Help me out here! Need to convince husband...

[Henrys514]

Ok, my husband and I just got into a huge argument about the pool maintenance. He says once we have it under control, all we need to do is get on a schedule of "shocking"(i.e.-dumping 1.25 gallons of 10% sodium hypo in the pool) the pool once per week, and we'll be fine. He says that's the way to do it because everything he's read says so, and everyone else says so too. He also says "shocking" isn't a problem because we only swim on the weekend, so who cares if the chlorine is too high during the week?

I'm sorry, but after reading on here, that's just asking for algae! I tried telling him that based on things I'VE read, we need to test every day, and add little bits of chlorine as needed based on our CYA. No shocking needed unless there is a problem. "Because everyone on the forum says so" isn't a good enough reason for him. Can anyone give me some articles, resources, or something...things I can print out and show him from people "in the know?" He doesn't think we should "waste our time" doing things to the pool almost every day. He wanted to know what the difference was in dumping 1.25 gallons in at once, and putting .5 gallons (or whatever amount) in a few times per week as needed. He thinks the 1.25 gallons will do the same thing, but faster.

I'm half tempted to let him take over, and see how bad things get. Can anyone help me out here?

[Rangeball]

I'm half tempted to let him take over, and see how bad things get. Can anyone help me out here?

I think I'd do that. With the agreement that if/when it goes to hell you get to take over, no questions asked.

But honestly, this is what my dad did with his AG pool for years, with no problems I like to think he just got lucky, as he never tested anything, just dumped some bleach in when "it looked like it needed it."

[newtopools]

Well I'm brand new at pools, but I will say that I have followed what advise is on this forum and my pool is beautiful. I'm still in the beginning stages of building up my cya so I am adding chlorine daily. I have spoken to family members who use the pool store method and they shock about twice a week to keep the pool from getting cloudy. I know they have spent in the hundreds of dollars. I've probably spent about 40 dollars or so. If He would read some of the posts here of ones who have benefited it may help. Sometimes you have to see for yourself about things and no one can tell you differently. My pool is 33' round and holds 25,700 gal. of water. It has never been cloudy yet. Although we haven't had much of any rain. That may make a big difference. Hope things work out well! Sharon

[Henrys514]

I think I'd do that. With the agreement that if/when it goes to hell you get to take over, no questions asked.

I thought about it on the way home from work, and that's what I think I"m going to do. I'm try and convince him one more time, and if he says no, then we'll do it his way, provided when the water gets cloudy, or algae infested, I get to take over. I'll be waiting in the wings with Ben's test kit (whenever it gets here) to swoop in and take over. He's real stubborn though...is it horrible of me to pray for an algae bloom

newtopools, I'd send him here to read all these posts and how this has worked for so many people, but I don't think it would help just because it is so contrary to what he was told and what all his friends with pools do. Now, I bet if the guy at the pool store told him this stuff, he'd do it!

[mwsmith2]

You probably won't get an algae bloom, but you most certainly will be wasting money. Shocking when you don't have algae or CC is unecessary.

[sevver]

This is my first year on the BBB method, I have an 18 round pool, and generally I put in about a quart of chlorine in a day, sometimes every other day as it needs it. I am amazed at the clarity of the water, it started to get cloudy yesterday, but the day before that it was used alot, and I never checked the Chlorine like I should have afterwards, so that is what I get. But I dumped in about a half of a gallon of chlorine, and this morning it is back to crystal clear.

My wife used to deal with the pool, and we were always recovering from something major, the chemicals were never right, and she just added like three bags of shock at a time whenever she felt the need to I think. She swore that testing for TA and Ph and everything else was a scam to get you to buy more stuff. This year I gave her a break, I found this forum, read possibly everything in here, learned more than I could have anywhere else, and I am the envy of the whole family now. Everyone is curious, but so far, no one has asked me about the method.

Currently I am in the process of lowering the TA through Muratic Acid, Areation. I have lowered it from 250ppm+, to around 150, I am still working on it and it is working. The method that the pool store would have you do does not make sense, with every lowering of the Ph, you have to raise it again...

I am also eagerly awaiting a reducing hardness thread that was promised, mine is a bit high, but I am not willing to drain the pool to lower it. I have a water softener in the basement that I will put out there for a couple of weeks before I do that...

Good luck
Steve

[Henrys514]

You probably won't get an algae bloom, but you most certainly will be wasting money. Shocking when you don't have algae or CC is unecessary.

I tried to tell him that, but he doesn't see the difference in dumping in all the chlorine in one shot once a week, or doing it little bits at a time a few times a week to maintain FC.

Lately, I've had to put in .5 gal of 10% sodium hypo every other day to keep our level around 6ppm (CYA was 35ppm, just raised to 50ppm). We're losing about 2ppm per day, which I think is pretty normal for a pool in direct Florida sun most of the day. Maybe with the 50ppm CYA we'll lose less...

[ScottS]

Now, I bet if the guy at the pool store told him this stuff, he'd do it!

Nah because then you'd be right, we can't have that j/j

What size is your pool? Got a vinyl liner? Depending on the size you'll want to be sure he doesn't just dump in 1.25 gallons of 10% whenever he wants to. For instance a 24' AG pool with a 6ppm residual would jump up to about 16ppm if the whole 1.25 gallon container is added. Depending on what your CYA level is this could cause suit fading and maybe premature fading on the liner. Thats just a small caution I thought of before you let him have it.

Well good luck. Keep us informed of his success or un-successfulness

[Henrys514]

Nah because then you'd be right, we can't have that j/j

What size is your pool? Got a vinyl liner? Depending on the size you'll want to be sure he doesn't just dump in 1.25 gallons of 10% whenever he wants to. For instance a 24' AG pool with a 6ppm residual would jump up to about 16ppm if the whole 1.25 gallon container is added. Depending on what your CYA level is this could cause suit fading and maybe premature fading on the liner. Thats just a small caution I thought of before you let him have it.

Well good luck. Keep us informed of his success or un-successfulness

I don't ever get to be right...

Our pool is 12,000 gal IG exposed-aggregate surface, so high CL levels really not a problem. This is our 3rd year with the pool now...he has done his weekly method the previous 2 years and we have had some algae problems, and cloudy water. But that was always "his thing", so I never let it bother me. This year, after the long struggle with horrific algae was finally over,(much $$$ and tons of time later) I was determined to not let it get that bad again, hence me finding this site and trying to take over.

[aquarium]

Just had to convince my other half that bleach is better. She's a nurse and wasn't convinced until one of the male doctors at the hospital said he uses the bleach system too.

Unfortunately, he uses the 'dump it all in once a week' method.

So my argument for a liquid chlorine feeder is now falling on deaf ears.

I don't actually wish upon him a green pool, but....