New pool owner and feel a little overwhelmed

[lobotiger]

I wanted to say hi and introduce myself as we've recently had our pool installed (7 weeks) and I gotta say that it all feels a bit overwhelming. We've never had a pool before so everything is new to us especially with all the daily/weekly things that go with owning one. I've read through all of the recommended articles on here but I wanted to reach out and see if what we're doing and have setup is working well.

To start, we have a Pentair based system and the pool company setup things like the chlorinator at 50% and the VSP to run at 30GPM. I've been mostly running it from 7pm - 7am daily since that's our cheapest electricity rates. We only heat the pool when we know we're going to be using it so as not to have an expensive gas bill each month. My question regarding the equipment is, is running it with the current settings "right"? I understand that every pool can be a little different but I'm not sure if lowering the GPM or increasing the SWG makes sense.

Then comes the chemical levels. We were left with one of those CL and PH balance test kits so we've been using those as well as bringing our water to get tested at a local pool company. At first, the numbers for the small test kit seemed fine with CL being around 2-3ppm and PH around 7.6-7.8. Then as the weeks progressed and I started going to the pool company to test the water, we got more information and that's when I also noticed that our CL levels were very low. The last three weeks we've seen our CL levels hover around 0.08ppm, PH remaining the same, and CYA going from 30ppm down to 15ppm just today. Now based on my understanding of chemicals, the cyanuric acid is what helps to keep the chlorine from burning away from the sun. So I'm thinking that I need to raise my CYA levels with stabilizer but I've already done one bottle of grains a few weeks ago. Can't recall what the CYA levels were afterwards. I've also shocked the pool at least twice now both by using the shock setting in the SWG and by adding a shock chlorine sock from the pool company. With today's results, they said that I again need to shock my pool and only once the levels are within range, that I should add the stabilizer. Is this correct?

Hope this wasn't too long but we appreciate joining this site and all the valuable info we've learned so far. Here are my results from today's pool company testing.

FC = 0.08
TC = 0.08
CC = 0
PH = 7.8
Hardness = 102
Alkalinity = 96
CYA = 15
Copper = 0.3
Iron = 0
Phosphate = 341
Salt = 2576 (this number has always been wrong each time as my system is reporting 3200)

Thanks for any suggestions or tips and yes I do need to buy a test kit. Just not sure of which one to get in Canada.

 

[reggiehammond]

You need a proper test kit containing FAS-DPD chlorine tests. Harder to get in Canada, but possible.

If we can believe your current results, you have no chlorine in the pool and very little CYA.

You need to run your pump and SWCG long enough to create enough FC to keep FC above minimum per your CYA.
FC/CYA Levels

Your pump only needs to run fast enough to:
1) Keep SWCG flow switch on
2) Skim pool sufficiently
3) Filter water sufficiently (actually the least important item)

Many of us run pumps 24/7 at the minimum speed necessary to keep flow switch happy. I use 1250 rpms right now which only uses ~175 watts. Nothing in terms of power usage.

You need your SWCG production percentage to be proportional to pump time and FC need. They go hand in hand.

Right now - you need chlorine and you need it fast. Liquid chlorine is the best option.
Please read up on Overnight Chlorine Loss Test as your chlorine is so low that you likely need to use the SLAM Process.

 

[Newdude]

+1 to all that ^^^^


Also consider that running the SWG overnight only will leave it with no FC production all day. It's totally fine, but you need to look at it like a liquid chlorine dosed pool that starts high and drifts down over the course of the day.

If you test in the morning, you're at your highest FC of the day. In the evening, your lowest. Ensure the pool has plenty of FC to withstand your daily UV loss and still be free and clear above minimum.

 

[TheSteamingPile]

Hold your nose and search for "Taylor 2006" on Amazon.ca. Unless you can find one in a Pool Supply store in Toronto, it's going to be the fastest and cheapest way to get one in Canada. The 2006c comes with more reagents but is prohibitively expensive IMO, but be warned you'll probably need to order reagent refills next summer. Any local pool store should be able to do this for you.

 

[lobotiger]

You need a proper test kit containing FAS-DPD chlorine tests. Harder to get in Canada, but possible.

If we can believe your current results, you have no chlorine in the pool and very little CYA.

You need to run your pump and SWCG long enough to create enough FC to keep FC above minimum per your CYA.
FC/CYA Levels

Your pump only needs to run fast enough to:
1) Keep SWCG flow switch on
2) Skim pool sufficiently
3) Filter water sufficiently (actually the least important item)

Many of us run pumps 24/7 at the minimum speed necessary to keep flow switch happy. I use 1250 rpms right now which only uses ~175 watts. Nothing in terms of power usage.

You need your SWCG production percentage to be proportional to pump time and FC need. They go hand in hand.

Right now - you need chlorine and you need it fast. Liquid chlorine is the best option.
Please read up on Overnight Chlorine Loss Test as your chlorine is so low that you likely need to use the SLAM Process.

Thanks for this information. I'm also thinking of running the system 24/7 and see if this makes a difference in terms of CL levels or at least keeping them consistent. I'm curious though, do SWGs produce the same amount of chlorine no matter what the water flow is? My IntelliChlor says that it produces 0.7lbs of free chlorine per day but doesn't specify if it's with a certain flow or at what percentage.

What's interesting with our levels being so low is that the water looks crystal clear and there's no hints of algae or anything.

 

[reggiehammond]

Yes - a SWCG is either on or off. The production percentage is just how much of the hour it's on.
With more pump run time, you'd have a lower production percentage than with less pump time.

 

[Getitrite]

From what I read, you're not as "overwhelmed" as you may think! Once you begin to do your own tests and trust your results, you'll be well on your way, the Trouble Free Pool way! The staff will have you lovin' it in no time at all. Enjoy!

 

[lobotiger]

Quick question about algae and debris. Since I've mentioned my FC levels being low and stuff, I was also curious about algae. What exactly does it look like? My pool appears crystal clear but when it needs cleaning I do notice some brown like "dirty" forming along the seams of the liner at the bottom pool. Is this just accumulate dirt or is this what algae looks like?

 

[reggiehammond]

That's either living or dead algae cells. They'll poof up when you brush them, typically.
If you allow it to proceed further, you'll start to see the concentration of cells exponentially increase and will start seeing on floors/walls.