Opening of Pool - Chemical Balancing

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Texas Splash said:
Local stores will have the K-2005 equivalent, but not the K-2006 which contains the FAS-DPD (powder & drops) part of the kit. We can't rely rely on a CYA test below 30, so if it's low you do want to increase it to 30 minimum. Maybe add about 20 ppm worth and re-test in a day or two. For the brown ring, you can "gently" try a Magic Eraser. Do a small test area first though to ensure you don't accidently rub-off the pattern.
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Thanks. I'll try that.
 
Texas Splash said:
Local stores will have the K-2005 equivalent, but not the K-2006 which contains the FAS-DPD (powder & drops) part of the kit. We can't rely rely on a CYA test below 30, so if it's low you do want to increase it to 30 minimum. Maybe add about 20 ppm worth and re-test in a day or two. For the brown ring, you can "gently" try a Magic Eraser. Do a small test area first though to ensure you don't accidently rub-off the pattern.
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I tried the magic eraser but it was getting dark and I couldn't see if it did anything. I will check in the morning. If not, is there anything else I can use?
 
Texas Splash said:
Let's see if the Magic Eraser did anything. Most people have good luck with those. If you did not, perhaps post a pic of the staining so we can see what you are dealing with.
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Ok. The Magic Eraser didn't really do much. Stain is still there plus I was reading that you shouldn't use the Magic Erasers in a pool because it can cause some toxic chemical to form between the pool chemicals and the eraser chemicals. I will take a pic and post. It's around the entire pool from where the water level was at over the winter to the bottom. The water is clear though. I did it put more stabilizer in to get it back up to 30. We've had a lot of rain here the past 2 days. Thank you.
 
Sounds like an algae stain or scum line. You can try a diluted water/chlorine mixture with a gentle brush or pad. Again, always test a small spot first. If that works, you might have to increase the water level above that stained line and keep the FC elevated for a bit to help.
 
It's from the covered water line down to the bottom. I'd have to drain the whole pool if I have to lower the water lol. Here are some pics. The water is near crystal clear. Thank you.
 

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Those pics help. I doubt it's a calcium scale stain because your CH seemed to be fairly low last I looked. Not that they are perfect, but the pool store test last Tuesday didn't show any metals. So perhaps organic staining from before when the cover was on. That's my assumption. How to tell? Well, even though the Magic Eraser didn't seem to work, you could try rubbing a chlorine puck around an area for a short time. Just don't press and hold it in the same spot, keep it moving slowly in a test area. This thread is getting lengthy so I don't recall if you tried the Vitamin C test just incase (iron), so you can do that as well if you like.

Did you use any copper-based algaecides last season or at closing?
 
Texas Splash said:
Those pics help. I doubt it's a calcium scale stain because your CH seemed to be fairly low last I looked. Not that they are perfect, but the pool store test last Tuesday didn't show any metals. So perhaps organic staining from before when the cover was on. That's my assumption. How to tell? Well, even though the Magic Eraser didn't seem to work, you could try rubbing a chlorine puck around an area for a short time. Just don't press and hold it in the same spot, keep it moving slowly in a test area. This thread is getting lengthy so I don't recall if you tried the Vitamin C test just incase (iron), so you can do that as well if you like.

Did you use any copper-based algaecides last season or at closing?
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No I didn't try the vit c test but we didn't use any algaecides. We tried scrubbing it but it's not really doing anything. We had a bit of leaves in the pool but nothing like in years past. Last year it looked like a swamp but once we got it cleaned there was no stain. My chlorine before I stopped to add the cya was at 7.5. The cya has finally dissolved. So I thought I'd wait a couple of hours and then test the cya and chlorine? Thank you.
 
So I ordered and received the new cya reagent and chlorine test powder. Even though the kit wasn't a year old, I think they were expired. I tested my cya today after a couple of days of heavy rain and it tested at 40. My chlorine is at 3. The pool water is clear though, but unfortunately that brown stain is not going away. We'll have to live with it for this year I guess... maybe a new liner next year. Anyway, do I have to continue the SLAM process or can I just test everything once a day and adjust. At a cya of 40 the pool math calculator says I need to get the chlorine up to 16. At that level I dont think it would be safe to go in. Thank you for your help.
 

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Newdude said:
Swim away up to and including SLAM level. (y)

You need :

clear water ✔️
Pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. (TBD)
CCs of .5 or less. (TBD).
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We've had many storms through here the past couple of weeks but finally the water is crystal clear, I didn't lose any chlorine overnight and there is no CC. So I guess the SLAM process is done. So now what do I do? Can I turn on the automatic chlorinator so my pool doesn't get green? Right now the FC is at 16.5. The brown ring is still there but it's ok, we'll live with it. Thank you.
 
JEM31 said:
o now what do I do? Can I turn on the automatic chlorinator so my pool doesn't get green? Right now the FC is at 16.5.
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The chlorinator uses trichlor. Is that how you plan to chlorinate your pool? It is not sustainable, but you can do it for awhile and then when you get algae again you can drain the pool and start over.
 
mknauss said:
The chlorinator uses trichlor. Is that how you plan to chlorinate your pool? It is not sustainable, but you can do it for awhile and then when you get algae again you can drain the pool and start over.
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That's what we've been using the past 20 years lol. I'm not sure what the tablets are. Is there something else we should be using?
 
JEM31 said:
Is there something else we should be using?
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Liquid chlorine. Add it daily.

If you like how your pool water was managed in the past, keep doing it. I doubt you keep the FC high enough but if you are OK with that, all is good.
 
mknauss said:
Liquid chlorine. Add it daily.

If you like how your pool water was managed in the past, keep doing it. I doubt you keep the FC high enough but if you are OK with that,
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mknauss said:
Liquid chlorine. Add it daily.

If you like how your pool water was managed in the past, keep doing it. I doubt you keep the FC high enough but if you are OK with that, all is good.
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So if I use liquid chlorine, I should aim to keep it between 3 and 7, I guess with 5 being optimal? Now I just wait til it gets to that level and then maintain it from there? Thank you for your help.
 
What is your CYA? Your Poolmath logs are not updated. Please record your test data and chemical additions in Poolmath.
 
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