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Started By
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Pool Maintenance
Posted on 4/21/22 at 12:28 pm
Posted on 4/21/22 at 12:28 pm
I want to drop my weekly pool service.
Can anyone tell me what all goes into DIY?
FYI, I’m a widow, but can do basic stuff like skimming and filling the floating thing.
Can anyone tell me what all goes into DIY?
FYI, I’m a widow, but can do basic stuff like skimming and filling the floating thing.
11
Posted on 4/21/22 at 12:37 pm to hnds2th
I'm almost a year into owning my own pool. (gunite salt water)
I use a little test kit and check my PH and chlorine weekly. Once a month or so I do the whole litany of tests in the kit. This takes me 10 minutes.
There's a few things I've had to add like baking soda from a big bag, big salt bags and liquid CYA. Otherwise it's a third - half bottle of acid weekly.
Chlorine might take a bit more attention. Cleaning the filters (mine are cartridge style) might be the most physically demanding part. That I do a few times a year.
Overall not that difficult, just a few minutes each week.
Oh, and when in use I drop a bag of shock in it every Sunday night.
I use a little test kit and check my PH and chlorine weekly. Once a month or so I do the whole litany of tests in the kit. This takes me 10 minutes.
There's a few things I've had to add like baking soda from a big bag, big salt bags and liquid CYA. Otherwise it's a third - half bottle of acid weekly.
Chlorine might take a bit more attention. Cleaning the filters (mine are cartridge style) might be the most physically demanding part. That I do a few times a year.
Overall not that difficult, just a few minutes each week.
Oh, and when in use I drop a bag of shock in it every Sunday night.
This post was edited on 4/21/22 at 12:38 pm
Posted on 4/21/22 at 12:57 pm to hnds2th
What kinda pool do you have? Fiberglass/gunite/vinyl?
Do you do liquid chlorine? Is it salt?
DIY, start by buying this testing kit: TF Pro
It comes with instructions on how and when to do the tests.
Take time to go through this website and learn about chemicals you're testing and use it as a resource: TroubleFreePool School
There's a mobile app (Pool Math) you can install on your phone (iOS and Android) where you plug how many gallons of water your pool has, and the results of your test. And it will tell you exactly how much chlorine/acid/baking soda/etc. to add to your pool.
Do you do liquid chlorine? Is it salt?
DIY, start by buying this testing kit: TF Pro
It comes with instructions on how and when to do the tests.
Take time to go through this website and learn about chemicals you're testing and use it as a resource: TroubleFreePool School
There's a mobile app (Pool Math) you can install on your phone (iOS and Android) where you plug how many gallons of water your pool has, and the results of your test. And it will tell you exactly how much chlorine/acid/baking soda/etc. to add to your pool.
This post was edited on 4/21/22 at 12:58 pm
Posted on 4/21/22 at 1:19 pm to hnds2th
Join the troublefreepool message board and read all the get started posts. Lots of very knowledgeable folks on there that can walk you through DIY pool maintenance.
Posted on 4/21/22 at 3:20 pm to hnds2th
quote:
Can anyone tell me what all goes into DIY?
troublefreepools is your friend.
i have a liner pool and my ENTIRE chemical plan for each year consists of:
- chlorine (liquid if i can find it or tabs in a pinch)
- arm & hammer baking soda to adjust the pH & alkalinity
- in the spring i add vitamin C (yes, that is correct) to kill all the stains and discolorations
that's it. i do nothing else and dont add any other shite to my water. i like to keep it all natural with simple bleach for sanitizing purposes.
keep an eye on your chemical levels and CYA (there's a little strip at amazon that does a fantastic job in a pinch of giving you all your levels including CYA) and keep the organic crap out of the water.
not hard at all once you get the hang of it.
I wouldnt dream of adding copper or algaecides or any of those 400 other chemicals pool stores hawk to my water.
This post was edited on 4/21/22 at 3:23 pm
Posted on 4/22/22 at 12:10 am to hnds2th
Troublefreepool.com
Posted on 4/22/22 at 1:53 am to hnds2th
Use the trouble free pool method. It's really easy. The only thing that sucks about our pool (other than the pump went out and we can't get the timer/control panel we want because of MUH CHIPS) are the leaves. We have two large live oaks and those bitches drop leaves year round. They don't even overhang the pool but those leaves get everywhere. The canal behind our house is full of water oaks but those aren't a big deal. 100% get a dolphin pool cleaner, the only problem I have with our is we have TOO Many leave drop. Besides the leaves we would brush the sides and steps once a week, add chlorine and balance the acid/calcium once a year or after really big rainfalls. Testing daily takes a couple of minutes.
Posted on 4/23/22 at 4:26 pm to hnds2th
As mentioned. Trouble free pool is a wealth of information.
Just be aware that they can get a little snooty. Their deal is that everything or about 90% of what you buy at Leslie’s is bad.
But they are knowledgeable.
Also a tough time to drop your service. Buying your own chlorine will not be cheap. 3” tabs are outrageous.
Just be aware that they can get a little snooty. Their deal is that everything or about 90% of what you buy at Leslie’s is bad.
But they are knowledgeable.
Also a tough time to drop your service. Buying your own chlorine will not be cheap. 3” tabs are outrageous.
Posted on 4/26/22 at 2:47 pm to hnds2th
New pool owner having just gone through pool school. We have a gunite salt pool that's 15,700 gallons. I really appreciate everyone's advice in this thread.
Posted on 4/26/22 at 3:52 pm to hnds2th
Here's a little tip as well...if you need to increase water hardness I buy the Calcium Chloride in bulk from Home Depot instead of the pool stores. It's much much cheaper.
Posted on 5/15/22 at 2:34 am to hnds2th
We have a gunite pool with quartzite and do our own maintenance due to service availability where we live. It has been far easier than we thought. Our pool has an automatic chlorine dispenser at the pump that we put 3” tablets in and we can manually adjust how much chlorine is dispersed to the pool. Other than that the only thing we do is carry a water sample weekly to have it tested and they give us a printout of what we need to treat with as well as quantities. Our vacuum is set on a timer and runs for three hours daily so other than the occasional chemicals all we have to do is clean the vacuum bag weekly and strainer basket daily.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 1:36 pm to hnds2th
I just bought a house with a pool. How long do you normally run the pump? Mine is on 24/7.
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