# Pool Care Guide



## scottiedog (Mar 3, 2008)

Hey All,

I just purchased a home which has a nice big inground pool in the back. Since I have never had a pool I have no idea on how to maintain it. I was wondering if anyone knew a good online guide so I could get some information?

Thanks in advance

Rich


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## DIYtestdummy (Jan 16, 2008)

http://www.perfectpoolandspa.com/poolcarelinksbottom.html

Google.com is your friend.


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## dcd22 (Jul 12, 2007)

get some water and bring it to a reputable dealer. They will do all the testing and let you know exactely what to do. 

I have done all level's of pool work for close to 20 year's. This is the best way. 

Some companies also offer "consulting" to come out and go through a start up, vacuume, chemical's, etc.... this may be helpful.


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## pilotandy72 (Dec 29, 2005)

*Pool Info*

I use www.poolforum.com There is a ton of information in there. I hope it helps...sorry for the late post.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

scottiedog said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I just purchased a home which has a nice big inground pool in the back. Since I have never had a pool I have no idea on how to maintain it. I was wondering if anyone knew a good online guide so I could get some information?
> 
> ...


I think your location is important for determining certain procedures for maintaining your pool. Because of climate.

All types come swimming in our pool.:no:


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## JohnnySixString (May 24, 2008)

scottiedog said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I just purchased a home which has a nice big inground pool in the back. Since I have never had a pool I have no idea on how to maintain it. I was wondering if anyone knew a good online guide so I could get some information?
> 
> ...


 
http://www.troublefreepool.com/

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/index.php

Do yourself a favor and read through these forums.
They're all you'll need to learn how to take care of your pool, without paying expensive pool store prices. :thumbsup: 

You can't register at poolforum.com anymore, but there's still lots of information.


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

JohnnySixString said:


> http://www.troublefreepool.com/
> 
> http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/index.php
> 
> ...


 
Do yourself another favor, and as suggested previously, if you have a pool store convenient to your location, get in the habit of having them test your water. Why would you not take advantage of this free service, which is much more accurate than the "guess the matching color" game of test kits.
Understand that keeping the ph and calcium levels accurate is crucial for a comfortable pool. The problem with most pools is that people believe that the solution to everything is to dump in more chlorine, so you end up with your own personal "Holiday Inn" pool...you smell like chlorine even after two showers, and if you open your eyes they burn and are red for 2 days. If the water is not chemically balanced, the chlorine cannot work properly.

As for the expensive pool store prices, that is often another myth, like just because you got it at Wal Mart or Home Depot is must have been cheaper and better. Compare not only the price, but the concentration of the active ingredient between the pool store and big box stuff. I paid attention to this when I was trying to figure out if HD products were really as much cheaper as they seemed. Even though they were the same brand, there was a difference of as much as 30% in the active ingredient concentrations, but only about 15% cheaper. Another item "de-specd" to attain a cheaper selling price by big boxes.

My last opinion is that even if you do pay a little more over the course of a season for supplies, it is worth the relationship when something goes wrong, and eventually it WILL. When your pool decides to turn lime green or look like sewer water when you return from out of town, go find the knowledgable guy in the orange smock for a remedy:yes::laughing:. It's not necessary to bother the people at the place with the high pool store prices.:no:

And just for those who are probably already typing a reply for me....no, I am not a pool builder, maintenance company or pool store owner, just a general contractor who knows the value of the service you get from an established face to face relationship with local businesses.


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## JohnnySixString (May 24, 2008)

troubleseeker said:


> Do yourself another favor, and as suggested previously, if you have a pool store convenient to your location, get in the habit of having them test your water. Why would you not take advantage of this free service, which is much more accurate than the "guess the matching color" game of test kits.
> Understand that keeping the ph and calcium levels accurate is crucial for a comfortable pool. The problem with most pools is that people believe that the solution to everything is to dump in more chlorine, so you end up with your own personal "Holiday Inn" pool...you smell like chlorine even after two showers, and if you open your eyes they burn and are red for 2 days. If the water is not chemically balanced, the chlorine cannot work properly.
> 
> As for the expensive pool store prices, that is often another myth, like just because you got it at Wal Mart or Home Depot is must have been cheaper and better. Compare not only the price, but the concentration of the active ingredient between the pool store and big box stuff. I paid attention to this when I was trying to figure out if HD products were really as much cheaper as they seemed. Even though they were the same brand, there was a difference of as much as 30% in the active ingredient concentrations, but only about 15% cheaper. Another item "de-specd" to attain a cheaper selling price by big boxes.
> ...


 
Any time you go into a pool store their objective is to sell you products. Sure, they'll put on a smile and pretend to be genuinely concerned with your needs. I bet you think car salesmen just want to help you too. I'm not trying to bash pool stores, just point out that they are overpriced and mostly unneccesary. I've done the "pool store knows best" thing. They don't. They know how to sell you things. After being shafted by high prices and bad advice from different pool stores I began looking for advice online. Not surprisingly, most of it was carbon copies of the pool stores. Then I lucked out and found the poolforum.com. I didn't even realize that troublefreepools.com was even open until this last month. 2 1/2 years ago after discovering poolforum.com I found all the advice I needed to maintain my pool already posted.

BBB is short for "Bleach, Baking Soda and Borax". It is not a replacement or substitution method. These are the exact same chemicals the pool stores sell. Regular, unscented Ultra Bleach in the grocery store is 6% sodium hypochlorite and 94% inert ingredients. Go into any pool store and ask for liquid pool chlorine. The label will read 12% sodium hypochlorite and 88% inert ingredients. It's the *same* thing. Just a different _*concentration:laughing:*_. And to be honest, it doesn't cost _that_ much more at the pool store in comparison for liquid chlorine, when they have it. But it *is* always *more*. Why am I gonna drive farther to the pool store and spend more money and gas getting the same thing I can at the grocery store? You must like spending time with the guys in the pool store. I just need chlorine for my pool. :whistling2:

You're right, hotel pools are usually overchlorinated. It's necessary to keep the water chlorinated, but with the number of people using it and the lack of regular testing it's easier just to dump way more in. I have a DPD drop test kit. You know, the same one's the pool stores glady sell you. They do testing for free. You bet they want you to buy a test kit. So my chlorine levels are fine, thank you very much. I only put it in as much chlorine as my cya levels require to keep the water sanitized, clean and algae-free. CYA, or stabilizer, is the only chemical I need from a pool store. Good thing there's a Wal Mart across from the grocery store where I buy my bleach that always sells stabilizer cheaper. My pH is kept in check once a week with muriatic acid. The exact same thing the pools stores, Home Depot and Lowes sell. There's a Lowes right next to my grocery store where I buy my bleach. Calcium...well, I have an above ground pool with a vinyl liner. And if you have any type of pool with a vinyl liner you don't really need calcium. However, living in Texas there isn't a choice, so there's always a little. Tell me again, why I need to go to the pool store?:huh:

This isn't rocket science. If simple elementary chemistry techniques are beyond you, I guess you need a pool store to hold your hand and tell you what you need to do and what you need to buy to keep your pool clean. If you'd rather not put out the little effort it takes to learn, understand and do it yourself, perhaps it'd be best just to hire a pool maintenence person to come out on a regular basis and take care of your pool for you. Unless you just enjoy the company of the people at the pool store or need an overpriced pool toy, all the chemicals you need can be found elsewhere cheaper and usually closer. If you want to keep spending more than you need to, especially on stuff you don't need, then by all means hang out with your good friends at the pool store and paying for the privilege of their company.:wacko:

If you want to learn the essentials of what your pool needs without someone trying to sell you something useless, then go troublefreepools.com and poolforum.com and start reading. I'm not an expert. I am just a pool owner that was lucky enough to stumble upon a bunch of helpful people at a forum that isn't trying to sell you anything. Much like I am hoping this forum is. A few of the regular posters at both forums are actually pool store employees/pool maintenence workers. Again, I'm neither. Just another happy pool owner who learned how easy it is and that I don't have to throw money away at the pool store.:thumbup1:


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## scottiedog (Mar 3, 2008)

Hey guys,

Thank you for all of the time you have taken to give me this advice. I did visit my local pool store and to be honest, it was not a positive experience, five sales guys and me the only customer, they were pouncing on me everytime I just glanced at a product. Then I picked up a new bag for my Polaris pool cleaner and they would not allow me to purchase it, telling me that my current one is so old it will be on its last legs and that I need to purchase a new one 

However, there are another two supply stores in the area, I will give them a shot. Thanks for the other two forum recomendations, these will help me a lot!


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## taty (Jun 4, 2008)

*taking care of pool*

We bought a house with a pool and pool service. it was 1.5K per season. 
But it all depends on your weather, pond and equipment type.

Check this website _http://www.lesliespool.com/Shop_ and find if you have store nearby. 
They were very fair with consultations, they also have seminars for owners and all chemicals needed. We purchased Aquabot-Turbo in addition, and first spring opening of the pool was not as hard as we were afraid.
There is pool picture and our equipment picture. If yours is similar, I can give you info what we did.

















T.:thumbup1:


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## sninny (Jan 15, 2008)

Hey JohnnySixString,
Do your self a favor, Look up the the effects of heat and time on bleach. The liquid shock the pool stores sells are manufactured locally made Monday on the pool stores shelfs on Tuesday. If you have a vinyl liner look up some information on the effects of calcium on plasticized's. Just for kicks when you have nothing better to do go to a pool store ( a mom and pop one not a large chain) look for the one of the owners not one of the kids they hire to do the mindless task of testing water and see if maybe you get a different feeling. Or maybe you just like being penny wise and pound foolish:jester:


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## sevver (Apr 28, 2008)

I don't use the pool store. I use the information found at troublefreepool.com. As for using bleach instead of chlorine from the pool store, what do you think bleach is, besides chlorine. If you want to get "pool stored" and sold into a bunch of algaecides and powdered shock which has added CYA, which reduces the effectiveness of chlorine until you get an algae bloom, which will burn off the CYA after you super shock your pool to kill it go ahead. Just get a good drop based test kit like the TF-100 sold on TroubleFreePool or a Taylor test kit. You need to know what all your numbers are. Don't listen to the pool store, unless you like not having control of it yourself, and don't mind dumping trash in your water, and then lavishing in it. Pool chemistry comes down to two things. Sanitation, and PH, CYA is a buffer for Chlorine, Total Alkalinity is a buffer for PH. It is easy.


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## sninny (Jan 15, 2008)

sevver,
The point I was making is that the bleach (that we all know is the same as liquid shock) that you buy in the supermarket or where ever has been around for a while. It may also have been exposed to extreme tempters. Both time and temperature has an adverse affect on the potency of chlorine bleach. Buy the time you get this product home it may only be 1/8th as strong as when it was produced! as for CYA burning off:no::laughing::whistling2::jester: where do you get your information??????????????? CYA dose not burn off the only way to get CYA out of your pool is to dump some water! That buy the way is one of the draw backs of using stabilized chlorine.
Of course you don't have to go to a pool store to get the material or products to maintain your pool, you don't have to go to a mechanic to get you car repaired either. But you really owe it to your self to have the correct information to base your decisions on!


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## JohnnySixString (May 24, 2008)

sninny said:


> sevver,
> The point I was making is that the bleach (that we all know is the same as liquid shock) that you buy in the supermarket or where ever has been around for a while. It may also have been exposed to extreme tempters. Both time and temperature has an adverse affect on the potency of chlorine bleach. Buy the time you get this product home it may only be 1/8th as strong as when it was produced! as for CYA burning off:no::laughing::whistling2::jester: where do you get your information??????????????? CYA dose not burn off the only way to get CYA out of your pool is to dump some water! That buy the way is one of the draw backs of using stabilized chlorine.
> Of course you don't have to go to a pool store to get the material or products to maintain your pool, you don't have to go to a mechanic to get you car repaired either. But you really owe it to your self to have the correct information to base your decisions on!


 
I don't buy year old bleach in the store. Actually, most of the time I get the bleach it's just been restocked. The bleach I buy has been working fine, for me, for 3 years now. Sodium hypochlorite is sodium hypochlorite. My grocery store restocks this stuff every week. I'm not buying year old chlorine. Chances are though, the chlorine at the pool store probably *is* old. Because no one really buys the stuff since they keep pushing Shock and trichlor pucks on everyone. It works for me, that's all I know. And OBVIOUSLY I'm not the only one. You can take your car to a mechanic and pay them $300+ for parts and labor to change your alternator. I do it myself in my driveway for the price of the part. This is a *bad* analogy though, since taking care of pool water is _nowhere_ near complicated as working on a vehicle.


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## sevver (Apr 28, 2008)

I know that the only way to dump CYA is to dump water. But it seemed that when my wife was taking care of the pool, it seemed like there was a cycle of using stabilized Cl, until there was an algae bloom, then it would go out of control until you "shocked" your pool with twice the dose for a few days, at which point things seemed to go back to normal again. So, I don't know that for sure, does the algae break down the stabilizer or doesn't it...? I will ask that question at TFP since this place is geared more towards beating things together.

I have since started the BBB method of pool care, and I have never had any problems. I have my TA at around 90, which makes my Ph stable at 7.3. I also just use the liquid shock from the pool store. It is 12.5 strength, and I don't leave it in direct sunlight, it is in the garage. The breakdown is exponential from the way I understand it. It loses its strength faster the higher that it is and slower the lower the percentage. CYA is necessary, not that you said that it wasn't, but it gives the Chlorine something to bond to so that the sun does not burn it off too fast. 

My pool is only 8600 gallons, and I am SERIOUSLY considering a SWG, that would essentially free me up to go away on the weekend on occasion without needing to bother anyone. 

Basically, check out TroubleFreePool.com, educate yourself, get a good test kit, and spend 5 minutes a day on water chemistry. Everyone will be amazed.


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## JohnnySixString (May 24, 2008)

sevver said:


> I know that the only way to dump CYA is to dump water. But it seemed that when my wife was taking care of the pool, it seemed like there was a cycle of using stabilized Cl, until there was an algae bloom, then it would go out of control until you "shocked" your pool with twice the dose for a few days, at which point things seemed to go back to normal again. So, I don't know that for sure, does the algae break down the stabilizer or doesn't it...? I will ask that question at TFP since this place is geared more towards beating things together.
> 
> I have since started the BBB method of pool care, and I have never had any problems. I have my TA at around 90, which makes my Ph stable at 7.3. I also just use the liquid shock from the pool store. It is 12.5 strength, and I don't leave it in direct sunlight, it is in the garage. The breakdown is exponential from the way I understand it. It loses its strength faster the higher that it is and slower the lower the percentage. CYA is necessary, not that you said that it wasn't, but it gives the Chlorine something to bond to so that the sun does not burn it off too fast.
> 
> ...


 
Exactly. :thumbsup:


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## sevver (Apr 28, 2008)

Here is the link discussing what happens to cyaneric acid; [http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=8605]

Chemgeek discusses it over at Poolforum. He references to this study on the matter [http://umbbd.msi.umn.edu/cya/cya_map.html] 

Basically I was right in assuming the stabilizer gets used up by the algae. And basically otherwise it is correct to assume that stabilizer cannot be removed otherwise without drain and fill dilution.

**I hope this forum allows linking to other forums, I seem to remember that it doesn't.**

Just in case, here are the two links with spaces in them. Copy Paste, delete spaces, hit enter. :wink:

http://www.poolforum.com /pf2/showthread.php?t=8605
http://umbbd.msi.umn.edu /cya/cya_map.html


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