New owner, just opened pool. Help!

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kypovan

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Jun 10, 2016
50
La Plata, MD
Hello everyone. We opened our pool last weekend, and my testing kit arrived today. I did all the tests, and the pool is a mess! Though, it is clear. lol

Okay, here are the details...

it's a 28ft octagon pool, aprox. 20,700 gallons, with a vinyl liner, sand filter.

Free chlorine test... the test water never turned pink. When using a dip strip, it was completely white as well. So, 0 free chlorine. Never could get it pink, even after 6 dippers, so combined chlorine was 0 as well.

pH, water was yellow, indicating less than 6. I had to give it 75 drops of base to get it to pH 7.4

Alkalinity, I never got to add the second chemical, it was red with the first drop of 008.

Calcium hardness, it took 8 drops, so 80ppm to turn blue

Cyanuric acid, I only got up to the 1.8 measurement before the black dot disappeared.

So.... what do I do first? What is the priority? Ack!!!

Thanks for you help.
 
I'm using the TF-100

Yes, things have been added. To clarify... we tried to open the pool 2 weeks ago, but it appeared we had a leak as it wouldn't stay filled. We put the cover back on and the pool store had him toss in some shock (don't know how much) until we could get it looked at. We got it taken care of and all was well. When we refilled, it stayed filled. That was last week.

My husband isn't wanting me to do TFP method, and keeps going to the pool store. He added 1/2qt of Majestic Blue and 1 bottle (96oz) of 6% bleach.

I finally convinced him to just let me have a go at it, so I'm hoping I can get this all figured out and prove him wrong. ;)
 
Well here's to your go, woo hoo! You will make a believer out of him soon. How long has the water been in the pool (rough guess)? You are using the K-2006 right?

Please confirm these are your numbers (and post like this in the future):
FC - 0
CC - 0
pH - <6, took 74 drops to get to 7.4
TA - ?, red upon addition of first reagent
CH - 80
CYA - "?, only got up to the 1.8 measurement before the black dot disappeared"
 
Okay, I will try that and come right back with the results.

- - - Updated - - -

Pool Tool said:
Well here's to your go, woo hoo! You will make a believer out of him soon. How long has the water been in the pool (rough guess)? You are using the K-2006 right?

Please confirm these are your numbers (and post like this in the future):
FC - 0
CC - 0
pH - <6, took 74 drops to get to 7.4
TA - ?, red upon addition of first reagent
CH - 80
CYA - "?, only got up to the 1.8 measurement before the black dot disappeared"
Click to expand...

Yes, that is correct. I'm not sure how long the water has been in the pool. We bought the house 1 year ago, and we fumbled through the season with the pool store. It was filled and open when we purchased. We had the store close it. We added water 2 weeks ago (which we lost down the drain), then again 1 week ago. We added about 6-8"? Not sure how much water that would be.
 
Oops, Yes, the K-2006, not the TF-100 test kit.

Okay, I did the diluted test. Halfway up to the 7 with pool water, all the way to 7 with tap water. Added the reagent, mixed for 30 seconds, put it slowly into the small compartment. Now the black dot disappears just before the water level gets to the CYA printed on the side. So, about halfway to the 100. And I know the dip strips aren't the best testers, but on it, it says the CYA is between 30-50. So.... am I just doing the test wrong?
 
You will definitely prove him wrong. I was pretty intimidated when we got our pool installed and was not looking forward to the expense of chemicals. Luckily I found this site before I used up my first bucket of pucks. The Trouble Free Method takes a little bit of time every day or two but you will save so much time and money in the long run!
 

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kypovan said:
Oops, Yes, the K-2006, not the TF-100 test kit.

Okay, I did the diluted test. Halfway up to the 7 with pool water, all the way to 7 with tap water. Added the reagent, mixed for 30 seconds, put it slowly into the small compartment. Now the black dot disappears just before the water level gets to the CYA printed on the side. So, about halfway to the 100. And I know the dip strips aren't the best testers, but on it, it says the CYA is between 30-50. So.... am I just doing the test wrong?
Click to expand...

It's entirely possible your CYA is that high. Since you did the 50.50 I'd even try a 25/75. 1 part pool water to 3 parts tap.
 
It seems, from reading, that I really need to drain and replenish the water. Correct? With a vinyl liner, I need to make sure the water stays at least 2 feet in the shallow end. It's only 3 feet in the shallow end, so does that mean I should drain 1 foot, 5 or 6 times? It's 3 feet on the shallow end, 6 feet on the deep. In the meantime... what else? Dump a bunch of bleach and baking soda for now? Or not worry about that until I get CYA under control?

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ckk81 said:
Yep, curious what number the pool store gave your husband. For CYA 260 you're really going to need almost all new water.
Click to expand...


They never gave him a number. He never took water in to be tested. Grrr
 
kypovan said:
It seems, from reading, that I really need to drain and replenish the water. Correct? With a vinyl liner, I need to make sure the water stays at least 2 feet in the shallow end. It's only 3 feet in the shallow end, so does that mean I should drain 1 foot, 5 or 6 times? It's 3 feet on the shallow end, 6 feet on the deep. In the meantime... what else? Dump a bunch of bleach and baking soda for now? Or not worry about that until I get CYA under control?

- - - Updated - - -




They never gave him a number. He never took water in to be tested. Grrr
Click to expand...

I hate to say this, but take a sample to the store and see what they say for CYA. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING. DON'T TAKE ANY MONEY OR OTHER METHOD OF PAYMENT. The number they give you should be some small bit of confirmation your CYA is sky high, but not more.

You should be able to drain down to one foot in the shallow end with no problem, but if you want to play it safe two feet is fine. You can do some math to see how many gallons each foot of depth holds.
 
Thank you CK. I will run out and get it tested and see.... and really take no form of money, so I can't lie when I say I can't. But...they give us stuff on faith all the time, and tell us to pay them later. Guess I'll just have to stick to my guns and say I only want the test right now. But, I will start draining now anyway.
 
You're getting sound advice. But personally, if it were me, I wouldn't waste my time wasting gas with the pool store CYA test. That's one they notoriously get wrong anyways, if not from poor handling then from inadequate lighting. You already have one of the best kits out there, so trust yourself. That's the whole point of TFP ... helping you to be in control. :goodjob: You already know you need to exchange a lot of water, so just go ahead and do it now. Always keep at least 12" of water in the pool and/or never go below the lowest step. When in doubt, leave a little more to protect the integrity of your pool structure/liner. Once you refill, test CYA again (diluted if necessary) then tell us where you're at. If your CYA is still over 80/90 after a water exchange, you know you need to do it again. Ideally, in your area, I would think a CYA of about 40-50 would serve you well with no SWG. But definitely get the CYA down under 60 if you can.
 

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