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Thread: I have a few questions...

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    Smile I have a few questions...

    We had a late spring. I'm just now opening my pool. I have a 24' above ground pool. I've had it 8 years. Since it's late in the season, we have a pool full of polywogs. What's the best way to deal with this? Also, the pool is green. I purchased Yellow Out. We had mustard algae last year and I used it then. It worked good. Now I'm reading here it's not good for the pool. What should I use instead? Also, I've never changed the sand in the filter. We're changing it this season. We're replacing it with ZeoSand. Should we clean the pool as much as we can with the old sand before replacing with ZeoSand? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    Hi, and welcome to the forum!!

    Yellow out will create a huge chlorine demand in your pool, so I wouldn't add it unless it was absolutely necessary. What did you use to chlorinate with last year, and what was your CYA level on closing? What is your CYA level now?

    I'm not sure what you mean by "pollywogs", but you need to scoop out as much of the debris as you can with a net or leaf rake--no sense in wasting chlorine sanitizing leaves!. Then we recommend using plain, unscented bleach as a chlorine source to clear up the mess. We can calculate doses for you and give you better advice if we have more specific information about your pool, so please take a few minutes and fill out this chart for us with your pool's info..
    Pool Chart Entry Form
    Pool Chart Results

    Also, you're going to need a good test kit to know how high your chlorine is, since you need to reach a shock level that is determined by your CYA and maintain that level until your pool clears up. So...we need a set of test results, taken with a drop-based kit (no strips!) to know where to go from here. If you don't have a good kit, take a look at the K-2006 linked in my sig--we highly recommend that one. While you're waiting for it to come in, check your local WalMart and see if they have the hth 6-way kit for around $20. That will at least allow you to run a basic set of tests to get you started.

    Just out of curiosity, why are you switching to zeosand? I've used both in my pool, and I can tell you that I don't really notice any difference between the two, except that zeo is more expensive. If you haven't bought the new stuff, why not just leave the old sand in? It doesn't have to be replaced unless it's gummed up by some product, or Bacquacil conversion, etc. My3 co-mods are all over 10 years each on the sand in their filters--and I would be, too, if I hadn't switched to zeo during a filter problem a few years ago. Quite frankly, though, if I ever have to take the zeo out of the filter again, I'll be switching back to sand. No need for the extra expense. However, if you decide to change the sand anyway, I would at least see if you can use the sand that's already in the filter for cleanup.
    Janet

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    Jan --- pollywogs are tadpoles.

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    @ Jan: What do they call them in Louisiana?

    @ Ilovetarts: Do NOT use Yellow Out, unless you REALLY know what you are doing! It does work; but you need to be very particular about how you go about it

    I'll help you, but you need to post the pool chart info first, AND have a GOOD test kit, and have posted results before you even start applying the Yellow OUT. On the other hand, you can do two things now:
    1. If you have any old algaecide, go ahead dump it in - it's the best way to to get rid of it, and any problems will be over before you get finished with the Yellow Out. (If you happen to have any polyquat, SAVE that, though.)
    2. Vacuum and clean any physical debris out NOW. You don't want that in the pool, when you begin treating it, anyhow.

    There's a 3rd thing you can do. Borax makes your pool more inhospitable to algae, AND will work well with Yellow Out. To be useful, you need to add about 60 ppm as borates. I'm calculating your pool as about 12,000 gallons (8*8*pi*3.5 depth * 7.48 gal/cft). To do your pool, you'll need about 60 lbs of 20 Mule Team borax, or 13 boxes, PLUS 4 gallons of plain 31.45% 20 degree muriatic acid (Lowes). The borax will continue to have positive effects all season.

    Get that, and get the goop and leaves and etc out of the bottom, and then you can start with the rest.

    If you haven't already bought the Yellow Out, you can probably save money by buying this
    5LB Ammonium Chloride AF Grade @ Amazon
    Just remember, the residue from using ammonia (Yellow OUT) is IRRITATING, and will take a week or so to remove!

    If you use the borax first -in part, and leave your pH HIGH, then add the ammonia, followed by bleach, and then follow by polyquat once most of the algae is dead, you'll get maximum effect with minimum effort.

    Using polyquat during clean up accomplishes two things: it helps kill or prevent algae, letting you run lower chlorine levels, and it is a very good clarifier, that helps you filter out any small particles that may form.(Probably available from pool stores, and possibly some big box stores -- but you MUST learn to ID it correctly. See the polyquat page for more info.)
    Kem-Tek 60% polyquat @ Amazon
    Nava 60% polyquat @ Amazon

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    Quote Originally Posted by PoolDoc View Post
    @ Jan: What do they call them in Louisiana?

    ]
    LOL, down here they're called tadpoles!!

    Janet

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    jwhouse is offline Registered+ Thread Analyst jwhouse 0
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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    I'm originally from the Ark-La-Tex area, just above Shreveport in Arkansas and we called them both names. Pollywog was just more fun to say!!!

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    Thanks for the responses. It's too bad I checked this AFTER I applied Yellow Out today! We did scoop out as many pollywogs as we could. Yes, it is funner to say Pollywogs. My pool wall is 52". I added 2 pounds of Yellow Out, 4 bottles of 182 oz. store brand bleach and about 3 pounds of cyanuric acid. The chemicals did kill the remaining pollywogs. There were at least a couple hundred dead; which I did remove through the skimmer and with the skimmer net. We will keep the living ones in a kiddie pool until they're big enough to leave on their own. I only have cheap test strips. I was guessing on the amounts to put in. I know I didn't have any chlorine in the pool. And I figured the cyanuric acid was low. I do have a quart bottle of polyquat 60. Should I put that in now? The water has turned to a nice cloudy blue. I haven't been able to vacuum the pool yet because I can't see the bottom.

    Janet, the reason I'm switching to Zeosand is because I read a lot of positive reviews on it. I heard it filters better than sand. I just hope we backwash it good enough so it doesn't cloud up the pool.

    I will follow your guys advice and purchase a quality pool water test kit. If you have any more advice, I'd appreciate it!

    Thanks!

    Jeannie

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    Default Re: I have a few questions...

    When you fill the filter, whether it's sand or zeo, but ESPECIALLY if it's zeo, make sure that you start it up in backwash or rinse mode. Otherwise you'll stand there and watch your nice, clean, sparkling pool become a mud pit right before your very eyes--and it takes several days to clean up the mess. Let me know if you actually see a difference with zeo--I didn't...

    You need to keep the chlorine levels up in your pool at least at 12-15 ppm, until all the ammonia from the Yellow Out is gone, and until all the algae is dead. If you let it come back down now, you're in for more algae before you ever get the cloudiness cleared up from the last time.

    Janet

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