Extremely High Phosphate count

[JHarrin458]

We changed our pool over to salt water pool. It was good for the first week and then it started to get cloudy. We were told by the pool company to push this button that was supposed to be for when it is majority hot or when a lot of people are swimming. It is a booster shock from what we are being told. The pool guy came to check the pool and said that the pool needed a stabilizer which is what he put in and was supposed to come back the next day and put more in. If he did that I don't know that was on Friday. Now coming home from a weekend away the pool is green. Something that I was told shouldn't happen with a salt pool. Now he says he took all the levels and the levels are very high on phosphates and is needed of salt. He said he ordered a phosphate eliminator and will be putting it in tomorrow, is this the right route to take and what should I expect after this? What can I do in order so this doesn't happen again?

Please help we spent enough money already.

Thanks

[PoolDoc]

You don't need the phosphate remover but you do need stabilizer.

However:
+ you'll have to choose between the BBB method and your pool guy -- you can't mix and match.
+ you'll need to get a good testkit with DPD-FAS chlorine testing, and a CYA test. Guess strips don't count. Links to Amazon sellers of the Taylor K2006 (NOT: K2005) in my signature.

[rcy100]

What can I do in order so this doesn't happen again?

Please help we spent enough money already.

Thanks

Get rid of your pool guy follow the advice given here, and it won't happen again and your money won't be wasted.

To begin, the superchlorinate button the pool company told you to push will raise the chlorine level, but slowly over (usually) a 24 hour period. To shock, you need to add chlorine all at once to raise the level quickly, and you need to keep it at shock level until whatever is causing your issue (cloudy water, algae etc.) is destroyed by the chlorine. The easiest way to do this is to add the proper amount of bleach to reach the proper shock level relative to your stabilizer (cyanauric acid or CYA) level.

Phosphate removers are great at removing money from your wallet to the pool store's wallet. The pool stores tell you that it's food for algae, but if you maintain your chlorine at the proper level, there won't be any algae in your pool to feed on the phospates, so it doesn't matter if you have phosphates in your pool. Phosphates do not create algae.

You should invest in a Taylor K2006 so you can test your water yourself. Strips are notoriously inaccurate, and the pool store is sometimes not much better.

Can you post the numbers that you pool guy got when he tested the water? Did you see HOW he tested the water? If he used strips, fire him immediately. Maybe, until you get your own K2006, get the pool store to test the water and post those results.

[CarlD]

Welcome!
The best thing we can do is educate you about pool care. It seems mysterious and difficult, but it's actually really simple and easy in 99.99% of all pools.

Pool stores and pool services are lousy sources of information because if you KNEW how easy it was, you wouldn't need them, certainly not the pool service. So they keep you ignorant and scared and remove your money from your wallet.

Pool chemistry mainly comes down to three things:

1) Chlorine levels for sanitation. Your salt-water generator makes chlorine from salt, but it's still chlorine just like bleach.
2) pH: this is how acid or alkaline your pool is. Neutral is best, but for difficult-to-explain reasons, "neutral" isn't 7, it's actuallly 7.2, to 7.8. Too acid and the water irritates and can damage your pool. Too alkaline and it can irritate and inhibit chlorine doing its job.
3) Stabilizer. This is like sunscreen for chlorine, protecting it from UV rays. But it slows chlorine down, so you need a higher basic level of it. With your SWCG, you should keep stabilizer in the 70-90 range (depending on what the manufacturer calls for) and chlorine at NO LESS than 5% of the stabilizer level, at all times.

Go to our sister site, poolsolutions.com and and spend an hour reading the tips there. You'll find it's all much easier than you think. There's no reason you cannot have a crystal clear pool your neighbors and friends envy for minimal effort and cost. It's what we here all do.

Carl