Newbie question - would we be better off to drain and start over?

[PoolDoc]

Thanks, Watermom.

Rockheaded, you asked, "Surely 2 weeks is too long for this problem not to be solved?"

The answer is, actually, no, 2 weeks & $300 on a 30,000 gallon pool is about right for people to get frustrated enough to come here and follow the BBB Method. We even have a name for what's happened to you (coined by CarlD, like "BBB Method" and many of our other special terms): "You've been Pool-Stored!". We can tell you how to fix it. It won't be too hard or expensive, but also it won't be very quick, unless your filter is in really good condition and sized better than average. But, our methods will sound really weird if you've spent much time drinking the Koolade at pool stores.

Regardless, you're going to need a lot of (I coined this one ;-) P.O.P., or "Pool Owner Patience". The reason is your pool store "goo" has actually made things worse. In particular, in overdoses like yours, the floc and all the clarifiers tend to make stuff float around and become harder to filter, unless you use it -just--exactly--the--right--way-. Using multiple doses of multiple clarifiers is not the right way.

Anyhow, besides POP, here's what you need:

1. Remind yourself daily: "If the pool store wins, I lose. If I win, the pool store loses." $300 is more than you would have spent on the whole pool season, using the BBB method.

2. Unless you plan to do a 100% drain and refill, you must get a K2006 or another DPD-FAS test kit. (I think LaMotte has one finally). With your stabilizer levels, you are going to need to run chlorine levels higher than other kits can measure. (This is not bad: with high stabilizer and high chlorine, you'll be able to add chlorine just 1x or 2x per week, and have it last. And, your overall chlorine costs will go down. Personally, I'd try to fix it rather than drain and refill -- but that's your call. See #8 below for a caution about draining.)

3. Whether you drain or not, do NOT take any more pool store chemical advice. (See #1 above!).

4. Meanwhile, add 10 gallons of plain unscented 6% (check the label!!) chlorine bleach to your pool in the evening -- this evening if you can. If you go to Walmart, pick up some teststrips or an OTO kit (drops turn yellow) to use till you get your K2006. Repeat nightly, till you can hold a 10+ppm level through the day. High chlorine levels will kill the algae, and in many cases, may help destroy the excess clarifier. Ignore the strange looks from the cashier when you check out with 30 bottles of bleach and 5 boxes of borax. (And, as Watermom noted, no more trichlor / dichlor / stabilizer!)

5. You can also buy and add 2 boxes of borax, and add them SLOWLY to your skimmer with the pump running -- do NOT let the skimmer get choked. (Borax can 'freeze' and will take forever to dissolve if it does.)

6. Do go back to the pool store that 'owes' you the most, and beg or buy a small amount of DE filter powder -- a coffee can full is enough. Go home, and with the filter running, pour it into a skimmer (it won't choke). Then, go the the pool return nearest the pump, and watch. If you see a white cloud (DE powder) come back into the pool, your filter needs work. If not, you are probably OK. (If the DE stays in the filter, it will help catch all the stuff that's stuck in your pool because of the clarifier overdoses. But, your filter will stop up faster.)

7. Be patient. Gullibility (not your fault -- pool chemical companies provide consumers AND dealers a lot of misinformation) and impatience build pool store 'goop' sales. NO MORE GOOP! Do not try to 'fix' your stabilizer (unless you drain and refill), your calcium, your alkalinity or your pool ANYTHING except your chlorine and pH levels.

8. If this sounds like too much work and too slow, you can drain and refill UNLESS the ground around your pool is wet. In wet ground, gunite pools can float like a boat, right out of the ground! If you are in the tornado zone, and have just received a bunch of rain, do NOT drain unless your pool is on the top of a hill. If you do drain, check your filter first, and fix it if needed BEFORE you drain.

9. Let us know how it goes.

Ben

PS. I inadvertently deleted your email address from your user account, when I was checking it, b4 upgrading it. I had to put a dummy address back in, but you'll need to replace it. Once I get the mail-side of the new forum software working, your user account will get kicked into the "no valid email" group automagically, the first time you subscribe to a thread, and the email bounces.