Really LOVE this forum!!

Hi, I have been a pool owner for 10 years and thanks to you guys I have never been able to take care of my pool better! The water is more clear and I have never had less problems. I have been reading here for about a month and am truly amazed by how easy and cheap it is to take care of my pool now using BBB. Actually I have only had to use bleach and muriatic acid. I just happened on Ben's site when I was trying to figure out why my pool would turn green and then suddenly clear up.

I got a new liner three years ago and so have had three years worth of dichlor.

Never knew abouy CYA. After reading here I went out to Wallmart and bought the cheap HTH to test for CYA and it was way way over 200. I have always used an old Leslies test kit. Now I am just adding to it with new reagents and have ordered the FAS-DPD. I can't wait till it arrives!

Here is what I have gone through the last month:

1- DRAIN & REFILL 10-30% X at least five times to lower CYA! Fill water is 350ppm total alk, 350 cal, 0 CL WELL WATER full of IRON, which I knew. Pool was totally CLEAR GREEN, then BROWN with precipitation settling to bottom> I had shock levels of bleach already when I started this process.
( This was really scary since I had never run my well so much, but we are really close to lots of bodys of water. The "colors" I had dealt with before.)

RESULT was CYA of 70, I figured I could live with that since the season is half gone and I would have to backwash so much to clear the Iron.

2- CLEAR out IRON through precipitation with chlorine levels holding; OLD spin type Sta-rite DE filter running 24/7 and daily backwashing from bottom of pool.

(I knew that some kind of metal remover was advised but I had done it this way many times before thinking the green was algae. I have never had stains from the iron except slightly where the hose was pointed at the side of the liner. Was I just lucky?)

This process only took three days and I was rewarded with crystal clear pool water, no stains, but water level was at bottom of skimmer and I needed to do one last backwash. I really was LUCKY and timed the weather just right because we had a few inches of RAIN!

RESULT was crystal clear water mid-skimmer and new DE in filter!!!!!!!!

3- Total alk. was brought down to 110 as of today by using Ben's method! Aeration was only by swimming a lot of laps and pointing the reurn up.

RESULT was 350 to 110ppm after about six gallons of acid added in small amounts 1 or 2 times per day.

LATEST CHEM RESULTS:
Total CL - 5ppm (I am maintaining 5-10ppm per Ben's chart and should have my FAS-DPD arriving in a day or two.) Pool load is only me and the BUGS.

pH - 7.2 ( continuing to allow it go up a liitle and test retest add acid, etc.)

TA - 110ppm.

Calcium hardness - 320 ppm.

CYA - 70 ppm. (will slowly lower further with backwashing and open to lower level next spring, currently only using bleach)

TEMP - 84 F.

20,000 gallon 19 x 36 foot, or so in ground with v.liner. Half the pool is only 34 inches deep and then slopes abruptly to about 7ft. I think it was originally guinite because when the liner replaced I saw that the sides are all cement block and the bottom is cement. Pool is on top of a hill with full sun and has only one skimmer and one return. Equipment is housed in a shed and still works great, pool is at least 20 years old! Some of the pipes drip in the pool house but no measurable water loss. Insurance co. made us remove the diving board but we still have a slide.

I will have to make ongoing adjustments for my high alk fill water with iron, but since I'm basically the only user and occasionally my GOLDEN RETRIEVER floats around ON A RAFT, I can go a really long time between backwashes and adding fill water, will mainly time it just before rain is expected.

On to figure out how to make the water slide work and get a REAL fountain!
Am enjoying my pool now more than ever thanks to you guys and BEN, THANKS, Amelia