New Pool Owner tired of Prof pool serv--Please help with Chems

[Aquapisces]

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the forum.
Here is a little history: I have a 35-40,000 gallon inground diving pool with pebble tec finish. This pool originally was built in the '80s we upgraded the filter (to sand) and pump two months ago. Complete water change with chlorine wash one month ago. We did have a professional pool company coming in for weekly pool service (chems included). It turned into so much of a hassle and cause for anxiety since we were doing most of the work. I can empty leaf catcher, pool skimmer, pump basket, maintain pool cleaner (4 wheel bottom cleaner), and back wash!!!! Chems kind of scare me..

Sooo... Two questions:
1) How do I keep my Chems balanced on a new water change? Chlorine still has a hard time registering after 1 month
2) How do I continue to have a successful pool?

Thanks so much!!

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!!

Keeping your chems balanced is much, much easier than you think--but the key to it all is to be able to do your own, accurate water testing and not having to rely on the pool store for it. So...first thing you need to do is get a good, drop-based test kit. We recommend the Taylor K-2006 or K-2006C (same kit but with bigger quantities of reagents). You can find it in the link in my signature, but make sure Amato Industries is the seller. Other sellers are substituting the K-2005, which is NOT the same thing and you don't want.

For now, you can pick up a cheap OTO kit at WalMart (that' the one with just chlorine and pH tests), or better yet, if they still have any of the 6-way drop-based kits, get one of those until you can get a better kit. Absolute worst case--take a sample of your pool water to a pool store, have a set of tests run on it, decline to buy all the stuff they're going to try to sell you, then post those numbers here. So....get your kit, run a set of tests and post the numbers here, and we'll be happy to get you going from there.

IN the meantime--what are you using for your chlorine source?
Janet

[Aquapisces]

The pool service I was using ended last week. He used Chlorine granules...we currently have Tabs. Wednesday I am heading to the store to buy the temporary testing kit until I can get the Taylor K, also I will pick up the Chlorine granules

[PoolDoc]

Wow. Just Googled your address, before promoting your membership status. (Spammers sometimes give me addresses, but they have a hard time getting addresses with pools AND matching phone numbers. So when I find those, I can pretty much be sure the new user -- you in this case -- is NOT a spammer.)

That's a bunch of pools AND a bunch of houses close together. How did the builders get behind the houses to build the pools? It looks like there's not room to go between the houses. Almost looks like you'd have to helicopter the backhoe and equipment in!

Ben

[Aquapisces]

That was a rental address and the pool there is being renovated!!! I do not feel comfortable giving out my personal address for security reasons. If you have a personal line I can give you my current address and you will see the mammoth pool I am talking about. It spans the length of my home

[PoolDoc]

No. I don't need it. I'm still curious how they get equipment back to those pools.

Ben

[Aquapisces]

I am not sure!!! In Arizona most of our homes are on top of each other!! Luckily I have a corner lot with three gates if we have to ever do further remodeling :) Maybe when I get rid of the eighties tile