Want to start servicing my own pool need advice.

[AmstaffNole]

So I bought this house 2 years ago and have had a company coming out weekly to service it. I kept telling myself I would eventually do it once I took the time to learn and I think that time has come. All summer long it seems like some algae has developed even just a few days after servicing so I’ve had to shock and scrub my pool multiple time. I figured at this point I might as well do it myself. So here is where I’m at:

Chlorine pool with inline chlorinator
35K gallons
Stonescapes mini pebble aqua blue
DFW area
Pool stays open year round
Cartridge filter

The help I need is this:

1. What testing kit should I purchase? On Amazon I found the Taylor k 2005 I believe for $67. Is this adequate?
2. Chemical wise I assume I’d need to shock weekly, and add tabs to chlorinator weekly. That part seems simple but should I use liquid chlorine to shock or bags? Also what types of tabs?
3. The part Im most worried about is balancing pH with either acid or baking soda. I don’t think this is something that would occur to often but what products should I be prepared to use?

Honestly I’m just looking for recommendations on the actual products I should be using and if there is something I’m overlooking/haven’t thought about by taking over the servicing.

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

 

[mknauss]

1. What testing kit should I purchase? On Amazon I found the Taylor k 2005 I believe for $67. Is this adequate?

Get the Taylor K2006C or for a better value the TF100 or Pro from TFTestkits.net

2. Chemical wise I assume I’d need to shock weekly, and add tabs to chlorinator weekly. That part seems simple but should I use liquid chlorine to shock or bags? Also what types of tabs?

Read Pool Care Basics. No need to shock. Tabs are limited in use. Add liquid chlorine daily or convert to a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

3. The part Im most worried about is balancing pH with either acid or baking soda. I don’t think this is something that would occur to often but what products should I be prepared to use?

Few pools ever need baking soda. Muriatic acid is needed to maintain pH in the 7's.

 

[AmstaffNole]

Get the Taylor K2006C or for a better value the TF100 or Pro from TFTestkits.net

Read Pool Care Basics. No need to shock. Tabs are limited in use. Add liquid chlorine daily or convert to a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

Few pools ever need baking soda. Muriatic acid is needed to maintain pH in the 7's.

Thanks for the feedback. I converted from a SaltWater Generator after mine crapped out and the cost to replace wasn’t attractive lol. I will read the link you provided. Thanks

 

[dfwnoob]

Welcome to TFP, @AmstaffNole !

Good looking pool. For test kits, you have two options: The Taylor K-2006C (the 2006 includes the FAS-DPD chlorine test, the 2005 does not; the C indicates "commercial" sized reagents which are more economical) or the TFTestKits.net TF-100/TFPro. The TFTestKits models are the better bang for your buck and the Pro includes the SmartStir which makes your life easier.

We don't "shock" in the TFP method. People who use pucks "shock" because inevitably, the FC/CYA ratio gets out of whack, and the FC level needs to be brought back up to a sufficient sanitizing level. Your path forward is to chlorinate with liquid chlorine all the time OR install a salt water chlorine generator (the easiest "trouble free" option by far).

Much of the fill water in North TX is high pH anyway, you would likely only be adding muriatic acid. With the TFP method, your most common chemicals are liquid chlorine, CYA, and muriatic acid. That's it. No pool store miracle potions, no clarifiers, no nonsense. Just basic cheap stuff.

You're getting algae because of the pucks you're using driving your FC/CYA ratio to be unbalanced. Fire the pool care company, get your test kit, and jump in. Read the link to Pool Care Basics that Marty provided above, especially ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

We'll get you in much better shape than the pool maintenance dummies left you.

 

[AmstaffNole]

Welcome to TFP, @AmstaffNole !

Good looking pool. For test kits, you have two options: The Taylor K-2006C (the 2006 includes the FAS-DPD chlorine test, the 2005 does not; the C indicates "commercial" sized reagents which are more economical) or the TFTestKits.net TF-100/TFPro. The TFTestKits models are the better bang for your buck and the Pro includes the SmartStir which makes your life easier.

We don't "shock" in the TFP method. People who use pucks "shock" because inevitably, the FC/CYA ratio gets out of whack, and the FC level needs to be brought back up to a sufficient sanitizing level. Your path forward is to chlorinate with liquid chlorine all the time OR install a salt water chlorine generator (the easiest "trouble free" option by far).

Much of the fill water in North TX is high pH anyway, you would likely only be adding muriatic acid. With the TFP method, your most common chemicals are liquid chlorine, CYA, and muriatic acid. That's it. No pool store miracle potions, no clarifiers, no nonsense. Just basic cheap stuff.

You're getting algae because of the pucks you're using driving your FC/CYA ratio to be unbalanced. Fire the pool care company, get your test kit, and jump in. Read the link to Pool Care Basics that Marty provided above, especially ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

We'll get you in much better shape than the pool maintenance dummies left you.

Thanks for the quick reply!! So I wouldn’t be utilizing the in line chlorinator but just using liquid chlorine right ? Would I be adding liquid chlorine /bleach daily or how often exactly?

 

[dfwnoob]

Nope, you'd just empty out the inline and manually dose liquid chlorine into the pool.

How much you need would depend on your CYA (stabilizer) level. If you kept it around the TFP recommended level of 40, you would dose enough LC to keep your FC level between 5-7 ppm. You can use the PoolMath app on your phone (or use the old PoolMath link below) to estimate how much you'd be pouring in. 35,000 is a fairly large pool, so that can be quite a bit of FC, making the SWCG an easier option. Regardless, there's a Pinch a Penny in McKinney you can always find liquid chlorine at, even when Home Depot and other places are out.

 

[Flying Tivo]

You can use the inline chlorinator for vacation.

 

[AmstaffNole]

Nope, you'd just empty out the inline and manually dose liquid chlorine into the pool.

How much you need would depend on your CYA (stabilizer) level. If you kept it around the TFP recommended level of 40, you would dose enough LC to keep your FC level between 5-7 ppm. You can use the PoolMath app on your phone (or use the old PoolMath link below) to estimate how much you'd be pouring in. 35,000 is a fairly large pool, so that can be quite a bit of FC, making the SWCG an easier option. Regardless, there's a Pinch a Penny in McKinney you can always find liquid chlorine at, even when Home Depot and other places are out.

ok so I’d test my FC level daily and then add LC based on the pool math app calculation as needed to stay in 5-7ppm range?

 

[dfwnoob]

Yep, you've got it!

 

[AmstaffNole]

Yep, you've got it!

Just downloaded the app…looks like a bit over a gallon of LC would get me to around 5ppm. Any idea how fast it depletes? I know there are variables but I’m just trying to price this out. Realistically would I be adding a gallon a day? Every other day? Just trying to get a ballpark. LC at 10% seems to be about $5 a gallon. So even if I add 1 gallon daily I’m at about $150. Does that seem right?

 

[Flying Tivo]

An average pool will consume around 2-4ppm of FC daily. You can automate additions. Please fill in your signature with your pool specs and equipment so we can help better. Have a look at mine down below.

Stenner Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[wireform]

That's why the chlorine generator is option 2. You first salt cell could have gone out for numerous reasons but following TFP to letter it becomes easy peezy obviously step one is the test kit and I'd recommend the pro 100 if there's a chance you're going back to SWCG which includes the smart stirr which is a must making the testing easier and uniform.

 

[Pins]

Nope, you'd just empty out the inline and manually dose liquid chlorine into the pool.

How much you need would depend on your CYA (stabilizer) level. If you kept it around the TFP recommended level of 40, you would dose enough LC to keep your FC level between 5-7 ppm. You can use the PoolMath app on your phone (or use the old PoolMath link below) to estimate how much you'd be pouring in. 35,000 is a fairly large pool, so that can be quite a bit of FC, making the SWCG an easier option. Regardless, there's a Pinch a Penny in McKinney you can always find liquid chlorine at, even when Home Depot and other places are out.

I’m a relative newbie and would highly recommend getting the pool math app. It tells you you how much of whatever you need to put in to make the change you want. Take the time to regularly read pool school and all the great info there. I have NEVER had my pool professionally serviced and the pool is beautiful. The only time it’s gone green is when I’ve neglected to check FC regularly. And no pool technician can do that unless you pay them to come everyday!

 

[AmstaffNole]

So earlier I posted about taking over my pool servicing and asking questions to better prepare me for the task. Everyone was very kind and helpful but I’m now left with trying to understand the thought behind this “trouble free” system. My takeaway from the responses were that I need to test for FC daily and add LC daily as well. I don’t understand how this is exactly trouble free considering I’m testing 7 days a week and adding LC as well. Maybe the Trouble free means the pool won’t have any troubles? If that’s the case is there a Semi trouble free alternative that doesn’t have me testing daily and adding chems daily? What if I use the approach but every other day or twice a week?

 

[jasonegreen1978]

So earlier I posted about taking over my pool servicing and asking questions to better prepare me for the task. Everyone was very kind and helpful but I’m now left with trying to understand the thought behind this “trouble free” system. My takeaway from the responses were that I need to test for FC daily and add LC daily as well. I don’t understand how this is exactly trouble free considering I’m testing 7 days a week and adding LC as well. Maybe the Trouble free means the pool won’t have any troubles? If that’s the case is there a Semi trouble free alternative that doesn’t have me testing daily and adding chems daily? What if I use the approach but every other day or twice a week?

I can say as a person who recently found the site and helped me go from green to clear. The testing is really only fc/ph each day. It takes about 5 minutes then another few minutes to add chemicals. I have left my fc levels on the higher side of the chart so if I miss a day I don’t feel it’s too bad. I also have learned about what a standard day is and sometimes just add my chlorine and don’t need to test. It sounds like a lot of work but definitely not

 

[AmstaffNole]

I can say as a person who recently found the site and helped me go from green to clear. The testing is really only fc/ph each day. It takes about 5 minutes then another few minutes to add chemicals. I have left my fc levels on the higher side of the chart so if I miss a day I don’t feel it’s too bad. I also have learned about what a standard day is and sometimes just add my chlorine and don’t need to test. It sounds like a lot of work but definitely not

I guess I’m also hung up on cost. If I need to add a gallon of LC daily at a cost of $5 per then I’m spending $150 on LC monthly before even worrying about other chemicals like muriatic acid. Cost wise it’s no cheaper then hiring a service.

 

[gingrbredman]

Cost wise it’s no cheaper then hiring a service.

If you are just comparing the cost with the service and without the service, you may get to the conclusion that the costs are the same.

BUT, with the service, you also get the benefit of having algae, unbalanced water, and you have to do the work anyway to fix what they can not. The also graciously give you way more CYA than you need, and could eventually give you a nice scale ring around the pool, which what new pool owner doesn't want that? The will also eventually require you to drain and refill the pool, and guessing that cost is not on them.

So let's say its $150 for the service and $150 without the service, what is the real difference?

For a 35k gallon pool, in order to properly maintain the correct chemistry, it is going to take about 5ppm a day of chorine. Give or take, this number will be different throughout the year, but lets just use this number as an average for now. Service or no service, that is the amount needed. Your service is not doing this, and algae has formed. You will do it, and will not get any algae. When algae comes, and the water is cloudy, and the remediation is a SLAM, then that is far from trouble free, and if you are talking costs, that is going to be expensive for a 35k gallon pool.

Once you get an understanding of your pool, it may not require daily tests. But will require a few times for week, to make sure that chorine is still in the pool, keeping it properly sanitized. Even if you get away with less frequent testing after you get a hang of all this, the pool will still need daily chlorine to keep up with what is burned off each day, the only real way around that is to put in the SWCG to let it produce the chlorine for you each day.

A lot of pool owners out there stick with services, or use pucks to make things "easier" on them, but the honest answer is their pool is probably not properly balanced or sanitized. A lot of other pool owners come here and realize in the end it is a better balanced, sanitized, and costs less to maintain overall with the TFP methods.

 

[AmstaffNole]

If you are just comparing the cost with the service and without the service, you may get to the conclusion that the costs are the same.

BUT, with the service, you also get the benefit of having algae, unbalanced water, and you have to do the work anyway to fix what they can not. The also graciously give you way more CYA than you need, and could eventually give you a nice scale ring around the pool, which what new pool owner doesn't want that? The will also eventually require you to drain and refill the pool, and guessing that cost is not on them.

So let's say its $150 for the service and $150 without the service, what is the real difference?

For a 35k gallon pool, in order to properly maintain the correct chemistry, it is going to take about 5ppm a day of chorine. Give or take, this number will be different throughout the year, but lets just use this number as an average for now. Service or no service, that is the amount needed. Your service is not doing this, and algae has formed. You will do it, and will not get any algae. When algae comes, and the water is cloudy, and the remediation is a SLAM, then that is far from trouble free, and if you are talking costs, that is going to be expensive for a 35k gallon pool.

Once you get an understanding of your pool, it may not require daily tests. But will require a few times for week, to make sure that chorine is still in the pool, keeping it properly sanitized. Even if you get away with less frequent testing after you get a hang of all this, the pool will still need daily chlorine to keep up with what is burned off each day, the only real way around that is to put in the SWCG to let it produce the chlorine for you each day.

A lot of pool owners out there stick with services, or use pucks to make things "easier" on them, but the honest answer is their pool is probably not properly balanced or sanitized. A lot of other pool owners come here and realize in the end it is a better balanced, sanitized, and costs less to maintain overall with the TFP methods.

Ok this confirms my thoughts. Thank you for clarifying as it makes a lot of sense.

Thanks

 

[Mdragger88]

Trouble Free works both ways, once u get the hang of it it’s no big deal to do a 2 minute test & add some bleach. This attention also leads to a pool that really is Trouble Free vs something that u are constantly fighting with or unhappy with staring at you from your backyard.
u have a large pool volume, this means u need to use more chlorine & other chems than someone with a smaller pool to achieve the same effect. With your current pool service are all chems are included? If so I guarantee they are skimping & under chlorinating your pool because trichlor generally costs more than liquid chlorine. Depending upon the season/uv your daily fc consumption will fluctuate. Some people use 1-2ppm/day or less in the shoulder seasons & as much as 5ppm/ day in the dog days of summer. Once u “know your pool” you will be able to just add a certain amount daily or add extra & go a couple days between testing depending upon the season u are in. But testing every day in the beginning is what gives u the knowledge to do this. The key here is that your frequent testing allows u to pickup on an issue before it becomes terrible & costs a ton of $$ to correct & your water stays nice ALL the time not just right after the pool guy comes.
There are also sources for liquid chlorine in texas that are less than $5/gal - try to locate a HASA dealer.

Where to find Liquid Chlorine

We want to help you with your pool and maintain your water. Help users find a quality source of Chlorine around them or find a source for your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

Adding a saltwater chlorine generator can really take the daily chore of chlorinating out of the equation & in your case with a large pool & long swim season it can be lucrative. It’s basically buying all your chlorine upfront. You would want the largest rated unit available- 60k gal so it doesn’t have to run constantly. All units aren’t apples to apples so be sure to compare output.

 

[SJPoe]

All summer long it seems like some algae has developed even just a few days after servicing so I’ve had to shock and scrub my pool multiple time.

$150 a month for some pimply-faced-youth to come and throw some Trichlor in the feeder, and tell you you need to shock...and you are STILL seeing algae in the pool ? What ELSE is growing that you CAN'T see ?

Lets see. Today, I spent a total of 5 minutes running chlorine tests (plink plink fizz...) and about another 2 minutes putting a bottle of chlorine on the step by the return jet to 'trickle' into the pool (stab stab done).
I scooped out the skimmer basket...no frogs today.
Call it 10 minutes total.
If I did that EVERY DAY (which I don't) that would be an hour a week.
I haven't backwashed the filter this month yet, and based on the pressure gauge and CC tests, it probably doesn't need it anyway.
I haven't scrubbed the pool, shocked it, or even thought about it.
I haven't added acid. Or bicarb, or purple magic super goo...or anything.

Chlorine for me is about $4/gal for 12.5%. I usually add 1 gallon every 36 hours on average, so figure 20 gallons a month. $80.
$80 / 30 days = $2.67 day. That's less than a Starbucks Latte.

So, for less time, and less money than it would cost me to go and get a mediocre cup of joe from the local java hut, I have a pool that is crystal clear, available to me and mine 24/7, and I don't have to rely on any acne-afflicted-adolescents wandering around (other than maybe those related to me...but that's a different story)

p.s. thats 8ft deep...average day, no special prep...its like that EVERY DAY....