Opening Pool Questions and Levels

[Watermom]

You need to keep shocking until you can hold chlorine overnight without losing more than 1ppm and until your CC is no greater than 0.5.

[jrsdws]

Ok...new problem here. We went for our first swim today....nice and refreshing on a 92deg afternoon. However, low on the sidewalls and on various places on the bottom of the pool there are very rough spots...feels like something built up on it there. We also noticed this with the frequent brushings and vacuuming of the pool....the brush would really drag in these spots.

Water looks great. The bottom of the side walls had a little tint where it was rough in spots....brownish/greenish kind of....hard to tell against the blue liner.

Do you think this is scaling due to the high calcium hardness or something else?

It doesn't brush right off....even with lots of elbow grease.

What to do now? Still maintaining FC of about 12 and trying to get it to hold overnight....lost about 2ppm last night.

[jrsdws]

Forgot to mention the brownish/green color brushed away easily so it was probably a bit of algae left. The rough scaley stuff feels like sandpaper and appears white or clear.

[jrsdws]

Chlorine levels finally looking right and holding overnight. I worked on lowering pH slowly with muriatic acid over the weekend...still have a little to go. This morning I moved the return eye up so it's shooting upwards and bubbling hard at the surface for aeration. Here are current readings.

FC = 12
CC = .5
TC = 12.5
pH = 7.5
TA = 500

Will the lowering of pH and TA make the water more acidic and aid in brushing away of the sandpaper like rough spots?

[madwil]

not sure what the rough spots are- but most things will redissolve as you reduce the TA and maintain your chlorine.
If you are holding FC overnight, water is clear (and I see your CC is .5), you don't have to shock anymore- just maintain normal FC levels from now on, based on your CYA level!

[Watermom]

Go ahead and add more muriatic acid to lower the pH back down and then aerate again. With a TA of 500, this is going to be an ongoing cycle you'll need to do, but it will gradually come down.

[jrsdws]

I finally feel like I'm gaining control of my pool. It's taking some time and attention but it's working!!!

We're just maintaining chlorine levels now around 5-7ppm....time for a shock tonight though as there have been lots of swimming with sunscreen, etc., in this heat.

Currently: pH = 7.2 and TA is down to 350 from a whopping 520

The deposits/sandpaper gritty areas are starting to dissolve now....we just keep brushing and they're finally cleaning up.

[madwil]

yep, as you get the TA down, they'll dissolve back into the water...
sounds like you have control now- the pool is acting like you want it to, and usable!
The hard work is done, now just staying on top of it is a lot smoother!
I had about 10 people in the pool yesterday, and water is still crystal clear!

[jrsdws]

Too cold to swim here as of late, but chemistry balance is still underway and making progress. TA is down to 220 with a goal of 120 in sight.

Too all of those working to get your pools water chemistry right....PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!!!!!!! Don't rush and don't take shortcuts...accept that it all takes time and effort and you'll get there.