC meter. I'll get used to the drop test before I try this out, but I am glad I have it.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The tests are easy to perform, just going one step at a time. What may look confusing to you is how the kit arrives- it isn't set up for each test parts together. I rearranged my kit, removing some dividers here and there, so that all the bottles for each test reside together. I also have them set up so that my first test is at the top left (FC/CC) and I just move down the box in order....

Since taking that pic long ago the labels are all now color coded which makes it a lot easier to see what you need to use.

It just *looks* overwhelming, but its not. Trust me

Maddie

 

[Mfrank]

The tests are easy to perform, just going one step at a time. What may look confusing to you is how the kit arrives- it isn't set up for each test parts together. I rearranged my kit, removing some dividers here and there, so that all the bottles for each test reside together. I also have them set up so that my first test is at the top left (FC/CC) and I just move down the box in order....View attachment 85673

Since taking that pic long ago the labels are all now color coded which makes it a lot easier to see what you need to use.

It just *looks* overwhelming, but its not. Trust me

Maddie

Thank you for that!!! Much less scary now that I know they weren't in any certain order!

 

[Mfrank]

Okay, finally have numbers for you guys!!

Please note that the last time this was treated was on 8/23. There is a chlorine tab duck floating around in there that had 1 puck in it. It has since dissolved but Mr. Duck was present in the water when I got a sample.

FC = 16
CC = 1.5
TC = 17.5
TA = 100
CYA test was not performed - it is dark here and from what I'm reading it looks to be the hardest one, I will wait until tomorrow to be in the sun and have another pair of eyes watching with me.

If any of these numbers look insane please let me know and I will retest! I ran one trial test just to make sure I was following all the directions correctly. Felt like a true bad*** pool scientist. One more thing, I am just starting to plug these numbers into my pool math app. Any tips or tricks on using this are welcome!

 

[Winnie-the-Pool]

Now that you are in your house, edit your signature, it will help others help you:
Read This BEFORE You Post

How have you been chlorinating your pool since you moved in?

In the Pool Math App, after you create a new log for your test results, go to the Overview screen. From there you can tap any test and it will take you to an advice page that will tell you what to do to adjust that level. It would be best to wait on those recommendations until you perform your CYA test since your FC is dependent on your CYA. It won't hurt to tap each one just to see what it says so you can get familiar with the app.

A CC >1 may indicate that something is going on. This test should be done fairly quickly, if left to sit the sample will turn pink again. This sometimes happens with new scientists.

When you get a chance to edit your signature and perform a full set of tests post your results like this and folks here will guide you on your next steps:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

 

[Mfrank]

Sorry for the long delay, I have updated my signature and here are my results as of 10 minutes ago

FC 8.5
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 100
CH 450
CYA 100 - the dot wasn't visible before it even hit the measurement mark for 100

Also, I really cant tell if you all can see my signature, I promise I updated it! But just in case you cant:

20k | Vinyl IG | Hayward Sand Filter | TF100 | Public Water, No Restriction

 

[mknauss]

Do a Dilute CYA test - see Step 8 in Pool School - CYA

I assume you drain some water for closing?

 

[Winnie-the-Pool]

Sorry for the long delay, I have updated my signature and here are my results as of 10 minutes ago

FC 8.5
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 100
CH 450
CYA 100 - the dot wasn't visible before it even hit the measurement mark for 100

20k | Vinyl IG | Hayward Sand Filter | TF100 | Public Water, No Restriction

I hope you've had the opportunity to enjoy the pool some. What have you been chlorinating with?

The only way to get your CYA down is to drain water. You have to be careful how you drain your water with a vinyl liner.

This late in the season it may be best to just deal with it in the spring. Do the diluted test that Marty advised so you can make a plan for winterizing and spring opening.

Just a $$ tip for future reference - Jurisdictions have different policies on billing for pool water. Contact your water department prior to refilling your pool in the spring and ask about waiving the sewage fees.

Sorry for the long delay, I have updated my signature
Also, I really cant tell if you all can see my signature, I promise I updated it! But just in case you cant:

20k | Vinyl IG | Hayward Sand Filter | TF100 | Public Water, No Restriction

When you post, make sure the box that says "Show your signature" in the lower left of the window is checked.