1st time pool owner

[Watermom]

Good call, Carl, on suggesting he try some DE. I forgot about suggesting that and yes, you're right. I use it in my sand filter, too!

[hamiltonmike]

well the water is not blue yet but i can see the bottom so it is somewhat clear. im not sure if the water itself still has a green tinge to it or if it is just that the sidewalls of the liner are stained and dirty.


i have noticed that since i added some borax to the skimmer that the psi now runs at roughly 12 opposed to 10 like before. im not sure if this has anything to do with it though.

what exactly does DE stand for?(Diatomaceous Earth ?) and where can it be purchased?

i had a few of these "socks" in my hand last time i was at the pool store but wasnt sure if it was a gimmick or not so did not purchase them. but i will pick them up in the next few days. they were 4 for 7.99 so they are rather cheap.



another ?

is there a safe product for cleaning the liner??

it is rather bleached and doesnt hide any dirt at all so i would like to give it a wash if possible. maybe a power washer?


thanks
mike

[CarlD]

DE is Diatomaceous Earth and every pool store and many discount houses sell it because one of the two most popular filter types, the DE filters, use it. But the stores sell it in various amounts and the smallest (10lbs) should last you several seasons. It's also good for getting rid of things like ants.

No, the skimmer socks work AMAZINGLY well, particularly in the spring because the pollen gets caught in them and you don't need to backwash so often.

[Watermom]

Glad it seems to be improving. A raise to 12 psi is fine. You are probably just catching stuff in the filter which is good!

As far as a cleaner --- you want to be very careful about putting any type of cleaners in your pool. It can mess up your chemistry and also give you a giant bubble bath if you aren't careful! I sometimes will use a little baking soda on a rag when I need to clean the vinyl. As long as you don't you use boxes worth to clean with, the baking soda isn't going to mess up the chemistry any.

[hamiltonmike]

well liner is really dirty and i will definately have to figure a way to clean it(if it is not permanantly stained now)at some point soon

i decided to take a sample to pioneer pools which has a computerized system and this is what i got

free chlorine 8.5ppm
total chlorine 8.8ppm
combined chlorine 0.3ppm
ph 7.6
hardness 200ppm
alkalinity 60ppm
cyanuric acid 25ppm

i was told to use 6kg alkajuster(2kgs added to water, then dispersed around the pool, 3 times, 30 mins apart)

is there a household rememdy to bring up the alkalinity?

she also tried selling me some liquid flocculant(sp?) like clear blue/crystal clear but i declined.


i asked about the DE and like usual they look at me like i have 3 heads when i tell them its to add to my sand filter. they only sold 20kg bags, so i will try and check out the pool shop.

i bought and added a skimmer sock


and the best news of all!!!!!!!! the pool is getting clearer and clearer by the day

still a bit cloudy but definately a HUGE improvement!

if i didnt know how high the chlorine level was i would of probably jumped in quickly last night

oh and the pump is now running consistantly at 12 no matter what. if i backwash it goes back to 12.

thanks
mike

[Watermom]

is there a household remedy to bring up the alkalinity?
Yes. You can use baking soda to raise alk. Add a little at a time slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running. After a few hours, retest and redose until you get it where you want it; somewhere between 80-120 is ok. Sneak up on the number instead of dumping in too much at once and overshooting your target. You're already at 60, so go slow with additions.

and the best news of all!!!!!!!! the pool is getting clearer and clearer by the day
See? We told you this would work!

Good job, Mike. Keep up the diligence and you're soon gonna be swimming in that clear pool!

[CarlD]

Yup. "Alkalinity Adjuster" is nothing but a fancy expensive package for BAKING SODA! That's right, Sodium Bicarbonate. I've seen it as high as $4/lb from %!0&@rd--and $3.50/12 lbs at Costco.

That's why we call it the B-B-B method--buy your chemicals at the grocery store---Bleach, Borax and Baking Soda. And if you want pHUp!, you buy Arm&Hammer Washing Soda--usually next to the Borax!

Ben even has an article on it on the sister site, PoolSolutions.com!