Smoke in the water!

[a-castan]

Hello there!
I was SO proud of myself... took the CYA from 202 to 50. Did a SLAM and once I got the same CHL reading overnite felt very accomplished.
Now on balancing, I felt I was struggling some keeping the Ph down and CHL up. (In reading up maybe my water isnt really very neutral)

Anyway, was admiring the clarity of the water, was going to grab a photo and share when I looked up and saw ...GREEN! Not alot but still... man o man.
I'm using liquid chlorine, so I elevated the level and then went after the pool with the brush. (Just got a brush with a whale tale... very cool.)
So my digits now after that episode: ALK: 80 / PH: 7.2 / CH: 300 / CYA: 50 / FC: 3.5 / CC: trace / TC: ~3.7

OK, so here is what I wanted to ask... to all you folks with plaster.
In 2007 the original owner planted crepe myrtles and mountain laurels near the pool (a seasonal trifecta, lemme tellya) The pool also is rimmed with flagstone and some seem to be returning to sand. (thank you, Texas sun!)
So at ANY time I brush the pool lounge, steps, sides, hot tub, I'll and get a grey like smoke. IS THIS NORMAL? I feel like perhaps the plaster may also be .. like a part of this? Wearing away?
What's been people's experience with this smoke like stuff... should I persist till its gone or deal with it? Is this possibly a comment on my filter system?
Also, is my ALK number too low?
Any input would be most welcome!
Carol

 

[Texas Splash]

It has been hot in our area. Summer is on it's way. But the dust, or smoke as you refer to it, is probably just that - dust. Dust from the decking that is slowly breaking down. I get a fair amount of dust from my coping in the pool as well. I try to brush or spray it away from the pool if possible. Large rain storms will push some of it into the water. Depending on your stone, you might be able to apply a sealer to it to help.

 

[red-beard]

So my digits now after that episode: ALK: 80 / PH: 7.2 / CH: 300 / CYA: 50 / FC: 3.5 / CC: trace / TC: ~3.7

Your FC is too low. 7.5 to 1 ratio. 50 ppm CYA = 6.7 ppm FC at the end of the day, with a bare minimum of 4. I would adjust your FC to about 8. But you may need to SLAM if that is algae. Do an OCLT to be sure.

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[a-castan]

Thanks for your reply! I really failed to catch the ratio on that chart, and was looking at other info on an ideal FC range. OK, OK... off I go. And its OK to swim in a pool with an FC at 8ppm, yes?

 

[PoolStored]

Swim up to slam level for your CYA!

 

[red-beard]

Thanks for your reply! I really failed to catch the ratio on that chart, and was looking at other info on an ideal FC range. OK, OK... off I go. And its OK to swim in a pool with an FC at 8ppm, yes?

Mine is presently about 12, with a CYA of 70. A little high, but better than low.

 

[a-castan]

Mine is presently about 12, with a CYA of 70. A little high, but better than low.

Ok, good to know. I plan to slowly bring my CYA down to 40 or thereabouts. But thanks for pointing out the basic ratio, a real "Aha" moment for me.

 

[a-castan]

It has been hot in our area. Summer is on it's way. But the dust, or smoke as you refer to it, is probably just that - dust. Dust from the decking that is slowly breaking down. I get a fair amount of dust from my coping in the pool as well. I try to brush or spray it away from the pool if possible. Large rain storms will push some of it into the water. Depending on your stone, you might be able to apply a sealer to it to help.

I did have a chance to seal the stone at the time my tile was blasted clean... I'll shell out the $$$ next time. Aside from helping to reduce the sand, I'll bet it makes the stone look good too.

 

[red-beard]

I did have a chance to seal the stone at the time my tile was blasted clean... I'll shell out the $$$ next time. Aside from helping to reduce the sand, I'll bet it makes the stone look good too.

Look at my picture. The coping should be medium red. The coating on the stone turned white and is nearly impossible to remove. I do not recommend sealing the stone. Live with the dust...
And next time you build a pool, don't use FLAG STONE aka SANDSTONE for coping. I know I won't...

 

[a-castan]

Oh man, @red-beard , looks like I dodged a bullet on that count... it would've been very disappointing to lose all the beautiful variations of the stone's color to a white paste. BUT... it should be a good point to research for anyone building a pool...sandstone is way too soft and erodes way too easy.
SOoooo, update on me... I got the ph where I wanted and then went immediately into a SLAM, on the backside now. Swept the pool every day. I'll be testing the FC tonight and next morning, a second OCLT that hopefully will be within .1. The water is crystal clear. And I never really had CC values over .5.

You know, it doesn't help that the people who had the pool built selected a grey plaster. Its an awesome color, I love it. But the "lagoon look" can lull you into a false sense of "green is goodness" . I'll try to take pictures... how do you guys get such great shots with out the reflection?

 

[red-beard]

There is a good discussion in the Deep. Different sandstone is harder. The Texas stuff is soft.