Kids will want to swim in 4 hours.....HELP please.

[67mike]

OK:

Just filled and installed a new 16 x 4 AG coleman vinyl pool.......roughly 5700 gallons. Cartridge filter and 1500 gph pump.

Any way, I have a floating chlorine DUAL ACTION puck in the pool currently (roughly 28 hours in pool so far).

MY PROBLEM:


I have no "good" test kit until I order one and get it on weekend. SO I have bought the HTH 6 way test strips and a cheap PH/CL vial type tester.

I have just tested my water:



Strips say: FAC:0, TCI:0, ALK:40, PH 6.8, TH 100, CYA 0.

VIALS SAY: PH 7.6, CL <0.2.

I HAVE A JUG OF 10.3% bleach AND I just bought a container of CYA granules.

WHAT CAN I DO immediately so that the kids can swim in 4 hours?????


Thanks....Big Time.

 

[BuckeyeChris]

that's a big difference between a pH of 6.8 and 7.6, the latter being acceptable for swimming, but the former may cause irritation. Hard to make a recommendation with wildly varying results.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I'd retest the pH and see if maybe it was just a one time testing error.

Follow the instructions on the strips exactly. If you don't hold them in the water long enough or you hold them too long they'll give bad results. Some even say to hold them level for so many seconds before reading.

If the pH is good, then add a quart of the bleach, give it about 15 minutes and let them swim.

 

[67mike]

According to pool math:

Add: 12 oz of my 10.8% bleach AND 22oz CYA.

I will retest and verify before doing anything.

 

[67mike]

I'd retest the pH and see if maybe it was just a one time testing error.

Follow the instructions on the strips exactly. If you don't hold them in the water long enough or you hold them too long they'll give bad results. Some even say to hold them level for so many seconds before reading.

If the pH is good, then add a quart of the bleach, give it about 15 minutes and let them swim.

Hi Retested:

Strips: FAC 0.5, TCI 1.0, ALK 80, PH 7.2, TH 100, CYA 0.

Vials: PH 7.2, CL <0.2.

So, I am going to pull out the floating puck and add 12 oz of the 10.8% Bleach and 22 oz of the CYA granules.

Do I just pour these in with pump on or mix with water first????

Thanks

 

[jasnovanorder]

I have been mixing the bleach in a small bucket of pool water first before adding to the pool. As for the CYA the general response from here is to put in a sock in front of the return jet and let it dissolve that way. But wait about 30 min after adding the bleach

 

[Bama Rambler]

Pour the bleach slowly in front of a running return and wait a few minutes for it to mix well.

I wouldn't add any CYA until you have a good CYA test. You said that you've have trichlor in there for the last day. How much of it has dissolved?
Also, have you added any other form of chlorine to the pool?

 

[67mike]

Pour the bleach slowly in front of a running return and wait a few minutes for it to mix well.

I wouldn't add any CYA until you have a good CYA test. You said that you've have trichlor in there for the last day. How much of it has dissolved?
Also, have you added any other form of chlorine to the pool?

Very little dissolved.

 

[DaninFLA]

this is a fresh refill, right? if so, add your CYA based on getting it to 30-40ppm

 

[BuckeyeChris]

if the pH is in the 7's you're fine for swimming. this cya/CH level will need to get sorted to avoid algae. But as long as you have even some FC you'll be fine for swimming today.

 

[67mike]

What is weird is I added 12 oz of the 10.8% Bleach 3 hours ago......now I test it again and my CL levels are VERY LOW like <0.2 on the vial tester and less than 0.5 on the strip test??????? This is slightly a smidgen higher than what is was before I added the 12 oz of bleach?

My pool has about 5400 gallons and it is a fresh fill using municipal tap water.

I used the pool math and it said 12 oz would do it?????? Do I need to wait longer to get test???

Thanks everyone.

 

[pabeader]

Do you take baths in the water? first time use isn't much different than that, is it?

 

[robertmee]

If you added it in the middle of the day with full sun, then it's quite possible that small amount was burned off quickly, especially in that you have no CYA (not yet dissolved)

 

[67mike]

Thanks....yes it was added mid day....will check tomorrow again.

- - - Updated - - -

Do you take baths in the water? first time use isn't much different than that, is it?

Not much different at all. LOL.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The reason I told you to add a quart, was that I knew the sun would burn it off quickly and then if someone went swimming, that would burn off even more.

You need to add a quart tonight if you haven't already.

 

[PAGirl]

How long did it take you to fill the pool? Did you add any chlorine while it was filling?

 

[67mike]

How long did it take you to fill the pool? Did you add any chlorine while it was filling?

It took about a full day to fill. No, did not add chlorine when filling. Put the floater in with a dual action 3" puck (85% trichlor with algicide) That was in for almost a day or so....really did not dissolve very much at all...almost all there.

- - - Updated - - -

The reason I told you to add a quart, was that I knew the sun would burn it off quickly and then if someone went swimming, that would burn off even more.

You need to add a quart tonight if you haven't already.

So add some more bleach tonight? Guess I will take a reading first and see where it is at. Thanks.

 

[67mike]

Well, just checked again and Chlorine is near zero, so threw in another 12 oz of the 10% bleach. Thanks

 

[DanielP]

Stop letting the chlorine fall below two. Test and adjust hourly until chlorine holds at 5ppm unless you just really want to SLAM your pool.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Did you add the CYA?

As Dan said, you need to keep adding chlorine as often as you need to, to keep the FC above 2ppm.

Since you already have the floater I'd put it back in there until it's used up. You can use poolmath to figure out how much CYA that will add to the pool and then only add more if needed.