Trying to Swim More and do less work

[szampino]

Watermom,

Thanks. Mbar helped me out 2 years ago when I tried being a pool owner the first time. I was able to avoid it last year but the kids wouldn't let that happen this year so here I am.....With a big 'S' on my forehead for 'Sucker'!

I'm a firm believer in not doing things the same way twice and expecting different results, so... Last time I focused on the Metals, this time I'm going to focus on the sanitation, first, so when I have to lower the FC levels to deal with the Metals, I will at least have handled any bacteria/etc. And I could feel comfortable keeping the FC levels at the 'Best Guess' range without having to bring it to shock again. And the Brown is already there so I know it isn't going anywhere.

So this is what I did:

at around 5:30pm, I added another 1/2 gal of bleach (6%) into the pool to raise the FC back to 'Shock' level. Based on my last dosage and 4pm reading, I figured my FC should go up in the right range.

I just checked at 10pm and my readings are as follows:

FC-13 (drop test-10ml)
CC -0
TC- 13
PH - 7.0
Alk - 110
CYA - 0 (Haven't even tried to play with this)

2 things to note. My PH is very stable (Lovin this). My FC also held much longer then I expected, and I'm sure it is because of 'Non-Sun' at this hour, however I can't wait to see what happens overnight. (please pray for no rain - I can't handle another variable yet)

If my FC holds (shock level-10+-) overnight, I'm going to consider that I have clean/algee/bacteria free water and will let the FC lower throughout the day and Add/see if my Sequestering agent will remove the staining. ( I have a little more Ascorbic Acid left over from 2006 but don't want to add another chemical into the mix at this point).

If the staining disappears (please keep your fingers crossed) I will begin to raise my FC levels with 'Triclor'(Stabalized Chlorine tablets) tabs very slowly to introduce some CYA into the water so my Bleach will have better staying power.

Please let me know if anyone disagrees with this approach and could suggest a better alternative --(besides shooting the pool)

[szampino]

Morning Reading.

FC - 13 (Held over night - Yippee)
CC - 0
TC - 13
PH - 7.2 (Went up a bit)
Alk - 120 (Went up a bit)
**Water still appears crystal clear with the exception of the ugly bottom of the pool.

I'm at a Crossroad, and could use some advice.

My plan was to let the FC go down on its own today and then I would begin dealing with my metals. However, The weather reports say it is going to Rain.

Q1. Should I continue to keep the FC at Shock level to get past the rain and then start working on my metals? (i'm leaning to yes)

Q2. Under normal pool maintenance, do you bring your FC to shock level after a rainstorm? And if you do, how long do you keep it there?

Q3. Am I the only one on this forum that has this problem?

[Watermom]

Q1. Should I continue to keep the FC at Shock level to get past the rain and then start working on my metals? (i'm leaning to yes)

I think you are right, get past the rain and then work on the metals. And, hopefully by then Marie will have had a chance to take a look at this thread. (I asked her to do so.)

Q2. Under normal pool maintenance, do you bring your FC to shock level after a rainstorm? And if you do, how long do you keep it there?

I don't always shock after rain unless a bunch of debris has gotten into the pool. As a matter of fact, I rarely shock my pool unless a whole bunch of kids have been in there swimming which doesn't happen often. As long as you monitor your chlorine readings consistenly and don't let it drop below what your minimum should be, you really don't need to shock. Of course, if you are having water problems you are trying to clear or have a CC reading, then you should shock.

Q3. Am I the only one on this forum that has this problem?

Most certainly not!


Hang in there!

[szampino]

Update:

Around 12pm earlier this afternoon I added a little more bleach to keep my FC up, I added about 1qt just to get a 10(+-) reading during the rain. I checked my PH and it appeared to be creeping up a little Alk was still between 110 - 120.

At 8pm, I did another check and PH creeped a little above 7.2 however FC was right about where I wanted it. (10+-) (Still haven't put any CYA in yet. Since I am planning to begin my metal treatment tomorrow I wanted to keep the PH around 7 so I added 1/2 cup of Muratic Acid. Waited about 45 minutes and took another full reading:

FC = 9.5
CC = 0
TC = 9.5
PH = 7.0 (scaring myself a little because I got the MA measurement right)
ALK = 110-120

Q1. How do I drop the FC? I will need to bring it way down to deal with my metals?

Q2. Do I need to check the CYA even if I haven't added any through Tri-tabs or directly? Does it just get created from a natural process, or from the BBB method?

[Watermom]

The FC will come down on its own especially on a hot sunny day. If you haven't added any trichlor tabs or any cya directly, then you do not need to test for it.

[mbar]

Hi, sorry to not replying sooner, but I was away. I think you are on the right track! You should now put in some of your pucks - they will keep your ph low (you don't want to go over 7.2 now). I would not add any ascorbic acid yet. Just put in some more sequestering agent. This may take your ph and chlorine down. The additional sequestering agent should take the stains away, since they are just new. I have used a new metal sequester that I really liked this year called Doheny's Water Warehouse Extra-Strength Metal Out. I had some staining from the high chlorine levels at the beginning of the season, and this took them away. It did cloud the water a little, but it is clearing. Just keep track of the ph. Metal sequesters often bring the ph down, and so do the trichlor pucks. The thing is that you do want your ph low - it will lift the metals off - so it is a delicate balancing act until the water is sanitized and the stains are gone . In my opinion you were right to do the sanitizing of the water first. The metal problem is really a pain - but it is much more important to have a clean pool. I have found that waiting a while for the sequestering agent to work is best (it may take a couple of days) before having to do the ascorbic acid treatment, because it is hard to get the water rebalanced after the treatment, and much easier to do it with the metal sequestering agent. Once you get your water balanced and stain free - you should not have to shock your water if you keep the chlorine levels steady. If you do have to shock, then always make sure your ph is down at least 7.2 before shocking, and if you see any stains start to form, then add more sequestering agent. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions you have

[szampino]

Pool Forum Masters - Thank you.

I'm feeling pretty good right now - (hope I just didn't set myself up!)

Yesterday, I let my FC drop to about .5 - 1, made sure my PH was about 7.0, vacumed the bottom of the pool (which lifted some of the brown) then I shut the filter, cleaned it, and added about 26oz of a Metal Treatment solution all around the inside perimeter of the pool (basic stuff - HTH-Metal Control). I left the filter off for about 40 minutes then turned it back on for the rest of the evening. Overnight I added 1 (One Inch) HTH Stabalized chlorine puck to the pool to keep the chlorine low but also begin adding some CYA.

This morning the pool looks pretty good. There is definatley some staining on the pool floor but I can deal with that through vacuming and I'm not expecting perfection from this type of pool.

My readings are as follows:
FC= 1
CC= 0
TC= 1
PH= 7.2
ALK= 100
Cal = 80
CYA= 0

Here is my plan: Keep the Chlorine level at between 1-3 while my CYA is still at 0. As it increases I will maintain my FC accordingly. I'm going to try and keep my PH between 7.0 and 7.2.

Q1. Filter/Pump Questions
How often should I run my filter/pump?
How long should I let it run for when on?
When should I run it? (Morning/Afternoon/Evening)

[mbar]

very good I am so happy to hear it!! You sound like you have a great plan. The stains will probably lift as the metal out does it's job with the lower ph. Just keeping the pucks in will keep your ph under control, as they tend to bring the ph down, and will give you enough stabilized chlorine to keep the pool sanitized. Just make sure you keep testing so that the ph doesn't go too low and damage the pool. Keep us informed.

[szampino]

My pool hates me and I hate it!

Yesterday, the water was crystal clear, Most of the staining on the bottom of the pool was gone except in the corners and I really thought I had everything under control.

All chemicals were in check.

I began floating a Trichlor-Chlorine tab in the pool to introduce CYA. Checked all the levels before I went to bed:
FC - 1.5
CC - 0
TC - 1.5
PH - 7.2
Alk - 100
Cal - 80
CYA - 0

I woke up this morning to a pool that looks greenish (Can't be algea) I actually think the water is pretty clear but I'm guessing my metals came out in the water again which is causing my Blue & White liner to make the water look green (yellow metal and Blue/white liner). This also happened 2 years ago.

Here are my readings:
FC - 2.5
CC - 0
TC - 2.5
PH - 7.3
Alk - 100
Cal - 80
CYA - 0

Now I could really use a shoulder to lean on!

Here is my plan: I'm going to lower the PH to about 7.0, and try to keep the FC around 1.5 (hoping some of the Chlorine will burn off during the day) and then take another water test around 3pm.

[mbar]

Hmmm - I'm thinking the chlorine is reacting more quickly to precipitate metals with the low cya. I have tried running my pool with a low cya, and did have more staining. This year I am trying to run a higher cya and see what happens. Maybe you can try getting some cya, and adding a little, this way you can use regular bleach so you can control the amount you are putting in. this way the chlorine can be raised gradually. I know how you feel about hating the pool I feel that way too sometimes, it is all a learning experience, and the stupid water doesn't always react the way it is supposed to . The only thing I know for sure is that high ph with high chlorine allows metals to fall out. The rest is trial and error. Even the amounts that are needed for the sequestering agent, and ph and chlorine can vary. I do find that using bleach does make staining less likely than using pucks or calhypo. I don't have any scientific proof, just my experiments that I have been trying from year to year. Don't get discouraged, you will find what works for your pool - I would also suggest adding more sequestering agent. Sometimes the water needs more than the directions on the bottle say. If you need more metal out, try a different one this time. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions you have, and keep us informed. It is always a learning experience and we can learn from each other so we can post different ways of fighting those rotten stains