spring prep and a new pool owner

[PoolDoc]

+ Dunno how long to clean / kill it all -- I've quit making predictions on that; too many variables! But, if the WATER is clear now, you should be able to get the pool all cleaned up in a week.

+ Nylon brush is fine; vacuuming the debris is fine AS LONG AS THE CHLORINE IS HIGH when you do it!

+ I'd recommend starting the stabilizer AFTER the algae is gone, but if you buy dichlor, you can begin chlorinating with dichlor now -- just don't over do it.

+ Hayward C1200 will work well up to 40 GPM / 19,000 gallons.

+ Some of the most common cartridges out there are well, sub-standard, and name games are being played -- notice the second "Unicel" cartridge is NOT a Unicel! I just wrote this up for another post:
Here are 4 links to Amazon for Jandy CL460 replacements:

Pleatco or Chinese?(DOUBTFUL) => 4 PACK - Jandy CL460 Quad Pack Cartridge Filter C-7468-4 @ Amazon
Pleatco (DOUBTFUL) => Unicel 4 PACK - Jandy CL460 Quad Pack Cartridge Filter C-7468-4 @ Amazon
Genuine Unicel (OK) => Unicel C-7468 Replacement Filter Cartridge for 115 Square Foot Jandy CL460 @ Amazon
Genuine Filbur (OK) => Filbur FC-0810 Antimicrobial Replacement Filter Cartridge for Jandy CL460 @ Amazon

Check out the pictures; if your cartridge doesn't have the pleat ties . . . you got one of the low grade cartridges. My understanding is that Unicel or Filbur are OK, and of course the Hayward OEM is fine. Pleatco or no-name or private label . . . not so much.

+ Don't plan on using your softener to fill the pool, unless you've talked to your water treatment guy about it. Have you ever worked with a softner before? You'll end up doing a LOT of regenerating that way!

[mogwai]

Been a couple of days since i posted, but wanted to update. Thanks again for the help.

+ Dunno how long to clean / kill it all -- I've quit making predictions on that; too many variables! But, if the WATER is clear now, you should be able to get the pool all cleaned up in a week.

+ Nylon brush is fine; vacuuming the debris is fine AS LONG AS THE CHLORINE IS HIGH when you do it!

Been brushing and keeping the chlorine above 15...this morning the water is super clear with some sediment at the bottom of the pool which i'll vacuum out tonight, but making great headway!

+ I'd recommend starting the stabilizer AFTER the algae is gone, but if you buy dichlor, you can begin chlorinating with dichlor now -- just don't over do it.

I suspect i'll begin adding stabilizer this weekend but I absolutely forgot to order from Amazon. I have a Leslie Pools by me and I wonder if their Stabilizer will work. Because of our hard water I am leaning toward using unstabilized Chlorine but would appreciate feedback.

If the Leslie Pools stabilizer will work, are they any special instructions you suggest?

+ Hayward C1200 will work well up to 40 GPM / 19,000 gallons.

if your cartridge doesn't have the pleat ties . . . you got one of the low grade cartridges. My understanding is that Unicel or Filbur are OK, and of course the Hayward OEM is fine. Pleatco or no-name or private label . . . not so much.

New filter has the pleats and pleat ties

+ Don't plan on using your softener to fill the pool, unless you've talked to your water treatment guy about it. Have you ever worked with a softner before? You'll end up doing a LOT of regenerating that way!

Never worked with a softener before. The original reason for considering a softener was to help our washing machine and dishwasher...also the faucets. I have enough room in my well house and well filtration to run a faucet before the softener as we only wanted the softener for the main house. I would still have access to unsoftened water for the pool and the gardens.

I'll ask you about the CAL reduction process once I get the pool chemicals right in the next few days unless this is something I need to absolutely do while stabilizing the chemicals?

[PoolDoc]

You can add stabilizer 3 ways:
1. Use a stabilized chlorine, like trichlor tabs or dichlor powder.
2. Use the liquid stabilizer -- 1/2 strength; 2x the price.
3. Use granular stabilizer BUT it's slow to dissolve so you MUST get your water clean first. Otherwise, you'll have to clean your filter and dump the stabilizer before it dissolves. You have to allow about 60 hours of circulation time to dissolve the granular stabilizer. If you have a pump timer, this can be 10 days!

Unstabilized chlorine has two practical forms: bleach, and cal hypo. Bleach is fine with hard water, but you'll have to tote a lot of bleach. Cal hypo will ADD hardness, if you use it according to the label instructions. There's a way to use it that will tend to REDUCE hardness, but it would be tricky with a cartridge filter.

What you might want to look at is getting a 50# container of diclor from Sams Club (NOT Costco!) for $105. At that price, it works out to be about $4.50/lb as 100% chlorine gas . . and about $5 lb as stabilizer. 6% bleach is costs about the same, on a 100% chlorine comparison, but does NOT include stabilizer. Dichlor is completely soluble, so you don't have to mess around trying to dissolve it on your filter.

You will have to switch to bleach or cal hypo at some point, because your stabilizer level will keep climbing. And, you'll need the K2006 testkit to manage both the hard water and the stabilizer / chlorine ratio.

[mogwai]

Thanks Ben.

Im going to do exactly as you said. I'll pick up the dichlor from Sam's Club this morning and liquid bleach for when i need to switch. you also mentioned not overdoing the stabilizer so I'll be very careful.

I've got the Taylor K2005 test kit with the Taylor 1515 kit for DPD - FAS chlorine test on order.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

[PoolDoc]

you also mentioned not overdoing the stabilizer so I'll be very careful.

Just to let you know . . . there's a little bit of, well, not controversy exactly, but maybe, lack of synchronization here at PoolForum about what stabilizer levels ought to be. The instinct most experienced PoolForum members, contributors, and even moderators have is . . . get it down, if your CYA level gets near 100 ppm.

That's my fault, in large degree.

Years ago, when I began to understand the relationship between chlorine and CYA levels, the first conclusion I reached was that people needed to get their levels down, so their chlorine could be effective. When I first published the Best Guess chart around 2002, that opened up a way to function effectively even if they couldn't drain - IF they had a DPD-FAS kit and could test. But, until Richard (Chem_Geek) worked out all the analytical machinery that validated my "best guess", I didn't depend on it 100%: it WAS a guess!

And, it's only been in the last 18 - 24 months, that several other bits of analytical and historical data dropped into place, and got synched up in my thinking. The result is, some of the advice that I personally am NOW giving about CYA and chlorine levels is not the same as the advice I gave 6 years ago. But, most of the stuff written down, both here and at Trouble Free Pools is really more of the 6 year old stuff.

So . . . when you report back that your CYA level has reached 80 ppm, and you ask what you should do next, don't be surprised if some of the experienced people here tell you, "You need to drain some water, and lower that CYA level". But, that won't be what I'll tell you! What I'll say is, "Draining is an option . . . or you could just raise your chlorine level a little more, to compensate!".

[mogwai]

Thanks for that Ben. Im still a little confused about lots of things but Im getting there. With the recommended stabilizer from Sam'S Club and my chlorine level is hovering at 7 ppm it seems the next few days will be a bit of an iterative process to get the chlorine levels down a bit while increasing the cya presence.

Unless Im mistaken it looks like my target is around 50 ppm of stabilize. An idea on what type of CYA increase an initial 4oz treatment i can expect?

[Watermom]

An idea on what type of CYA increase an initial 4oz treatment i can expect?

I think you are asking how much a 4 oz. addition of cyanuric acid will add to your pool's CYA reading? If that is correct, then the answer is about 3.5ppm.