New Pool Owner - Learning!

[MaggieMiller]

Update: 6/13. 2 pounds of CYA in a sock in the pool. I'm excited.


Okay. I'm ready now. I put the algae "enzymes" the pool store sold me into the pool on Monday and did as they said and let the filter run for 48 hours. This morning I put in 2.5 gallons of pool store chlorine (10.5%) into the pool as directed and now I just tested. I have chlorine present for the FIRST TIME. lol. Here are my test results.
FAS-DPD >8. I'll attach a pic., CYA not present. I've yet to see that black dot disappear. ph 7.0, TA 100, CH 80

I'm attaching probably too many pics, but better too many than too few. The Tork Timer SHOCKS, so I have to be careful with it, but it hasn't reached the top of my list yet as no one but me goes near it at this point.

The pool store told me to put chlorine in it today and return there tomorrow, but I'm posting here instead. It was slightly difficult to get them to give me the printed test results or the concentration/amount of chlorine they gave me to put in the pool, even though they know I have to become self-sufficient in order to keep the pool.

I'm attaching one picture of the pool when I started.

Thanks for the encouragement. I was about ready to give the Dang thing away. The kids are starting to think they might actually be able to swim soon.

p.s. Should I move this to a different place in the forums?

 

[Mdragger88]

For the ph test
You’re supposed to fill the tube up to the 44ml line & then add 5 drops of reagent.
Lets try that again

 

[Mdragger88]

You will need to follow the
SLAM Process - exactly as detailed in the article.
This requires a cya of 30ppm or else the sun will consume all your fc quickly.
Use granular stabilizer in a sock - hang it infront of a running return not touching the pool wall.
Like this

You’ll squeeze the sock regularly to help it dissolve.
Use PoolMath to calculate all additions.
Lets start with 2 lbs. worth incase you already have a little but its just not quite measurable as we don’t want to over shoot.

& we’ll test cya again after 24 hours.
Granular stabilizer/cya can be found at Walmart in 4# bags if you have one near.

Once that’s going & you’ve got ph confirmed around 7.2 (if its a little lower that’s ok)
you’ll begin the
SLAM Process by adding enough liquid chlorine to reach your slam fc level of 12ppm.
Then test fc & replenish it back to slam fc level multiple times per day
FC/CYA Levels

Let us know if you have any questions.

 

[Dirk]

Your kit is accurate. The pool store is not.

This is 100% TRUE!

Hi Maggie, welcome to TFP. I'll share some insights, and you take it from there.

The other 100% figure I can site is that 100% of your problems and frustrations are because you are working with the pool store. I guarantee that. You cannot mix and match advice from different sources, pick one, and follow that to the letter.

And the final 100% stat: I can 100% guarantee you that choosing TFP as your sole source of pool advice will (1) get you where you want/need to be with your pool, (2) require the least amount of effort to get there (not a little effort, just the least amount compared to other methods), and (3) be the absolute cheapest way to take care of your pool.

We are not a couple of pimply-faced kids hired as summer help at a pool store. Nor are we an ill-trained pool store manager. We are 300,000 pool owners, just like you, that have already been through everything you are going through, and have all reached the same conclusion: TFP is the way to go!

STOP going to the pool store. Period.
TRUST your own test results.
LEARN our MO and you'll have success with your pool!

Lastly, while we are 300K strong, you are not going to hear 300K different sets of advice here. Not 300. Not three! There is ONE method of pool care taught here, and every single person that chimes in to help you here is going to teach you the exact same method. This site is carefully moderated to maintain that promise. We don't debate pool care here. We don't change our story. We teach just one method, and it has been torture tested across hundreds of thousand of pools, across the planet, across decades. IT WORKS.

As a use case, like you, I found TFP after I bought my house with a pool. Never had a pool before, didn't know anything about it. I let a pool guy run my pool for a while, and that was a complete fail. That cost me thousands a year. Then I started using a pool store, and that didn't work either, and didn't really cost any less. Then I found TFP and tried to mix what they were teaching me with what I had learned from the pool guy and the pool store. And that was the worst of all three!! It wasn't until I followed TFP to the letter, and only TFP, that my pool turned around.

My water is now crystal clear. I spend about 10 minutes a week on pool maintenance (with the occasional annual big chore), and I spend about $150 A YEAR on pool chemicals. And that list of chemicals is exactly four: chlorine, muriatic acid, cyanuric acid and salt. That's it. I can buy them anywhere, and shop for deals. No special potions. No enzymes or shock or any of the useless chemicals you'll find the pool store shoving at you. Four common chemicals, 10 minutes, $150.

And there are 100s of thousands of my fellow TFPers that will tell you the same thing. Quit the pool store, give us a real shot, and start enjoying your pool.

Full disclosure: like everyone that will help you here, we are all volunteers. We don't get paid. We are not selling anything. We had such amazing success once we learned the TFP method, that we just have to try and teach it to others. There's no catch, there's no hidden agenda.

 

[Dirk]

p.s. Should I move this to a different place in the forums?

No. If the moderators here want it moved, they'll move it. Stay in this one thread, so that we can keep your story straight, and handy.

BTW, if I had an above ground pool, and needed help with it, I'd want @Mdragger88 to help me. You're in good hands. Follow her advice to the letter, answer all her questions thoroughly. You're on your way!!

 

[MaggieMiller]

For the ph test
You’re supposed to fill the tube up to the 44ml line & then add 5 drops of reagent.
Lets try that again
View attachment 584522

I made a mistake. That was the DPD-FAS test. It was too pink to come up with a number. I mislabeled the picture.

For the ph test
You’re supposed to fill the tube up to the 44ml line & then add 5 drops of reagent.
Lets try that again

 

[MaggieMiller]

This is 100% TRUE!

Hi Maggie, welcome to TFP. I'll share some insights, and you take it from there.

The other 100% figure I can site is that 100% of your problems and frustrations are because you are working with the pool store. I guarantee that. You cannot mix and match advice from different sources, pick one, and follow that to the letter.

And the final 100% stat: I can 100% guarantee you that choosing TFP as your sole source of pool advice will (1) get you where you want/need to be with your pool, (2) require the least amount of effort to get there (not a little effort, just the least amount compared to other methods), and (3) be the absolute cheapest way to take care of your pool.

We are not a couple of pimply-faced kids hired as summer help at a pool store. Nor are we an ill-trained pool store manager. We are 300,000 pool owners, just like you, that have already been through everything you are going through, and have all reached the same conclusion: TFP is the way to go!

STOP going to the pool store. Period.
TRUST your own test results.
LEARN our MO and you'll have success with your pool!

Lastly, while we are 300K strong, you are not going to hear 300K different sets of advice here. Not 300. Not three! There is ONE method of pool care taught here, and every single person that chimes in to help you here is going to teach you the exact same method. This site is carefully moderated to maintain that promise. We don't debate pool care here. We don't change our story. We teach just one method, and it has been torture tested across hundreds of thousand of pools, across the planet, across decades. IT WORKS.

As a use case, like you, I found TFP after I bought my house with a pool. Never had a pool before, didn't know anything about it. I let a pool guy run my pool for a while, and that was a complete fail. That cost me thousands a year. Then I started using a pool store, and that didn't work either, and didn't really cost any less. Then I found TFP and tried to mix what they were teaching me with what I had learned from the pool guy and the pool store. And that was the worst of all three!! It wasn't until I followed TFP to the letter, and only TFP, that my pool turned around.

My water is now crystal clear. I spend about 10 minutes a week on pool maintenance (with the occasional annual big chore), and I spend about $150 A YEAR on pool chemicals. And that list of chemicals is exactly four: chlorine, muriatic acid, cyanuric acid and salt. That's it. I can buy them anywhere, and shop for deals. No special potions. No enzymes or shock or any of the useless chemicals you'll find the pool store shoving at you. Four common chemicals, 10 minutes, $150.

And there are 100s of thousands of my fellow TFPers that will tell you the same thing. Quit the pool store, give us a real shot, and start enjoying your pool.

Full disclosure: like everyone that will help you here, we are all volunteers. We don't get paid. We are not selling anything. We had such amazing success once we learned the TFP method, that we just have to try and teach it to others. There's no catch, there's no hidden agenda.

What a great post. Thank you. I did not return to the pool store, because I finally listened to my gut and realized I needed to just use this as a resource because they say one thing and this forum says another. And the pool store only has one employee that can give me real information, and she always has about 7 people asking her questions. lol. When I tried to talk to her about CYA, she blew it off as unimportant. I watched a few SLAM videos before I posted, so knew that was where I was headed, and months ago when I was seriously trying to give the pool away, someone from here on Reddit told me to give this forum a year and then decide if I want to keep the pool or not. So here I am, getting ready to SLAM.

 

[MaggieMiller]

You will need to follow the
SLAM Process - exactly as detailed in the article.
This requires a cya of 30ppm or else the sun will consume all your fc quickly.
Use granular stabilizer in a sock - hang it infront of a running return not touching the pool wall.
Like this
View attachment 584543
You’ll squeeze the sock regularly to help it dissolve.
Use PoolMath to calculate all additions.
Lets start with 2 lbs. worth incase you already have a little but its just not quite measurable as we don’t want to over shoot.
View attachment 584531
& we’ll test cya again after 24 hours.
Granular stabilizer/cya can be found at Walmart in 4# bags if you have one near.

Once that’s going & you’ve got ph confirmed around 7.2 (if its a little lower that’s ok)
you’ll begin the
SLAM Process by adding enough liquid chlorine to reach your slam fc level of 12ppm.
Then test fc & replenish it back to slam fc level multiple times per day
FC/CYA Levels
View attachment 584536
Let us know if you have any questions.

I'd read a reference to a "sock" before, but had trouble picturing how it was used, so that picture is GREAT. Thank you. I'm about to go pick up some chemicals and get started. We just moved from Montana back to Florida, so I have a huge box of large Winter socks that need a new purpose anyway. Is the liquid chlorine at Walmart adequate? I have a Lowe's close, too, but their pool supply section is not stocked very well. Walmart's is well-stocked. I'll read more past posts in the forums so I won't keep asking repetitive questions. Thank you again.

 

[MaggieMiller]

No. If the moderators here want it moved, they'll move it. Stay in this one thread, so that we can keep your story straight, and handy.

BTW, if I had an above ground pool, and needed help with it, I'd want @Mdragger88 to help me. You're in good hands. Follow her advice to the letter, answer all her questions thoroughly. You're on your way!!

Thank you!

 

[Mdragger88]

I'd read a reference to a "sock" before, but had trouble picturing how it was used, so that picture is GREAT. Thank you. I'm about to go pick up some chemicals and get started. We just moved from Montana back to Florida, so I have a huge box of large Winter socks that need a new purpose anyway. Is the liquid chlorine at Walmart adequate? I have a Lowe's close, too, but their pool supply section is not stocked very well. Walmart's is well-stocked. I'll read more past posts in the forums so I won't keep asking repetitive questions. Thank you again.

Walmart’s pool essentials chlorinating liquid is perfect and often one of the least expensive too compared to lowes/hd.
Although in Florida the pinch a penny & many pool stores offer refillable jugs which may beat out walmart prices. I think i saw some jugs in your yard
Whichever is most convenient!
You can buy their liquid gold - just don’t talk about your pool lol
They see me coming- i trade my jugs & buy my stuff & leave!
Always Check your date codes for freshness.

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

www.google.com

 

[MaggieMiller]

Walmart’s pool essentials chlorinating liquid is perfect and often one of the least expensive too compared to lowes/hd.
Although in Florida the pinch a penny & many pool stores offer refillable jugs which may beat out walmart prices. I think i saw some jugs in your yard
Whichever is most convenient!
You can buy their liquid gold - just don’t talk about your pool lol
They see me coming- i trade my jugs & buy my stuff & leave!
Always Check your date codes for freshness.

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

www.google.com

Thank you for the info on Chlorine. I'll get the Walmart bottles to start, because it's close by and easy while I'm learning.

Mental update: I was a discouraged pool owner when I joined this forum. Now I'm no longer discouraged. I'm a little confidently excited. But I'm sitting in my bedroom with a freshly-mixed drink (I rarely drink anything) and a sore eye from a splash of diluted CYA. It's not the eye that drove me to drink. It's how much my sides hurt from laughing while squeezing the sock every couple of hours. I won't belabor it because this is a family-friendly forum, but I've been an ER nurse too many decades to NOT have a brain full of inappropriate images with a matching sense of humor. I couldn't explain it to my grandchildren, either, when they asked me why I was both laughing and crying while irrigating my eye in the kitchen sink. lol. But the CYA is almost all in the pool and I'm ready for step 2 tomorrow. I appreciate all the help.

Walmart’s pool essentials chlorinating liquid is perfect and often one of the least expensive too compared to lowes/hd.
Although in Florida the pinch a penny & many pool stores offer refillable jugs which may beat out walmart prices. I think i saw some jugs in your yard
Whichever is most convenient!
You can buy their liquid gold - just don’t talk about your pool lol
They see me coming- i trade my jugs & buy my stuff & leave!
Always Check your date codes for freshness.

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

www.google.com

 

[Mdragger88]

We love to empower & entertain around here

 

[MaggieMiller]

Ready to SLAM, I think.

CYA is approximately 32ppm
pH 7.2
FC 0.5
Combined Chlorine 0.5
I have a bunch of Walmart Pool Liquid Chlorine and 1 jug of 10.5%, 2.5 gallon liquid chlorine from the pool store.
According to PoolMath, I should add 47oz of the pool store chlorine, if I am understanding it correctly.
I can see the bottom of the ladder already, and a small residual of leaves in one place I didn't even know were there.

Should I get in the pool and scrub it and vacuum out the rest of the leaves before I put the chlorine in? I can do it from outside the pool, but not easily. I got in it to clean it out when it was still full of algae.

I'm running kids from house to house for a bit, so will wait to either get in and clean the pool again or put the chlorine in until this evening.

Am I on the right track?

 

[Mdragger88]

You’re on the right track but lets count the cya as 40 since its reading inbetween two values.
This means slam fc level is 16ppm. Looks like you need about 180 oz.

Get the debris out however you need to. The sooner the better.
It is fine to get in the pool with fc anywhere between min & slam fc level for your cya. No swimming until you can see the bottom for swimmer safety.
I wouldn’t enter the pool with low fc like it is now.
Add the liquid chlorine (pour slowly infront of a running return & brush the area) then get to scooping! Blindly scooping is fine.
Test fc again in an hour or two & replenish fc to slam level. Repeat as often as you can.

 

[MaggieMiller]

Thanks. I'm going to have to spend a bit of time with the calculator b/c my numbers were way off. I saw in your post, in the videos I watched and in the SLAM forum reference that checking every 2 hours or so is recommended, but I've got kids to feed and I'd like to sleep tonight. Should I start tonight and resume in the a.m., or wait until tomorrow when I can give it my full attention?

If I don't hear from you, Plan A (the unlikely plan for if the stars align, the kids behave & I don't run out of steam) will be chlorine tonight and scoop and vacuum and try to get a second test and one replenish in before bed and then resume in the morning. Plan B - the sane plan - (the plan for if I'm too exhausted after cutting & putting away the 4 chickens I just cooked, herding tired hormonal kids, fixing dinner & cleaning the kitchen) will be to put chlorine in tonight and retest in the am and start scooping and cleaning and scrubbing and generally hovering around the pool all weekend. I think I have all the supplies I need.

Thanks again. You're very patient.

 

[Mdragger88]

Just do the best you can. Aiming to test & replenish fc multiple times per day. 3 or 4 times a day is preferable- more if you can swing it. The deal is that the more often you can keep the fc at slam level the faster things will go. It’s understandable that you need to sleep & do life so do what you can when you can.

 

[MaggieMiller]

I'm chugging along, not exactly lightening speed, but still going. I thought you might like to see what happened when I just gave ChatGPT my current readings and asked how I was doing, strictly per the troublefreepools.com SLAM protocol. I did vacuum, scrubbed and clean the pool and it put a lot of algae that was on the remaining leaves/debris on the bottom into the water. I'd already used pool math and put in more than ChatGPT recommended, but I'll check it again in a couple of hours.

 

[Mdragger88]

Not sure about chat gpt business but just add what poolmath says to reach your slam target of 16ppm.
You can turn on sharing in the settings & we will be able to see all your poolmath logs

 

[mknauss]

@Leebo will love your AI reference!

 

[MaggieMiller]

Not sure about chat gpt business but just add what poolmath says to reach your slam target of 16ppm.
You can turn on sharing in the settings & we will be able to see all your poolmath logs
View attachment 585661

Somebody went to a lot of trouble for our sakes. I am so grateful every time I use the app. What a cool feature!