I'll be back with more specific (and my own!) test numbers (on my way to an appointment shortly, and he just added several chemicals), but I am looking for some general direction first if you wouldn't mind.
I took care of my pool for many years - in NJ and then SW Florida, thanks to the wonderful guidance shared here. At some point, my (retired) husband took over pool duties from me (still working, too many hours!), including putting in the liquid chlorine. Unfortunately, due to some medical issues a couple of years ago, he could no longer continue and we switched to a pool company.
I have been less than thrilled, moving to quite unhappy sometime in the last 12-15 months. At best the pool water almost always has a green tinge to it and is never the crystal clear it once was. Of course. they use the pucks, so where my stabilizer was always 45-50 it is now at 80. pH is 7.4, TA is 70, and TC is 10. When I asked if he had tested for FC, he didn't know (he didn't), so that is one value I know you still need, along with CA. For reference, my numbers when I was doing everything averaged CYA 45-50, pH 7.6, TA 70-90, TC and FC each 5, CA 200.
He added some chemicals to increase the TA slightly and added a little bit of "general" algaecide and Yellow-Out as well. They had already added algaecide about a month ago because the water was truly green (though more clear).
I am trying to figure out if I can make the time to take back control on my own, and (timewise) maintain it consistently. The pool (built 2006, 18x36 inground, no liner) currently gets minimal use, so there is not a lot of body oils, etc. to account for. We don't have a pool heater so while we don't close the pool, it is not used for several months a year, requiring less time to maintain.
I am only looking for some generalizations right now, as I know to get specific advice you need specific readings. In the meanwhile, my short term questions are these:
Must I put liquid chlorine every day, or could it be every other day?
Will the stabilizer continue to build as long as we use the pucks (thinking yes, but double-checking)?
Is there a (relatively easy) way to alternate liquid and pucks to slow the stabilizer build-up?
Is a TC of 10 reasonable for CYA of 80, and (ideally) what should I expect for FC readings at these levels?
Is CYA of 80 really worth draining water to lower (Fl water is expensive!)?
Thanks in advance for any help or advice you might be able to provide!
Laurie
I took care of my pool for many years - in NJ and then SW Florida, thanks to the wonderful guidance shared here. At some point, my (retired) husband took over pool duties from me (still working, too many hours!), including putting in the liquid chlorine. Unfortunately, due to some medical issues a couple of years ago, he could no longer continue and we switched to a pool company.
I have been less than thrilled, moving to quite unhappy sometime in the last 12-15 months. At best the pool water almost always has a green tinge to it and is never the crystal clear it once was. Of course. they use the pucks, so where my stabilizer was always 45-50 it is now at 80. pH is 7.4, TA is 70, and TC is 10. When I asked if he had tested for FC, he didn't know (he didn't), so that is one value I know you still need, along with CA. For reference, my numbers when I was doing everything averaged CYA 45-50, pH 7.6, TA 70-90, TC and FC each 5, CA 200.
He added some chemicals to increase the TA slightly and added a little bit of "general" algaecide and Yellow-Out as well. They had already added algaecide about a month ago because the water was truly green (though more clear).
I am trying to figure out if I can make the time to take back control on my own, and (timewise) maintain it consistently. The pool (built 2006, 18x36 inground, no liner) currently gets minimal use, so there is not a lot of body oils, etc. to account for. We don't have a pool heater so while we don't close the pool, it is not used for several months a year, requiring less time to maintain.
I am only looking for some generalizations right now, as I know to get specific advice you need specific readings. In the meanwhile, my short term questions are these:
Must I put liquid chlorine every day, or could it be every other day?
Will the stabilizer continue to build as long as we use the pucks (thinking yes, but double-checking)?
Is there a (relatively easy) way to alternate liquid and pucks to slow the stabilizer build-up?
Is a TC of 10 reasonable for CYA of 80, and (ideally) what should I expect for FC readings at these levels?
Is CYA of 80 really worth draining water to lower (Fl water is expensive!)?
Thanks in advance for any help or advice you might be able to provide!
Laurie
