Re: Want to get the chemicals right ...
PoolDoc:
Here's the list as best as I can supply. I ordered the Taylor kit from In the Swim yesterday and should get it tomorrow. I did not get the HTH kit as my pool is looking pretty good and I don't want to throw another $20 down the drain. Unless you tell me there's a reason I need both kits.
Chemicals we have on hand:
1. 5 Bags of Pool Brand dichlor pool shock
2. 3 gallons Transchem 20° Baume muriatic acid
3. Approx. 25 lbs of Pool Brand 3-in. tabs.
As for other equipment:
1. I can't tell you anymore about the filter. It is sand, made by Jacuzzi, approximately 36 in. diameter. We had it installed before 2005. We had a house fire in 2005 and lost paperwork like the pool filter manual, etc. (I guess I could get the records from the pool store ...)
2. We have a heater. The water runs through it, but it has not been able to heat the water since before the 2005 house fire. (we think the contractor forgot to attach the gas line, and we haven't needed it)
That's really it for equipment.
History of 2012 pool opening (sorry this is so long):
During the week of June 20th we drained the pool completely, sprayed down the debris and got it all out and started fresh with our iron-filled well water. We set up our hose to fill a small baby pool. Put our 1.25 hp submersible pump in the pool and pumped the water through a culligan undersink filter contraption. On June 23rd we realized too much iron was still getting through and we quit while we waited for the Metal Trap to be delivered. During the wait, we put 1 gallon of liquid chlorine in the deep end where the water was, then started using the 1.25 submersible pump to send the water in the pool through the culligan-type undersink filter. (we do catch a lot of the iron in that filter)
June 28, began filling again using the Metal Trap on our hose. No other chemical was added until we got it full, which was about July 3rd.
July 4th: Used test strips to measure levels. PH was 8+ Added 1 gallon Transchem muriatic acid (20 Baume 31.45%) and swam in it all day. Water was almost clear, sort of greenish
July 5th: Pool store provided the following measurements:
Total chlorine: 0.5
Free chlorine: 0
CYA: 0
PH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 288
Hardness: 325
Copper: 0
Iron: 0
TDS: 300
Their suggestions scared me. Added 1 gallon muriatic acid no change in color or clarity, started trolling the pool forum to figure out if I should add chlorine slowly or all at once.
July 6th: Took a sample to a different pool store to test the info provided by the first store. I had only added that 1 gallon of muriatic and got these new numbers:
TC: 1.1
Free Chlorine: 0.0
Combined Chlorine: 1.1
CYA: 5
PH: 7.9
Alkalinity: 309
Hardness: 230
Copper:0
Iron:0
TDS: 500
Nitrate: 1
Took their advice (BAD IDEA)
Added 4 quarts GLB Algemycin 2000 ,
4 gallons Transchem muriatic acid,
4 lbs. Royal Stabilizer,
8 gallons of So White Swim Kleer bleach (12.5% sodium hypochlorite)
July 7th: Woke up to BROWN water, perfectly clear, but brown. Added 4 lbs. Stabilizer, 1 quart Lynde Co. Unique clarifier, 1 quart Bioguard Pool Magnet plus. Water changed to greenish. Went back to the second pool store to tell them what happened and showed them a picture. They had no idea, just told us to keep doing what they told us the day before. We left and have not been back.
Water measures from this day:
TC: 7.6
Free: 4.0
Combined: 3.6
CYA: 15
PH: 7.2
Alkalinity: 246
Hardness: 230
Copper .16 (from the algaeside, ya think?!!)
Iron: 0
TDS: 570
Nitrate: 19
Added three more gallons of muriatic acid and two more quarts HTH metal control from Walmart in the afternoon. Water color and clarity hasnt changed.
July 8th: Using AquaChem test strips
FC: 10+
TC: 10+
CYA: Less than 30
PH: ~7.6
Alkalinity: ~200
Swam all day with 3 dogs and 10 people in and out of the pool.
Ph looked higher on the strip in the evening, and chlorine was still high. Added 3 gallons muriatic.
July 9th: Backwashed in the morning, put one Pool Brand triclor 3-in. tab in the skimmer and started adding fill water on top of the tab, still using the Metal Trap. Test strips showed:
FC: 8
TC: 8
CYA: Less than 30
PH: 7.2
Alkalinity in range
Have completely realized the color is due to stain on the fiberglass sides and concrete bottom. Got ascorbic acid to test. Amazing!!!!! Color comes right off the fiberglass. Have not tried the concrete.
Followed Bens advice all day yesterday with chlorine, though most likely our chlorine is fine. Its been very high and holding since Saturday. Ordered the Taylor test kit. Since our chlorine is high, Im going to wait the two days to get the Taylor kit and not spend the extra $20 on the HTH kit.
Total of 12 cups of Pool Brand dichlor added today.
Free and Total Chlorine is higher than test strips will measure
CYA: probably still under 30
PH: 7.6
Alkalinity in range.
July 10th: I will get the test kit tomorrow or Thursday, and provide accurate measurements. Until then, I think we will sit on it. Water is clearer this morning, and chlorine is still higher than can be discerned using test strips. I think our real problem with water color and clarity is the metal stain on all surfaces. Would like to use Ascorbic acid to clean it all off. I printed off the Sticky forum post instructions for doing that.
1. What brand of sequestering agent do you recommend to keep the metal from restaining the surfaces?
2. Is there any product or process that will actually get the metal out? I saw an entry on the forum at one point, but cant find it again. Can you point me there?
43K concrete L; 2.5HP Pentair; sand filter; PF:2.7; iron contaminated well water
Shallow: 20' + deep:20'xShallow:40' + deep:16' L' 50K gal IG pool; Trichlor feeder; Jacuzzi sand filter; Pentair whisper jet 2.5 hp pump; 24/7hrs; Aquachem strips; well; summer: ; winter: ; ; PF:2.4
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