Above Ground Pool Headache

[Barbel Bob]

Hi again [:)]

Can you tell me the quickest way to empty the pool, i have been using a pump in the pool which is connected to the hosepipe, its been on for over an  hour and its hardly made any difference! Can i disconnect the inlet hose from the pool pump and drain that way?

My husband is out for the day so cannot ask him!

Julie

[Barbel Bob]

Hi all,

We have a lovely sparkling pool at last!!!!!!!!!! and i am feeling more positive about maintaining it like this in the future!

The levels read at:

PH 7.2
Free chlor 10
Alk 80
Stabiliser somewhere bet 50 - 100  (I am going to purchase a digital tester to be more accurate)

As the free chlor is so high i have removed the gallets (chlor Lent) am i right to do this?  will the free chlor just reduce on its own over a period of time? and providing all my levels stay at this level am i to do no further at the moment? but just continue checking levels each day?

Thanks for all the help so far

Julie

[Sharkster]

Well when I first opened our pool I had free chlorine at 10 and just stopped putting chlorine in until it reached the correct level and all seems to be fine.  Also if it is sunny, leave it uncovered as much as possible and the sun will help burn off some of the chlorine I believe (although the stabilizer does stop this somewhat).  By the way, the Aquachek digital reader does not monitor stabiliser, you are looking at something like the Scuba+ unit poolguy sells and I think that is well over 200 euros!  The Aquachek tester does PH, Free Chlorine and Total Alkalinity, which are the most common ones to monitor.  I believe that the Hot Tubs guy on here (sorry I can't recall your name :() offers free water testing.

[The Ps]

We do offer free water testing.   We test for free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, copper, iron, nitrates, borate and TDS.  

If anyone wants further details then PM or email me.  

PLeae note also that this is an offer without obligation.

[Barbel Bob]

Hopefully my last question!!!!

My chlorine is still showing 10ppm is it correct i have to wait until it shows 3 before we can use the pool?

Julie

[The Ps]

Your chlorine is a bit too high.   You need to dilute it.   You can bring it down to 5ppm and then you will start losing some through UV (not a lot if you have stabilisers) and usage but the only way you can bring it down is to drain some water off and top up - about half of your volume if you are at 10ppm.   Just a thought though - are you thinking you are at 10ppm because that is as strong as your reader will show?   if so, you may like to take a bucket of your water (turn it upside down and plunge it in to a depth of at least 30cm's, turn it upright to fill from that depth - if that is too hard then top up the bucket using the same technique and a smaller container) and when you have done that, discard half of the bucket, top it up with fresh water and measure the chlorine content.   If you still get a reading of 10ppm then you could have at least 20ppm in the pool.

Does that sound clear as reading it back, I am not sure?   All I am saying is that some test kits will only read up to 10ppm so by diluting your sample you can multiply up.  In the example above you woudl double the reading because you have half pool water and half fresh water.   If you use 25% of the water in the bucket and top up with fresh, you need to multiply the reading by 4 

Always make sure, regardless of what reader you are using, that you take water sample readings from at least 30cm's down (elbow depth, for example).   This gives you a better chance of reading free chlorine.

[Barbel Bob]

John,

I am learning everyday! Thanks for that i have followed your instructions and yes you are correct i was still showing 10ppm with the bucket method, just slightly not as strong a purple as when in the pool.

Can i ask another question!  What did i do in the first place to have such a high reading of Chlorine? i need to know this so i can prevent a repeat in the future, did i use to much chlor choc?  my stabiliser is showing ideal now 30-50 will this be reduced when i drain and top up, if so how do i increase this with out being back in the same situation? This will be the 3rd drain and top up (two to reduce stabiliser). 

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Julie

 

[Sharkster]

Does chlorine not reduce at about 1ppm per day if you do not add more chlorine?  Also, what are the effects of having chlorine at 10ppm (actual not because of the tester).  I thought bleaching did not happen until 50ppm+ of chlorine?  Also, when you shock your pool, I always thought the aim was to get the free chlorine level to be 10ppm+, am I wrong?

[The Ps]

Your real levels could be up above 20ppm following your bucket test

It is difficult to say what made this happen without knowing chapter and verse from day one.   Sorry if this sounds like 'teaching granny to suck eggs' as they say but a start would be to know the volume of your pool so you can dose accordingly.    Each chemical producer will give guidelines on dosage dependant on volume and not every manufacturer can be relied on for the same dosage rates (different chemical strengths etc).  The key to water balancing is to make sure that your pH is good first off.   You should do this in conjunction with your alkalinity - if that is out adjust it first then recheck the pH a while later to see if it still needs correcting.   You may be surprised to find that the alkalinity has done its job as a buffer to redress the pH.   Once your pH is in order then you can add your sanitisers.   If you are doing it to combat an issue (shocking) then be patient after the first treatment and don't be tempted to think things should be happening quicker, so you go dosing again.   No matter how green/bad your pool is, still do the pH/alkalinity first.

I am not sure what sort of testing kit you are using but some of the droplet ones should be stored out of sunlight and heat and should not be kept for too long otherwise they can give false readings.   You should also never be tempted to buy top up bottles unless you know they are the same as the ones for your kit.   You cannot mix and match generally.

Julie, what are you adding as a stabiliser?   You can also PM or email me if you like for details of the water analysis check we offer.   It is a free service to all though limited to twice a year and involves you posting a sample of water in a sealed container (not glass).   We will then get back to you with the findings.   It is checking your chemcial balance but not bacteriological content.   If you drain and top up you will be diluting everything in your pool, including stabiliser.

When shocking a pool you are aiming to lift the level of chlorine but you should follow the manufacturers guidelines.   The rate of loss can be more or less than 1ppm depending on many different factors.   I am sorry but I have no idea what level you need to bleach clothes.    

[Barbel Bob]

john,

I can honestly say now that i think what made this happen was my lack of understanding in maintaining a pool!  [:D]  I did not even know about alkalinity and stabilser up until my pool went green, i then chucked 3kg of chlor choc in which did the trick and got rid of the green, however left me with a few problems that i am slowly getting my head around.

I will buy a digital testing kit and follow your good advice about water balancing. Now that i have a clearer understanding of what needs to be added and the effects of adding to much i will proceed with caution!

So my next step to reduce the chlorine, take more readings and correct the rest accordingly, then once i eventually have everything level keep checking etc etc etc, sounds clear!!! fingers crossed i have learned my lesson! once I am on top of this i am going to attempt to change the sand in my filter [:'(]

Thanks for taking the time out to give me such a detailed and helpful reply

Julie

 

[Sharkster]

So what are the negative effects of chlorine at 10ppm?  Just curious, since we swam in our pool when it was at that level (did not realize it was so high until I bought a digital tester!)

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Barbel Bob"]

I bought the sand but have not changed my filter as it looks a big headache to do it, is it as difficult as it seems? I started to undo my filter at the collar at the top but it needs the right size screw driver as I get so far and it stops and I cannot shift it (even using my electric screwdriver).

[/quote]

I take it that the filter is a sand filter and not cartridge or DE?

[Jonzjob]

Changing the sand in a filter is not a difficult job. Just a bit time consuming and as has been said you have to be a bit carefull when you get to the bottom to make sure you don't damage a lateral. They are horizontal tubes that stick out from the bottom of the main upright tubelke spokes on a whel hub. They are full of tiny holes that let the water through, but stop the sand. There are either 6 or 8 of them normally. Once the sand is out you can see if any are broken. It don't 'arf clean yer finger nails for you [:-))] !!

I filled our filter to about 1/3 full of water before I put the zeolite in. Then it drops evenly and with no pressure onto the bottom of the filter. After you have refilled the filter don't forget to give it a good backwash to get all of the dust out of the sand or it will finish up in your pool, then you will say 'golly gosh' several times me thinks [:D]

[Barbel Bob]

Hi Jonzjob,

The screw on the collar is locked so we can't get it off to change the sand, bob is going to saw it off and replace with a new screw so when he has done that then i can change the sand! I think i will need lots of luck, as everything I touch seems to go wrong!!!  never mind we get there in the end [;-)] The pressure gauge is also broke or stuck? it has never moved do you know if we can just change that with a new one?

Julie

[Jonzjob]

Pressure gauges are not very expensive and you can get them in most of the pool shops, no problems [:D].

As far as things going wrong, I am one of those folks who can fall in a bucket of roses ad come up smelling of the muck they were grown in, but I usually get it sorted in the end. If I can do that then don't give up hope !!

Don't ever forget my moto Julie  :-  Smile every day and everyone will wonder what the hell you are up to!![6]

[Jonzjob]

I have just had a look back through the thread Julie. Have you mentioned the volume of water you have in your pool? If so I can't find it??

My bible for our pool is a book called The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual by Terry Tamminen. A pocket guide of about 680 pages (big pockets?). It may be a little aged now, but the water chemistry hasn't changed , and won't, for a while yet.  I got ours from Amazon and it was worth every penny. ISBN 0-07-136239-8.

[The Ps]

To remove the sand from the filter use an aquavac and as John points out, be careful when getting near the laterals.   Once you have removed the old sand take out the laterals and inspect for damage.  Any damaged ones should be replaced (from your pool supplier) as any split or hole will result in sand returning to your pool.   Laterals can be removed individually and are fitted with a thread or bayonet fitting - so twist and pull or keep twisting (thats the laterals, not you).   Again as John points out, when filling with sand you must first fill your filter to between one third and half full with water.   If you need to replace a lateral you will need to know the brand name and size of your filter and if you don't, take the damaged one with you and the measurements of your filter.   Generally, there will be a label on the filter giving dimensions, sand volume, flow rates, brand name etc and for some bizarre reason it is nearly always in an awkward place because of the way the filter has been fitted. 

Make sure you buy sand specifically for pools from a pool shop and not just any sand from a DIY shed or builders merchants.   When disposing of the old sand I spread a ground sheet out and pile the old sand on it, then use the empty bags from the fresh sand to cart it away in.   Sometimes some people have areas they are happy to have the old sand spread around (long gravel drives etc).

Before filling with sand also place a bag over the tube or rose at the top of the filter as you do not want to fill this with sand.   Remember to remove it afterwards.   If you have a side mounted multi-valve it should be closed or on recirculate when changing the sand.   If it is top mounted, it doesn't matter.

When refitting the top make sure the opening and 'O' ring are free of sand and any other debris before placing and tightening up.

Always backwash and rinse before returning to filtration.

Pressure guages are readily available but do have different sized male parts.   That said, there is quite a common standard.   Make sure you buy the right diameter and apply PTFE (teflon tape) to the thread before fitting it. 

[Barbel Bob]

Thanks guys you have been a huge help (again), i will probably give it a go over the weekend, if the rain ever stops !

Julie