Help me out here! Need to convince husband...

Ok, my husband and I just got into a huge argument about the pool maintenance. He says once we have it under control, all we need to do is get on a schedule of "shocking"(i.e.-dumping 1.25 gallons of 10% sodium hypo in the pool) the pool once per week, and we'll be fine. He says that's the way to do it because everything he's read says so, and everyone else says so too.:rolleyes: He also says "shocking" isn't a problem because we only swim on the weekend, so who cares if the chlorine is too high during the week?

I'm sorry, but after reading on here, that's just asking for algae! I tried telling him that based on things I'VE read, we need to test every day, and add little bits of chlorine as needed based on our CYA. No shocking needed unless there is a problem. "Because everyone on the forum says so" isn't a good enough reason for him. Can anyone give me some articles, resources, or something...things I can print out and show him from people "in the know?" He doesn't think we should "waste our time" doing things to the pool almost every day. He wanted to know what the difference was in dumping 1.25 gallons in at once, and putting .5 gallons (or whatever amount) in a few times per week as needed. He thinks the 1.25 gallons will do the same thing, but faster.

I'm half tempted to let him take over, and see how bad things get. Can anyone help me out here?

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Originally Posted by Henrys514

I'm half tempted to let him take over, and see how bad things get. Can anyone help me out here?

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I think I'd do that. With the agreement that if/when it goes to hell you get to take over, no questions asked.

But honestly, this is what my dad did with his AG pool for years, with no problems :( I like to think he just got lucky, as he never tested anything, just dumped some bleach in when "it looked like it needed it."

Well I'm brand new at pools, but I will say that I have followed what advise is on this forum and my pool is beautiful. I'm still in the beginning stages of building up my cya so I am adding chlorine daily. I have spoken to family members who use the pool store method and they shock about twice a week to keep the pool from getting cloudy. I know they have spent in the hundreds of dollars. I've probably spent about 40 dollars or so. If He would read some of the posts here of ones who have benefited it may help. Sometimes you have to see for yourself about things and no one can tell you differently. My pool is 33' round and holds 25,700 gal. of water. It has never been cloudy yet. Although we haven't had much of any rain. That may make a big difference. Hope things work out well! Sharon :)

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Originally Posted by Rangeball

I think I'd do that. With the agreement that if/when it goes to hell you get to take over, no questions asked.

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I thought about it on the way home from work, and that's what I think I"m going to do. I'm try and convince him one more time, and if he says no, then we'll do it his way, provided when the water gets cloudy, or algae infested, I get to take over. I'll be waiting in the wings with Ben's test kit (whenever it gets here) to swoop in and take over. He's real stubborn though...is it horrible of me to pray for an algae bloom:eek:

newtopools, I'd send him here to read all these posts and how this has worked for so many people, but I don't think it would help just because it is so contrary to what he was told and what all his friends with pools do. Now, I bet if the guy at the pool store told him this stuff, he'd do it!

You probably won't get an algae bloom, but you most certainly will be wasting money. Shocking when you don't have algae or CC is unecessary.

This is my first year on the BBB method, I have an 18 round pool, and generally I put in about a quart of chlorine in a day, sometimes every other day as it needs it. I am amazed at the clarity of the water, it started to get cloudy yesterday, but the day before that it was used alot, and I never checked the Chlorine like I should have afterwards, so that is what I get. But I dumped in about a half of a gallon of chlorine, and this morning it is back to crystal clear.

My wife used to deal with the pool, and we were always recovering from something major, the chemicals were never right, and she just added like three bags of shock at a time whenever she felt the need to I think. She swore that testing for TA and Ph and everything else was a scam to get you to buy more stuff. This year I gave her a break, I found this forum, read possibly everything in here, learned more than I could have anywhere else, and I am the envy of the whole family now. Everyone is curious, but so far, no one has asked me about the method.

Currently I am in the process of lowering the TA through Muratic Acid, Areation. I have lowered it from 250ppm+, to around 150, I am still working on it and it is working. The method that the pool store would have you do does not make sense, with every lowering of the Ph, you have to raise it again...

I am also eagerly awaiting a reducing hardness thread that was promised, mine is a bit high, but I am not willing to drain the pool to lower it. I have a water softener in the basement that I will put out there for a couple of weeks before I do that...

Good luck
Steve

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Originally Posted by mwsmith2

You probably won't get an algae bloom, but you most certainly will be wasting money. Shocking when you don't have algae or CC is unecessary.

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I tried to tell him that, but he doesn't see the difference in dumping in all the chlorine in one shot once a week, or doing it little bits at a time a few times a week to maintain FC.

Lately, I've had to put in .5 gal of 10% sodium hypo every other day to keep our level around 6ppm (CYA was 35ppm, just raised to 50ppm). We're losing about 2ppm per day, which I think is pretty normal for a pool in direct Florida sun most of the day. Maybe with the 50ppm CYA we'll lose less...

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Originally Posted by Henrys514

Now, I bet if the guy at the pool store told him this stuff, he'd do it!

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Nah because then you'd be right, we can't have that :) j/j

What size is your pool? Got a vinyl liner? Depending on the size you'll want to be sure he doesn't just dump in 1.25 gallons of 10% whenever he wants to. For instance a 24' AG pool with a 6ppm residual would jump up to about 16ppm if the whole 1.25 gallon container is added. Depending on what your CYA level is this could cause suit fading and maybe premature fading on the liner. Thats just a small caution I thought of before you let him have it.

Well good luck. Keep us informed of his success or un-successfulness :D

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Originally Posted by ScottS

Nah because then you'd be right, we can't have that :) j/j

What size is your pool? Got a vinyl liner? Depending on the size you'll want to be sure he doesn't just dump in 1.25 gallons of 10% whenever he wants to. For instance a 24' AG pool with a 6ppm residual would jump up to about 16ppm if the whole 1.25 gallon container is added. Depending on what your CYA level is this could cause suit fading and maybe premature fading on the liner. Thats just a small caution I thought of before you let him have it.

Well good luck. Keep us informed of his success or un-successfulness :D

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:D I don't ever get to be right...

Our pool is 12,000 gal IG exposed-aggregate surface, so high CL levels really not a problem. This is our 3rd year with the pool now...he has done his weekly method the previous 2 years and we have had some algae problems, and cloudy water. But that was always "his thing", so I never let it bother me. This year, after the long struggle with horrific algae was finally over,(much $$$ and tons of time later) I was determined to not let it get that bad again, hence me finding this site and trying to take over.

Just had to convince my other half that bleach is better. She's a nurse and wasn't convinced until one of the male doctors at the hospital said he uses the bleach system too. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, he uses the 'dump it all in once a week' method. :eek:

So my argument for a liquid chlorine feeder is now falling on deaf ears.

I don't actually wish upon him a green pool, but....:p

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Originally Posted by Henrys514

I tried to tell him that, but he doesn't see the difference in dumping in all the chlorine in one shot once a week, or doing it little bits at a time a few times a week to maintain FC.

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OK so at least it sounds like he doesn't think your way is wrong, he just thinks his way is better although it is actually the same thing (according to his statement above). Since he doesn't see a difference, if you are willing to put in the bleach why won't he let you do it your way? Tell him if it doesn't work you'll take him out to dinner or something.

One of the benefits of maintaining the same (lower) level of Cl is you can swim anytime you want to and not have to worry about if you just shocked or not. His way probably won't fail because if you lose 2 ppm per day and he shocks once a week up to 12 ppm or more then when the chlorine gets low it will be time to shock again.

Peter

Henry,

Personally - I would "pick my hill to die on" and really this wouldn't be something I would fight my spouse over.

This probably won't work since it's already an "issue" in your house. But if I want to "take over" something, I usually ask if I can learn how he does it and then ask if I can take over for a while (then of course I do it my way without telling him).

Men (I know - huge generalization) usually don't like to be *told* what is better.

Simmons99, I certainly wasn't trying to fight with him about it. He "let" me take care of the pool for the last couple of weeks due to the algae problem(which needed constant attention) and his work schedule. Now that the water is great, he wants to go back to the other way, and thinks what I want to do is a complete waste of time. I told him it wasn't a waste, and I didn't mind doing it, hence the argument.

I agree with you...the pool is definelty not something to fight about. Life is too short for that.

Hi Henry ,

THe one thing I am absolutely sure of , no matter what methods are used, Its Easier to keep up with the pool , then it is to catch up to the pool (cheaper too)

I have a confession to make , but dont tell anyone I told you this , ok? I dont test everyday and I dont add bleach everyday. Would I go a week without testing or adding bleach ? NO way!!! because I know I would be playing catch up big time...But we've had a pool long enough that Im pretty confident of its "trends"..even still , I would rather spend Five minutes testing then a Saturday afternoon scrubbing and shocking

Just my .02 , the best method is the one that works for Your pool , not mine or anyone elses

Well, hubby has decided that "we're" going back to 2 trichlor pucks per week, and 1.25 gallons of 10% sodium hypo per week because "That's what the pool store says and that's what all my friends do." I tried to explain to him everything I've learned on here, and that every pool is different, but it fell on deaf ears. He also said we're only getting our water tested every 2 weeks...at the pool store..and doing whatever they recommend. :confused:

I have to be the good wife here, and not make a mountain out of this. He's got his mind made up. I hope he gets lucky and it ends up working out. Thanks for all the support...I definetly appreciate this forum and all I've learned here, even if I can't put it into practice. :)

Sounds to me like your pool isn't the problem--it's how you communicate with each other. But maybe I should MMOB....

If I ever treated my wife that way I'd be sleeping in the dog-house, with cracked ribs---and we don't HAVE a dog-house!

Sometimes you just have to raise the white flag and retreat untill a better time arises to fight. I had the same problem with my future wife. Her dad just threw pucks in the skimmer and never tested. Once I showed her the cost diffrence of BBB vs shocking and pucks she kinda gave in. We got "pool stored" into the Nature2 system and she didnt want to have the cl above 1 ppm but when the water clouded some and I raised the cl to 4 and now it is very clear she finely gave in. I have her almost convinced to let me order one of Ben's test kits based on the amount we will save using the BBB method and the clarity of the water.
Just rember if you see algae it is the least of your woes. If algae is present you could (probaly will) have bacteria in the water and that could make you sick.


CarlD
When me and the future wife fight we do it in the nude. Makes for a good laugh in public(kidding). I have learned to just hand my head and say"yes dear". hahaha

Later and good luck
Steve

I have not been on this board long, but long enough to know a couple of things! I'm still waiting for my "real" pool next summer!

First, if adding 1.25 gal weekly is fine, why not save even more time and add 25 gallons when you open for the season? :eek: I mean, what is the difference in adding it all at once or a little at a time? :rolleyes:

Secondly from what I have read, I do not think the water has to be gross for stuff to be growing in it or it to be undesireable from a chemistry standpoint.

Finally, I agree you should let him do it his way. Then if all goes awry, well, you would not want to say "I told you so", but..... ;) However, I might restrict my swimming to early in the week :D

(and kudos for your submission in this feminist world!)

Grace

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Originally Posted by Henrys514

Well, hubby has decided that "we're" going back to 2 trichlor pucks per week, and 1.25 gallons of 10% sodium hypo per week because "That's what the pool store says and that's what all my friends do."

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Good thing your friends don't jump off bridges!! :D

Michael