Outdoor Endless Pool in Colorado

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schaargi

Member
Sep 6, 2021
7
Colorado
Pool Size
2381
Surface
Vinyl
Hello all!

I am a new owner (since July) of a partially in-ground original Endless Pool with a performance current. It is 7 ft by 14 ft. and 2381 gallons and has a vinyl liner. I sanitize with a little chlorine puck and throw in some chlorine pellets every week to supplement. The filter is a cartidge with a small Nature 2 mineral sanitizer. I keep the temp at 84 degrees F, but during the day the sun warms it to 86 or so.

I've had a bit of a time balancing the chemicals, or maybe reading my Taylor test kit this summer. I get different readings when I take water samples in to the pool and spa store.

Earlier this summer, I had some really creepy white things in my filter-- they looked like small white stingrays and had the texture of boogers when I picked them up. I never got a definitive answer from the pool people here, but I super chlorinated and swapped out the filter and they went away. Right now, I'm battling phosphates. Everything was fine until about 3 weeks ago!

At any rate, I'm happy to have found a place to post questions. Anyone else out there have an Endless Pool?
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: Be careful with that Nature 2, it's adding copper to the water. That's never good. Let us know if you have any questions.

www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Thanks, Texas Splash. I read that in the TFP guidelines last night. Should I just remove it now?

I'm so overwhelmed right now. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. I had a go-to guy at a pool place here and he left the company. I can't seem to find someone else I trust.

I'm still having trouble with what I assume is phosphates. The issue has been going on for 2 weeks now. The water is cloudy. (I had added phosphate remover last week per a spa consultant. I know, I know... I just found your site). I have swapped out the cartridge filter each week, and rinsing it unleashes a significant amount of white stuff that dissolves when I touch it. This is different than the creepy stingray-looking things from a month ago.

Today, I tested the water with my Taylor kit. Here are the results with notes:
Free Chlorine 3 (I think... It's a drop kit where I need to match the color and I don't quite trust my eyes)
Total Chlorine 3 (I think... See above)
CC= 0 (I think...)
Note: I thought these were my levels last week and when I took it to the pool/spa place, they put it in their digital tester and told me I had .4 CC. My eyeballs can't see a difference.
TA=130
pH=7.4 (Per my eyes) Note: When I took it to the pool/spa place to get tested in their digital tester it showed 7.8 three days in a row, so I adjusted with a pH down product that came with the pool. It's consistently 7.4-7.5 to my eyes and 7.7-7.8 on their digital kit.
CYA=90 (Yeah, yeah, I know now what tri-chlor and di-chlor are)

My questions:
  1. Why is my pool cloudy?
  2. What is the white stuff rinsing out of my filter?
  3. I am trying to find plain bleach. I read somewhere on this site that all Chlorox now contains some kind of additive that I should avoid. Yes?)
  4. The bleach bottles that I am looking at don't show a percentage and I am boggled between germicidal bleach, triple acting bleach and concentrated bleach. AGH.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm quite overwhelmed at this point.
 
schaargi said:
  1. Why is my pool cloudy?
Click to expand...

You probably have an algae problem and need to follow the SLAM Process. That requires a proper test kit - Taylor K-2006C or TF-100 Test Kits - and liquid chlorine.

schaargi said:
  1. What is the white stuff rinsing out of my filter?
Click to expand...

Probably remenents from the unneeded phosphate remover. Your filter is doing its job and removing it over time.

schaargi said:
  1. I am trying to find plain bleach. I read somewhere on this site that all Chlorox now contains some kind of additive that I should avoid. Yes?)
Click to expand...

Yes, avoid Chlorox bleach.

Liquid Chlorine - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com


schaargi said:
  1. The bleach bottles that I am looking at don't show a percentage and I am boggled between germicidal bleach, triple acting bleach and concentrated bleach. AGH.
Click to expand...

Go shopping for Liquid Chlorine at the big box hardware stores.

Liquid Chlorine - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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A few thoughts:
- I don't believe you have the FAS-DPD for accurate FC and CC testing. If not, you should get one as soon as you can.
- Phosphate is nothing we chase here at TFP. It sustains algae, but if you have no algae it doesn't matter. Those products are a waste.
- Cloud water is an indication of algae. To remove algae we follow the SLAM Process.
- The white stuff out of your filter? Humm, perhaps dead algae.
- Try Walmart or Home Depot for liquid chlorine. If you can't find it, then yes, regular laundry bleach will work as well. Same stuff just a lower strength. Plain, nothing scented or splashless. Yes, avoid the Clorox brand.
 
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Thanks, all!

I forgot to add that the phosphates measured 3700+, hence the phosphate remover. I will let that go now.

Home Depot has other brands of liquid bleach. So... any brand except Chlorox, correct?

Listed on the SDS sheets:
  • The regular Cloralen product there has Hipochlorous acid sodium salt / Sodium hypochlorite and Sodium hydroxide / Caustic soda. Are those OK?
  • The concentrated HDX only has Sodium hypochlorite. That's the one, right?
This is hurting my brain...
 
Brilliant. Thanks, all, for your patience.

Do any of you have suggestions why my test kit pH level is testing so much lower than the digital reading at the pool shop?

Also, with the cloudiness, the CYA at 90 and pH of either 7.4 or 7.8, can I swim in it?
 
schaargi said:
Do any of you have suggestions why my test kit pH level is testing so much lower than the digital reading at the pool shop?
Click to expand...
We do not rely on pool store testing for guidance. So we will believe your testing.
schaargi said:
Also, with the cloudiness, the CYA at 90 and pH of either 7.4 or 7.8, can I swim in it?
Click to expand...
If the FC is between minimum and SLAM level for your CYA, and you can see the bottom of the pool, it is safe to swim in.
 
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Thanks, mknauss, but I don't have confidence in my own testing because I am so new, and because I don't have one of your recommended test kits (yet!), so please bear with me.

I went back to the swim store for a second opinion and I learned a bunch. I brought my own test kit and tested from the same sample as he did. The guy taught me how to look at my pH-- I was looking more at the opacity than the hue, which accounts for the pH discrepancy. As for the chlorine, theirs tested my water at a 10 FC, while mine read a weak 2. Because my test kit only measures to 5, we came to the conclusion that my high level of chlorine had bleached the reagent.

I don't feel like this shop is trying to sell me anything-- the test results print out and always recommend a product, but he dismisses the printed suggestions, explaining to me that the company printout always suggests products and to ignore that.

I went home and pulled the cover off and left it off for a day and a half in 95 degree weather. This altitude does not provide as much UV protection than at lower altitudes. My FC didn't change.

I have ordered a new test kit.

In the meantime.... do I assume that my reagent is still being bleached or should I assume all the chlorine burned off in the sun?
 

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Once you get your proper test kit, we can assist.

I doubt your FC burned off that much in a short time with the cover open. But we do not know the CYA level.
 
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