New Pool Owner Questions - 8 questions!! :)

[kmmlangston]

David,
What brand is your pump? As I mentioned, we are looking into purchasing a variable speed pump -- apparently, the electrical savings can be worth the initial investment. (and our utility is offering rebates).

We got what the weather station is saying 3/4 inches of rain yesterday - Saturday - (seemed like more), but both my husband and i think we need to drain the pool a bit. I am hoping to take a water sample to Pinch a penny and get them to analyze it and I will post the results.

Thanks, all, for the wonderful information and generosity in sharing your expertise!

Best,
Kelly

[kmmlangston]

So, I took my water sample to Pinch-a-Penny here in town and this is what they came up with. (they did not try to sell me anything!)

FC= 1 ppm (this is what I figured with my home test as well - I knew it was low)
pH= 7.8 (This is also what I figured at home)
Acid Demand= 2 (they are saying this is high)
Total Alkilinity = 130 (when I tested before I took the water to the store, I came up with
160 as opposed to 170 like I got yesterday)
Calcium Hardness = 500 (knew this would be high as we have been told that is why our
pool surface is degrading: the water is leaching Calcium from the marcite/plaster.)
Stabilizer = 100
Total Disolved solids = 1,900

We got a lot of rain yesterday and the day before and are in a pattern to see some significant thunderstorms daily for the next several days. We are thinking we will need to drain an inch off after todays rain. How does added rain water affect pool chemistry?

As I mentioned, we are having what we think is a small algae problem. When we brush the walls/bottom, a yellowish color billows then settles to the bottom. Obviously we need to up our chlorine (bleach). However, we don't want to dump a bunch of bleach in the pool as most likely, the pool will be drained and resurfaced starting this week. Do we increase the cholorine a bit, and keep brushing the algea/vacuuming in the interim?

A few more questions: David said he is brushing his new pool twice daily. Do we need to do that once our pool is resurfaced? And, will a regular bristle brush work or do we need to get one of those wire ones?

Also, any advice on auto vacuums? (see original post)
Any advice on switching from Chlorine to salt? (original post as well)

I noticed on another thread a guy with the sign on of BigTallDumbGuy. Maybe I'll change mine to Frizzy-haired Numbskull Gal! Thanks for all the feedback!
Kelly

[aylad]

If you are planning to drain and resurface the pool this week, then I wouldn't worry about trying to adjust any of the numbers--just keep the chlorine in the 5-10 range to keep the algae bloom from getting any worse, and you can adjust everything else at startup.

In many cases, rain water actually has a lower pH than the pool water, so it may lower the pH for you. Ideal pH is 7.2-7.6, but my pool actually "settles" at about 7.8 no matter what I do, so I find it much easier to leave it alone. It actually seems to be easier on my kids' eyes, anyway. If you find that you have to drain water, if you can do it from the bottom of the pool, it will lower your CYA a bit, which will be a good thing if you don't drain it, because 100 is too high and will make it hard to keep clear. If you drain it, you'll have to start over anyway, so it's really not a big deal.

Ignore TDS and acid demand tests--they're pretty much useless to you right now.

I'm sure that the person who resurfaces your pool will give you detailed instructions as to what to do, but I'm pretty sure that daily brushing for awhile will be part of the program. Make sure you do whatever he tells you to, in order to honor whatever warranty comes with the job.

I have an auto vacuum--it's a Polaris 380. It is a suction side cleaner, meaning it plugs into an extra return on the side of my pool, and requires a booster pump. Most people that have Polaris either love or hate them...I happen to love mine. YOu can read about more possibilities in the Automatic Cleaners forum.

Regarding salt, it's supposed to be the most maintenance-free you can get in pool care--it requres regular additions to keep the pH down, but otherwise, as long as your salt level is good, it's supposed to pretty much do the rest. If you shock, you should do it with bleach or other chlorine source, but otherwise it's billed as pretty easy. I would love to have one, an dprobably will have one installed if/when I can find the extra cash lying around. I do know that if I were to build another pool today, I would definitely have one added to the package. I'm all for easy pool care!! Read through the SWG forum for opinions from those who have them...you could even start a new thread in that forum,if you wanted, asking for opinions.

Janet