Phosphates in clear pool

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elliott62

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May 17, 2017
11
marion, nc
Have a 16 x 36 inground pool with sand filter. According to pool store have phosphates. Treated pool twice with phos remover, yes dropped stuff to bottom vacuumed on wasted both times. Water is clear now but no free chlorine readings. Should i slam it & if so whats the best to slam with?
 
Welcome Elliott! We don't get excited about phosphates. The remover represents profit for pool stores, but that's about it. Think of it like a sandwich in you car. It's bear food, but if you don't have bears in your car, then you don't have to worry about the food!

Task number one is to get accurate tests of your water. How are you doing that now? We recommend one of two kits: The Taylor K-2006C or the TF-100.
 
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Ha ha. I couldn't resist. Welcome to TFP! :wave: Well, you've been hit in the checkbook with pool store products that really don't have the desired effect you expect. Phosphates mean nothing to a well-sanitized pool with no algae. No algae = nothing to eat phosphates. Should you SLAM? ...... with algae - yes. To SLAM your pool you must test your own water though. So your first action needs to be ordering a TF-100 (XL Option) from the link below in my signature, or a Taylor K-2006C. You must be able to test FC at higher levels to perform the SLAM (link also below). For a SLAM, we use regular bleach. The plain stuff, but in the proper quantities based on your stabilizer (CYA) level.

My recommendations:
1 - Order the TF-100 test kit (XL Option)
2 - Add nothing else to your water other than about 1/2 gallon of regular bleach each day to try and keep things from getting worse.
3 - Review the SLAM page in advance (link below)
4 - Update your signature with all of your pool info, and update the state under your username. I'm in Marion, TX, but your Marion may be IL or somewhere else. It makes a big difference as we try to help.

Let us know if you have any other questions. Nice to have you with us.
 
Thanks....i know my husband said feed in chlorine. i did but it must have not been enough to take over...goin try bleach before i go back to pool store . i test with both strips and a kit not sure the name came when we put pool in .
 
You definitely need "some" chlorine (bleach) in the water. For now, at least a reading of 2-3 ppm. But try to remember that the correct amount of bleach (FC level) is tied to your current stabilizer (CYA) level. The higher your CYA, the higher your FC (free chlorine) needs to be. You can see that on the Chlorine/CYA Chart link below in my signature.
 
You need your own test kit. The two major things wrong with those results are that we can't trust the validity of the "current" column, and we don't respect the out-of-date and downright irrational recommendations of the "ideal" column!

Being that it's all we have right now however, your CYA level is likely an issue.
 
^^ I agree. As a pool owner, the toughest thing to is cut the cord with the pool store because you place trust in their service and as an industry. Unfortunately, their quick (free) testing does you a disservice. Every pool is different, and not every scenario is managed by a generalized recommendation from a company that is in business to sell (over-priced) products. In a majority of cases like yours, CYA grows to an unmanageable level. Why? Because the pool store told you to shock and add more chlorine tabs. That should be a huge warning signal. So what do you do now?

Stop going to the pool store unless you need muriatic acid, a pool toy/tool, or small part for your equipment. Priority #1 needs to be testing your own water (which is very easy) with a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C. Everything you do to your pool begins with one of those kits. I made that decision about 4 years ago and can't ever imagine not having my TF-100. Refer to the links you see below in my signature as those are your roadmaps to success.
 
i do have my own test kit but doesn't test CYA ill get one for sure. So can i just use bleach to bring the cya down or should i drain...really don t want to drain, not sure well will do it right now water level low in this area. I have never had this problem had my pool for 6 years now.
 

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Elliott, which test kit do you have?

We only trust two on the market- The TF-100 and the Taylor K-2006 (preferably C version). Both use the same reagents but the TF-100 is a better buy since it has more of the reagents you use most often. TFTestkits.net is the place to order if from, and they ship from NC so you should get it quick!

Maddie :flower:
 
An interesting experiment btw, is to take a sample to another store and compare them. You can even take a sample to the same store later and compare against their own results. I collected pool $tore results during the start-up phase of my new plaster so I could document my efforts for warranty purposes. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was a waste of time. The only conclusions one could make from my small pile of test results was that the tests were fake, or I was draining and re-filling half my pool each day! (CH and going up and down etc)
 
Unfortunately, the only way to lower CYA is by changing water. At least some of it. How much is based on the current CYA. Pool store CYA tests are notorious for being wrong in-part because of the wrong lighting. The sooner you get some more R-0013 CYA reagent to validate your own CYA the better. I wouldn't want you to just exchange X-amount without knowing for sure how much needs to be changed. Once you do get your R-0013 reagent, I would recommend performing the CYA diluted test as noted on the TFP Pool School - CYA page, Step #8. Once you do that, everything else falls into place.
 
No, bleach doesn't do anything to CYA (lower or raise it) which is why bleach is just about the perfect sanitizer. The only way to lower CYA is by water exchange. Once that's done, it will not go up again unless you want it to and stop using those pool store "stabilized" products. :)
 
No, you need to retest the CYA using the dilution method. Take *equal* parts of pool water and tap water and mix well. Then use this water mixture as your pool water and re-do the test but then double the results. You may be far higher than 100, so this is how we can know.

Maddie :flower:
 

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