First time posting, so forgive me if I put too much in one post . . .
Short background - Bought house with pool already there 5 years ago, been struggling to figure this thing out as I have been trying to spend the least amount of $$ possible to keep it safe to swim in each year and have been guided by pool stores and friends with pools saying "do this", "do that". But I feel like those attempts where failures every year and I haven't found a good way to maintain my pool yet, so I'm getting serious this year. Finally talked the wife into letting me cut down the gum tree that was hanging over the pool just last week. (if you don't know what a gum tree is, look it up, they are the worst tree to have hanging over a pool!) So I will no longer have to deal with the pollen or the spiky balls that fall every year now. I also just purchased a new 1HP 2 speed pump and 24" sand filter for it this year as the old 1.5HP pump is on its last leg with bearing noises and air leaks and I'm tired of messing with the cartridge filter, but COVID is delaying the delivery. Also noteworthy: I do not bother with covering my pool in the winter anymore as 3 out of 3 years I have had either a cat or a raccoon tear the cover, fall in the pool, shred the liner trying to get out, and inevitably fall to their demise in the pool for me to pull back the cover to find that each spring. Not pleasant and there might be more patches than liner around to top of my pool now. So, I'm done with covers.
From start this year to now - Pool was still clear as of January as I netted out the leaves as they fell, then it started to freeze and thaw all winter long as more leaves and such went in and it got away from me and turned into a full on pond/swamp. For the last week I was netting leaves/debris from the bottom and vacuuming to waste daily with my old pump (removed filter from cartridge and made a makeshift discharge) to get as much of the sludge out that I could while also pumping out about 1/3 of the water that was in there. I was then just waiting on new pump/filter, but as I started to see frog eggs on the water, I knew I had to open this quick before I have a pool full of tadpoles like last year because I waited too long (not doing that again). So I started filling the pool up planning to use old pump and filter to open it at least. Fill water was from the cistern so it was all rain water. Then last night once it was full and after running the pump for an hour to stir up the water I tested it and got pH 7.2, TA of 120, and temp of 62 with no chlorine or CYA. So i looked up how to add CYA from TFP and filled 2 socks full of 3lbs (per TFP app) and hung over the return jet. Expected it to be like that for a day or so, but it was all gone in an hour (not sure what I did wrong there, maybe the wrong filter mesh on my hanes socks? lol ) I then scrubbed the floor to spread any acid sitting down there and proceeded with adding my first gallon of chlorine. I got my PPM up to around 10 and then had some hay to unload. After returning 3 hours later, I tested it again and was around 5ppm so I added enough to bring it back up to 10ppm and I scrubbed the floor and side walls again. I then set my alarm to get up every 3 hours through out the night to repeat those steps. But I have not had to add any chlorine in it since then. Pump is running 24/7 as well.
Big Disclaimer: Old habits die hard and I still tried being cheap this year and thought I could do this with just test strips even though I have read on this site that's a bad idea. I now see why because a test strip that goes from 5ppm to 10ppm max on chlorine, 0 to 50ppm on the CYA, and gives me what looks like a different pH every time I dip it (same spot back to back dips too) is absolutely useless when trying to know exactly how much of what to add. So as I promised myself I was going to do it right this year, I just ordered my TF-100 kit today and I should have it by Friday (hopefully). So forgive me for the less than ideal testing numbers stated above and below and I sure hope I didn't put too much CYA in my pool.
Where I am at now - As of 3 hours ago the Chlorine is still around the 10ppm range, CYA now looks to be in the 50ppm range, and my pH is between 7.2 to 7.8 while my alkalinity looks to be hanging around the 120 range. But I hadn't added any chlorine in it since 11pm last night and the pool has had not visually change since an hour after i pored in the first bit of chlorine. Attached is a picture of the pool as of 11:30am today for reference. I just tested the pool again and the Chlorine was in 5ppm range, CYA 50ppm range (but a little lighter), pH at 7.8, and TA at 120. So I just added chlorine to bring it up to the 12ppm slam target for a 30ppm CYA level.
Assistance / guidance / recommendations I am looking for now - Should I continue to add chlorine when the test strips fall down to the 5ppm range to bring it up to what should be the 12ppm target per pool math (assuming the 3lbs of CYA put pool to 30ppm) and ignore any pH or Alkalinity adjustments until my TF-100 kit arrives to at least keep it from going backwards on me? Or would should I be doing something else?
Again, I'm sorry for the long post and for asking for assistance without actual TF-100 testing results and only the crappy test strip results.
Short background - Bought house with pool already there 5 years ago, been struggling to figure this thing out as I have been trying to spend the least amount of $$ possible to keep it safe to swim in each year and have been guided by pool stores and friends with pools saying "do this", "do that". But I feel like those attempts where failures every year and I haven't found a good way to maintain my pool yet, so I'm getting serious this year. Finally talked the wife into letting me cut down the gum tree that was hanging over the pool just last week. (if you don't know what a gum tree is, look it up, they are the worst tree to have hanging over a pool!) So I will no longer have to deal with the pollen or the spiky balls that fall every year now. I also just purchased a new 1HP 2 speed pump and 24" sand filter for it this year as the old 1.5HP pump is on its last leg with bearing noises and air leaks and I'm tired of messing with the cartridge filter, but COVID is delaying the delivery. Also noteworthy: I do not bother with covering my pool in the winter anymore as 3 out of 3 years I have had either a cat or a raccoon tear the cover, fall in the pool, shred the liner trying to get out, and inevitably fall to their demise in the pool for me to pull back the cover to find that each spring. Not pleasant and there might be more patches than liner around to top of my pool now. So, I'm done with covers.
From start this year to now - Pool was still clear as of January as I netted out the leaves as they fell, then it started to freeze and thaw all winter long as more leaves and such went in and it got away from me and turned into a full on pond/swamp. For the last week I was netting leaves/debris from the bottom and vacuuming to waste daily with my old pump (removed filter from cartridge and made a makeshift discharge) to get as much of the sludge out that I could while also pumping out about 1/3 of the water that was in there. I was then just waiting on new pump/filter, but as I started to see frog eggs on the water, I knew I had to open this quick before I have a pool full of tadpoles like last year because I waited too long (not doing that again). So I started filling the pool up planning to use old pump and filter to open it at least. Fill water was from the cistern so it was all rain water. Then last night once it was full and after running the pump for an hour to stir up the water I tested it and got pH 7.2, TA of 120, and temp of 62 with no chlorine or CYA. So i looked up how to add CYA from TFP and filled 2 socks full of 3lbs (per TFP app) and hung over the return jet. Expected it to be like that for a day or so, but it was all gone in an hour (not sure what I did wrong there, maybe the wrong filter mesh on my hanes socks? lol ) I then scrubbed the floor to spread any acid sitting down there and proceeded with adding my first gallon of chlorine. I got my PPM up to around 10 and then had some hay to unload. After returning 3 hours later, I tested it again and was around 5ppm so I added enough to bring it back up to 10ppm and I scrubbed the floor and side walls again. I then set my alarm to get up every 3 hours through out the night to repeat those steps. But I have not had to add any chlorine in it since then. Pump is running 24/7 as well.
Big Disclaimer: Old habits die hard and I still tried being cheap this year and thought I could do this with just test strips even though I have read on this site that's a bad idea. I now see why because a test strip that goes from 5ppm to 10ppm max on chlorine, 0 to 50ppm on the CYA, and gives me what looks like a different pH every time I dip it (same spot back to back dips too) is absolutely useless when trying to know exactly how much of what to add. So as I promised myself I was going to do it right this year, I just ordered my TF-100 kit today and I should have it by Friday (hopefully). So forgive me for the less than ideal testing numbers stated above and below and I sure hope I didn't put too much CYA in my pool.
Where I am at now - As of 3 hours ago the Chlorine is still around the 10ppm range, CYA now looks to be in the 50ppm range, and my pH is between 7.2 to 7.8 while my alkalinity looks to be hanging around the 120 range. But I hadn't added any chlorine in it since 11pm last night and the pool has had not visually change since an hour after i pored in the first bit of chlorine. Attached is a picture of the pool as of 11:30am today for reference. I just tested the pool again and the Chlorine was in 5ppm range, CYA 50ppm range (but a little lighter), pH at 7.8, and TA at 120. So I just added chlorine to bring it up to the 12ppm slam target for a 30ppm CYA level.
Assistance / guidance / recommendations I am looking for now - Should I continue to add chlorine when the test strips fall down to the 5ppm range to bring it up to what should be the 12ppm target per pool math (assuming the 3lbs of CYA put pool to 30ppm) and ignore any pH or Alkalinity adjustments until my TF-100 kit arrives to at least keep it from going backwards on me? Or would should I be doing something else?
Again, I'm sorry for the long post and for asking for assistance without actual TF-100 testing results and only the crappy test strip results.
![Pool_6.2.20[1].jpeg](/data/attachments/126/126714-bca7c835e27061f5c479f3b07cf9f37c.jpg)
