New Pool owner and I am struggling

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I checked my ph levels this morning and there was no change. I do not think I had enough Borax to do anything. Should I switch to Soda Ash or stay with the Borax? I am going to run to the store during lunch. On the subject of bleach, I am a little intimidated by it. I went to the store and just stared at all the different types. Is there a certain brand? or do I want to just get the cheapest with no scent?
My kids are having a blast "helping" me test the water too!!

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And yes Lisa I am about a third of the way through the bucket of the chorine pucks.
 
Bummer!!! At least you caught it before your CYA was through the roof.

Just generic brand, no fancy scents or splash less. Just regular old bleach.

I do not have experience with Soda Ash. I think it would be fine to switch, but hopefully so
Someone with more experience will chime in. You do need to get the TA & PH up.


[emoji176] Lisa P.
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Yes, switch to soda ash. It will probably take several additions before PH starts to show up. PH is at the bottom of the test scale right now and is probably lower.
 
Ok, I just bought all the soda ash that the local Walmart had. I also bought 5 jugs of bleach. How much bleach will I need to keep on hand? I know each pool is different, but do I need 1 or 2 jugs? or do I need to keep 10 jugs? When I get home this afternoon I am going to re-test my chlorine to see what the levels are.
 
If you are going to do a SLAM, you'll want to start with a minimum of 10 jugs. Your trash can will fill up quickly with jugs. It might seem ridiculous at first, but I PROMISE it works and you won't be sorry.


[emoji176] Lisa P.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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The chlorine level measured by that test is total chlorine (TC), which is the sum of combined chlorine (CC) and free chlorine (FC). It's FC that kills algae, and with your CYA as high as it is, there's a good chance that most of what's showing in your test is CC.

The bottom line is that we can't tell for certain without the FAS/DPD test, which is why a good test kit containing one is so critical to performing a SLAM.
 
Brianmack5 do you have a waterfall or other water feature that you can turn on? The aeration of water will also assist in raising PH slowly. Also as you might already know the pucks that you have been using adjust multiple chemicals at once. They raise FC (which you want), however they also raise CYA which I believe you already know and they also lower PH which might explain why you are seeing the PH numbers you have.

Pogueld (Lisa P.) already answered your question about bleach (plain regular bleach and no scented or splash less as they will cause foaming). As Lisa stated you want regular bleach that can be purchased from almost any store. The concentration or percentage of the bleach and freshness are important. The most common bleach you will see is 8.25% sodium hypochlorite. This is the main ingredient and if you look at a Clorox bottle it will most likely say 8.25% sodium hypochlorite. If you look at the Wal-Mart brand it will say 8.25% sodium hypochlorite. They are the exact same and the only difference is the price.

Sometimes the bottle will not even mention the percentage of sodium hypochlorite, in most cases it is much less than 8.25% so avoid those. In my case I get the box of 3 from Costco for $8.99, I have seem from other members that they can get 10% from Ace Hardware or grocery stores which I have never heard of before. So if you have a chain of grocery stores that is only in your region they might carry higher percentage of sodium hypochlorite or just cheaper. Basically in your travels take a look at the bleach and compare the % and prices when you have time.

Your test kit came with a way to test FC using the small container of powder, use that to calculate FC above 5.

The metal out that you purchased will help remove the metals from the surface of the pool (the stains) and suspend the metals in the water. However as the metal out wears out the metals will again start to stick to the surface again.
 
Lets get those kids in that pool! Work on that PH! Get it up!

Bleach/chlorine-------what stores are on your way home or easy for one of you to get to? Are there ANY pool store that sell chlorine where you use their jugs? You will need to find a good, easy source for bleach or chlorine. Walmart greater value is 8.25%, pool store chlorine is 11%. Make sure if you buy bleach from any where other than Walmart that the date code is current. (Walmart has high turn over so no worries).

Can't wait to see the first pic of the kids all jumping in the pool!

Kim
 
I bought the 8.25% Walmart brand of bleach. I should get home in a few hours, so I will start adding the Soda Ash when I walk in the door. I have numerous stores on my route home, so getting the bleach is not an issue. I do not have a waterfall, but I do have a small sprinkler that I can plug into my connection where I put my Polaris. I am assuming this will help a little? I will just put the chlorine pucks away and keep in case I need them in an emergency. I will also do the FAS/DPD test. once again I have to say it is so refreshing to see people so willing to share their knowledge on an issue.
 
Kim,
I read about it in another persons thread, and did it last night.
Not to get ahead of myself, but should I just wait until after swimming season to deal with the metal issue?

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It really makes me mad that the pool store told me to fix the metal issue before the ph issue.
 

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