Well it was nice while it lasted…
My blue pool, that is. It’s back to green now, a mere week after my previous post.
Dejected, frustrated, and beginning to resent my swimming pool, I grabbed my once-again empty jugs and water sample and headed back to Pinch A Penny. On the way there, I thought back to the past few days. I had purchased a Basic-4 Pool Chemistry Test Kit and was shocked to see that my chlorine levels, both free and total, were dropping faster than bad habits at a nunnery.
“I must be out of, or low on, stabilizer.” I learned at Pinch A Penny that I was right. (see, I’m learning! Maybe the pool’s plotting against me. This is a test.)
So sure enough, my chlorine levels were again at 0 and my stabilizer was sorta low (38ppm, where the ideal range is 40-100ppm).
Before tackling the algae-suffering pool again just now, I had this brilliant idea about physical filtration and how a little pre-emptive vaccuuming prior to adding my chemicals could make all the difference in the world. We’ll see how it works, of course, but here’s the order of what I did just now:
1. Vaccummed the entire bottom of the pool with the tube and long-handled vaccuum (same as the brush, just a different head)
2. Cleaned my filter - it was PEA GREEN. Ick.
3. Added 1.5 Gallons of liquid chlorine shock.
4. Brushed the sides.
5. Broadcasted 1.3 pounds of Stop Green.
Tomorrow around this same time I’ll add another 1.5 gallon jug of liquid chlorine and about 2 pounds of stabilizer, as Pinch A Penny advised.