Hello! Had my pool about 2 months now. my phosphates are around 4000ppb if we are to believe Leslie's test. Everyone here says ignore phosphates, as they dont matter. So far I have. Question- is there any harm in adding a chemical to bring that number down? Thanks!
New Pebbletech Pool...ignoring phosphates per tfp
- Thread starter jrh590
- Start date
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- Tags
- high phosphate
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
No harm at all, I did it once and had no issues 
Amazon.com : SeaKlear 90207 Halo Source 1040105 Commercial Strength Phosphate Remover Quart Bottle Spa Accessories : Swimming Pool Stain Removers : Garden & Outdoor
Amazon.com : SeaKlear 90207 Halo Source 1040105 Commercial Strength Phosphate Remover Quart Bottle Spa Accessories : Swimming Pool Stain Removers : Garden & Outdoor
smile.amazon.com
Do all phosphate removers require vacuuming and/or constantly cleaning the filter due to the nature of the process?No harm at all, I did it once and had no issues
Amazon.com : SeaKlear 90207 Halo Source 1040105 Commercial Strength Phosphate Remover Quart Bottle Spa Accessories : Swimming Pool Stain Removers : Garden & Outdoor
Amazon.com : SeaKlear 90207 Halo Source 1040105 Commercial Strength Phosphate Remover Quart Bottle Spa Accessories : Swimming Pool Stain Removers : Garden & Outdoorsmile.amazon.com
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,498
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The harm comes from believing Leslie test results and then harm to your wallet.
Test with own phosphate test kit. A good kit costs like $20 and the results can be trusted. Taylor has the K-1106 phosphate test kit. The Taylor K-1106 test kit can test at phosphate levels of 0-1000 ppm or 0-6000 ppm. It has two different color comparator cards for the two tests.
I had a pool service tell me I had high phosphates absed on their in store testing, so I got my own test kit. I tested it in front of the Pool Guy and showed him an almost 0 reading of phosphates.
Our recoemmendation to ignore phosphates is solid. If you must dive into it then do it based on your own test results and not Leslies.
www.troublefreepool.com
Test with own phosphate test kit. A good kit costs like $20 and the results can be trusted. Taylor has the K-1106 phosphate test kit. The Taylor K-1106 test kit can test at phosphate levels of 0-1000 ppm or 0-6000 ppm. It has two different color comparator cards for the two tests.
I had a pool service tell me I had high phosphates absed on their in store testing, so I got my own test kit. I tested it in front of the Pool Guy and showed him an almost 0 reading of phosphates.
Our recoemmendation to ignore phosphates is solid. If you must dive into it then do it based on your own test results and not Leslies.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I am certainly aware of the Leslie's test results not being dependable. I have ordered the Taylor kit to do my own. It makes sense that mine is super high. I wont pay much attention to it moving forward, but it seemed like "why not" treat the phosphates that are 4500ppb in my new pool at least once?The harm comes from believing Leslie test results and then harm to your wallet.
Test with own phosphate test kit. A good kit costs like $20 and the results can be trusted. Taylor has the K-1106 phosphate test kit. The Taylor K-1106 test kit can test at phosphate levels of 0-1000 ppm or 0-6000 ppm. It has two different color comparator cards for the two tests.
I had a pool service tell me I had high phosphates absed on their in store testing, so I got my own test kit. I tested it in front of the Pool Guy and showed him an almost 0 reading of phosphates.
Our recoemmendation to ignore phosphates is solid. If you must dive into it then do it based on your own test results and not Leslies.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,498
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Where did your pool fill water come from?
Water utilities add phosphates to water to prevent corrosion of their pipes.
What makes you think 4,500 ppb is super high? Because it is a big number?
Water utilities add phosphates to water to prevent corrosion of their pipes.
What makes you think 4,500 ppb is super high? Because it is a big number?
Pool fill came from house water.
mknauss said "If you use your own phosphate test and get above 4000 ppb, then yes, it may be useful to treat for phosphates." He is an ardent proponent of ignoring phosphates, so him saying that also carried a lot of weight. Do you not think 4500 is high?
Thanks for your help!
If I may ask, what would your main “goal” to reducing phosphates be?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,498
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
If you use your own phosphate test..
which you are not....
it may be useful....
which is different then it being "super high".
There is nothing about phosphates that requires immediate action or any action.
Get your own test kit and see what you get and then lets discuss.
which you are not....
it may be useful....
which is different then it being "super high".
There is nothing about phosphates that requires immediate action or any action.
Get your own test kit and see what you get and then lets discuss.
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My philosophy is to never add an unnecessary chemical to my pool.
I look at phosphates as fertilizer for algae (because I'm in the fertilizer business and that's essentially what it is). If you have algae, the phosphates will make it grow and bloom faster. If you have a properly chlorinated pool using tfp methods, then you won't ever have any algae to fertilize. So we don't worry about phosphates.
Saturn94
Bronze Supporter
- Mar 11, 2015
- 1,864
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
That‘s interesting about the K 1106 test kit. The previous version, which I have, only has instructions and card for up to 1000ppb. I noticed the current version uses the same reagents and same colors on the card, so one with the older kit could use the up to 6000ppb instructions if their level is over 1000ppb.The harm comes from believing Leslie test results and then harm to your wallet.
Test with own phosphate test kit. A good kit costs like $20 and the results can be trusted. Taylor has the K-1106 phosphate test kit. The Taylor K-1106 test kit can test at phosphate levels of 0-1000 ppm or 0-6000 ppm. It has two different color comparator cards for the two tests.
I had a pool service tell me I had high phosphates absed on their in store testing, so I got my own test kit. I tested it in front of the Pool Guy and showed him an almost 0 reading of phosphates.
Our recoemmendation to ignore phosphates is solid. If you must dive into it then do it based on your own test results and not Leslies.
Phosphate Removers - Further Reading
I generally don’t pay any attention to phosphates since they don’t matter much, and I use a sequestrant which adds phosphates (Jack’s Magic Purple Stuff). I’d just be chasing my tail, and going broke, trying to eliminate phosphates.
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Absolutely bc I appreciate all feedback! My main goal would be to reduce algae’s food while I continue to educate and dial in my balancing and chlorinating the pool. I’m a newb with all of less than a month under my belt. It Seems like if I lower the phosphates it gives me more room for error while I continue to dial in the chlorine. I also haven’t seen much downside besides the labor? I appreciate your follow up! People are passionate about phosphates no mattering if the chlorine is right...but I’m in the process of making sure my chlorine is right and educating my self via this site.
If your goal was to simply lower them just because they were high I’d say that is a poor reason……ignore them. That said, if you wish to lower them to give yourself an insurance policy IF your chlorine level drops below minimum, now we’re heading down a legit path. Truth be told this is the path I’ve taken for the last few years now,
So first things first……
I don’t think your phosphate level is high. I say that because you’ve yet to post your level from your kit. Pool store testing sucks so until you’ve got your numbers, ignore the entire thing. I see you’ve bought a kit so there’s a good start.
Until that gets there and we know your actual numbers this entire thread is an argument, not a plan of attack. Once we know your numbers then we can form a plan.
Until then we can learn, learn about why using a phosphate remover maybe a negative. First is the cost, it can be expensive. It can also however be cheap, all depends on your conditions. In some areas of the country phosphates are re-added to a pool frequently as the water department uses them to protect the pipes. If you fall into this category you’ll be consistently adding remover to combat the addition of phosphates. It’ll be a never ending cycle. Same goes for some pool care products. Some sequestrates also use phosphates, so you’ll be in a cycle stuck removing them and adding them at the same time. That price will add up.
If however your pool doesn’t fit into that category like mine didn’t, you can move onto the next item, cloudy water. If your water is high in phosphates and you add the phosphate remover your water will become cloudy rather quickly. Not an issue if you do the process in early spring when the water’s too cold to swim in. HUGE problem if you do the process on July 3rd.
To combat this some products actually go as far as adding a clarifier to their product so it’ll help reduce the time your water is cloudy. Nice in theory, bad as it easily can mess up your filters media. High quality products however don’t add this, stick with those. Your pool maybe cloudy for a few days, but it’ll clear up. Again, smart to do this when the pools simply not in use.
So there’s the two largest issues, cost and cloudy water. I’ve never been the type of person who says “don’t do something,” rather I’m the type that’ll give the info and let you decide. Regardless though DON’T act on anything just yet. If you do decide to move forward do so with your own kit as we all know the history of pool stores amazing track record on getting test results correct.
So first things first……
I don’t think your phosphate level is high. I say that because you’ve yet to post your level from your kit. Pool store testing sucks so until you’ve got your numbers, ignore the entire thing. I see you’ve bought a kit so there’s a good start.
Until that gets there and we know your actual numbers this entire thread is an argument, not a plan of attack. Once we know your numbers then we can form a plan.Until then we can learn, learn about why using a phosphate remover maybe a negative. First is the cost, it can be expensive. It can also however be cheap, all depends on your conditions. In some areas of the country phosphates are re-added to a pool frequently as the water department uses them to protect the pipes. If you fall into this category you’ll be consistently adding remover to combat the addition of phosphates. It’ll be a never ending cycle. Same goes for some pool care products. Some sequestrates also use phosphates, so you’ll be in a cycle stuck removing them and adding them at the same time. That price will add up.
If however your pool doesn’t fit into that category like mine didn’t, you can move onto the next item, cloudy water. If your water is high in phosphates and you add the phosphate remover your water will become cloudy rather quickly. Not an issue if you do the process in early spring when the water’s too cold to swim in. HUGE problem if you do the process on July 3rd.
To combat this some products actually go as far as adding a clarifier to their product so it’ll help reduce the time your water is cloudy. Nice in theory, bad as it easily can mess up your filters media. High quality products however don’t add this, stick with those. Your pool maybe cloudy for a few days, but it’ll clear up. Again, smart to do this when the pools simply not in use.So there’s the two largest issues, cost and cloudy water. I’ve never been the type of person who says “don’t do something,” rather I’m the type that’ll give the info and let you decide. Regardless though DON’T act on anything just yet. If you do decide to move forward do so with your own kit as we all know the history of pool stores amazing track record on getting test results correct.
Merged threads - TFP Mod
If you recognize me, you know by now I’m a noob who has had a 12,500 gallon pebble pool for a month now. I have a cover that covers it 99.9% of the day. I have a chlorinator that is minimally used. Mainly just liquid chlorine. I have a weekly service, but I’m educating myself to drop him soon. I’ve had an oily film present on otherwise very clear water all week.
Below are my test results. My sand filter does have increased pressure, but not anything extreme. It is about 5 psi higher than baseline, right in between its starting pressure and then where it says "clean me". If I have learned correct, the pressure can build up from the crud it filters and accumulates, thus I need to backwash and rinse it. I have done that twice and it hasn’t helped the pressure or clean the film.
The film did appear a day or two after we had a lot of kids in the pool with all the trouble that brings. But please correct me if I am wrong, if my chlorine levels are still good, that should handle all of their goodness they bring? it has also been since saturday when the kids jumped in, so more than enough time to filter out?
Any suggestions on the film problem? My pool guy is coming Friday, but I don’t think he is smart. He will just dump a bunch of chemicals in the “shock” it and move on I bet. I’m trying to avoid that.
Water 82 degrees. I live in SC and the temp is between 80-90 now
FC: 7
PH 7
TA 130
CH 300
CYA 30
Phosphates 4K plus per Leslie’s but yes I know most say avoid and also wait until you can test. Kit comes on Monday.
No more pollen or droppings present.
Unless something looks out of whack on these numbers, shouldnt the pool cycling through the filter take care of the film?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated here!!
If you recognize me, you know by now I’m a noob who has had a 12,500 gallon pebble pool for a month now. I have a cover that covers it 99.9% of the day. I have a chlorinator that is minimally used. Mainly just liquid chlorine. I have a weekly service, but I’m educating myself to drop him soon. I’ve had an oily film present on otherwise very clear water all week.
Below are my test results. My sand filter does have increased pressure, but not anything extreme. It is about 5 psi higher than baseline, right in between its starting pressure and then where it says "clean me". If I have learned correct, the pressure can build up from the crud it filters and accumulates, thus I need to backwash and rinse it. I have done that twice and it hasn’t helped the pressure or clean the film.
The film did appear a day or two after we had a lot of kids in the pool with all the trouble that brings. But please correct me if I am wrong, if my chlorine levels are still good, that should handle all of their goodness they bring? it has also been since saturday when the kids jumped in, so more than enough time to filter out?
Any suggestions on the film problem? My pool guy is coming Friday, but I don’t think he is smart. He will just dump a bunch of chemicals in the “shock” it and move on I bet. I’m trying to avoid that.
Water 82 degrees. I live in SC and the temp is between 80-90 now
FC: 7
PH 7
TA 130
CH 300
CYA 30
Phosphates 4K plus per Leslie’s but yes I know most say avoid and also wait until you can test. Kit comes on Monday.
No more pollen or droppings present.
Unless something looks out of whack on these numbers, shouldnt the pool cycling through the filter take care of the film?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated here!!
Last edited by a moderator:
- May 3, 2014
- 62,727
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The film is likely sunscreen. It should dissipate. You can add a tennis ball or two to the skimmer and that will give the oil something to cling to.
That is what I figured it was, but I guess it is just my newbie ignorance...but shouldnt that get cleaned out in the filtering process? My pump runs all day. High during the day and low at night. Thanks!
Also...how can I communicated with the mod that keeps editing my posts and sending my feedback? It doesnt make sense to me their reasoning, so I would like to communicate back and forth to this nameless person
Thanks!
- May 3, 2014
- 62,727
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
That is me.
Oils float on the surface. So they are not being readily pulled into the filter.
So when the pool turns over the water day after day, it wont do a good job of getting sunscreen ever? It has been 5 days of running with good to high chlorine levels. Wow I know this is common sense for you, but that is so surprising to me.
Filter question though---any clue why I cant get the pressure to drop back down after backwashing multiple times??
I saw your feedback on merging posts, just didnt see how the test results and specific oil question had anything to do with the phosphate discussion...especially when the rule of thumb is phosphates arent important for maintaining a clean pool lol. Thank you!
Filter question though---any clue why I cant get the pressure to drop back down after backwashing multiple times??
I saw your feedback on merging posts, just didnt see how the test results and specific oil question had anything to do with the phosphate discussion...especially when the rule of thumb is phosphates arent important for maintaining a clean pool lol. Thank you!
- May 3, 2014
- 62,727
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Might need to deep clean if any pool store potions have been used.
Sunscreen should break down with sun and chlorine. Normally creates a sticky film on the water line and in the skimmer. As I said, some use tennis balls or scum balls in the skimmer to catch it.
We like to keep chemistry discussion in one thread. So that is why I kept combining them.