Green hue in clear water...

[Sparkle]

Our fiberglass pool with an Aqua Rite salt cell system has a minor start up issue. We had some trouble with the cover at the end of last season. I'll spare you all the details, but due to some pool store issues, we ended up with pinstraw, leaves and other debris in pool over the winter...things that had been avoided the previous year. My thought is that we have a hint of algae. I ordered the TF-100 test kit and these are my current readings...
FC--2
CC--6.5 (our pool store is having us run the cell at 90% right now to "clear up the green after a couple weeks")
TA--120
CH--210 (as far as I could tell...seemed to turn purple rather than blue...put in a few extra drops after that reading just in case, but the shade of purple stayed the same)

Salt strip showed about 2400---aqua rite recommends 2700-3400...this is my first try with a salt strip.

Tried to test CYA, but the test tube was cracked on the bottom and all the liquid poured out. What was in the bottle seemed pretty clear to me, so I'm not sure what to make of that?

I have no way of testing for metals and the pool place is very laid back and they don't seem to test for metals even when I've mentioned it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want to care for our investment to the best of my ability. I want to do what is best for the fiberglass and the salt cell. I love our store, but they seems to think close is good enough...I don't subscribe to that in any area of my life much less with a huge investment like and pool and salt system. I want to get as much life out of it as I can and I know that will require me to maintain proper levels.

My gut is that we are just going to wear out our cell quickly running it like this. Should we simply turn the cell off and add household bleach to shock levels to see if the remaining green hue will finally disappear? Should I be concerned for the fiberglass finish if we do this? Will it cause the water to get cloudy? I've read everything I could find on this forum. I was afraid that if the problem is copper, we'd cause more trouble doing this. Oh, our pool is a sparkling "almost royal" blue. I've not noticed any staining, but it wouldn't be as easy to notice as on a white or light colored pool, I suppose.

Thanks for any help/advice!!

Btw, should I try to get the Alkalinity down any? It's at the top of the recommendation for the salt cell and, as you know, our pH will be increasing anyway.

[PoolDoc]

I ordered the TF-100 test kit and these are my current readings...

I don't mind your posting, and asking here, but you do realize that this is PoolForum.com, not TroubleFreePool.com? As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with the TF-100 -- it's a nearly identical copy of my PS-235, which I abandoned when I nearly went bankrupt several years ago. But that's their kit, not mine.

What we do object to, is running two identical threads, one here, and one there. Please don't do that! They also teach my BBB method, and you'll get similar information there from what you would here.


FC--2; CC--6.5 (our pool store is having us run the cell at 90% right now to "clear up the green after a couple weeks")

Turn off the SWCG, and start bleaching! SWCG's aren't really optimal for pool clean up, and it wears them out more quickly. Your high CC level tells me something is wrong. Keep the pH between 7 and 7.8, while you're bleaching. If you have reason to think you might have metals in the water, keep your pH to the LOW end of that scale.

What is your CYA level, now? And, what was it, last year?

[PoolDoc]

You replied by email, indicating you could not reply online -- I'm not sure why. I replied to your email, but my reply was bounced as "SPAM".

So, I'm replying here. I hope you'll see it, but if not it gives me a chance to answer questions others may have, as well.


First, I'm not sure what to make of the first part of your response. I don't know anything about the other site you mentioned. I have yours bookmarked b/c I liked what I read. I knew I needed a chemical kit since my pool store is so laid back and doesn't always give me the numbers I request. I simply ordered what I found online that seemed to have what I needed. Sorry if I stepped on your toes. Had I known about your kit and your competition, I would not have mentioned the brand of test kit!

Second, this is my first ever posting on ANY forum of any kind. There certainly won't be two identical threads and I'm rethinking my decision to ask for help on this one. I'd never put this on a public forum, but the initial part of your response seemed quite aggressive and hurtful! I'm simply trying to find someone who knows their stuff that I can trust with my pool.

As I stated, I couldn't get a reading on the CYA because the tube is cracked (was delivered to me cracked, it that helps you with the competition factor) and I have to get a new one. I don't know what it ran last year, b/c the pool store just said, "It's good...don't worry about it." As you can imagine, that is not sitting well with me.

I read your table for shock levels compared to CYA levels...that is another reason I knew I had to get a chemical kit. SO I guess I'm still stuck with a green hue. I'll lower my pH a little more and see if I can get the pool store to tell me a true reading on the CYA until I have a replacement tube. I'm in one of the two busiest weeks of my year with a couple hundred mathematics final exams to grade and final grades to turn in within 48 hours of test time. Really wasn't expecting all of this.

[PoolDoc]

Sorry; I was trying not to be aggressive. Honestly, it never occurred to me that anyone would buy the TF100, without having come from TroubleFreePools.com (TFP). And we've had a problem several times this year with people trying to run threads at both places, when there aren't enough experts to go around as it is, much less to handle two copies of the same question.

To give you a very brief version of the 'back story', I had a variety of problems that came to a head at the end of 2006 and resulted in my abandoning kit sales and the PoolForum site for 4 years. During that time, PoolForum members could use the forum, but no one new could join. TroubleFreePool was started during that time by people from here, to create an open forum. Also one of the guys began selling a copy of my kit as the TF100. I can't really complain since I'm no longer selling the my kits, but I don't promote it either.

Anyhow, the TF100 is a functional clone of my (discontinued) kit, and TFP is a pool forum that also teaches the ideas I first published on PoolSolutions. There's not exactly competition, since they are also teaching the "BBB Method", and since there are WAY more pool owners than there are people who can explain 'BBB'. Still, I do feel kinda weird about TFP.

I have no problem with you having one; I just assumed that since you'd bought one, you were active at TFP -- usually (but apparently not always!) that's true.

Regarding CYA levels, take the little sample bottle for the CYA test, and do the 50:50 mix of pool water and CYA reagent. Then set a clear OTO test block on a piece of white paper with a 1/8" round black dot on it. Align it, so you can see the dot THROUGH the block. Mix the 50:50 dropper bottle, wait 1 minute, mix again, wait 1 minute and then add the mix to the OTO block till you can no longer distinguish the dot from the white paper. Check the depth of soluion. If you've filled the block full, and the solution is clear, you have 0 CYA. If the solution is hazy, but you can still see the dot, you have 10 - 20 ppm. If the dot disappears, with 2" of water, you have around 40 ppm. If the dot disappears with 1" of water you have 60 - 90 ppm. If the dot disappears with less than 1/2" of water, you have over 100 ppm of CYA.

Again, I'm sorry that I came across aggressively; that was not my intention.

[robbym70]

@ Pool Doc...very grateful and glad you are back and active. You and the other very active posters have really helped me get my head on straight on how to maintain my pool without signing over my life savings to companies like NAMCO.

Much appreciated.

[PoolDoc]

You're welcome.

[Sparkle]

Thank you for your reply! *I certainly didn't intend to upset you in any way with my first posting. *I was going to reply on the thread, but it is closed and like I mentioned, I'm new to all of this forum stuff. *I know I'm not "registered+" so I assume I can't start a new thread???

I survived the craziness of the end of the semester, so I'm very focused on getting this pool in order. *I'll give you pool store readings from a couple hours ago and personal readings from my test kit that I just finished...
TYPE * * * *STORE * * * *ME
FC * * * * * *0.2 * * * * * *0.5 (as close as I can get)
CC * * * * * *0.1 * * * * * *0.5 (again, as close as I can get)
pH * * * * * *7.2 * * * * * *7.2
Hardness * * * *170 * * * * * *180
TA * * * * * *34 * * * * * *80 (to go completely red--70 took it to purple)
CYA * * * * * *55 * * * * * *55
Salt * * * * * *3100 * * * *2400-2600 (sticks with line that changes color when finished)

Their alkalinity reading says, "w/ stabilizer correction." *I have no idea what that means or who's numbers I should go by. *They want me to add 15 lbs of baking soda that they sold my husband when he took in the water to be tested. *If my number is correct, I want to keep it there. *Btw, these are the same numbers the store and I got, respectively, on Wednesday.

The only things I've done since our last correspondence is bleach like recommended, then I did the math on the CYA. *The store didn't want me to put in the 8 lbs that I thought I needed, so they sold me 4--end of last week. *I put two slowly in the skimmer and 2 in a sock (tied in the skimmer so it wouldn't block flow). *The sock was dissolved and dispersed in 2 days. *This wednesday when the store tested, the alkalinity had plummeted from 94 to 34 by their test (not by mine). *The CYA did exactly as I had figured and gone up from 20 to 45 ppm. *They sold me the other 4 lbs of CYA and I used the same process. *By last night all CYA in the sock has dissolved and dispersed. *My husband took in another sample today (readings above). *I expected the CYA to climb to the 70 ppm range? *Does it take longer for the CYA in the sand filter to dissolve?

Oh, I also cleaned the cell in vinegar (as per the pool store). *It didn't appear to have any build up, but some dirt came out when I rinsed with high water pressure from my tub faucet. *I did this because the cell is not producing adequate chlorine (It's an Aqua Rite T-Cell 15---for up to 40,000 gal. pools). *It has only been in operation one full season and about a month the year before that. *Cleaning made no noticeable change in the chlorine output---even when I decided to run it at 100% for 8 hours yesterday. *I hesitate to do the baking soda until I get more information, because last year, my alkalinity stayed high. *This was bothersome to me, but the store didn't seem to mind. *I fought to try to keep my pH at 7.8 or slightly below...often going higher, which again didn't seem to concern the pool store. *I feel that much of the advice I get is specific to liner pools or pools without salt systems. *I've even been given information completely contrary to Aqua Rite's recommendations. *

Someone is supposed to come this evening to check the cell...but that was supposed to happen Wednesday evening as well.

Sorry this is soooo long! *Basically...
1. *What is the difference between my TA and their "adjusted alkalinity?"
2. *Which reading will give me the numbers that indicate what is best for my salt cell in a fiberglass pool?
3. *Should I add any of this baking soda?
4. *Is there a way to do that without raising the pH very much since it will start rising when we have a fully functional salt cell anyway?
5. *Is the sock method a decent indicator of the CYA dissolving in the sand filter?

Oh, the best I can estimate, our pool is about 22,000 gal. *Our water temp is about 83 right now.

Thanks for your patience with a forum idiot like me!!!
Sincerely,

Sparkle : )
Sent from my iPad

[PoolDoc]

? 1. => TA is all alkalinity; Adj Alk is TA - alkalinity from cyanuric acid. (You also have alkalinity from borates, phosphates, and carbonates. CA is carbonate alkalinity.

? 2. => In one sense, the reading that matters is the one on your chlorinator cell. But, try doing the Aquachek again, but soaking the strip longer.

? 3. => If it's a concrete pool, yes. Otherwise, no.

? 4. => No, adding carbonate alkalinity will increase your pH; you'll have to add acid.

? 5. => I don't know that it's an INDICATOR of anything; it's a decent -- if slow -- method of dissolving CYA.

Regarding your pH -- learn to use muriatic acid. It's cheap, effective, and better for your pool. (But it has nasty fumes!) Here's the muriatic acid guide page (http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?13111).

[Sparkle]

It's a fiberglass pool. I used muratic acid most of last summer and pretty much got the hang of it. They keep trying to sell me some powder to lower pH so I don't have to worry about the fumes and chemical burn, etc.

Which alkalinity reading should I use...my TA from the test kit or their "alkalinity w/stabilizer correction?" The numbers are vastly different and I don't want to damage the fiberglass clear coat or the salt cell.

Ugh! :-)

[PoolDoc]

Low alkalinity isn't going to damage either one -- don't worry about them, yet.

[waterbear]

Some things jumping out at me here:
1. green tint to clear water
2. floating endpoint on CH test (stayng purple and never turning blue)

both of these can be indicative of metal in the water BUT are NOT conclusive.

Is your filberglass pool white or blue colored?
Did you get a new CYA view tube? It is an important test with a SWCG and with the aquarite you want the CYA at 80 pp
Vinegar is not what you should be cleaning the salt cell will. Aquarite cells should be cleaned with a 4:1 dilution of water to muriatic acid (1 cup of acid addied to 1 quart of water in a plastic bucket).

With a salt system you eventually want to get the TA down to about 70 ppm. It will slow the eventual pH rise. Higher TA will speed it up so do not put in the baking soda! You want to use an uncorrected TA reading and get the TA down to 70 ppm and a CYA at 80 ppm/ Keep the salt cell adjusted ot maintan a 4 ppm FC once you get all the bugs worked out.

[Sparkle]

Forgot...as per your email, I'm going to get borax. Can my husband add salt while I add borax?
Also, do I wait a certain length of time between half boxes and test pH before adding more...I assume this is the case, but how long do I wait for an accurate reading?

Guess my target is 7.4.

Thanks again!! :-)

[PoolDoc]

My apologies -- but I accidentally delete your 2nd post -- I was trying to merge it. Very sorry.

+ You can add borax and salt at the same time.
+ Wait at least 2 hours after adding borax, before testing pH.
+ 7.4 is OK for now.

Did you notice Waterbear's question, about metals in your pool water?
1. Have you added any metals -- algaecides, skimmer pills, ?
2. Do you have a heater? What kind?
3. Do you have an 'ionizer', Nature2, Frog, or anything similar?
4. Where did the water in your pool come from - well, city, tank truck?

[Sparkle]

Pool store had my husband put in algicide as soon as we took off the cover. I have no idea what kind. He just did what he was told and threw out the bottle and he doesn't remember. Probably the same kind they had us put in last year...no issues last year??

Pool is darker blue finish...not white.

I asked the pool store about testing for metals and they said they did and it's fine. However, the print-out showed cooper and iron as "not run"???

Yes on skimmer pill...same kind as last year with no issues. You do mean the thing that helps prevent water loss from evaporation, right?

No heater, no ionizer, water comes from city, some of original water also came from spring...long story, but pool companies idea to speed up install. We didn't have any trouble then, nor last year, which was our first full season. Any water added since then and the majority of ariginal water is city water.

I did get the new tube and my CYA reading was the same as pool store at 55 ppm. This was yesterday and I suppose it's possible that it's gone up a bit more...had expected it to increase to 70 with the amount I added (added second 4 lbs on Wednesday).

Had trouble finding 2 boxes of Borax, but finally found a second box. We will be working on the pool for the rest of the day now that we are back home!

Thanks again for all of your help! Should I wait the same 2 hours to test the salt again or should I be more patient with this stuff?

======================================

The ideal ppm for FC in the aqua rite book is 1.0-3.0. Is there a reason you suggest keeping it at 4.0?

I'm trying to learn and absorb everything each of you is teaching me and it helps when I understand the reasons behind your logic. I've been passing info on the my husband, but he doesn't really want to know how it works. He just wants it fixed...lol

[PoolDoc]

+ The fact that you didn't have problems, doesn't mean you don't have metals -- you can have metals, and not have problems. Problems results from metals AND other conditions, which will eventually occur, but not necessarily right away.

+ There are different kinds of skimmer pills; tell me EXACTLY what your is called.

+ Yeah, if you aren't in a city where there are already a lot of folks using the BBB method, Walmart's stocking computer doesn't know to ramp up supply in spring! That is one of the benefits of buying at Walmart -- their inventory management system is one of the wonders of the world, and if you buy borax there regularly, their stock will begin to reflect it. (If you can persuade friends with pools to do the same, even better!)

+ The Best Guess page explains quite a bit about why, and about the relationship between CYA and chlorine levels. If you want to know more, follow the other links in my signature, as well. I usually don't suggest that to people new to the forum -- they can find it sort of overwhelming; it's easier to get used to, gradually. If you REALLY want to dig into, take a look at the China Shop section!

[Sparkle]

It's a yellow ball called SolarPill.

Also, I have some of this "No Mor Muriatic Acid" powder that the pool store finally sold me. Supposedly, it's "great for salt water systems!". Anyway, I'm out of muriatic acid right now and wondered if I can dissolve it to try one more soak of our salt cell. The instructions say 2.5 lbs = 1 gal of muriatic acid. If this will work, I think I can use 1 lb as an equivalency to 0.4 gals of muriatic acid and add at least 1.6 gals of water to the bucket. Won't try unless you guys give me the go-ahead. Again, the pool store suggested I use this product, but that was at the same time they said to use vinegar. When I asked how much to use, I was told, "Oh, one or two capfuls will be fine in a 5 gal bucket." I can't find any logic in that math.

What are your thoughts?

[Sparkle]

Got a metal test and requested numbers before test was prformed. The store said their test doesn't produce numbers, but that if it turns blue it's not good and pink is okay. Both copper and iron were pink and the guy said there are no metals in the water.

[PoolDoc]

Remove your salt cells and look at them; flush them with plain water if necessary. Check and see if there is ACTUALLY any scale on them. Don't clean them, if there's not. If there is, ignore your dealer, get the mfg manual and follow THEIR instructions.

Pool store testing for metals is not reliable; we pretty much ignore it.

[waterbear]

You have a dark blue pool and the water was a clear green hue. Iron tints the water yellow and against a blue background will make the water look green. What kind of salt have you put in the pool. Some 'pool salts' are actually food grade salt and contain an iron anti-caking compound and will add iron to your pool. Solar salt is your best bet and less expensive.

No Mor Muriatic Acid is simply the brand of sodium bisulfate or dry acid sold by United Chemical . It is nothing special and the same as any other dry acid. It is the WORST thing you can use in a salt system because it forms sulfuric acid when dissolved in water which produce sulfates and sulfates are not good for salt cells!
Do not use vinegar or dry acid to clean your cell (your pool store is giving you very bad advice!), you use a 4:1 mix of water to muriatic acid as explained in the AquaRite manual (http://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/Manual239.pdf) on page 8,which I will quote:
Mild Acid Washing: Use only in severe cases where flushing and scraping will not
remove the majority of deposits. To acid wash, turn off power to Aqua Rite. Remove
cell from piping. In a clean plastic container, mix a 4:1 solution of water to muriatic acid
(one gallon of water to one quart of muriatic acid). ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER -
NEVER ADD WATER TO ACID. Be sure to wear rubber gloves and appropriate eye
protection. The level of the solution in the container should just reach the top of the
cell so that the wire harness compartment is NOT submerged. It may be helpful to coil
the wiring before immersing the cell. The cell should soak for a few minutes and then
rinse with a high pressure garden hose. If any deposits are still visible, repeat soaking
and rinsing. Replace cell and inspect again periodically.



What are your thoughts?
That your pool store does NOT know what they are talking about!

[Sparkle]

Latest update...

Added 40 lbs of salt Saturday, because I determined that amount should push the system reading to the high end of acceptable, but get the salt "stick" tester into the acceptable range as well.

At the same time, I added 1/2 box of Borax. Tested a pH a few hours later and added second 1/2 of box. Also added a littel water as the level was getting a bit low.

A few hours later, I checked the system reading for salt. It said 3500. Ran the system on 60% until dark. With a basic chlorine test the level seemd to be rising, but still not acceptable. Basic chlorine test early Sun morning before the pump kicked back on was hardly detectible. I let the pump kick on and run for a couple hours, then checked the system reading again (3400 ppm--no idea why the difference). Basic chlorine test registered about 0.5. During all of this, pH was holding steady at 7.4.

I decided to remove the cell one more time and inspect....Still didn't see any visible signs of build up...Pressure washed it with garden hose into a 5 gal bucket...A few tiny bits of debrise washed into the bucket (looked like tiny aunts). It seemed as thought the additional salt had made a difference becasue the chlorine level was increasing slowly. Even though it wears on the cell, I needed to determine if all of this had made a difference (remember the pool store had me run at 100% aand we never even made it into the acceptable range for FC), so I set the system on super-chlorinate. We only did the one time the previous year (as per pool store instructions after a large swimmer load including a couple clean dogs), but will try to never do it again. Early this morning, with super chlorinate still running, our basic test is showing right at 2 ppm!!! I'm going to let it finish it's 24 hours and retest. At least the cell seems to finally be working.

The salt "stick" test went from 2640 to 3330 24 hours after adding the 40 lbs of Aqua Salt. pH this morning looks to be 7.5. This afternoon, I plan to try to reset the system readings to see if the numbers will line up a bit closer to the "stick." With the current jump in the reading over night, our system has our level as high as it will accept it.

Current test readings for recap and those I didn't mention...
pH 7.5
salt "Stick" 3330 System has jumped from 3500 to 3400 to 3600???
TA 80 turned clear, but 90 to get fully red
CYA 65

I'm going to get 2 more lbs of CYA today. 2.64 ilbs should put me exactly at 80, so 2 lbs will certainly be safe. I feel safe in this because by my original calculations, 7.04 lbs would have taken me to 60 and 10.56 lbs would have taken me to 80 (using my nearest estimate of gallons in my pool---22,000). I've added a total of 8 lbs and we are at 65 ppm, so I feel good about 2 lbs not pushing me over.

If any of this sound wrong or sets off alarm bells for you, please let me know! I'm trying to catch on as quickly as possible, but I could easily make a mistake!! The pool store will try to talk me out of the additional CYA. Im also going to return the baking soda!!

I'll have to let you know about the hue this evening. I'll have my husband get in with a mask to let me know if any of the cloudy look under water has dissipated. Last year, you could film under water and not appear to be under water because it was so clear. I'm sure with all of your help, I can get there again!!

Thanks for restoring hope and removing a great deal of frustration!! :-)

[PoolDoc]

I would add the CYA; I wouldn't add baking soda UNLESS you have a concrete pool OR are having pH fluctuate up and down.

Also, please put your pool info in your signature (pool type, size, pump/filter make/model, etc.): http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/profile.php?do=editsignature

[PoolDoc]

And . . . include the specific Aqua Rite model and cell size, as well as installation year.

[Sparkle]

The pool store had a reading of 55 for CYA before I bought and added another 2lbs yesterday. They showed pH at 7.7...lokked more like 7.5 or 7.6 by my home kit? At least a pound of CYA was dissolved before the pump kicked off last night. Chlorine got up to about 2.5 ppm after running about 26 hours on super chlorinate (is this adequate?). FYI, it was about 65% cloudy and 35% sunny yesterday and completely overcast so far today.

We also did the recallibration of the salt system and the reading was great and settled in nicely at 3400 ppm (perfect agreement with the store and within 70 ppm of what I could detect with the "stick").

We had between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of rain overnight. The salt system reading went UP to 3500??? Our FC is barely detectible and the pH looks to be around 7.4.

Weather and time didn't permit my husband to get in last night to eyeball the water clarity, but from above the water it is much clearer and I'm no longer detecting a green hue at all.

Now that the cell is at least producing a noticeable increase in chlorine, could the rest be related to the CYA level? Just out of curiosity, would it be damaging to the cell or the fiberglass if the level goes slightly higher than 80? Any suggestions?

[PoolDoc]

+ It won't damage anything for the CYA goes higher; you'll just have to compensate a bit by maintaining slightly higher chlorine.
+ Don't worry about discrepancies of 200ppm between salt tests: the tests are NOT that accurate.

[CarlD]

I am sorry entering this tread so late, but what is your current FC and CC reading? Last I saw was .2-.5 for both, in CYA of 55, now 65. even with an SWCG you should be between 3-3.5 roughly for maintenance, higher using bleach.

So, unless I missed something, isn't shocking still in order? What did I miss?

[Sparkle]

Ready to shock again. Water is looking great but still having FC take nose dive overnight.
pH is 7.5
CYA is 65
I have 2 more lbs of CYA and 8.5 gal of 6% bleach.

Can I put int he CYA immediately after I add the bleach, while at shock level? It should bring the CYA level up to about 75 or 76.

I will be gone for 9 days starting this weekend and my husband doesn't do any of this, so I'm trying to get it in order so all he has to do is check the FC and pH while I'm gone.

Thanks!!

[PoolDoc]

I will be gone for 9 days starting this weekend and my husband doesn't do any of this

I would recommend that you:

1. NOT add any more CYA yet.
2. Buy 20 gallons of 6% bleach for your husband to use.
3. Have him pour 2 gallons in, each EVENING -- but do NOTHING else.
4. If he misses a dose, have him add BOTH doses the following EVENING.

[Sparkle]

Is this in addition to shocking with the 8.5 gal I already have or instead?

Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I don't want to mess this up. Like I said, our water finally looks amazing, but the FC dives to almost nothing each night.

Then do i add the CYA when i get back to get our number closer to the 80ppm Aqua Rite recommends for our SWG?

Thanks again!!!

[PoolDoc]

+ In addition: he needs to have 2 gallons available to him EACH evening.

+ If your FC drops from late evening to early morning -- with little or no sunlight -- you are STILL cleaning up pool goo, of one kind or another. Can't stop till it's all gone!

+ But, if you are still dropping FC like that, add another couple of boxes of borax -- I don't want the pH to get low, as you clean up that stuff.

+ Leave your SWCG off. Add CYA *after* the 'goo' is gone, whenever that happens. THEN (and not before) you can turn your SWCG back on.

[Sparkle]

Got it! A few more questions (a couple of which might sound absurd to you)...
1. When you say gallons of bleach, you actually mean gallons and not bottles, right? Around here, all of the bottles people call gallons are actually 3 quarts. Or do you mean that size bottle?

I bought 1.42 gal size bottles, so what I'm getting ready to add for shock is truly 8.52 gal of 6% bleach.

2. Will 2 of the smaller bottles each evening suffice? He will not want to measure anything.

3. How long does the pump need to run after he adds the bleach? It is set on a timer that I can adjust if needed before I leave.

You have no idea how much I APPRECIATE all of this information!!!

[PoolDoc]

+ I mean gallons -- 4 quarts, 8 pints, ~8.5 lbs of 6% solution

+ round chlorine doses UP; all other doses DOWN

+ How about 1 big and 1 little bottle? (rounding UP ;) )

+ 2 hours should be enough.