So my CC climbed to .51 …did a weekly liquid shock…tested 24 hrs …back to 0!!!
Had our first snafu …liner had a leak…called a pro…he came and found and patched…we had a mushy part of grass…leak was in that area…next day…still mushy…called him back and he came right over…this time I was present…last time he did it while we were at work…had a fancy little wand…and it makes sounds when there is a leak…found a couple more…but now we re good!!!
Starting to get hang of things!!!
Can the pump go on timer now? How many hours we need to run the pump? Best time to run pump??? If pool party…liquid shock and run 24/7 for a couple days?
Thanks!!!
Thank you for the great picture! I’m glad to see a clear pool with the kiddos enjoying it!
We have an article on How Long Should I Run My Pool Pump?, but I usually recommend running it enough to get at least 1 but no more than 2 water changes (pool water volume through the filter) a day. The only thing I do after a pool party (or heavy rain or any other “events”) is to boost the chlorine up to at least shock level for a day to make sure it stays sanitized. I rarely have the pump/filter run more than it already does.
pH: The ideal pH range is 7.6-7.8 so you are smack dab in the middle. Have some acid on hand, but don’t worry about it until it gets a little higher. It always wants to drift up.
Perfect!!!
Flow chart is perfect…had my pump on it!!!
13,500 / 20 {rough estimate without being there to measure} = 675 minutes which is approximately 12 hrs.
Good stuff my friend!!!
Finally convinced the wife to stop using the Hockey pucks!!! liquid chlorine all the way now!!! (muriatic acid when needed)
You will be happy you did that! Pucks add calcium or CYA which accumulates and cause issues. Pucks labeled as “blue” also have other things you don’t want to add to your pool.
Enjoy your beautiful backyard oasis!!!
Rich,
You’re a lifesaver!!! Thanks so kindly!!!
I’m nervous about running pump for only 12 hrs a day…9pm - 9 am…is this a bad idea? Should we run it during the day? Or just keep with 24/7 on low speed?
I feel like running 24/7 will only cost $100 a month more for 3 months…
We have a lot of trees nearby…
Yikes! I won’t tell you that I run my pump 4 hours a day!
I would not run it for more than 8 hours a day unless you have other issues (trying to clear algae). Keep the sanitizer level where it is supposed to be and run it during the daytime. Running it at night can cool the water and running it longer will eventually raise the pH from the agitation at the surface.
We’re still doing good!!! Hockey pucks are gone, but noticing now I have to use Muriatic Acid to keep pH low every once in a while (not expensive, not too difficult, and works)…
I pretty much get the chlorine tested before the store closes, and then at night, calculate to get the chlorine up to 7-8…then that’s all…repeat every evening…occasionally, add 10-20 oz of muriatic acid (Baume 20 / 31.45% ) diluted in a bucket.
Typical results…(I noticed chlorine’s ph is a little high which is why the acid is needed)…
So I was waiting in line…guy got his water tested…water was still cloudy…telling them, I did everything you told me to do, spent hundreds of dollars on chemicals, etc. etc…His CYA was well over 200…pool tech had to call manager over…quite an ordeal…manager is like, you gotta drain most of that pool to get that number down…This whole time I’m thinking…35 is right where i want to be at…
This is the results of “one day” … busy day, didn’t get into the pool til tonight…chlorine didn’t drop much…was sunny though…only dropped 2.7ish ppm…I added muriatic acid too when I came back…I like 7.5…so the calculator was on point with 13 fl. oz for that.
Tonight, I’ll add about 44 fl oz of 12.5% Chlorine…get it over 7…roughly $2.50 a day in chlorine…wondering if there is somewhere i can buy it in bulk…
Those pictures make it worth all of the effort! Thank you for sharing them!
Good sources for cheap liquid chlorine are Wal-Mart, Home Centers (Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s) or your pool store. If I recall correctly, my local pool store sells 2.5 gallon jugs of 12% chlorine for about $10.00, and my local Wal-Mart has 10% for about $5 per gallon. Try to get “fresh” chlorine since it degrades over time (avoid the dusty bottles that have been sitting in the sun). Laundry chlorine tends to be less than half the strength of pool chlorine so, even though it is cheaper per gallon, it may cost you more in the long run.
Hey Rich,
Thanks!!! Thinking ahead … What are our options if we go on a one week vacation???
There are a few things you can do for vacation-time:
You can try to “preload” the chlorine level. You will eventually get in a routine where you know it needs X ounces of chlorine every day. Just add a week’s worth at one time.
You can use pucks and a floating dispenser. Your stabilizer level is good enough that any type of puck will work so adding a little bit won’t be an issue.
You can try to have another responsible adult add XX ounces of chlorine every day.
Lastly, my favorite option is to convert the pool to a saltwater pool and have it pretty much take care of itself.
For sure! I hope you and your family enjoy your backyard oasis for generations to come!
I’m becoming a Taylor Kit pro now…I’ve been going through 30-50 oz of 12.5% chlorine to start the day at around 8ppm (0.0 combined chlorine). Two different stores have the CYA low to mid thirties…Taylor kit has it under 30…I got a couple pucks in there, going to ride them out for a couple weeks…try to get a CYA to at least 40 according to my pool stores…With the Taylor kit I could see the black dot at 30, vaguely, but could still see it…I’m guessing I’m only in the high 20’s…
Did the OCLT ---- Got it to 8ppm, and 7.8 in the morning.
Feel free to email me a PhD in Chemistry by the end of the summer!!!
So the pucks are back, but only one floater.
That will work! Adding a little CYA will be a good thing for you. And you will quickly get the hang of the test kit and the CYA test.
And congratulations! You did it!
Pool store had pH high…Taylor says No No No…clearly 7.6 on my test. How do people rely on test strips…Taylor kit is awesome!!! Watching youTube videos definitely helps for visual learners…I had chlorine at 7.6 this morning, the store had 7.2…not a huge difference…I wonder how often they calibrate their machine…FREEDOM !!! I only got it tested because I had to buy some chlorine…been putting in around 50-60 fl oz to get to 7.5 every night…hopefully the CYA increase will help a bit, trying to find that SWEET spot.
The Taylor FAS-DPD test kit is the Gold Standard for testing pool water. It is accurate and easy to use, and the Speed Stir helps make it fun as well. It’s impossible to get good, accurate readings from a test strip and, although some are better than others, pool store results can be inaccurate…
You should have a great pool season and you should find that you won’t be battling any algae this year. Enjoy!!!
