Now we have algae in the stupid pool!

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DMS2014 said:
OMG ya'll - I SO totally was all over my husband tonight about this debacle LOL. Do you KNOW what he Came.Home.With? After ALL this and me sending him the links for the test??????? A STRIP FC KIT FROM LESLIE'S?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!! I about clocked him and dragged him out to the pool to drown!
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Bwhahaha!

Hang in there, the pool will be in check soon enough. Be glad you didn't have mustard algae (I'm dealing with it right now but I know
my pool will be perfect within a week from what I learned here / done before)

So you are in your SLAM process now.

Three things will indicate you are done with the pool algae and go full force on the hot tub:

1. you pass the OCLT 2 days in a row (one time is not enough as it may go up again the next day)

2. your combined chlorine is .5 or less

3. your water is clear.

Just keep it up to shock level and brushing daily...soon it will be over and much easier to manage provided the
chlorine isn't allowed to slip below minimal levels again.
 
jblizzle said:
The pool and spa are separate worries. Focus on one.

Likely the spa needs to be drained, cleaned, and start over ... that is the easiest.
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We got this spa in October and have drained it like 5 times already! It's just as much trouble as the pool And quite honestly, I need the spa more than the pool for my shoulders/back and I haven't been in it at all and I can tell.

- - - Updated - - -

Hey, everyone. My water Has Been clear. It's never been cloudy except when we lost power in that deluge 2 weeks ago. It's clear right now! If I could figure out posting, I would do a picture for you.
 
DMS2014 said:
We got this spa in October and have drained it like 5 times already! It's just as much trouble as the pool And quite honestly, I need the spa more than the pool for my shoulders/back and I haven't been in it at all and I can tell.

- - - Updated - - -

Hey, everyone. My water Has Been clear. It's never been cloudy except when we lost power in that deluge 2 weeks ago. It's clear right now! If I could figure out posting, I would do a picture for you.
Click to expand...

There are ways to upload pictures directly here, but there are limitations and it uses TFP server space -- I find it simpler to just use tinypic:

1) Go to tinypic.com
2) Click "browse" and select the image you want from your computer, then "Upload"
3) After it uploads (it might make you solve a question first), copy the "IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards", paste it into your message here, and presto! Picture embedded.
 
DMS2014 said:
We got this spa in October and have drained it like 5 times already! It's just as much trouble as the pool And quite honestly, I need the spa more than the pool for my shoulders/back and I haven't been in it at all and I can tell.
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Did you ever use Ahh-Some just before any of your drain/refills? If not, do so this time. (I know I repeated this from an earlier post today, but it was never answered).

Also, are you using the Dichlor-then-bleach method? You should not need to drain your spa so frequently if you are using that method. With Dichlor-only, on the other hand, you generally need to change your water twice as often because of the CYA buildup.

By the way, the chlorine test instructions should probably say "pink/red to colorless" rather than saying "clear" since it is the absence of the pink/red color that is the endpoint for the FAS-DPD (FC and CC) tests.
 
chem geek said:
Did you ever use Ahh-Some just before any of your drain/refills? If not, do so this time. (I know I repeated this from an earlier post today, but it was never answered).

Also, are you using the Dichlor-then-bleach method? You should not need to drain your spa so frequently if you are using that method. With Dichlor-only, on the other hand, you generally need to change your water twice as often because of the CYA buildup.

By the way, the chlorine test instructions should probably say "pink/red to colorless" rather than saying "clear" since it is the absence of the pink/red color that is the endpoint for the FAS-DPD (FC and CC) tests.
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no, sorry, I didn't see this. No, we aren't. I will get the hubby on this. BTW - my husband did the same tests I did today and got different results.
 
DMS - you crack me up. You say the things I know I am going to be saying when I go through this. I have read all the articles and keep reading forums and for me, it seems like an advanced chemistry class. LOL

My PB will take care of the pool this year (part of the agreement) and I plan to watch him every time so I at least have an understanding of of how the equipment works, what kinds of chemicals he adds and how, and the levels he looks for so he knows what to add when. I know he won't use this test but maybe watching him test the water will give me some idea of how the testing works. Then I *hope* that I can figure it out with at least a "basic" course. Might be the wrong way to approach it, but like you, reading some of this is too confusing without at least some hands on instructions.

Best of luck, chicka. I am rooting for you!
 
vpace74 said:
DMS - you crack me up. You say the things I know I am going to be saying when I go through this. I have read all the articles and keep reading forums and for me, it seems like an advanced chemistry class. LOL

My PB will take care of the pool this year (part of the agreement) and I plan to watch him every time so I at least have an understanding of of how the equipment works, what kinds of chemicals he adds and how, and the levels he looks for so he knows what to add when. I know he won't use this test but maybe watching him test the water will give me some idea of how the testing works. Then I *hope* that I can figure it out with at least a "basic" course. Might be the wrong way to approach it, but like you, reading some of this is too confusing without at least some hands on instructions.

Best of luck, chicka. I am rooting for you!
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I would not hope to learn anything from them except how the equipment works. They will likely use junk test strips and add chemicals we would never recommend.
 
He said I will get a "test" kit - not sure what it is or what it looks like. I am mainly hoping for a better understanding of the equipment and how it works, what chemicals he uses, some trouble shooting techniques, and what levels he strives for. I hope he uses some sort of "real" test kit so I get at least an idea bc, no offense, the one on here looks INTIMIDATING. The thought of it freaks me out. I saw in another post that Suz is "practicing" on tap water and thought that was a great idea.
 
You can figure out the test kit. ^^ both of you. I doubt the PB even knows much about pool chemistry. I had a nephew who did pool service and he just put two bags of shock in the pools he serviced and tested ph. That's it! When I start talking chemistry, they think I'm silly.


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DMS2014 said:
OMG ya'll - I SO totally was all over my husband tonight about this debacle LOL. Do you KNOW what he Came.Home.With? After ALL this and me sending him the links for the test??????? A STRIP FC KIT FROM LESLIE'S?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!! I about clocked him and dragged him out to the pool to drown!
Click to expand...

Oh NO he did NOT! I hope he saved the receipt to take them back! :rant:

LOL

You are doing fine. YOU will get the pool in balance. Once it is balanced it will be easy!

Listen to Chem Geek about the hot tub.

Kim
 

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chem geek info simulated :p

okay. So we did the overnight test. We had 17 and 19 at bedtime and 18 and 17 this morning. We will do it again tonight just to be sure.

But it's cloudy today. We've had nothing but clouds. SO if the pool registers okay, that means we are free or algae like substances. SO then we can fix the CYA and all will be well in the world?
 
DMS2014 said:
no, sorry, I didn't see this. No, we aren't. I will get the hubby on this. BTW - my husband did the same tests I did today and got different results.
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If you are seeing results that are very different, perhaps he has the right readings. Whatever the case, you need to get together and figure it out. It could cause some significant problems if you dose based on the wrong results. Only one set of readings is correct so don't make assumptions on who has the correct ones. This really is important.

Edit:

Sorry, you replied while I was so I didn't see your last post. You need to make sure you are losing one or less per night. If you were 19, then you lost two, and that won't pass. Run it again to be sure, and find out why you two are getting different results.
 
DMS2014 said:
chem geek info simulated :p

okay. So we did the overnight test. We had 17 and 19 at bedtime and 18 and 17 this morning. We will do it again tonight just to be sure.

But it's cloudy today. We've had nothing but clouds. SO if the pool registers okay, that means we are free or algae like substances. SO then we can fix the CYA and all will be well in the world?
Click to expand...

The differences are probably due to the last drop that actually changes the color of the test liquid. Its a bit confusing until you see it done right. Here is an explanation... count every drop while the test solution is still the original color, when the color changes count that drop, add one more...if the color changes again, count that drop...add one more drop, if NO change occurs, don't count that drop. In the case of the chlorine test, there will be a distinct difference between the bright pink, a very pale pink and totally clear. The drop that changes to totally clear is the last one counted, the next one will do nothing, don't count that one. Don't wait between drops for more than a couple of seconds because the test solution can turn back to pink if you leave it sit.

Hope that helps...even if it doesn't, as long as you are consistent the numbers don't matter as much as a change in numbers, like if you measure 11 one day 12 the next 11 the third, that is fine, but if you see a 6 or a18, then you know somethings up.

Once you get this figured out, you will marvel at how clear your water will be.
 
Again, I suggest we use the term "colorless" instead of "clear" to avoid confusion in case the water or the tube is not crystal clear when doing the testing. By the way, look at the tube with just tap water in it and if that is also not "clear" then you know it's the baseline clarity of the tube or the background you are looking at that isn't "clear". You can clean the tube with concentrated bleach or chlorinating liquid and a pipe brush. Just make sure to thoroughly rinse it out many times (7 is pretty standard) since even a tiny amount of leftover concentrated chlorine will affect results.
 
okay. I did the tests again - all of them. I got this:
17 drops x.0.5+ 8.5
no CC
TA 90
CYA 50
and the pH - it's still high - not in the 7.2 range and so is the other side. A darker yellow than the norm, I guess.

I will have the hubby go through it and see if we get the same results.
 
Husband's FC reading is 17.

He's starting to get impatient. We haven't been able to use the pool or the spa. Spa is out of control. I guess that's a separate thread. He's working on that with suggestions from here.
 

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