Opening my pool and want to do it real nice this time

[Kaylee34]

??- Just making sure I understand this-- Kaylee above said to add more tonight and do the brushing also-- But you are saying just turn the filer on and NO more chlorine tonight? But I want to get back on the right schedule of always adding the chlorine at night and turning the filter on thru the night hours. So what exactly should I do TONIGHT?- No chlorine??- because if I do that then another dose of chlorine will not be put in until Wednesday PM.

Add your half gallon tonight. You will lose a little chlorine today due to the sun. Adding tonight will take you just a little above 5 ppm but that's OK, it won't hurt anything. Then you'll be safe to skip adding chlorine tomorrow morning and you'll already have your 5 ppm in there for Wednesday and you'll be back on your night time schedule.

 

[Kaylee34]

LOL! I missed Newdude's last post. They were instrumental in helping me get my pool Troublefree. Lots of folks having your back is a great thing!
The pool is looking good Monte. Nice job!!
I can't wait until your test kit arrives

 

[monsterman]

Add your half gallon tonight. You will lose a little chlorine today due to the sun. Adding tonight will take you just a little above 5 ppm but that's OK, it won't hurt anything. Then you'll be safe to skip adding chlorine tomorrow morning and you'll already have your 5 ppm in there for Wednesday and you'll be back on your night time schedule.

Sorry guys but i react quickly and i already added my 1/2 gallon this morning and brushed and stirred. So what do i do tonight. My filter is off for the day until this evening. But now that u know that i added chlorine in this morning then i should not add it in again until Wednesday PM??

 

[Kaylee34]

You had it right earlier Monte and you did perfect this morning.
We're getting you back on your night time schedule.
Add a 1/2 gallon tonight. Do the brushing. I love your 3 times for luck! Leave the pump and filter on tonight.
No chlorine in the morning and you can turn the pump off.

 

[monsterman]

update on the color and look of the pool at 11:35 AM

 

[newdude]

Monte, I want to take a minute and set some realistic expectations for when the kit comes. It's all going to hinge on the CYA level and with all the excitement of finally knowing what's going on, I don't want it to be a gut punch if it isn't what we want to hear.

It'll go down one of 3 ways:

1) strips are WAY off and the CYA is low or in range.

2) strips are fairly off but the CYA is manageable going forward as is, albeit on the high side.

3) the CYA is still unmanagably high and you need to drain a proportionate amount to lower it to 60 or less. For example, if it's actually 150, you'd need to drain about 60% to put you back in the clear. If it's substantially higher than that, you'll need to drain even more.

If it's option 3, it would help explain how you managed so far. Last year was a drought after several wet seasons. It may have been helped previously by the wet weather to keep it in check, but last year it climbed off the charts. If so, while it will feel like a defeat at first, this would have been the year that you had to pay the piper with swamp after swamp. It appears to be another dry season and it would get out of hand quick. Although you don't want to drain, consider it a triumph that you got the early heads up and can correct it before it becomes a nightmare.

It's all speculation right now, and there's 2 choices that could go in your favor still. But however it goes down, we'll walk you though it.

 

[monsterman]

Monte, I want to take a minute and set some realistic expectations for when the kit comes. It's all going to hinge on the CYA level and with all the excitement of finally knowing what's going on, I don't want it to be a gut punch if it isn't what we want to hear.

It'll go down one of 3 ways:

1) strips are WAY off and the CYA is low or in range.

2) strips are fairly off but the CYA is manageable going forward as is, albeit on the high side.

3) the CYA is still unmanagably high and you need to drain a proportionate amount to lower it to 60 or less. For example, if it's actually 150, you'd need to drain about 60% to put you back in the clear. If it's substantially higher than that, you'll need to drain even more.

If it's option 3, it would help explain how you managed so far. Last year was a drought after several wet seasons. It may have been helped previously by the wet weather to keep it in check, but last year it climbed off the charts. If so, while it will feel like a defeat at first, this would have been the year that you had to pay the piper with swamp after swamp. It appears to be another dry season and it would get out of hand quick. Although you don't want to drain, consider it a triumph that you got the early heads up and can correct it before it becomes a nightmare.

It's all speculation right now, and there's 2 choices that could go in your favor still. But however it goes down, we'll walk you though it.

I appreciate you- and let's hope for the least bad scenario. If not I would have to drain at several intervals-- that much water flowing down my driveway into the street would become - well who knows-- I don't want any complaints-- so I might have to do a few hours at a time to let what has been drained to dry in the street?

 

[clambert1273]

I appreciate you- and let's hope for the least bad scenario. If not I would have to drain at several intervals-- that much water flowing down my driveway into the street would become - well who knows-- I don't want any complaints-- so I might have to do a few hours at a time to let what has been drained to dry in the street?

If you have a sewer cleanout then drain to that. If I have one it is buried so I drained to my laundry sink unorthodox but it worked

 

[Kaylee34]

Monte

 

[monsterman]

If you have a sewer cleanout then drain to that. If I have one it is buried so I drained to my laundry sink unorthodox but it worked

No mine is the street- from the back f my yard thru the backwash hose and out into the street- that is the only way

 

[newdude]

So let's go over draining while we still have a minute. While sometimes it's the only way, multiple drains lose efficiency because subsequent drains loose 'good water' with the bad. A 25% drain lowers the CYA/CH/salt 25%, but a second 25% drain only lowers them 18.75% further. A 3rd round only lowers it 14%. So draining 75% of the water only lowered the levels by 57%. It continues to trail off after that.

Your best bet would be to reduce the flow to the point the street could handle it, and drain longer for a one and done.

 

[clambert1273]

So let's go over draining while we still have a minute. While sometimes it's the only way, multiple drains lose efficiency because subsequent drains loose 'good water' with the bad. A 25% drain lowers the CYA/CH/salt 25%, but a second 25% drain only lowers them 18.75% further. A 3rd round only lowers it 14%. So draining 75% of the water only lowered the levels by 57%. It continues to trail off after that.

Your best bet would be to reduce the flow to the point the street could handle it, and drain longer for a one and done.

Im going to add, don't do your draining from pool pump. I used a cheap $60 utility pump that I attached a garden hose to & ran it through my laundry room window to sink.

 

[monsterman]

So let's go over draining while we still have a minute. While sometimes it's the only way, multiple drains lose efficiency because subsequent drains loose 'good water' with the bad. A 25% drain lowers the CYA/CH/salt 25%, but a second 25% drain only lowers them 18.75% further. A 3rd round only lowers it 14%. So draining 75% of the water only lowered the levels by 57%. It continues to trail off after that.

Your best bet would be to reduce the flow to the point the street could handle it, and drain longer for a one and done.

Understood-- I guess I will do a backwash on WASTE mode and start very early in the morning when and if I need after getting the test kit? Also, I do have a utility pump as the other member states BUT I cannot let it run down my kitchen sink or bathtub drain- since I have no slop sink and the pump is NOWHERE as fast nor produce the large volume flow as my backwash(waste)mode does.

 

[newdude]

Also, I do have a utility pump as the other member states BUT I cannot let it run down my kitchen sink or bathtub drain-

You could run a garden hose out to the street which would be much less flow than using the pump/backwash way. It would take longer but also wouldn't flood the neighborhood (hopefully lol).

With any luck, we won't need to drain tons.

 

[Mdragger88]

The utility pump is the best choice- you don’t wanna risk running your pool equipment dry. Anywho, we’ll cross that bridge when the data comes in! No worries

 

[monsterman]

update on my pool goings on-- I did a backwash today and against my wife's wishes I am draining the pool- NOT a whole lot but enough to make me feel good about my effort. I started at 6 PM after I came home from work and will shut it down at about 10 PM- I will have drained at least 12 inches below the skimmer screw(line)- That is as far as I want to go - no more. It is what it is. I lived with a beautiful pool last summer and no one had any bad skin problems etc. And my CYA last ear was 176. So now it has to be a little better and as I said- it is what it is. As for the following procedure- I will fill the pool tomorrow- my daughter will keep an eye on filling it while I am working. After filled again - I will shock the pool with that 64 oz of liquid chlorine and that will be that until the test kit comes. I hope this sounds like the proper procedure to you guys about filling and shocking.
After that, I will purchase NON-stabilized chlorine tablets to put in my floating device.(No MORE slow tabs or GREENOUT) or TRI-chlor tabs - I will only add stabilizer IF NEEDED-which probably I will not. Hopefully, I can slowly reduce the amount of liquid chlorine I add as time goes on - and I begin to use the floating chlorine. This brings up a point- if I may-- I was so nervous yesterday that I called the guy up who CLOSES my pool only. I asked him f he knows about balancing and he said of course. he came over and tested with a test strip that had a 10-1 test kit. he was adamant that my chlorine was fine and that the pool looked so nice that he thought I was way too stressed and obsessive. he kept saying to me that a pool is supposed to be fun and you are making it a chore that does not need to be. he said my pool is a run of the mill NOT very large pool and as long as the numbers are not TOTALLY out of whack and the water looks clean and bright - that I should just enjoy and jump in. he said I do not need to be perfect because as he stated the rain and weather of all kinds will affect the chemicals- so he said to leave well enough alone? he is a very nice guy and knowledgeable and he patted me on the back and said stop worrying. he recommended I drain the pool- also but when I said I was stopping at about 12 inches- he said that was fine- stop stressing.
What annoys me is that when I went to the pool store last year and they saw my CYA was SO high- they also recommended draining the pool- BUT they knew I was buying TRIchlor tabs etc- and none of them ever said NOT to keep adding more CYA products. I could have stopped it last year- that really stinks. So NOW I will not add any outside CYA products anymore. The kicker is- when you look for chlorine tabs to buy- 99% of the products are stabilized types-- it is hard to find NON stabilized tabs. That's it for me now-- thank you all. Waiting for the kit- to arrive- I hope it is user-friendly and even a layman can do it and understand the results. By the way- this guy who helped me close the pool was bewildered that I shocked the pool; every week last year- he asked me WHY? I said because?- he said only shock if needed- if you need to boost the chlorine level. So my goal here is to get it to a point where all I would need is the tablets to keep my pool proper and go from there.

 

[monsterman]

So let's go over draining while we still have a minute. While sometimes it's the only way, multiple drains lose efficiency because subsequent drains loose 'good water' with the bad. A 25% drain lowers the CYA/CH/salt 25%, but a second 25% drain only lowers them 18.75% further. A 3rd round only lowers it 14%. So draining 75% of the water only lowered the levels by 57%. It continues to trail off after that.

Your best bet would be to reduce the flow to the point the street could handle it, and drain longer for a one and done.

update on my pool goings on-- I did a backwash today and against my wife's wishes I am draining the pool- NOT a whole lot but enough to make me feel good about my effort. I started at 6 PM after I came home from work and will shut it down at about 10 PM- I will have drained at least 12 inches below the skimmer screw(line)- That is as far as I want to go - no more. It is what it is. I lived with a beautiful pool last summer and no one had any bad skin problems etc. And my CYA last ear was 176. So now it has to be a little better and as I said- it is what it is. As for the following procedure- I will fill the pool tomorrow- my daughter will keep an eye on filling it while I am working. After filled again - I will shock the pool with that 64 oz of liquid chlorine and that will be that until the test kit comes. I hope this sounds like the proper procedure to you guys about filling and shocking.
After that, I will purchase NON-stabilized chlorine tablets to put in my floating device.(No MORE slow tabs or GREENOUT) or TRI-chlor tabs - I will only add stabilizer IF NEEDED-which probably I will not. Hopefully, I can slowly reduce the amount of liquid chlorine I add as time goes on - and I begin to use the floating chlorine. This brings up a point- if I may-- I was so nervous yesterday that I called the guy up who CLOSES my pool only. I asked him f he knows about balancing and he said of course. he came over and tested with a test strip that had a 10-1 test kit. he was adamant that my chlorine was fine and that the pool looked so nice that he thought I was way too stressed and obsessive. he kept saying to me that a pool is supposed to be fun and you are making it a chore that does not need to be. he said my pool is a run of the mill NOT very large pool and as long as the numbers are not TOTALLY out of whack and the water looks clean and bright - that I should just enjoy and jump in. he said I do not need to be perfect because as he stated the rain and weather of all kinds will affect the chemicals- so he said to leave well enough alone? he is a very nice guy and knowledgeable and he patted me on the back and said stop worrying. he recommended I drain the pool- also but when I said I was stopping at about 12 inches- he said that was fine- stop stressing.
What annoys me is that when I went to the pool store last year and they saw my CYA was SO high- they also recommended draining the pool- BUT they knew I was buying TRIchlor tabs etc- and none of them ever said NOT to keep adding more CYA products. I could have stopped it last year- that really stinks. So NOW I will not add any outside CYA products anymore. The kicker is- when you look for chlorine tabs to buy- 99% of the products are stabilized types-- it is hard to find NON stabilized tabs. That's it for me now-- thank you all. Waiting for the kit- to arrive- I hope it is user-friendly and even a layman can do it and understand the results. By the way- this guy who helped me close the pool was bewildered that I shocked the pool; every week last year- he asked me WHY? I said because?- he said only shock if needed- if you need to boost the chlorine level. So my goal here is to get it to a point where all I would need is the tablets to keep my pool proper and go from there.

 

[newdude]

I hope this sounds like the proper procedure to you guys about filling and shocking.

For draining you need to leave 12 to 18 inches to hold the liner in place. You'll be well above that.

Filling is just a waiting game.

Keep adding the 1/2 gallon a day.

After that, I will purchase NON-stabilized chlorine tablets to put in my floating device

They would have to be stabilized with Calcium instead. That might work for you for some time with low CH fill water/ rain.

It might be more expensive than liquid chlorine though. You can use poolmath effects of adding to compare what each is worth per FC they add.

he thought I was way too stressed and obsessive

So do I. It's easy peasy and we'll show you how. New stuff is scary and NONE of us likes new stuff. I promise. But we'll help.

What annoys me is that when I went to the pool store last year and they saw my CYA was SO high- they also recommended draining the pool- BUT they knew I was buying TRIchlor tabs etc- and none of them ever said NOT to keep adding more CYA products.

They. Don't. Even. Know. What. They. Don't. Even. Know.

They sell copper in several products and then ask people where their high copper came from. They never read a label and they probably wouldn't understand it if they did.

 

[monsterman]

For draining you need to leave 12 to 18 inches to hold the liner in place. You'll be well above that.

Filling is just a waiting game.

Keep adding the 1/2 gallon a day.

They would have to be stabilized with Calcium instead. That might work for you for some time with low CH fill water/ rain.

It might be more expensive than liquid chlorine though. You can use poolmath effects of adding to compare what each is worth per FC they add.

So do I. It's easy peasy and we'll show you how. New stuff is scary and NONE of us likes new stuff. I promise. But we'll help.



They. Don't. Even. Know. What. They. Don't. Even. Know.

They sell copper in several products and then ask people where their high copper came from. They never read a label and they wouldn't understand it if they did.

But I do not want to use stabilized tabs anymore since it will add CYA-- so how do I get around that-- what is the type of floating chlorine I need to buy- Does anyone know the name of that product. I really do not want to keep adding CYA on top of what is in there now- it defeats my draining. Unless you guys think it will ok to use the Trichlor tabs- let me know. I also bought a separate floater for the different types of tba as I was told by TFP. As I mentioned - I would like to just use the liquid chlorine whenever needed and use the floating tabs always- but NON stabilized- is this OK?

 

[monsterman]

as for shocking- I will fill the pool back up tomorrow and when I get home at 6 Pm I will then add the 64 oz of shock - is this correct?