Pool Hoses / Fittings Leaking

[ssmith1627]

I'm going to look closer at the test kit I have. It has the 5 different bottles for the testing but I don't recall a test for CYA and clearly I need that. I'll upgrade that kit if needed. I want accurate results. The pool place tested my water at lunch today while I waited. They said I could come back in a week or so and test again to see where I stand. That'll be nice to do at this early stage.

When I first started all this, I tried getting things right with the test kit and Walmart chemicals. I then gave up because of the various mechanical problems I was having with the equipment itself. But based on the test they did today all I need is shock and chlorine. My TA was a little bit high. My Ph was slightly high, 7.8. My chlorine was zero....haha. So sounds like I was on the right path the first time.

I'm learning and you've given me a lot of information as well. It all helps in the education process.

They said the same in reading the results (for the Ph test specifically). Use the immediate result.

Steve

[crokett]

Your CYA test might be labeled stabilizer. It is on my kit. CYA is the chemical that is the stabilizer - it helps reduce chlorine loss due to sunlight. If your kit doesn't have this you need a new kit. I just have the 20 dollar one from Wallyworld and it works fine for me.

But then I also have a vinyl pool so don't need to test calcium hardness or some of the other tests. Not much you can do to hurt vinyl.

[ssmith1627]

Here's the test kit I have:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100350165

It test Chrloine levels, Ph and TA. I can't recall any other options like stabilizer level but I'll check when I get home and upgrade if needed.

I have a 24' round a/g pool so similar situation to yours. I'm feeling better and better about all this.

Steve

Edit: It does say acid demand -- so that's probably the test in question and I didn't realize it.

[crokett]

Yeah - you need one that includes a stabilizer test. Mine does that plus calcium hardness. I don't run the hardness test because my pool is vinyl so that is not a factor.

Keep in mind that these tests have min/max ranges - my pH for instance is somewhere below the min right now. So for an exact reading I would have to take it to the pool store. this means I am guessing a little on how much to boost the pH by, but what I do is assume it is the actual min reading and boost accordingly to where I want it. It will either be spot on or still low. A more expensive kit like what you can get from troublefreepool will have exact readings. It is not worth the 70 bucks to me though.

I asked all these questions last year and I am still asking more this year. You are smarter than me though and you are aksing before you get into real trouble.

[ssmith1627]

Do you have a chlorinator of some sort ? Or just put the tabs in the skimmer basket ?

The other thing I'd like is a test kit that tells me a better reading of the chlorine levels. Something to test for free chlorine separately from the combined. It seems like the kit I have now just uses the immediate reading for the FAC level and a reading later on for the combined level. I just feel like the more accurate readings I get the better results I'll get.

Did I mention that I'm ready to go home now and get started ? It's that or stay here at work. My company is on the brink of filing Ch. 11 so my world is at a standstill right now. Can't move cargo from A to B so I might as well be working on pool chemistry.

Steve

[crokett]

I don't use tabs. I just use plain old bleach. Pour it slowly in front of your return with your pump on to mix it better. If you pour too fast and/or with no circulation it will sink. All I use on my pool is Bleach, borax and muriatic acid. To get the green out of your pool you will need to get the chlorine levels > 15ppm and hold them. This means intially testing and adding every few hrs. If this is not possible, (wasn't for me - job, etc) then add enough bleach in the AM to get up past 30ppm and let it drift down during the day. Test again in the evening and either increase the dosage or decrease accordingly. You know you have beat it when you can hold the chlorine levels for 24hrs. Keep your filter running 24x7 and change at least every 24hrs. Get your CYA tested - if this is low then the sun will eat your chlorine like the algae will. CYA should be 30-50.


Here is a calculator for the various chemicals:
http://www.poolcalculator.com/

I usd that to write up a cheat sheet that will give me an amt for a 1 unit change for whatever I need to change. That way I can calculate while I am out there testing. For instance, to increase pH .1 for my pool I need .3oz of Borax. So to increase .10 yesterday I added 3oz.

[ssmith1627]

Everything you just said does make sense and the more I read through the link you gave me earlier the more the pieces start to fit together.

Does your test kit tell you when the chlorine is at those levels ? You can see from that test kit I have that it only goes up to 3.0. I don't think that's nearly enough for me to be able to gauge this while I try to put an end to the algae. I'll drop by another place on the way home and see what test kits they have.

Thanks again.

Steve

[crokett]

I have the 6-way kit on this page:
http://www.aquachem.com/products/spe...test_kits.html

IIRC my chlorine measurement tops out at 7 or 8. There are a few ways to handle it. First is to take the pool sample, dilute with a proportinate amount of untreated water to get to testable range and test. 2nd is to take to pool place and/or spend much moolah on an expensive kit. Last way is to do what I did, start at a readable level, add enough chlorine to get to the desired level, test and look at the color. Then next time you test, just get it back to that color. I might have wasted a few dollars' worth of bleach but it worked. A bloom I'd been fighting for a month I killled in 4 days. Pool was clear in 6.

[ssmith1627]

You're my new best friend. Many thanks.

Steve

[ssmith1627]

I don't use tabs. I just use plain old bleach. Pour it slowly in front of your return with your pump on to mix it better. If you pour too fast and/or with no circulation it will sink. All I use on my pool is Bleach, borax and muriatic acid. To get the green out of your pool you will need to get the chlorine levels > 15ppm and hold them. This means intially testing and adding every few hrs. If this is not possible, (wasn't for me - job, etc) then add enough bleach in the AM to get up past 30ppm and let it drift down during the day. Test again in the evening and either increase the dosage or decrease accordingly. You know you have beat it when you can hold the chlorine levels for 24hrs. Keep your filter running 24x7 and change at least every 24hrs. Get your CYA tested - if this is low then the sun will eat your chlorine like the algae will. CYA should be 30-50.


Here is a calculator for the various chemicals:
http://www.poolcalculator.com/

I usd that to write up a cheat sheet that will give me an amt for a 1 unit change for whatever I need to change. That way I can calculate while I am out there testing. For instance, to increase pH .1 for my pool I need .3oz of Borax. So to increase .10 yesterday I added 3oz.

My chlorine is at zero because I haven't added a bit of it in weeks now. So I clearly have to start there. 15ppm to get it to kill the algae that's there ? Whew. That's 3 gallons of bleach according to the calculator. Wow.

Do you test for FAC, combined chlorine and total chlorine ? Or just the free chlorine and leave it at that ?

Steve

[crokett]

Free and leave it at that. Free is the only thing that does any work anyway.

Have the pool place test for metals before you start dumping chlorine in. If there are any you need a sequestrant in for 24hrs before you start adding chlorine. Otherwise you get chlorine combining with metals instead of killing algae. Another mistake I made last year. You also need to test for stablizer - CYA. If your levels are < 40, get them up to that, else the sun will eat up your chlorine. Keep the cover off if you have one. Algae grows best out of direct sun. Also, get a pool brush and scrub 2-3 times a day. This will open the pores or whatever it is on the algae and make the chlorine more effective. And of course, check the pH. If you add CYA and/or sequestrant your pH will drop. Borax raises it, muriatic acid (available in cleaning section at HD or Lowes) lowers it.

Finally keep the pump running 24x7 and change the filter daily.

[ssmith1627]

They didn't say the CYA level was an issue when they tested it today. But it's pretty high -- 90. The pool calculator then shows I need some really high FC levels to shock the pool.

What I'll do is keep vacuuming to waste and then adding new water. To bring it down to 40-50, it says I need to replace about 40% of my water. That of course would affect TA and Ph as well. So I'll probably get my water re-tested next week just to compare that with my own test results, as you suggested.

Inch by inch.

Steve

[ssmith1627]

I'm thrilled man. I'm a believer in the BBB stuff now. One day of super chlorination, I'd say about 20 hours, and my pool went from green to blue. Wow.

I'm amazed too at how much the chlorine dropped from this morning until now. That I have to work on too. I assume it used up an awful lot to kill the algae. My test just now showed the chlorine at 1. So I'm off to stock up on bleach.

My CYA and TA levels are high. I'm going to backwash and vacuum to waste to keep emptying water as I go, replacing it with new to bring those levels down. And then I'll make sure the Ph is right.

If the pool isn't green, I can stop the superchlorination and keep it at normal levels ? Once at normal levels, can I get in ?? I at least want to get in to keep brushing and scrubbing and vacuuming.

Thanks for getting me going in the right direction. Wow. What a difference a few days have made !

Steve

[crokett]

Glad to hear of the success - that is the way it went for me too. After fighting it for a month I used BBB and got the algae more or less cleared up in 24hrs.

You can drop back to normal levels when the pool holds whatever chlorine level you put it at for 24hrs. So if you superchlorinate and 24hrs later it is still there or close to it, then you know you have beaten the algae. You can let it drift back down over a few days. It is safe to get in at 30 PPM, - I did to vac/brush mine, it will just dry out your skin and hair.

Sounds like you are on the right track. I would keep changing/cleaning the filter daily for the next few days. And keep the pump running 24x7.

[ssmith1627]

It's exciting stuff, I can tell you that. Feels great.

Seeing it start to clear is next. But I have a lot of scrubbing to do first. Previous owners did nothing to this pool for about 2 years. I have no trees nearby but with the pool cover down IN the pool for who knows how long, there were leaves and everything else at the bottom. As long as I keep stirring up everything, scrubbing, running the filter and skimming by hand.......I should have it clean very quickly. We'll see if it turns clear and when.

I may have the water tested again in just a couple days for the heck of it. I have already replaced a few inches of water so I hope to see that TA number come down. I want the CYA number down some too. That pool calculator says to keep the chlorine at like 7 minimum with the stabilizer at 90. I need to get that number down below 60 so I can keep the chlorine level at some normal level -- 3 or 4.

Progress feels great !

Steve