Hi,

Frazz here, I live just north of St. Paul, MN and I put an 18x36 vinyl-lined pool in our backyard 7 years ago. Average depth is 5.5 feet so doing the math means I have 26,700 gallons of water in my pool. I have a sand filter, a 1.5 horse pump, and a Jandy Lite2 heater. I have been a slave to the pool store for too long and am determined to try the BBB method.

I have a chlorine generator that accepts 3" pucks - i generally purchase the ones sold at Sam's Club.

I have had some issues with algae in the past, but that may have been simple lack of vigilance on my part. I do have parts of my pool in the shallow end that seem to collect "dirt" or a similar substance. I used to frequently use a solar cover but am somewhat skeptical of them - I've had bad luck where they seem to help cause bad water conditions (cloudiness, algae, general unhappiness by the pool boy - me). The one I have now is clear and seems to have caused more problems than not. The pool is heavily used - almost every day - by two adults and sometimes a 13-year old (my son on weekends I have him). The wife likes the pool temp at 86, but I keep is "down" at 84. Still too warm for me, but I am adjusting.

I am ordering the K-2006 test kit this week.

Generally I have used pool store chlorine to start my pool in Spring, and then use a burnout 3 product for weekly maintenance. My chlorine is usually high, and that may been a factor of putting too much junk in it based on what the pool store says. They have the evil computer with the test strips and I have used them for years.

What I hope to get from this forum - knowledge on how to get the most from my pool without running to the pool store during their inconvenient hours of operation.

What I hope to add to this forum - experience I gain along the way that could help others.

Looking forward to posting with you all soon.

~Frazz