Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbar
Carl,
Thanks for the post, I am printing it out to give to a friend of mine who just filled his pool, and has the dreaded test strips! You explained everything in a concise, complete way - You should put it as a sticky somewhere!
That's very flattering of you to say. There already was a sticky in the Chlorine and Chlorinating forum that I had done and Watermom put up, but I added this one to that so if one isn't clear to newbies, maybe the other is...cuz I'm too lazy to actually sit down and rewrite them as one...:rolleyes:
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!! MY POOL WATER IS BEAUTIFULLY CLEAR and I feel fine in there.
I am going to go buy my $40.00 test kit and do this all myself:)
THANKS SO MUCH for the reassurance !!!!
Michelle
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
You are very welcome!
You can do this.
It's really not that hard but we find ourselves fighting the forces of ignorance and confusion. This mumbo-jumbo and secret handshake nonsense is all to separate you from your money. It's a racket.
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
Yes, I agree and just to prove my point to the hubby I called THREE pool places/stores with the info from the first store and asked if I needed to add Calcium..... three said YES and one said NO (the place I purchased the pool said no). The three stores that said yes said you need calcium to keep the walls from scaling and you also need it to keep the water comfortable.... the place we bought the pool said no need for vinyl pools to have calcium...HMMMM...it really is a matter of trusting yourself and I cannot believe that these stores do this to people (and imagine the money they make from new owners LIKE ME!!!!).
My best friend of 10 years just put a pool in too and she just finished filling it and came home with $100.00 worth of Calcium, Alk powder, PH increase and two different test strip kits -- I directed her to this website and she called the pool place to return chemicals and they said they do not take chemicals back!!!! WHAT A RACKET!!
From now on I will only get chemicals and testing WHEN and IF there is a problem NO ONE else can fix!!!!!!
One more ? ..... can I add bleach even if I still have a chlorine tab in the floater to increase the chlorine or should I wait till it is gone or add small amounts till they are dissolved??????
Carl--- THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH !!!! My pool was just put up three weeks ago (May 17th) and the water was filled with a garden hose so it has been in use for about two weeks (maybe) my water is CLEAR and you can see the bottom of the entire pool and the pebble pattern if you shut the filter/pump off so the water is totally still (and even with it running you can still see the bottom). I feel like I have done alright so far but these stores do make you feel otherwise....
P.S. My friend Melissa just called back and wants to know if she can add the Calcium anyway now that she cannot return the 25 lbs they recommended she START with!!! She said it was like $38.00 for the bucket---YIKES!!!!
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
Michelle:
Here's PoolDoc's final answer to the calcium and vinyl question:
http://www.poolsolutions.com/tips/tip03.html
Ben (PoolDoc) says that Professor Langlier himself say his index isn't relevant to pools, and one of the biggest manufacturers of vinyl used by the liner makers discounts the need for calcium as well.
If I were your friend, I would tell that store that if they don't take back sealed chemicals just purchased that she, and you will NEVER frequent that store again. You won't buy toys, accessories, chems you DO need, large items (like a solar cover or solar cover roller)--nothing, Nada, gornischt there--and you'll tell the 15,000 pool-owning friends you have (Us forum folks :D --but don't tell them that) not to use them.
If you have a floater in the pool, then simply add bleach to the skimmer and make sure the floater's not right at the skimmer's door. Once chlorine's in the water, it doesn't matter where it came from, but pouring bleach on the tablets could be very, very dangerous.
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
She did call them...right after I spoke with her and they said "NO"...they told her it is right on the slip that chemicals cannot be returned no matter what!!! I am so angry with them (this is where I told her to go as others have told me they are a good place and they are the ones who tested my water and told me to also add Calcium but because of all of you I knew NOT to get it and double check first....when I came home from there this morning I called my friend and left her a message NOT to buy anything till she read this site!!!!)-- I was too late and now she is STUCK with 25 lbs of Calcium!!!
She said "you live and learn and this will be the ONE and only time she gets BURNED!!!) I agree with her and I will not go there anymore either!
One last time:
Alk - baking soda raises (what decreases it?)
pH - Borax rasises & Muriatic acid decreases -- trichlor tabs lower this?
Chl- bleach --regular or extra strength-- or either?
CYA- Stabalizer (the only thing I need from the pool store and used like ONCE a season?)
I went out and got a kit today (Walmart and Target were fresh out!!!!!) It was a little much but worht it if it keeps me in check (42.00 Taylor kit)..I guess that is ok?
Ok, I will read more around here and check in in a little after I use my OWN knowledge to care for my pool!!!
THANKS AGAIN --- INFO IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
Michelle
Re: New Owner - Need Help-- Please
See the 'sticky' in the alk forum for procedure for lowering alk.
Chlorine - I'm assuming when you say extra strength, you mean 'ultra' which is 6%. Regular is 5.25%. Either is fine to use.
CYA is stabilizer or sometimes it is called conditioner. Some people can add it and it lasts from season to season. Others, like me, have to re-add it every spring.
Hope this helps.