Swamp

[cfclay]

Ive been in this house and pool for my second year and have never had a problem until this year. I ran a fountain for a short time in the spring after opening and I don't feel like I've never got my PH stable. Now I have a swamp. I would have just SLAM'ed but I let a family member borrow my chlorine drop test kit.
I've ordered it all and it will arrive in Wednesday, including Borates test strips. I'm interested in learning more about that.

So just to recap: green pool= balance water and SLAM correct?
I feel so angry for not reordering my supplies a month ago, I turned a family members black pool clear...and left him all my stuff. Now I'm at the mercy of a pool store for a few days for testing

 

[Dirk]

Green = SLAM, yes. When you get your kit, post a full suite of test results like this, and the experts here can help you with the SLAM and the pH.

FC –
CC –
pH –
TA –
CH –
CYA –
Salt –
Borates –

All of those are important, for either the algae issue or the pH issue, though if you've never added borates I don't think there would be any.

 

[mknauss]

Add a gallon of 10% bleach each day with pump running while you are waiting on your kit.

 

[Dirk]

From the looks of your number of posts, you've been here a while. But just in case... Don't be tempted to buy anything from the pool store except the chlorine Marty has recommended, no matter how much it may seem like a good idea. Anything they talk you into will at best be a waste of money but more likely just make your pool worse.

 

[cfclay]

From the looks of your number of posts, you've been here a while. But just in case... Don't be tempted to buy anything from the pool store except the chlorine Marty has recommended, no matter how much it may seem like a good idea. Anything they talk you into will at best be a waste of money but more likely just make your pool worse.

Thank you I didn't let them talk me into using a flocculate, which I personally never liked.

 

[cfclay]

FC - 7.92

cc - .15

pH - 7.5
TA- 70

CH - 136

CYA - 37

Salt - 2635

Borates - unknown
These are from 24 hours ago. Used an algaecide, 16 oz (never used that either!), And flocculent, left pool pump off and SWG Off ...then vaccuumed to waste .

 

[Dirk]

Those are the pool store numbers, right? Marty will likely wait for the Taylor test results. Keep adding the chlorine. And he might have something to say about the algaecide and flocculent as well (probably not good, and what I was hoping you'd avoid). Nothing awful, you'll get it straightened out.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Aaack!! Algaecides don't actually do that good a job on algae- they're more a preventative thing. So that was a waste of money since all you needed was chlorine. Cheaper algaecides also contain copper which we also don't want in our pools.

If you managed to get all that FLOC out you're lucky. We hear time and again that folks have messed up bad by using it.

Come'on cfclay...you've posted here long enough to know this stuff....why'd you fall for the pool store snake oil?

Stick to a gallon of liquid chlorine and brushing each day. You'll be amazed.

Maddie

 

[cfclay]

Aaack!! Algaecides don't actually do that good a job on algae- they're more a preventative thing. So that was a waste of money since all you needed was chlorine. Cheaper algaecides also contain copper which we also don't want in our pools.

If you managed to get all that FLOC out you're lucky. We hear time and again that folks have messed up bad by using it.

Come'on cfclay...you've posted here long enough to know this stuff....why'd you fall for the pool store snake oil?

Stick to a gallon of liquid chlorine and brushing each day. You'll be amazed.

Maddie

It was all I had. TFT or Amazon ain't so quick with shipping with all that's going on lol. I could have thrown bleach in, but how would I even know how to measure it? I was going to shock it based on pool store reading, but Walmart sold out if pool bleach. Everything piled up

 

[YippeeSkippy]

No hardware near you? Liqjuid chlorine sold at Lowes or Home Depot works, as does Liquid Shock from the pool store. No need to measure as we suggested for your big pool a full gallon per day. Brushing is important too.

Maddie

 

[cfclay]

No hardware near you? Liqjuid chlorine sold at Lowes or Home Depot works, as does Liquid Shock from the pool store. No need to measure as we suggested for your big pool a full gallon per day. Brushing is important too.

Maddie

Actually...we are further down in the pandemic calendar now, but chlorine is a little bit of a struggle in my town of 20k. Pool stores probably do, but Walmart has zero gallons of bleach today (has smaller sizes of various). I don't use it much, but Lowe's was out when I was getting my family members pool up to speed. I think some of the smaller factories are buying it up to dilute for Covid19 cleaning.