Pool Guys?

[deuce]

I fought algae problems for years until someone told me about phosphate removal......... Boom!!!!! Water is crystal clear and just requires liquid chlorine and a little acid to keep it looking good.
I had the salt conversion done 10 years ago but couldn't really tell any improvement. Turned it off 2 years ago.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

I fought algae problems for years until someone told me about phosphate removal......... Boom!!!!! Water is crystal clear and just requires liquid chlorine and a little acid to keep it looking good.
I had the salt conversion done 10 years ago but couldn't really tell any improvement. Turned it off 2 years ago.

The salt cells have a lifespan of about 10,000 hours(operating) and should be cleaned with acid a couple times a year. I am starting to wonder if mine is at it's end. I keep it turned all the way up in the summertime yet my free chlorine goes to almost nothing within a day or 2....Stabilizer looks good, PH, Alkie, and everything else looks good and water for the most part is very clear with minimal algae....I also add the sanitizing tablets in the skimmers(3-4 weekly) add a few bags of shock and at least a gallon of liquid bleach a week but it always reads very low.

 

[deuce]

The salt cells have a lifespan of about 10,000 hours(operating) and should be cleaned with acid a couple times a year. I am starting to wonder if mine is at it's end. I keep it turned all the way up in the summertime yet my free chlorine goes to almost nothing within a day or 2....Stabilizer looks good, PH, Alkie, and everything else looks good and water for the most part is very clear with minimal algae....I also add the sanitizing tablets in the skimmers(3-4 weekly) add a few bags of shock and at least a gallon of liquid bleach a week but it always reads very low.

Pool care is like "magic" sometimes. With that much Chlorine being added weekly to your pool, I would think you should have longer intervals between adding bleach. I've been told that sun light is the greatest negative to chlorine but I don't know of any chemical that can minimize UV.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Pool care is like "magic" sometimes.

I wish the price of chlorine would magically go down.... I'm gonna clean the cell and the flow switch($50) to see if it starts kicking in again......The new cell is $1,000.....and I just paid $600 for the new power pack less than 2 months ago..... fugggggg

 

[MidwestChomp]

The previous owners left us their old polaris. I like it, but the dang thing always goes to one corner and sits there until I give it a nudge. I have a traditional vacuum as well which works well.

 

[Alumni Guy]

I know this will be a story your grandkids will get tired of you telling, but I went with the Dolphin Nautilus Plus.

Works well so far. Only complaint is one of the most idiotic design features EVER. When robot is idle, the control box is designed to blink. Because everyone enjoys blinking lights for 95% of the week.

Duct tape took care of it, but who was the moron who thought a blinking light as the default position is ideal.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I know this will be a story your grandkids will get tired of you telling, but I went with the Dolphin Nautilus Plus.

Works well so far. Only complaint is one of the most idiotic design features EVER. When robot is idle, the control box is designed to blink. Because everyone enjoys blinking lights for 95% of the week.

Duct tape took care of it, but who was the moron who thought a blinking light as the default position is ideal.

Duct tape fixes the job again!

 

[AuggieDosta]

 

[AuggieDosta]

We have it from the faux stone pool deck which laps over and down to the waterline. I pressure wash 2x a year but when it starts raining there is no stopping it. We also have plant beds built into the pool deck and they ran irrigation under the deck into the beds which feed from the lake....very difficult enviro for a pool.

Maybe you can spot treat some of the spots with a 3-5 gallon pump sprayer with a strong bleach and water solution.? That's what I do between pressure cleaning.
This picture was taken last Friday after "Javier" had screwed it up the day before.
View attachment 44662

Hitting the deck with bleach ain’t a bad idea. We bought our home 2.5 years ago. It’s an older home and the previous owners treated it worse than renters. I’ve dumped way more money curing their negligence than I budgeted for.

One area they neglected was drainage on the patio. Rain water pools up, and funk forms. Probably source of my algae. Until I can spend the big bucks to redo the deck, bleaching it may be the way to go.

Great looking pool by the way. The stone looks great, and the water view sure doesn’t hurt. Here’s my little slice of heaven. Can’t wait to get rid of safety fence
View attachment 44663

I can't believe how blue y'alls water is. Here's my slice of heaven...

And I just spent $186.93 on replacing those two pieces of wood.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I can't believe how blue y'alls water is. Here's my slice of heaven...
View attachment 45732

And I just spent $186.93 on replacing those two pieces of wood.

Paint the bottom of the pool blue. Problem solved. Just don't paint it red.

 

[jeeping8r]

FIL was an irrigation contractor and had a backhoe, so he dug our pool. 18x44 3 foot shallow end, 12 feet deep end, 40,000 gallons.
When first built in 91 we had salt system, reminded me of swimming in Salt Springs as was brackish as hell. Chain link fence we put around it lasted less than 2 years then rusted out.
Put a chlorinator on it and shock at least twice a month as we have a lot of kids in it and none seem to ever have to pee. (adults either)
I keep chlorinator full of tabs (damn things are 50 bucks a pound on amazon) put some algaecide and clarifier in once in a while. If it's clear and blue I don't worry with it.
Did the testing at a store a couple times and all it seemed like was they wanted to sell us a bunch of crap, crap that usually didn't work.
Do I know my ph level? nope, chlorine ppm? nope, any other tested thing? nope. Pool is blue, clear, and doesn't make anyone break out in whatever so I leave it be. hasn't changed anyone's hair color yet either.
What I did learn is to add one thing at a time, be it algaecide, clarifier whatever, wait at least 5-6 hours then add anything else it may need. I do keep a few bottles (8) of liquid chlorine on hand just in case.

And today my bride decided pool needed a bit of water added so she flipped valve on. I went for a swim after supper and water level was 1/2 inch from spilling over

We picked up a little vac attachment called a pool shark IIRC, it's about a foot in diameter. Hook it to skimmer and let it do it's thing, acts like a mini kreepy krawler

 

[Concrete Helmet]

FIL was an irrigation contractor and had a backhoe, so he dug our pool. 18x44 3 foot shallow end, 12 feet deep end, 40,000 gallons.
When first built in 91 we had salt system, reminded me of swimming in Salt Springs as was brackish as hell. Chain link fence we put around it lasted less than 2 years then rusted out.
Put a chlorinator on it and shock at least twice a month as we have a lot of kids in it and none seem to ever have to pee. (adults either)
I keep chlorinator full of tabs (damn things are 50 bucks a pound on amazon) put some algaecide and clarifier in once in a while. If it's clear and blue I don't worry with it.
Did the testing at a store a couple times and all it seemed like was they wanted to sell us a bunch of crap, crap that usually didn't work.
Do I know my ph level? nope, chlorine ppm? nope, any other tested thing? nope. Pool is blue, clear, and doesn't make anyone break out in whatever so I leave it be. hasn't changed anyone's hair color yet either.
What I did learn is to add one thing at a time, be it algaecide, clarifier whatever, wait at least 5-6 hours then add anything else it may need. I do keep a few bottles (8) of liquid chlorine on hand just in case.

And today my bride decided pool needed a bit of water added so she flipped valve on. I went for a swim after supper and water level was 1/2 inch from spilling over

We picked up a little vac attachment called a pool shark IIRC, it's about a foot in diameter. Hook it to skimmer and let it do it's thing, acts like a mini kreepy krawler

Sometimes less is more it seems and I think every pool is totally different. My salt chlorinator went out sometime between Thursday evening and the time I came home yesterday....pool was a mess but I don't think it was putting out enough even though it was turned all the way up and there was plenty of salt in the water.
Called the former pool company as they installed a new power pack on it about 2 weeks before I fired them. They said it would be covered. The thing is I'm still adding chlorine to it at least 2-3X a week and putting in a sanitizing tab about 2X a week too.


I think a good algaecide, liquid chlorine, stabilizer and shocking 2-3X a month are probably the 3 most important things but I will still get the salt cell up and running simply because the cost of the other chemicals without the salt system(when it's working) are getting very costly.

 

[Detroitgator]

Sometimes less is more it seems and I think every pool is totally different. My salt chlorinator went out sometime between Thursday evening and the time I came home yesterday....pool was a mess but I don't think it was putting out enough even though it was turned all the way up and there was plenty of salt in the water.
Called the former pool company as they installed a new power pack on it about 2 weeks before I fired them. They said it would be covered. The thing is I'm still adding chlorine to it at least 2-3X a week and putting in a sanitizing tab about 2X a week too.


I think a good algaecide, liquid chlorine, stabilizer and shocking 2-3X a month are probably the 3 most important things but I will still get the salt cell up and running simply because the cost of the other chemicals without the salt system(when it's working) are getting very costly.

I run tabs (fukkin things are $150/bucket) and throw in 6-in-1 schock pack once a week... if it looks clear, I don't fuk with it. Been doing that for 18 years, no one has died, i'm stickin' with that instead of the endless fukking around with anything else.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

I run tabs (fukkin things are $150/bucket) and throw in 6-in-1 schock pack once a week... if it looks clear, I don't fuk with it. Been doing that for 18 years, no one has died, i'm stickin' with that instead of the endless fukking around with anything else.

I agree with your tactic but this pool because of the design of the house and the f vcking plant beds gets over loaded with phosphates from the runoff(super gutters on the enclosure are too small and a good rain the pool will rise 3-4 inches at times). Our pool is surrounded by the roof of the house on 3 sides.

I add phosphate treatment to it a couple times a week....it went from 14.99 a couple months ago to 19.99 yesterday and the bottle last maybe 2 weeks.....sani tabs are out of f vcking control and thats the biggest reason I want the salt cell working. When it is working properly I only need to shock it a couple times a month and add a little algae treatment here and there.

 

[Detroitgator]

I agree with your tactic but this pool because of the design of the house and the f vcking plant beds gets over loaded with phosphates from the runoff(super gutters on the enclosure are too small and a good rain the pool will rise 3-4 inches at times). Our pool is surrounded by the roof of the house on 3 sides.
View attachment 45973
View attachment 45974
I add phosphate treatment to it a couple times a week....it went from 14.99 a couple months ago to 19.99 yesterday and the bottle last maybe 2 weeks.....sani tabs are out of f vcking control and thats the biggest reason I want the salt cell working. When it is working properly I only need to shock it a couple times a month and add a little algae treatment here and there.

Got it, makes sense... and oh, no need to post the pics for me, I know the layout from google's satellite view... oh, and it reeks of "arrogant kvnt" to post them

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Got it, makes sense... and oh, no need to post the pics for me, I know the layout from google's satellite view... oh, and it reeks of "arrogant kvnt" to post them

I honestly don't think most people can comprehend the amount of rainwater runoff I have to deal with during these summer storms since most "backyard" pools are actually.....well ya know in the backyard.
I don't understand why they didn't build the pool further away from the house....maybe somewhere between the driving range/putting green, tennis court and equestrian center....

 

[URGatorBait]

I think it is a good rule of thumb to see a house when it's raining. Because then the defects can't hide as well. Especially with your issue there crete.

 

[deuce]

Persistent algie bloom almost always is caused by too much phosphate in solution.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Persistent algie bloom almost always is caused by too much phosphate in solution.

Some people give phosphates no concern because if you have enough chlorine at all times it continually kills the algae(dead algae cannot eat) but in my situation with the plant debris and irrigation in the planters that comes from the lake it is a persistent issue....especially when the former pool company wasn't adding enough salt to the pool for the salt cell to make adequate chlorine....or like this week when the cell quit working again......Then after the algae bloom and shock algae treatment all of that dead algae ends up in the filter and makes.....yep more phosphates.....backwash, rinse and repeat.

 

[AuggieDosta]

Fill that phukker in with concrete and stop bitchin. Install a pickle ball court and lose 15 lbs...you'll thank me in a year.