Sorry for the long first post…………lots of information and a request for a sanity check and/or correction at the end.
Background: This is my 4th year with the pool, it came with the house I purchased. I haven't had a lot of trouble with it the last few years. Just took a water sample to Leslies every couple weeks, then added whatever they told me to. I used tabs in floaters the last couple of years and was shocking weekly (not SLAMing) in the hottest months. I didn't pay much attention to chlorine levels, other than using test strips to make sure some was there. I got algae towards the end of the summer’s and used algaecide. I don't think I'd call my experience as a pool owner high-maintenance by any stretch of the imagination but I've been a good friend to Leslies the last few years!! Run the system on a timer, use an automatic vacuum, skim insects, follow Leslie’s advice………
This year…………I replaced the pool pump; it was old and I cracked the housing at the end of last year. I decided to replace the sand in the filter (wish I'd read the deep clean article first) - at the same time I replaced the lateral tree, O-rings, seal-diverter assembly, etc.. While I was at it I re-plumbed the whole pool area, added some unions, etc. You get it - gave it an overhaul. I was going to add an automatic chlorinator but the guy at the pool store sold me the Pristine Blue dream, along with 268+tax in chemicals for the year!! So I came home with a trunk full of chemicals, a Pristine Blue test kit, and instruction book.
When I got the cover off and pump running last week I had the water checked. Chlorine and CYA were zero, PH and TA were low. I took PH to 7.4 and TA to 90. I didn’t pay any attention to other readings. CH is always <100 but I’m on Vinyl. It seemed greener than usual this year, but at the end of last season my pump was dead so I closed it using a big sump-pump I already had.
Where are we now?
Friday I added 32oz of Pristine Check, I think this is just a calcium control solution. I then added 3lb of non-chlorine shock Saturday. Sunday morning I added another 3lb of non-chlorine shock. I’ve been doing my best to regularly vacuum and sweep but visibility is low. I had to backwash a lot, I think due to the new sand. I’d say I’ve washed out and replaced a foot of water since Thursday.
I didn’t really see anything to suggest to me that my water was clearing after 3 days. In previous seasons, using the Leslies opening kit I was seeing improvements after a couple of days.
Sunday night I decided to dump 2 gallons of 12.5% chlorine in the pool before bed and was up until 3am reading these message boards. What started as a search for using Chlorine with Pristine Blue has turned in to so much more. I’m going to return the balance of the Pristine Blue chemicals to the store with the test kit and try get my money back for what I didn’t use…………
What happened next?
Yesterday I hung 5lb CYA in an old sock from a 2x4 in the path of my return jet to get some in, while allowing me to backwash. The pool math calc said I needed 7.5lbs so I thought I’d start low.
I added another 3 gallons of 12.5% over the course of the day. I only have test strips right now so just made sure they stayed deep purple (no smoke on the water though). I added another gallon of 12.5% this morning.
So………Friday (PH 7.4/TA 90) = 32oz Pristine Check, Saturday = 3lb non-chlorine shock, Sunday am = 3lb non-chlorine shock – then I pulled the plug…………..Sunday @ 11pm = 2 Gallon of chlorine (all my chlorine is 12.5% I picked up a dozen bottles), Monday = 3 Gallons + 5lb CYA in sock, and this morning = 1 Gallon. Water looks dull but green is starting to go.
My test kit with the FAS/DPD arrives tomorrow so I can start doing some better analysis at say 8pm tomorrow when I get home.
Questions:
Background: This is my 4th year with the pool, it came with the house I purchased. I haven't had a lot of trouble with it the last few years. Just took a water sample to Leslies every couple weeks, then added whatever they told me to. I used tabs in floaters the last couple of years and was shocking weekly (not SLAMing) in the hottest months. I didn't pay much attention to chlorine levels, other than using test strips to make sure some was there. I got algae towards the end of the summer’s and used algaecide. I don't think I'd call my experience as a pool owner high-maintenance by any stretch of the imagination but I've been a good friend to Leslies the last few years!! Run the system on a timer, use an automatic vacuum, skim insects, follow Leslie’s advice………
This year…………I replaced the pool pump; it was old and I cracked the housing at the end of last year. I decided to replace the sand in the filter (wish I'd read the deep clean article first) - at the same time I replaced the lateral tree, O-rings, seal-diverter assembly, etc.. While I was at it I re-plumbed the whole pool area, added some unions, etc. You get it - gave it an overhaul. I was going to add an automatic chlorinator but the guy at the pool store sold me the Pristine Blue dream, along with 268+tax in chemicals for the year!! So I came home with a trunk full of chemicals, a Pristine Blue test kit, and instruction book.
When I got the cover off and pump running last week I had the water checked. Chlorine and CYA were zero, PH and TA were low. I took PH to 7.4 and TA to 90. I didn’t pay any attention to other readings. CH is always <100 but I’m on Vinyl. It seemed greener than usual this year, but at the end of last season my pump was dead so I closed it using a big sump-pump I already had.
Where are we now?
Friday I added 32oz of Pristine Check, I think this is just a calcium control solution. I then added 3lb of non-chlorine shock Saturday. Sunday morning I added another 3lb of non-chlorine shock. I’ve been doing my best to regularly vacuum and sweep but visibility is low. I had to backwash a lot, I think due to the new sand. I’d say I’ve washed out and replaced a foot of water since Thursday.
I didn’t really see anything to suggest to me that my water was clearing after 3 days. In previous seasons, using the Leslies opening kit I was seeing improvements after a couple of days.
Sunday night I decided to dump 2 gallons of 12.5% chlorine in the pool before bed and was up until 3am reading these message boards. What started as a search for using Chlorine with Pristine Blue has turned in to so much more. I’m going to return the balance of the Pristine Blue chemicals to the store with the test kit and try get my money back for what I didn’t use…………
What happened next?
Yesterday I hung 5lb CYA in an old sock from a 2x4 in the path of my return jet to get some in, while allowing me to backwash. The pool math calc said I needed 7.5lbs so I thought I’d start low.
I added another 3 gallons of 12.5% over the course of the day. I only have test strips right now so just made sure they stayed deep purple (no smoke on the water though). I added another gallon of 12.5% this morning.
So………Friday (PH 7.4/TA 90) = 32oz Pristine Check, Saturday = 3lb non-chlorine shock, Sunday am = 3lb non-chlorine shock – then I pulled the plug…………..Sunday @ 11pm = 2 Gallon of chlorine (all my chlorine is 12.5% I picked up a dozen bottles), Monday = 3 Gallons + 5lb CYA in sock, and this morning = 1 Gallon. Water looks dull but green is starting to go.
My test kit with the FAS/DPD arrives tomorrow so I can start doing some better analysis at say 8pm tomorrow when I get home.
Questions:
- Should I hit the stop button and wait until the test kit arrives before doing anything else? Or should I continue to dose blind with chlorine? I was going to not add anything else, continue to run the pump and bring chlorine down for when I get my test kit tomorrow night.
- Is there anything that I should be concerned about with the 6lb of powdered non-chlorine shock I wasted over the weekend? i.e. will it affect anything I’m doing?
- Is there any other countermeasure needed for the Pristine Check I added Friday? Or will it not have deposited metals? It’s hard to find just what’s in it.
