Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

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smoovie
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Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby smoovie » Mon 17 Oct, 2011 07:46

Please help me!! My father recently passed away and I now live in his home that has an in ground pool. It is a 18x36, vinyl liner, Hayward S200 sand filter, and a Caribbean Clear ionizer system. A couple weeks after his death I noticed that the ionizer was set at max, usually it is at 3, I don't know how long it had been at max but after doing a copper test it was reading way over .30ppm, more like .60. After reading about the Caribbean Clear system it said to turn the dial to 0 (which I did) until the copper levels go down, it actually said it could take a few days, maybe a few weeks until it gets below .30. Also the CYA and chlorine are low, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! He had it down to a science, I saw a maintenance board he had, seems like every Tuesday checked PH and added a gallon of bleach, and every Thursday night 2 gallons of bleach along with 1 pint of muratic acid was the routine. Also afterbackwashing yesterday PSI actually dropped from 20 to 15, and I have occasional bubbles coming out the side jets. Again, please help me before I totally screw up this pool!


tcjack

Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby tcjack » Tue 06 Dec, 2011 10:33

Don't know anything about the Cu ionizer method, strictly a chlorine guy.

With Chlorine only you shoot for 1-3 ppm and pH of 7.1-7.6.

The backwash did just what it was supposed too. Monitor the PSI and when it reaches 25 the filter is plugging so do a backwash.

Air bubbles usually indicate some air leak on the suction side of the pump. Check the visible pipe junctions for cracks or possible leaks and make sure the pump lid is tightened down. There should be an O ring under the lid to seal it.
robert-o

Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby robert-o » Tue 06 Dec, 2011 17:59

Caribbean Clear recommends the following:

pH 7.2 - 7.4 - Check twice weekly
Copper .15 - .20 ppm - Check weekly
TA 80 - 100 ppm - Check monthly
CH 150 - 300 ppm - Check yearly
Trace Halogen - .4 ppm chlorine or .8 ppm bromine - Check weekly

If you have questions on your Caribbean Clear system, call David Leach. I have found him to be readily available and very helpful.

That said, I discontinued use of my Caribbean Clear system last summer. I never could get the Caribbean Clear system to completely eliminate algae when the water temp got above about 90 degrees. I just set the dial to 0.

I used chlorine bleach for my chlorine source, baking soda to raise TA, and muriatic acid to lower pH. That's it. Easiest summer of pool maintenance ever!

Hope that helps. Good luck!
bdsrod

Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby bdsrod » Sat 10 Dec, 2011 15:53

I was love above ground. Believe it or not I was once certified in pool maintenance. You need the help of someone with that type of certification. There are some on this site. I have forgotten more than I learned.
czechmate
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Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby czechmate » Sat 10 Dec, 2011 18:06

bdsrod wrote: I have forgotten more than I learned.

:lol:
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Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby cpo2go » Fri 25 May, 2012 14:25

To reduce your copper levels, use a metal remover that specifies 'copper' on the label. It's important to get your copper levels under control because copper and chlorine, combined, can cause staining of the pool plaster.
Copper is great at controlling algea but, when the levels get too high, you need to get them under control with a metel remover then backwash your filter to remove them from your system entirely.
If the small bubbles returning to your pool are truly only occassional, you may have trouble finding the suction leak but, as mentioned in an earlier post, check all plumbing in front of the pump including where the piping goes into the pump. You can try dripping PVC glue on each connection and it will be drawn into the leak and should seal it if it's that minor.
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smoovie
I'm new here
I'm new here
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 07:26
My Pool: 18x36, vinyl liner, Hayward 200 sand filter, caribbean clear ionizer system
Location: USA

Inherited an inground pool/ copper levels high

Postby smoovie » Tue 29 May, 2012 08:21

Thanks for all the help from everyone, all the people on this site are amazing!! I have FINALLY got the pool under control!!!!!!!!!! Upon opening of the pool the copper was still off the charts, I finally had to put something called Aquadex 50 , it's a saquestering agent that I have learned about, it worked great! Levels are all good. I still can't find my leak in the pipes to the pump though, I see where my father had siliconed around the bottom of the skimmer opening, apparently he had traced a problem to there in the past but now I see "floating", yet still attached, of what appears to be silicone coming off, and now I am wondering if that's the cause of the air bubbles coming out my jets on a regular basis. It's blasts of bubbles every minute or so all the time. I have allready siliconed around the PVC connections on the pump that were leaking. Seemed to be working at first but now......I will try that suggestion of the PVC glue on the connections and see what happens. I do see when looking into the water reservoir on the pump, that when it's not running there is a continuous air leak coming from inside the PVC opening at the front of the pump. After a while it's just one big air bubble on top. Then after it's been running awhile it looks like 2 mini cyclones inside. I've been reading about the impellers getting clogged and I'm beginning to think that perhaps this could be a culprit. Again, any suggestions on this problem would be greatly appreciated.

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