Pool walls constantly dirty after acid wash

[varicella]

Hi,

Last year I did an acid wash on my in ground (fiberglass I think) pool and ever since then the walls of the pool continuously get dirty with either brown or green stuff on them. It vacuums or brushes off but is a pain to keep up with. Did the acid wash make the walls more porous and it's now trapping stuff it shouldn't be? The pool chemistry is fine and plenty of chlorine and the water itself is clean but the walls are not. Is there something I can do to address this issue or are the walls now ruined?

 

[robertmee]

How do you know the pool chemistry is fine? Are you testing yourself with a drop test kit or relying on test strips or a pool store. Neither are accurate or reliable.

How have you been chlorinating? If I had to guess you've been using trichlor tabs and/or shock and now your Cya is high such that your chlorine has minimal effect. End result green algae bloom and staining from active algae colonies.

 

[varicella]

If drop test kits, test strips, and a pool store test are all unreliable than how are people supposed to test their water? I think those tests are just fine, nothing has to be exactly perfect to have a pool that isn't covered in stuff all over the walls like mine. You are correct about the tabs and my cya being high. I've been aware of that issue for awhile now and wanting to switch to liquid but my walmart, lowes, and home depot do not carry bleach in the pool section. I have not checked the pool stores but don't want to pay their outrageous prices anyway. It was my understanding that normal bleach used for washing clothes and household uses was either not the correct chemical for pools or contained extra unwanted ingredients and should not be used for pools. Is that not the case and it is acceptable for pool use? (I know the chlorine % is low on these). I live in Charleston, SC. Does anyone know of a cheap source for pool appropriate liquid chlorine?

 

[varicella]

It looks like the walmart brand is 8.25% sodium hypochlorite and the rest "other ingredients". Further research is indicating that it's fine to use that and it's exactly the same as the stuff labeled as for pools which is typically just 10% with 90% "other ingredients". It looks like my suspicion of walmarts not carrying the 10% pool stuff in my area may be correct, so perhaps there is some state law about it. So is it fine to switch over to normal bleach? I know the only way to get my cya down is to remove water from the pool.

 

[Megsyperk]

Lots of people use walmart's great value brand bleach that's 8.25%. So it's fine to use! You just don't want one with any scents or thickeners (splash less).

That being said, which test kit are you using? An accurate CYA is essential to kneeing how much chlorine your pool needs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[robertmee]

If drop test kits, test strips, and a pool store test are all unreliable than how are people supposed to test their water? I think those tests are just fine, nothing has to be exactly perfect to have a pool that isn't covered in stuff all over the walls like mine. You are correct about the tabs and my cya being high. I've been aware of that issue for awhile now and wanting to switch to liquid but my walmart, lowes, and home depot do not carry bleach in the pool section. I have not checked the pool stores but don't want to pay their outrageous prices anyway. It was my understanding that normal bleach used for washing clothes and household uses was either not the correct chemical for pools or contained extra unwanted ingredients and should not be used for pools. Is that not the case and it is acceptable for pool use? (I know the chlorine % is low on these). I live in Charleston, SC. Does anyone know of a cheap source for pool appropriate liquid chlorine?

You misunderstood. Drop tests are the accepted practice here. Either the tf100 or taylor k2006. That's why I asked if that's what you are using. Your assumption that strips and pool store testing are good enough is false and contrary to everything that we try to teach here. Many many examples and testimony has been demonstrated where the same sample is taken to multiple pool stores and wildly different and thus inaccurate results occurred. The same occurs with the test strip kits.

As for confirmation regular great value bleach or clorox bleach are both 8.25%....most of the rest of the ingredients is water. So those are what you want to use. You may also be incorrect about the price of pool store bleach. Many members have reported that two gallons of hth 12.5% bleach is about comparable to the same amount of 8.25% bleach in cost because you will use roughly 25% less of the 12.5% concentration. But depending on your area ymmv.

 

[varicella]

Unfortunately, my budget drop test kit does not have a cya test. The strips show it being over 150. I will try to figure out how to replace some of the water, have done so in the past but get screwed on my water bills because they charge me for sewer and then incorrectly adjust my account when I say it was to fill the pool. I got into this mess in the first place because I was trying to save money and test with 2 year expired test strips. The strips always showed I was low on chlorine so I kept feeding more and more tabs in. Finally I bought new test strips which indicated I had way too much chlorine. Lesson learned. I will check the pool store prices and other places and compare prices and concentration. For now I have added the gallon of bleach that I had on hand and brushed all the algae off the walls.

Thanks for the help

 

[robertmee]

Sorry to hear of your troubles with your water supplier. We're on septic so i haven't experienced that problem. I have read several members are successful calling them prior to usage so they're aware and can proactively adjust.

 

[duraleigh]

varicella,

until you decide to make a commitment to fix your pool, you are doomed to the same mistakes that got you where you are now.....a very algae-infested pool.

This forum is all about precision testing with a high quality kit but it doesn't sound like that's gonna' be in your future. Until you decide that, there is little advice (except just guessing and we are no better at guessing than your Aunt Matilda) that we can help you with.

There are a ton of success stories on here so you might keep reading and become inspired....I hope so.

 

[jaduck]

Dave speaks the truth! Your water is being taken over by algae, and if you keep doing what you are doing it will only get worse. You can stop the infestation, by doing two very simple things: purchase a good test kit (TF-100, my preference or the Taylor K2006c) and purchase some bleach...you may also need a partial drain/refill.

BTW, you state that your water is clean, I can tell you that it is far from clean...your water is cloudy and it has algae. Do yourself a favor and take control of your water chemistry or it will take control of you. As Dave suggest, read the forums and you will see the green to clean success stories. I guarantee if you follow the advice given you will have a pool that is absolutely awe inspiring and cheap to maintain to boot!

 

[varicella]

I have no problem buying a better test kit and I'm sure I will very soon. Is using my pool vacuum hose to suck water from a nearby river a horrible idea to fill the pool after I drain some off? It would go through the filter before entering the pool and I can backwash frequently while filling. I know I would then need a good amount of chlorine and other stuff to get it balanced but it would save me the hassle of dealing with the water company trying to charge me $400 for sewer charges and the water would be free. Should I have the river water first tested for undesirable metals or other concerns?

 

[jaduck]

I don't see a problem using river water...I would use a reliable test kit and get a baseline for pH, TA, and CH. I would also get the Iron and Cu tested at the pool store. If the river fill water looks good then by all means, use it to refill. I would make sure you run it through your filter to fill the pool. I might use a slime bag on the return as well. You may have a longer SLAM after the refill, but you're going to have to do that anyway. The experts may say I'm off my rocker...I can say without one bit of doubt, DO NOT try this if you plan on using a cheap test kit/Pool store testing (exception being Fe and Cu)!