New to BBB

[rkelly]

I have been using regular chlorine for years and am disgusted with the constant work involved. I have just found this forum and am interested in the BBB method. My pool is a vinyl IG pool with 19,300 gals.

My readings:
FC - 1
TC - 3
TA - 80
CYA - 0
PH-- 6.8
I have added 2 bottles of stabilizer in the last week but I still get "0" and water is still cloudy.

Any help would be appreciated......

[aylad]

First off, let me say welcome to the forum! We're glad to have you here!!

The first thing I see in looking at your numbers is that your pH is too low--anything below 7.0 runs a risk of damaging your liner. So a priority for me would be to get the pH up, and I would do it using 20-mule team Borax from the laundry aisle at WalMart. (green box). I would start with about 2 cups, dissolved in water and then poured slowly down the skimmer. Give it a couple of hours to circulate, then retest for it. Many pH test blocks only go to 6.8, and if that's the case, your pH could well be below that, so after you test, you can add more 1-2 cups at a time until you get the pH into the 7.2-7.6 range.

When you say you've added 2 bottles of stabilizer, are you talking about the granular type? If so, did you add it through the skimmer or broadcast into the pool? The granular type is very slow to dissolve and register on the tests, so we usually recommend that you add it, through the skimmer or in an old sock tied in front of a return, and then wait 4-5 days to retest for it. The problem with testing and adding too quickly is that, by the time it does register, often you've overshot your target and either need to drain/refill some water or use higher chlorine levels to compensate.

I'm assuming the active ingredient in the stabilizer you put in is cyanuric or isocyanuric acid--if not, then we really need to know what it was. Also, what is the total amount of stabilizer in each bottle?

Regarding the cloudiness of the water--looks like you might have an algae bloom trying to start..if your FC =1 and TC =3, then you have a CC of 2 and need to shock the pool. If the CYA is 0, then you need to raise your FC to 10-12 ppm and keep it there until the pool clears. Run your filter 24/7 while doing this, and backwash it as needed when the pressure rises as the dead algae is filtered out.

I know it's a lot of information to process at once, but once you get a grasp on it, this method of pool care is really very easy to maintain, and LOTS cheaper than the alternatives!

Janet

[rkelly]

I will stop by store on the way home and get some Borax. Should I work on the PH and then shock or can I do both at same time? I have 2 gals of clorox at home so I guess I will need more for this.
The stabilizer was from Lowe's, It was granular and I think it was 2 lbs per jug. I added 1 through the skimmer and 1 drectly to the deep end.
Thanks for the info.....

[aylad]

I would go ahead and get the pH up first--hopefully it's only 6.8 and the first addition will get it up above 7.0, then you can go on with your shock. If it's below that, getting it up is gonna be more critical to preserving your liner.

Have you backwashed your filter since you added the stabilizer through the skimmer? If so, then you've backwashed it out and that's why it's not showing up. You'll need to add more, but don't backwash for at least a week after the addition. If not, then just give it 3-4 more days before you try to test for it, because it does take a long time to dissolve. AS for the stabilizer in the bottom of the pool, make sure that you're brushing it around on a regular basis so it doesn't sit on your liner and stain it.

Janet

[Watermom]

You have been given some good advice by Janet. To answer your question, it is fine to work on ph and shock at the same time.

You have a bit of a quandry. You don't really want cyanuric ACID laying on your lner. Typically, when people have broadcast it into the pool instead of into the skimmer or in a sock in front of a return jet as Janet mentioned, we advise them to vacuum it up and let it dissolve in the filter. But, since it dissolves so slowly (may take up to a week) you can't backwash or you just end up throwing the cya out. If you are fighting some algae, you'll most likely need to vacuum this week and thus the cya would be thrown out.

You'll have to decide if you want the cyanuric acid granules laying on your liner or do you want to end up maybe wasting it by backwashing the filter if you vac it up?

I also have a question about your testing numbers. You say that your water is cloudy, not green, yet you have a CC reading of 2. That is odd for a pool that isn't full of algae. I have a feeling that maybe your testing numbers are wrong. FC + CC = TC. FC is free chlorine which is chlorine that is available to sanitize water. CC is combined chlorine that has already been used sanitizing something organic in the pool. TC is total chlorine. Like I said, it is unusual for a pool to have a CC reading that high if there is not a big algae problem going on. Can you retest your numbers again and repost?

And, Jan is right. Your ph is priority!! Get that Borax in.

[rkelly]

AHHHHH!!!! I have been vacuuming and backwashing during this week......so I mostlikely have dumped it out. I also am using test strips and a Guardex kit (I think)(for TC and PH).

[aylad]

Ok, that's why you don't have any CYA. Hopefully you've vac'd up all the stuff that was laying on your liner too. So...I know that 4 lbs of CYA granules takes my 29K gallon pool up to about 20 ppm, so I would only put one 2 lb bottle into yours--but look at the label because you want to target around 20 and then tweak it from there. In your case, where you're going to be vacuuming/backwashing to fight the algae bloom, I would pour the stuff in an old tube sock or knee-hi hose and hang it in front of a return. That way you can backwash and not wash all of it out. Once you see the amount diminishing in the sock, you can test for it again and expect it to register, although keep in mind that cloudy water will usually alter the test result.

I very strongly recommend that you buy a drop-based test kit. WalMart used to carry one for about $15 that tested for TC, pH, CYA, TA, and CH that would work in a pinch, but I will be the first to tell you that one of the good kits, even if it's in the 70-100 dollar range, will save you that much money tens of times over in useless time, chems, trouble, and pool down-time that you'll save by having control over your pool.Taylor makes a K-2006 kit that has everything in it that you would need. You will find that test strips are inaccurate when it comes to the measurements that you're going to need. They're ok for ballpark "snapshots" of you water when things are going well, but pretty much useless when it comes to clearing up a problem.

Janet

[rkelly]

I added the Borax, now will wait to check PH.....

[Watermom]

Yeah -- wait at least 3 or 4 hours.

[rkelly]

PH is now 7.4