Added soda ash without diluting = cloudy pool. Help

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nabril15

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May 22, 2011
634
Miami, FL
Pool Size
16400
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-45
Gm
Analysis of my water at my nearby pool store, showed a low TA of 60, so I bought Soda ash at my supermarket (sodium carbonate... AH Super Cleaner). They advised to add 8.5 pounds, which I corroborated in the pool calculator. Stupidly, I added the powder directly to the pool, and I immediately so amazing white cloud formations underwater; thankfully, I only added 3/4 of a 3lb box to test out.
1. Do I continue adding more, but DILUTED?
2. I assume that the cloudiness will eventually go away??? Do I bother adding anything to help clear it up
 
Soda ash raises pH, not TA very much. You raise TA with baking soda ... And really 60ppm may not been too low.

Are you testing your own pool? Why are you trusting the pool store?

The water should eventually clear up.
 
Thanks jb
I have a store 30 steps away which makes life very simple; I know that it violates the theories and principles of TFP... I know.
Ph is 7.5 and tc and fc was low. I already added chlorine.

So I really need to find sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)? Shoot, that's not that easy to find in big quantities.
 
How do you chlorinate? You may not need to raise TA at all. I have seen that Walmart had bags of baking soda in the pool section before.

Most here may argue that trusting a pool store makes maintenance more complicated and expensive ... certainly not "simple"

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.
 
I have an inline chlorinator with pucks, and I add gallons (yellow jugs) of chlorine. I agree on expensive vs simple. However, I often (not always) take their advice and buy the cheaper chemicals elsewhere.
 
The cloudiness remains, and I imagine it will take a few days to clear. As uninviting as it looks, is it safe to get in? It's detergent, right? It should be safe.
 

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Ok. Should I run rthe pump? And I'm thinking that the cartridge filter is clogged with soda ash powder, so I should clean it.

Indeed I found the baking powder at Walmart. Should I add it now to bring up TA? Or should I wait for the cloudiness to pass?
 
nabril15 said:
Ok. Should I run rthe pump? And I'm thinking that the cartridge filter is clogged with soda ash powder, so I should clean it.

Indeed I found the baking powder at Walmart. Should I add it now to bring up TA? Or should I wait for the cloudiness to pass?
Click to expand...

Please double check your purchase before putting it in your pool. Baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing!
 
zea3 said:
Please double check your purchase before putting it in your pool. Baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing!
Click to expand...

Yes, lesson learned. It's been a week, and the cloudiness remains despite getting more rain. The local store advised to add chlorine and the original baking powder that the pool called for, and so 1 added 2 tanks of chlorine and the sodium BIcarbonate.

I want to use the pool. What else can I do?
 
What is a tank of chlorine?
Are those pool stores test again? I am afraid we are not going to be much help as offering advice based on errant tests is counter productive at best.

You can not mix our advice and theirs, so since you seem to find them more convenient than learning and testing yourself, you likely need to follow their advice.
 
A tank is a 2.5 gallon container.
Yes, the results are from pinch a p, which could be considered semi serious; they put some effort into their tests, from what I see. They do the same thing as I would do if I had a test kit. Perhaps their advice might be overpriced because of the price of chemicals, but the testing seems legitimate.
 
Wow! They took your water sample. Added some power. Then added drops until they counted out your FC amount? That's impressive. Most pool places don't do that. Only people that I know that do that are those who follow TPFC.
 
Two chefs in the kitchen isn't going to work. You are trying to have cake and eat it too.
You don't want to pay for testing, so you use the pool store. You don't want to pay their price for chemicals, so you go to wherever.
You don't want their advice, so you come here.

When I used a pool store for testing, I bought chemicals there, even if it was just chlorine liquid or sodium bicarb. They aren't a charity.
When I came here, I gave up the pool store and tried to listen up .
 

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