rbdeli
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Posts posted by rbdeli
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Are you using the vacuum underneath the skimmer basket, or does your pool have another hole on the side?
I usually vacuum my pool from the skimmer. I have never been able to get the vacuum line on the side of the pool to work properly. My vacuum line never seems to be primed, so I always leave the pump setting on Skim rather than VAC.
I get plenty of suction through the skimmer. Try one of the two holes underneath your skimmer basket.(The one with the most suction)
I'm sure someone else can give you a more reasonable, well defined answer.
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Last year, I began doing CYA testing outdoors with my back to the sun and still got slightly inconsistent readings from test to test using the K-2006. I find CYA testing with any kit to be the most erratic and less trustworthy of all the tests I do. I've never had complete confidence in it. I wish they made a CYA test that was as obvious and clear as the FAS chlorine one.
I have both test kits ..a Taylor K2006 and a Pentair CYA tester.The Pentair read 100ppm and the Taylor 45ppm.
but how can this be? I went with the Taylor reading.
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I can't imagine anyone thinking the Taylor K-2006 is more pool testing than they need, unless they've never used the FAS Chlorine test. This is the most easy-to-use, accurate chlorine test there is. You will never have to guess or compare colors. If you ever run into problems with your pool, you will regret selling it. It will be well worth the $39.00 and more you are wanting to get back from it.
If you feel it is more test kit than you need, you might not be testing your pool properly.
Make sure to read the information on this board about Chlorine and Stabilizer and the relationship between the two.
I bought the Taylor K 2006 test kit a week and half ago, used it 3 times and it is way more test kit then I need.I will include the original receipt and everything that came with the kit.
Shipping from Phoenix is $10 or free local pick up.
If you are interested, please send me a message. Click my name to the left of this message and click send message.
Thanks.
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I've used lots and lots of test kits in my first three years as a pool owner. I didn't really learn anything about my pool until I started using the Taylor K-2006.
By using the Taylor K-2006 on a route of pools and recording the results, I think you will get better, more consistent results across the board.
Hello,I wanted to get some pool tech opinions on what kit/brand would be best for a pool route. Have about 100 pools and testing the water is part of regular service.
What brand are you guys using?
What kit do you run and why?
I have employees now and want to make it easier for them to use the kits and get accurate readings what kit would you reccommend to fullfill my needs?
1. Cost
2. Accurate
thanks for any input.....
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I'll give you the same great advice 'chemgeek' gave me on this board last year.
Stay away from any type of chlorine systems that use stabilizer or CYA. I inherited a swimming pool with my house three years ago. Most chlorine pucks add stabilizer to your water. The higher your stabilizer, the higher you need to keep your free chlorine to disinfect. I had a plethora of problems getting my water balanced, but with the help of others on this forum and a really good Pool Testing Kit, I not only educated myself on proper water balance, but ended up with a sparkling pool.
Get the Tayor K-2006 Test Kit.
Look into the Three B's (Beach, Baking Soda and Borax) as your only chemicals you'll ever need.
Or, for that size of a pool look into a Salt Chlorine Generator.
Best of luck
Rob
Hi,Absolutely new to pools, recently moved to Arizona and were having a house built, also going to have a 20x 34 in-ground pool put in. Presently we are getting quotes and the best one to date is coming from Paddack Pools. They recommended the "frog" system for chlorination & minerals. I read most of the articles i could find on the forum with the word frog in it, and have not been able to draw any conclusions as to how good or bad this system is. Please advise before I purchase.
thanks in advance
Chuck
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Dang, that is a very good price. I'm about to reorder some agents and things.
But, it's a long, long winter in Colorado. I've got about 2 and 1/2 months to go!
Just ordered one so i'll let you know if it is legit in a few days, but seems so thus far (called and emailed them).I got the test kit for $41 dollars plus $8 shipping.
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I paid $290 last year and though that was horrendously expensive. I guess not, based on the replies here.
Today, I am looking into trying to close it myself. I'm a little nervous about making sure the lines are all blown out. I also unsure as to whether or not I should lower the water. Some experts tell you not to, to keep strain and force off the cover.
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I had an experience which I posted on the 'other' forum about my pump going out. It did exhibit similar symptoms to yours, and seemed to get worse everytime I used the Vac or had to reprime it.
So, I doubt that just running it dry for two minutes would be the sole cause of the problem, but on the other hand if your pump was on it's way out in the first place, that could have been what took it to it's knees.
I got my new motor put in on Thursday and it is way quieter and cooler than I've ever noticed it before. Was your pump getting hot?
Dry? I doubt it. Normally there would be quite a bit of water held in the pump with just the valves closed, and normally it would be enough water to keep the pump lubricated and cooled for such a short time as one minute.It sounds more like the valve still isn't actually open (or open all the way) and the pump is pulling air in through somewhere on the suction line (or is cavitating).
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Did you use Cal-Hypo Shock?
A few weeks ago, I put 4 bags of Cal-Hypo in my pool because I wanted to raise my CH a bit while Shocking. My pool was cloudy for about a day right after the cal-hypo was put in. It only took about 24-36 hours to clear up.
It's probably the shock you used, and I'm sure chemgeek would be able to confirm this.
Rob
HI All...I have some concern on some advice I received at the local pool store regarding the conditioning of my pool...yesterday I brought a sample in and the water was crystal clear...chlorine and free chlorine was Ok...PH was a little low and alkalinity was fine...I told the tech I had a white film starting to form on the bottom and was hard to scrape off(my pool is a built in 16x32 with gunite bottom and fiberglass walls...it was painted 3 years ago with and epoxy paint)..she told me it was algae forming and I needed to up the PH and super shock it with 7bags of shock...when I got home I dumped the soda ash and checked after 2 hours..ph level was 7.9...then I broadcasted the 7 bags of shock...which instantly turned my pool water white and unable to see a foot down..now here I am 24 hours later with no change...water still white with no visibility...my question is will this clear up soon or was I given the wrong advice..filter always runs 24/7..thanks ..JOe -
Thanks for the tip on the skimmer socks. I have never used those, but certainly could would have liked to have them this summer. The cotton has been terrible.
I have not had much luck finding one place that carries everything. Overall, www.intheswim.com seems to have the best deals, but still lacks some of the testing agents for my K-2006.
I am a new pool owner since June 1st. I went to Leslie's pool supply today and bought a chemical test kit, muriatic acid, and a pumice bar for removing scale. I still need to get chlorine (granular and tabs). Are there better places to get pool supplies at a cheaper price? Are there certain brands of chlorine that are superior to others? Are there other chemicals I need? The pool is looking great. I had a service get it up and running, but that was just for the first month. I am on my own now.I don't know where you live, but Doheny's offers free next-day delivery to much of the US and free second-day delivery to much of the rest. Very competitive prices, too - especially once you factor shipping or travel time/gas/sweat driving to a local pool store and lugging the chems back.
What kind of test kit did you buy? Many members here use a Taylor kit, esp. the K-2006.
My advice re: chemicals is simplified since you're apparently a first-time pool owner. No offense - you'll learn quickly and deserve kudos for coming here and asking. You'll find much more detailed advice on this forum and from the booklet that accompanies Taylor test kits. Anyway, the levels you should test and adjust on a weekly basis are as follows:
pH - generally shouldn't have to worry about raising pH. You can use muriatic acid or dry acid (aka sodium bisulphate) to lower pH once it reaches 8.0.
TA (total alkalinity) - you can lower both TA and pH w/ muriatic acid once your pH increases toward 8.0. You can raise TA w/ baking soda once it drops below 80ppm.
CH (calcium hardness) - raise by adding calcium chloride (same stuff used as an alternative to normal sidewalk de-icers, but don't buy the versions found at local hardware stores). 150ppm is fine for vinyl and fiberglass, aim for 250-400ppm for a gunite/concrete pool. See note below about excessive calcium levels.
Stabilizer (aka CYA/cyanuric acid) and Chlorine: They go hand-in-hand. CYA greatly retards the deterioration rate of FC (free chlorine) caused by UV radiation - basically, CYA allows your chlorine levels to stay higher for longer periods of time. That said, too much CYA can be a bad thing and is a common source of problems for many pool owners - witness the number of questions posted here weekly about trouble maintaining FC levels; many of them are due to excessive CYA levels. You should test your CYA levels weekly, especially since you're using pucks and tabs. These are stabilized forms of chlorine and it's possible to over-stabilize your pool. Once your CYA level exceeds, oh, 80-100ppm you'll find you need to maintain an ever higher FC (free chlorine) level for sanitation (normally 1-5ppm unless your pool is over-stabilized), as well as aim for higher FC levels when shocking your pool (40% of your CYA level, e.g 24ppm assuming CYA level of 60ppm). Like calcium, CYA does not evaporate and stays in the pool unless you backwash or partially drain/refill your pool (although it tends to break down over the winter months). The only practicable forms of unstabilized chlorine are (1) chlorinated liquid (6% unscented bleach or 10-12% pool bleach/liquid chlorine), (2) lithium hypochlorite (expensive) and (3) Cal Hypo (aka calcium hypochlorite - note this raises your calcium levels, which can turn your pool cloudy once you reach a certain calcium level in relation to your TA and pH).
Most chems should be added slowly in front of a return outlet or cast evenly and in small amounts around the pool. The one exception is CYA, which is slow to dissolve and can be added directly to your skimmer box(es), although you'll want to install skimmer socks. That's another item you should add to your purchase list. They are elastic mesh liners that fit over the removable basket found in your skimmer. Cost maybe $5-6 for a pack of 5. BioGuard offers Skim Mor skimmer socks, that are treated w/ a chemical (mycelx) that is derived from technology for cleaning up oil spills. They are more expensive ($7-8 per 5-pack) but they are effective at reducing waterline scum associated w/ sunblock, body oils, etc. Skimmer socks are also a must-have for most of the US during the spring - they trap pollen, cottonwood seeds, etc. and keep them out of your filter. Remove, rinse and re-install every day, and replace every couple of weeks once they lose their elasticity. I replace my Skim Mor socks when they turn green (meaning they're loaded w/ sunblock or body oils).
Use the search engine or just scroll through the Inground and Pool Chemistry pages for tons of useful information. It can seem overwhelming at first, but you'll figure it out quickly. Good luck!
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I am in the exact same boat and our weather here in Colorado is very similar to yours.
It's awfully hard for me to want to use my pool heater when the temps aren't even getting up to the mid-70's..
This is why it's hard to justify owning a swimming pool in Colorado. The rainy and cooler weather we are getting this year is actually a return of normalcy for us. The last 7-8 years, more people than ever started buying AC in CO.. Things really DID get hotter and drier, but this seems to be a return to cooler days again in late spring / early summer.
1 btu heats 1 pound of water 1 degree per hour.8.3 pounds per gallon of water.
1 cubic ft. of natural gas = 1,075 btus
1 therm = @100,000 btus
250,000 btu heater uses 2.5 therms per hour.
1 gallon propane = 91,000 btus
Gallons X 8.3 = pounds of water
Heater BTU rating divided by effeciency rating, divided by lbs. of water = temp rise per hour
Remember, this is laboratory conditions, so your actual cost/heat time will vary, depending on weather/wind/air temp, etc.
hell I am no scientist so I will hpefully think 5 bucks is the correct answer...lol That I can swalllow. I live in Canada and although it typically is in the 80's and 90's during july and august, this year so far has been pitiful and we have not even turned the AC onin the house yet. The pool is surrounded by cedar trees and 2 houses but we do get quite a bit of sun during the day however around 5 or so the sun crosses over a corner of my house and blocks out the pool for about an hour then returns again.
the solar cover blew off about a month ago and I still need to repair it and currently use the pill to try and save evaporation...no clue if it works as I have not owned a pool long enough to determine much of anything so far. This weekend I have to repair the cover.
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Have you tried putting vitamin c tablets on the spots?
That would be the next thing to try.
My husband threw chlorine tablets into our 33,000 gal. pool. Our water is well water and full of heavy metals. The tablets left huge black stains on the bottom of the pool. It looks polka dotted now. Ugly. I tried a pumice stone under my foot, but it did not help. Any suggestions? We drained the pool last year, live in California (drought) and cannot refill it again this year. Thanks, -
I bet the last 7 years have given Colorado Pool owners a little bit longer pool season. The climate really has warmed a bit and the nights just don't get as cool as they used to, meaning the heater doesn't have to run as much to warm the pool. HOWEVER...Now that I'm a pool owner, it seems that things may be going back to the way they were.
We've had 7, straight weekends of below average temps, rain and gray skies, and nights are getting down into the 40's. This is more typical of our climate this year. I like the pool around 84-85 on a hot day and maybe 86 on a cool evening.
Energy savings are probably a trade off. Little or no need for the Air Conditioner, but a slight increased need for pool heater due to cooler nights.
Rob
I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:
- To purchase the heating equipment
- To install the heating equipment
Purchase and installation was all part of the overall initial pool cost around 6 years ago. It was around $70K for a 16x32 (16,000 gallon; has walk-in ramp on the side and seat at deep-end in the pool) in-ground plaster pool with 1 HP pump and 3/4-HP booster pump for Letro Legend pool cleaner, Jandy CL-340 cartridge filter (4 cartridges; 340 square foot total), Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output), automatic electric safety cover, 12 Fafco solar panels on roof. This was a "mid-priced" in-ground pool for the San Francisco Bay Area (low is around $40K, high is $100K+; obviously above-ground or vinyl pools are a lot less). Later upgraded pumps to a single Pentair Intelliflo variable flow (VF) and saved 50% on electricity costs.
- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12)
Mostly solar heat from May through September with some gas assist mostly in the outer months including some April and October and some November. Solar cost is basically the incremental pump electricity cost to get to 48 GPM (4 GPM per panel) instead of 26 GPM. At 5 hours per day solar on, 32 cents per kilowatt-hour marginal rate, about 1200 Watts incremental electricity between solar on vs. off, this is about $300-400 for the season.
Gas assist is a lot more expensive and mostly done in April/May and October/November, though some at other times. In the coldest months, it's around $400 per month incremental (at $1.68/Therm). Figure around $1200 or so for the year overall.
Note that the pool is kept warm at 88F as it is used as a therapy exercise pool. If lower temps (say, 84F) were used, then that would be far less gas assist required. Also, the automatic electric safety cover is about half as insulating as a bubble-type cover (though still a LOT better than no cover at all -- cutting down overnight temperature drop by half) though it is very convenient.
- for any failures or replacements
had one electronic component blow out in the gas heater so circuit board needed replacing. Cost around $500 or so including parts and labor.
- how long any pool heater lasted
It's still going after 6 years though had the electronic failure noted above
- what brand/type it is and was and
as noted above, Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output)
- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best.
It's only 80% efficient so given how much we use gas assist, I would get a more efficient heater instead. I'd also look at whether a heat pump would work in our situation (probably not unless it could maintain the higher water temp even in the cooler months -- it certainly won't heat very quickly).
Overall, probably a 7.
Thanks!
Note that I voted incorrectly when I said I had a solar cover since it's really a heat-retention cover since it's opaque. Note also that I voted that I have a large solar system because it does provide more heat than I need during the summer, but in the colder low-sun-angle months I need gas assist so solar is not enough at those times.
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Whatever you use, a $100 investment in a solar blanket will help, especially for retaining the heat when pool is not being used.
From my own experience, a light blue, 12-mil solar blanket is probably the best all-around choice:
I am installing an inground vinyl liner pool and would like to know the cheapest most effective way to heat the new pool.Heat pump- - Gas- - or- - Electric
Please give me your feedback. Thanks
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Puck Chlorinator? Could a puck chlorinator somehow be utilized in making a liquid chlorinator?
I've got a perfectly good puck chlorinator that just attracts dust now. It seems like there's gotta be someway to make use of it without adding stabilizer to the pool. Why can't they make non-stabilized chlorine pucks?
I am again using the equipment in the photos above to chlorinate ("bleachinate"?) my pool.But instead of making holes in my plumbing I:
- filled the bag with 1 large bottle of cheap ($3.00/196 oz, probably 5%) K-mart bleach and a little more than two bottles of water (diluted down to about 30% of original so probably under 2% cl)
- Hung the bag in a shaded deck box not far from the pool and about 2-3 ft above water level
- Laid the line on the ground up to the pool
- clamped (restricted) the line so that it was giving me about a drop per second
I've had to adjust it twice so far - first it was less than one drop per second and CL got too low. After a long overnight the CL was about right so I just barely reduced it again - probably very close to 1 drop per second, and after about two days the CL level looks fairly good, no adjustment needed right now but I may increase it just a tiny bit because the weather has been cold and the cover has stayed on.
Not very elegant but this has a bunch of advantages:
- doesn't rely on plumbing
- doesn't cost much - maybe $10
- easy to set up
- requires no electricity
But it has disadvantages:
- getting the drip rate correct can take a while (several days).
- drip rate will probably change as the weight in the water bag changes and probably as outside temperatures change
- Getting the hose connected to the water bag was a pain and it does drip veeeery slowly. Need to improve
- having a hose laying across the the pool deck is a trip hazard and doesn't look good (if I had a diving board, under there would be a good option).
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I would think if you cut a solar blanket exactly the shape of your pool, you'd be able to get it to roll up nicely on your reel.
Have you looked at a longer and wider size, so it could be cut to shape?
I just bought a new 12-Mil blue. It seems to be much better quality than the last one I had, and the blue looks decent on the pool.
Was really happy with the price and service I got.
Today was the last straw. We had the pool installed and finished last Sept and it is a humpback kidney shape. The solar cover is a royal pain as it really does not roll up nicely due to the shape but today was it!!!!! Gusting winds ripped it right off the pool and broke away every string connecting it to the winder and it flew up and on the other side of the yard. I have seen these fish gizmos that you put in the pool which create some sort of film on the surface to prevent evaporation. Although not as effective as the solar blanket it is painless and easy, they last a month so for 12 bucks a month I dont have to have the solar blanket issue, besides I find it ugly looking. Anybody ever try these out and if so your opinion on them? -
As you, I started out using 6-1 test strips last year. My CYA results showed inaccurately high with the test strips. The Taylor K-2006 was about 100PPM lower and that's the one I believe:
Taylor also sells a kit just for CYA testing if you want to go that route.
I'd go with K-2006, if nothing else, just for the FAS-DPD Chlorine tests.I did partial drainings about 4-5 times a week last year to get my CYA down to about 120-150. It drove my wife crazy and she's worried I'm going to do it again this summer. (And I probably am)
Hi, I'm new here but I hope that you can help me with a problem. I have an 8000 gallon pool in the South of Spain that has been behaving itself for 4 years or more. As is the practice in Spain chlorine is administered via Trichlor tablets and water chemistry is checked using OTO test kits.
Having read on this forum and others the importance of FC I got hold of some 6in1 test strips. All seems OK with the exception of CYA which seems to be about 300ppm. I recognise that this far from ideal but the refilling of pools is strictly prohibited in Spain due to water shortages. This being the case I have would like to only add chlorine without CYA until the CYA level is reduced through backwashing etc, however, I expect that this will take sometime.
From what I have read here I see that high levels of CYA reduce the effectiveness if chlorine which raises a couple of questions:
1. What level of FC would I need to maintain to counteract the high CYA level.
2. What level of FC is safe for swimming
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A couple of years ago, I was in your same boat: I Purchased a home with a swimming pool and didn't have the first idea how to keep care of it. I hired a pool guy the first year, who put chlorine tablets in our skimmer which contributed to a broken heat exchanger and other problems with my water chemistry. The next year, I decided to educate myself.
I concur with Richard: Buy the Taylor K-2006 test kit or the TFT one.
Educate yourself. The K-2006 Test kit actually has a very good manual.
Start there and visit the pool school at www.troublefreepool.com
I'm still edcuating myself and getting lessons from our resident chemgeek, Richard. I've done some stupid things, so I doubt you'll screw anything up worse than me.
Best of luck.
Rob
I purchased a home about a month ago with a 18x32 inground vinyl pool. It has a sand filter and a 1.5hp pump. The house has been vacant for two years and the pool sitting there for all that time. It has been covered with a mesh safety cover. When we uncovered it was totally carpeted with green. You couldnt even see the first step. We decided that we should hire help. I hired a pool guy and he said he could have my pool clean in one week. Swim ready. Well two weeks later and about 600.00 later it is still not swimable. It is no longer green, but you can see down about two step levels and the rest is like I poured some skim milk in. About one week after we hired him, he called and said that the pool was almost clear and by the next day...we would be set. We are not living at the house yet...so we couldnt confirm. But the next day, we loaded up the kids and went over to the house and found it as described above and it hasnt changed abit in a week. He said that it was almost perfect and then a storm came and screwed it up. So last weekend, I took water in to my local pool store for analysis and they told me I needed 5lb shock, 1 bottle of algacide, some (baking soda). and some lo and slow???.. I put all that in and the pool guy returned and helped and now Monday... still no results. Anyone with any advice? Today, I bought a test kit. It said my PH was good... but showed no CL. So I added 4 more packages of shock and put 2 tabs in my inline chlorinator. Keeping the system on filtration 24/7. I backwashed also several times before I added the chem today. Any help would be appreciated! Should I have drained it? -
This would explain why my CYA drastically declined last year when I had the ammonia problem. My CYA was still too high, and I continued to do a lot of partial drainings and re-fills. I think I'm in the right ballpark now.
It's not biomass, but soil bacteria that can get into a pool that has no chlorine in it (usually over the winter if a pool is "let go") and can convert the CYA to ammonia. However, this doesn't always happen, is not controllable, and requires a LOT of chlorine to get rid of the ammonia and other intermediate products. Basically, the only practical way to lower CYA is by dilution of the water via partial drain/refill (or continuous drain/refill, but that uses more water).Given your numbers for CYA, it is possible that bacteria did convert some of it to ammonia. It can happen in just a few days as happened to me this year when I stupidly didn't add chlorine mid-week as the pool warmed up (see this thread). However, since you are measuring FC, you've added enough chlorine to get rid of it (IF it converted at all).
As for the DPD chlorine test, it can bleach out above 10 ppm FC so you can certainly see the effect you saw where diluting the water results in a higher FC reading because the test isn't getting bleached out as much. This is one reason why the FAS-DPD test is better since it does not bleach out -- if you see a flash of pink when adding powder, just add more powder until you get the pink/red -- then add titrating reagent and count the drops (which are 0.2 or 0.5 ppm each, depending on sample size).
Since you are actually measuring a Free Chlorine (FC) level, you do not have any ammonia in your pool. Ammonia will not exist more than a few seconds to a minute or two in the presence of chlorine as it combines to form monochloramine very quickly. In your case, you are measuring some Combined Chlorine (CC), most likely due to the algae. Just shock the pool by keeping the FC at roughly 40% of the CYA level until 1) you measure <= 1 ppm FC drop overnight, 2) you measure <= 0.5 ppm CC and 3) the pool is crystal clear. See Defeating Algae for more details. The pool should clear and the CC drop within a few days since it doesn't sound like your algae bloom got very far -- for a big bloom it can take up to a week to clear the pool.
Richard
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I have used three different popular brands of pH testing strips to check my pH level and I keep geeting a reading ~ 7.2-7.6. I took a water sample to my local pool store and they tell me my pH is ~7.2 and they repaeted the test twice. Now I took a water sample into work and tested pH with a acid/base titrator which gives 6.72 avg. Now testing my water at work is nice but, now how do i trust the other readings I get using these test stips??
I believe that the Taylor K-2006 Liquid Test kits are extremely accurate, but my problem is identifying the color with my eyes. I'd highly recommend the K-2006, anyway, if nothing else for the rest of the tests, especially the FAS-DPD Chlorine test.
I am still waiting for someone to respond to an earlier question I asked about Digital PH Readers.
Does this one work? Digital PH Test Reader
Would love for someone to compare this to the readings they get from their pool store. I have always wanted an accurate PH tester that I can be confident of at the same time.
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Ascorbic acid will quickly get rid of metal stains. The one way to tell if these are metal stains is to get some vitamin c tablets and rub it directly on the stain. If the vitamin c erases the stain where it's being rubbed, then you know you have metal stains.
If it is indeed metal, you can buy a container of ascorbic acid at your pool store which will quickly remove the stains.
Try the vitamin C tablets and then report back here for the best way to begin treatment. You will want to keep a fairly low chlorine level for the ascorbic acid to work best. That means you might want to use an algaecide while treating to prevent algae due to the low chlorine. After the stains are removed, you will need to buy a sequestering agent to keep the metal from causing further stains. I used a product called, Metal Free last year. I still had problems with stains returning all summer.
Rob
Our entire pool is a big stain. What is the best option for making the pool look new again. Is it better to replaster the pool? Is painting the pool the best option? Is there a chemical that will remove all these stains without effort (we've tried hundreds of chemicals and acids with no success)? The pool is already etched from hydrochloric acid and is ready for painting or replastering.The pool is only three years old. All the stains were caused by a hurricane and the stains have been on the pool for two years & 350 days.
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The first thing I'm curious about is your Free Chlorine level? If your free chlorine level is fairly low, you are probably fighting algae and will need to shock the living heck out of it to get rid of that. I doubt you overshocked your pool. Chlorine is what my pool always needs more of when there's a problem. You need to get your FC (Free chlorine) up to a good 10 or 20ppm.
Richard (Chemgeek) really knows his stuff and can be of more help than me, but I'd start by posting your Free Chlorine number here. That should lend some clues.
Rob
I'm having some issues with my pool this season.I have cleaned the pool of all debris and have the water level right. I have vacuumed numerous times and and backwashed plenty of times too, yet my water still appears to be green.
When I first got the water level under control and also cleared the pool of leaves etc, the water managed to turn a shade of blue, although not perfect. Initially I added ph plus because the level was a little on the slow side. Since then I have added algaeside and shock (last dose was a week ago), but all week the pool water has gotten progressively worse until it's current state of green.
Is their such thing as putting too much shock in the pool when it first gets opened to help control everything? My pool holds approximately 22,000 gallons.
I have Alkalinity Up and Dry Acid. Should either os these chemicals be added to help turn the color of the water?
I guess I'm just frustrated and until I can get the water tested at the pool store I want to know if there is anything I can do in the mean time.
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If I knew something about salt water pools, I could be of more help.
I would want to know what your FC (Free Chlorine) readings are. Since Total Chlorine is the sum of combined and free chlorine, it doesn't really indicate the purity of your water.
If it were my own pool, I'd measure the FC and if it were low, I'd simply shock the heck out of it. With fresh water pools, shocking them with chlorine usually turns the water crystal clear within 2-3 days.
Richard???
My pool located in Atlanta is a 18x38 salt water pool using 4 lg cartridges, this past winter my Jandy pump went out so when we took the cover off we had a mess, the water was blackish, within the last 10 days I have replaced the pump motor and followed instructions from the pool store so it is now only a green hue but clear but can't seem to get rid of the green hue. I thought it was maybe copper because I am seeing staining on my liner, stairs and polaris. The pool store says the copper is not high enough to cause the green hue but the stains can be taken care of once the water is clear. I do not completely understand the analysis so I just follow what they tell me but nothing seems to be improving, any help or ideas would help.Analysis, 24000 gals
Date of Analysis 4/20 4/24 4/27 4/29
Sat Ind -1 -1.7 -1.5 1
TDS 3100 3200 3900 4100
CYA 40 40 not tested not tested
Tot Chl 3.5 10 9.5 10
pH 6.9 6.5 6.4 8.8
Tot alk 92 73 100 102
Hardiness 104 97 113 122
Borates 17 11 40 41
Salt 2200 2200 3200 3200
Pool Store instructions:
4/20 5lbs banish, 15lbs super soluable, clean filters daily, brush liner
4/24 5bags mineral springs salt 4lbs balance 100, con't cleaning filters every other day, brush sides
4/27 4lbs balance 200, 2lbs super soluable, 2lbs banish, con't cleaning filters
4/29 3lbs Lo'N Slo, con't cleaning
when cleaning filters, they look great no matter on them but they are starting to stain, pool bottom is clear of matter so are pool sides, I have been brushing them every other day
any help on why the pool is not clearing, I am almost to the point to drain and refill
Thanks,
Lisa
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I'm still wondering what in the world could have caused the ammonia.
I'm wondering if it could have been lawn fertilizer blowing in the pool from the neighbor's lawn or trees.
Doesn't lawn, tree and plant food contain some ammonia?
Rob
Frank,Use The Pool Calculator to figure dosing and add some chlorine to get to 10 ppm FC in the early evening after the sun has gone down. Then measure 1 hour later and see if you get a reading. If your chlorine is near zero, then Rob may be correct and you could have an ammonia problem, but this test will tell you that. If you do measure chlorine, then try measuring again the next morning. If you still measure about the same amount of chlorine, then the problem was just that you didn't have Cyanuric Acid (CYA) in the water. You could use Dichlor for chlorine and cumulatively add around 35 ppm FC as that will add around 31-32 ppm CYA which should be good to get you started though. If you continue to use Trihclor tabs, then the CYA will climb over time unless you have a very large amount of water dilution.
Richard
Trichlor Pucks In Skimmer, Bad Idea?
in All Swimming Pools Types
Posted
I am one who used to have a pool guy who put trichlor pucks in my skimmer. A year later I had a $700 heat exchanger repair bill. This doesn't begin to cover the costs and hassles I paid to keep metals from staining my pool the last two years. The pool guy used to leave my pump running 24/7, but I wouldn't put trichlor pucks in my skimmer at all anymore.