Trying to Swim More and do less work

[szampino]

I just put in 1.42 Gal of Clorox Bleach (6%). And checked all chemistry after the hour.

FC 17
cc .5
tc 17.5
ph 7.2 (turned fountain off)
Alk 110 - 120
Cal 120
CYA 0

**I didn't expect the FC to be that high with 1.42 gal of clorox.

How long to I need to maintain the FC @ 10(+-)

[Watermom]

Don't worry about the cl being so high right now. With no cya, it won't stay at that level for long.

[aylad]

How long to I need to maintain the FC @ 10(+-)

Keep it up there until the pool goes to blue but cloudy--and then keep your filter running 24/7 until it clears completely. Go ahead and get your CYA in there, since it takes several days to dissolve.

Janet

[szampino]

So close but yet so so far.

At around 1pm or so, I tested my FC and it was at about 7.5 so I added about 1/2 gal of Bleech (6%) and then rechecked in an hour 2pm. FC was at about 11ppm (Thought I was actually going to win this one).

I just checked the pool @ 4:00pm. The pool now has a brownish coating evenly distributed on the bottom of the pool which gives it a sortof purplish hue in the shady areas looking at the water. I guess my Metals fell out! Been here before and it aint pretty. See some of my other posts from a few years ago.

I'm open to any/all suggestions at this point. I'm not doing anything until I hear back from someone on this forum.

Here's the chemistry at 4pm:

FC 7.5
CC 0
TC 7.5
PH 7.0
ALK 120
Cal 100

Looks like this will be another season of HELL! This is really depressing. I tried so hard. Any one have any ideas. Please take a look at my older posts.

[Watermom]

I'm gonna ask Marie (mbar) to take a look at this thread. She is our resident metal expert. Hang tight. We'll help you get this cleared up and on to the business of enjoying your pool!

[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!

[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)