New Pool Owner (and member) UPDATED with test results

[RoberTX]

Hi,

I became a pool owner in October 2009 and so far so good. Just found this website and there is some great information.

So far my 'system' is based on the advise of the previous pool owner, and is working well. However, I thought I'd get some feedback on what I've been doing, as it is a bit less in-depth than what I have read here so far.

My chlorine is added by a floater with 3" tablets. The only testing I do now is with a cheapo Leaslie's OTO Kit (TAC and pH only) which I use once a week. I have to add 1/3 gallon of Muriatic about every 4-6 weeks.

Right now (HOT summer) I am running the pump for 12 hours (6am-6pm) and the Polaris a total of 4 hrs a day.

The pool is being used very frequently, so I have been shocking weekly. I use 2 bags of Chlor Brite or 2 bags of Power Powder Plus (Power Powder every third week). This is based off the previous pool owners advise.

I cleaned the filter back in early May (when the PSI spiked). The starting pressure after cleaning was 4 PSI. I backwashed for the first time about 5 weeks after the cleaning, the pressure went down to 6 PSI.

The pool is low pressure, but gets good flow from the return jets. There are very few dead spots (small area on steps and right behind the return jets).

I brush the pool once a week, and generally find small traces of algae (on the steps or in the imperfections of the plaster walls). It brushes off easily. The pool really needs to be replastered. The current plaster is about 11 years old and is discolored, but really it's just cosmetic. There is one small spot on the floor where a small bit of re-bar is exposed, causing an unsightly rust stain. I plan to resurface this coming winter.

The water stays crystal clear with my current system, but is there something I am neglecting? Is the amount of time I run the pump and how much shock I use typical or is it compensating for lack of other treatments?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[svenpup]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

Welcome

At the very least I would say you are spending more than you need to (based on the weekly shock) and at worst you are setting yourself up for a huge battle later in the season (when the water temperature gets high and your CYA gets higher)

You are missing several of the TFP tenets, not the least of which is frequent accurate testing. You really don't have all the information you need to make good decisions about your pool.

• Without knowing CYA you don't know if you are effectively sanitizing.[/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Without knowing CC you don't know if you need to shock.[/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Without knowing TA and CH you don't know if you are damaging your pool.[/*:m:3qrq3dhv]

It sounds like you have been poking around the site...have you read though pool school? For a start check out:

• What is BBB? [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Recommended Pool Chemicals [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• How to Chlorinate Your Pool [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Chlorine / CYA Chart [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Recommended Levels [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• The Pool Calculator [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Defeating Algae [/*:m:3qrq3dhv]
• Shock Your Pool[/*:m:3qrq3dhv]

 

[257WbyMag]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

Welcome to TFP!

svenpup has given excellent advice. I will only add a couple of things.

Any algae, anywhere, indicates that your water is not properly sanitized. Algae always indicates a problem that needs to be addressed. There really isn't any exception to this. And if algae grows, other things like bacteria and such can and will grow too. I suspect that your water is overstabilized (too much CYA) from using tablets to chlorinate. Tablets are fine for a while, but sooner or later, people have problems with their CYA accumulating to the point where their chlorine level doesn't keep the water clean.

You need a good, service type test kit. There are a couple of superior ones out there, but the best value by far is the TF-100 (link in my sig line). You absolutely must be able to test for FC, CC, pH, CYA, CH, and TA. You will learn about these things in Pool School.

 

[coloeb]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

While you might think things are under control, they are likely far from it. The presence of any visable algea is proof of that. Chlorine is not only used to kill algea, but also bacteria and other organic materials. Water balance is also needed to protect your pool surface and equiptment.
Blindly adding shock and trying to chlorinate your pool without knowing your cya and combined chlorine level is asking for trouble and wasting money.
I would advise reading the articles in the pool school and obtaining a good test kit like the tf-100. Running your pump 12 hours a day is ok just would be better to run it 6 hours in the am. and 6 hrs in the pm.

 

[RoberTX]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

I am going to Leslie's to buy the Chlorine FAS-DPD Service Test Kit (TF-100)

I will post the results when I have them.

In the mean time, here are some pics of the pool.

rust stain from rebar

discoloration on steps

staining (scaling?) of plaster

old polaris (still works great!)

view of drain, 9 ft deep, showing clarity of water

 

[RoberTX]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

OK, I bought the FAS-DPD Test Kit from Leslie's and just finished testing this morning, after the pump had been runninb for about 4 hours.

Here are the results:

FC 0.2 ppm (barely a trace)

CC 0.2 ppm (barely a trace)

pH 7.6

TA 100 ppm

CH 325 ppm

CYA 95 ppm

So, obviously my chlorine tablets aren't keeping up, as evidenced by the frequent need for shock. I have not shocked in 2 weeks (I have been out of town). I have been soaking up all of the valuable information in Pool School and across the forums, and I'm coming around to the BBB method. A lot of the things I've been seeing with my pool are beginning to make since. I can see the effect of frequent shocking and the use of tabs (instead of bleach) - high CYA levels. So it seems my CYA level requires a target FC of 10 ppm. Another thing that makes since now - in the winter, I had to add muriatic acid at least once a month to keep the pH down. But now that chlorine tabs and shock are being consumed much faster, they're bringing it down.

Please advise on what my plan of attack should be to get my pool under better control. I would guess the first step would be to shock it and think about bringing my CYA down... let me know!

Also, would it be a better idea to start a separate thread with my test results and new questions? (instead of continuing this one)

Thanks,
Robert

 

[zea3]

Re: New Pool Owner (and member)

You will need to drain 1/2 to 2/3 of the water to and refill to get the CYA to a manageable level. I would start off by draining 1/2 and refilling the pool. Then add liquid chlorine according to the pool calculator or the recommended levels chart in pool school.

If you would rather wait til the end of the season to drain and refill, then you can add enough liquid chlorine to bring the pool to the recommended level. According to then pool calculator your recommended FC range is from 7-13ppm. You will need to keep your FC at the high end of the recommended range. To bring your pool from 0.2 to 13ppm will require 4.3 128 ounce jugs of 6% unscented bleach. You will need to pour it slowly in front of a return jet while the pump is running. It is best to add chlorine in the evening and let the pump run a couple of hours to mix it in well. Adding chlorine in the evening reduces FC loss from the sun.

Your pool looks beautiful, but those pink blooming @#$%$ are the bane of my existence! My neighbor has about 5 huge "trees" that tower over the fence and drop thousands of those blooms in my pool. Just spent a couple of sweaty hours this morning cutting them back to the fence line. Those blooms can clog up a skimmer in no time! I got a pool skimfor Christmas and it has performed well so far, but the real test starts in a few days. The "trees" have just started to bloom and they will be dropping blossoms for the next 3 months!

 

[RoberTX]

Thanks for the reply zea3.

I had just finished entering my levels into the pool calculator myself, so I was beginning to draw the same conclusion - replace about 1/2 the water to bring CYA down to 50...

What am I going to do with my 35 lbs of 3" tabs, 24 lbs of chlor brite, and 24 lbs of power powder plus!!??

I suppose I could use 4 lbs of the power powder plus (73% cal-hypo) to get my FC up to about 13...

Guess I need to ween myself off the expensive leslie's chems and start stocking up on bleach!

I do go out of town quite often, I suppose I can use the tabs for that. While in town, I will plan to test for FC every day and add bleach as necessary. Maybe long term I will look into a SWG or LQ to help me out...

Robert

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

bleach.

Your CH is already high enough so don't use the cal-hypo.

if you want to continue using tabs you'll need to lower the CYA down to the 30 ish range - and then monitor ph/ta daily cuz tabs are acidic.
Also, monitor the CYA monthly when using tablets.

 

[RoberTX]

OK, in other words, as long as I am using tablets, I might as well plan on periodic draining of my pool to lower the CYA.... no fun. BBB it is!

I am draining my pool now, first time I've done this... I'll probably drain it at least half, refill it, test/correct the pH. Once correct, I'll test my CYA to figure out my target FC (hopefully I can get the CYA down to around 40), then add the appropriate amount of bleach.

Sound like a good plan?

Robert

 

[zea3]

Yes, that's about it. Once you refill test the water and see where you are at. Then you can decide what to do first.

 

[RoberTX]

Simple enough.

Now to put the Power Powder Plus and Chlor Brite on craigslist!

Robert