Am I on the right track? New home w/pool

[dawndenise]

Fort Walton Beach area...sandwiched between Pensacola and Panama City. While we're not right on the coast, we're less than 20 miles inland. Wish I could say I lived in Destin, but no such luck...great beaches though!

Update...SWCG is back on and chlorine is holding at about 8-9. I'll try to let it drop a bit further toward your recommendation of 5, but I found out that the prior owners had a nasty attack of black algae prior to moving out. Seems that a pool company was called in and had to do a whole lot of scrubbing (with dichlor???) to get rid of it. So far, the pool is nice and clear and I plan to keep it that way!

[CarlD]

If and when your pool is fully clear and clean, you should start adding Polyquat 60% as a preventative. You could add about 1/2 quart to start, then add 2oz every week and that should inhibit the black algae getting started again. Polyquat is easily recognizable by the contents: 60% poly...(something unpronounceable).... as the active ingredient. If you see something else and you DON'T see this, it ain't Polyquat 60%. Sometimes it's labled as algaecide, sometimes as Mustard Algaecide, sometimes as black algaecide. I don't care what they call it as long as it's got the 60% poly......

Then you may be able to lower the FC safely. Beware, though: A heavy dose of Polyquat--like a half quart to a quart--will cause your FC to drop like a stone over the next 24-48 hours. Don't worry--with the SWG or shocking it will come back up. Just don't back wash for a couple of days.

And the Poly acts as floc treatment, too.

Good luck!

[waterbear]

You might also want to consider adding borates to 50 ppm instead of the polyquat 60. Not only does it have algaestatic properties, it will help stabilzie the pH also.

[CarlD]

You can even do both!

With the borates, you'll need the special test strips. You'll also need acid to bring the pH back down as Borax is our recommend chem for raising pH.

I haven't tried the borates 50ppm setting, but it makes a lot of sense.

[dawndenise]

Thanks guys! I won't be able to add borates as I have 2 dogs that LOVE to drink pool water. After a walk, they're both really hot and they like nothing better than to jump into this pool's tanning/play area, swish their faces in and around the water and drink up some water. They did the same thing with our last pool, as well.

I was part of a thread a couple years back when borates were first coming up as a topic and I think it was you, Evan, who mentioned you also had pets but had taught them not to drink from the pool.

I could train them to not drink the pool water but I've just chosen not to...at least at this point.

And, I am aware that high chlorine levels are also a risk to them, so had to manage their activities when the pool was first at FC=23. Would you still use PolyQuat in a pool where pets drank a good bit of water on a daily basis?

[CarlD]

Would you still use PolyQuat in a pool where pets drank a good bit of water on a daily basis?

No. Not until I had a way to prevent them from drinking the pool water.

[PatL34]

Sandy,

I did not see it mentioned in the previous threads, but you may need to keep adding muriatic acid to keep the pH down with a plaster pool, especially if it is fairly new.

The calcium from the walls will keep leaching out until the conditions have stabilized.

Pat