Just Embarking on the BBB Method - Help Needed

[Watermom]

You will need some stabilizer, but in a 16,000 gallon pool, I'd start with 4 lbs. which should get you around 30ppm. You may decide later to bump it up to 40 or 50, but 30 is a good starting place.

Try and sustain your shock level for your chlorine by testing 2 or even 3(better!) times a day and each time shock it back up. If you let the cl level yo-yo up and down, you'll never clear the pool.

However, I wouldn't add it just yet. I would wait until you take care of the algae problem.

[CoffeeBean]

Thanks Watermom,

Shock level - is that around 15ppm? I seem to recall reading that somewhere on the forum.

There is so much info on the forum that my brain gets full and then I can't find what I need later.

You said "I would wait until you take care of the algae problem." Are you saying (I hope) that by keeping the CL up to shock levels the junk on the pool sides should disappear or are you saying that even though the water is clear I still have an algae problem?

CBean

[Watermom]

For a pool with a cya reading of 0, shock would be up to 10ppm. Just now reread more carefully through this thread. I agree with Marie, that hopefully with a few more days of high cl, the stains on the wall will fade. If it were my pool, I'd keep the cl around 10 for a few days longer and then I'd go ahead and add the stabilizer.

[CoffeeBean]

Thanks for the advice.

I need to add more CL tonight. It dropped again. My pH is holding at 7.5. The ALK is climbing - 100 to last night's 90, but the CAL dropped from 140 to 130.

I've tried to glean "optimal" values from the forum and think I have them. Could someone let me know if I'm about right for using the BBB method?

"Optimal" values for vinyl liners
FC - 1-3ppm
pH 7.2-7.6
ALK - 80-120
Cal - 200-350
CYA - 30-60

I would like to turn the heater on for a while once I get things settled. It's a tad chilly in there. I'm afraid if I do it now, that green/brown stuff will "cook" onto the sides.

At what point in the chemistry can I safely let the kids in?

CoffeeBean

[mbar]

Just keep up with the bleach - the warmer water won't cook the stains on the sides - they will fade with the high chlorine and time.

Your optimal values are pretty close, but with cya at 30 to 50 you need your chlorine between 3ppm and 6ppms shock would be at 15ppms.

You don't need calcium in a vinyl liner, but if you have a heater a level of 125 would be enough.

All others are fine.

[CoffeeBean]

I'm working on keeping the CL up. I'm having trouble keeping the CL it up to 10.

I'm beginning to think that my pool has more than 16,000 gal. I have never been able to get a straight answer from any source as to its true capacity. Since it has a deep end, computing the capacity isn't a straightforward event. I tried the other night to separate the deep pit from the overall pool and got over 17,000 gals. That affects how much CL and stuff I add.

How much longer should I keep the levels at shock value? It's been a week now since I opened and started cleaning the water.

Should I wait until the CL drops to the 1-3 range before letting the kids in?

Thanks for all the support.

CoffeeBean

[mammallama]

Here's the formula for calculating volume of water in your pool (with varying depth):

If the pool floor slopes uniformly from end to end, the average depth can be found by adding the deepest and shallowest depth measurements and dividing the results by two. If the pool's dimensions are in feet, the volume will be in cubic feet. One cubic foot of water equals 7.5 gallons.

Example: The water volume of a pool 60 ft. long, 30 ft. wide and that slopes in depth from 3 ft. to 10 ft. is as follows:

30 x 60 x ((10 + 3)/2) = 11,700 cubic ft. of water11,700 x 7.5 = 87,750 gallons

[mbar]

You should keep your pool at shock untill you maintain the level overnight. To clear your pool you will have to take your chlorine up to shock, and leave it there testing often. It won't clear until you kill all of the algae. You can swim with chlorine at 15ppms, it won't hurt you, it may fade some swimming suits though. But if you have combined chlorine, I wouldn't let them swim.

[CoffeeBean]

Mammallama,

Thanks for the formula. The problem I've run into is that it *doesn't* slope uniformly. About half way down the length the middle starts to slope down but the edges - about 18" out from the pool walls - remain at the same "elevation" as the shallow end. I've tried measuring the depression and subtracting it from the volume as if it was a standard 52" 16X32. It's certainly not scientific. I'm still waiting to hear from Doughboy.

Mbar,

Thanks for the advice. So far I have no combined cl. I'll see what the morning brings for TC. The kids have been drooling over the pool since the sludge cleared up. I haven't even dropped the ladder for fear they'd get into it. The walls are still green/brown but, unless I'm just deluding myself, I think it's a little lighter than it originally was.

I ordered some chem refills from Ben. Hope they get here soon. My Cl powder is grey and it says to replace when that happens.

Coffeebean