Hi, we purchased a home and became new pool owners, this is our first season and we worked really hard to get it cleared up started with black water, everything was perfect until 3 weeks ago I noticed cloudy water, so we tested the water and there was no chlorine the ph and TA were low so we added soda ash, it cleared up to almost how it was, then a couple of days later it was back to being cloudy, and now it's very green, we super shocked and didn't change a thing, every time I back washed, the water was brown, so we deep cleaned the filter, changed the sand, tested the water the only thing that was off were the phosphates so we added clear aid yesterday, and it's a tiny bit better but barely noticeable. Please help.
I have done everything i was told to do
- Thread starter Littlesnail81
- Start date
Hi, welcome to TFP! Please post a complete set of test results so we can help you troubleshoot your problem. We need actual test values since "perfect" is a very subjective term in the pool industry.
It is best to post your full results and read what the experts share before deciding what to do. Please do that now.
....That being said, here are a few of my thoughts that you can read after you post your full test results while waiting for the experts to reply:
Welcome to TFP! Many of us came here after the Pool store pool care system failed us, despite being the best customers they ever had. zea3 is asking for the complete set of test results because it is only with those exact numbers that the advice you get here can make sure that after 3 more weeks of work, you have a trouble free pool forever, not on some other forum seeking help because advice didn't pan out. The experts here can and will happily get you sorted out, but they need test results to do this for you.
A few other notes from your post:
"we worked really hard to get it cleared up started with black water" - CONGRATULATIONS!!! I had to do this earlier this year for a family member and oh my it was miserable and slow!
"I noticed cloudy water, so we tested the water" - I know you fine people have survived an amazing war with this pool, but until you know it much, much better, you're going to have to test it regularly and add a sanitizer sufficient to maintain safe levels. (most people on this site use regular bleach, or pool store store bulk liquid chlorine shock - which is just stronger bleach lol). You will spend a lot more time and money waiting until you can see problems in the pool and then trying to fix it than testing regularly, maintaining suggested levels, and avoiding 99% of problems.
"we super shocked and didn't change a thing" - yeah, unfortunately one time doses of tons of chlorine almost never solve anything. This site has an amazingly effective and efficient solution to many water problems: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl
"every time I back washed, the water was brown, so we deep cleaned the filter, changed the sand" - please try the advice you get from the experts here (after posting test results) before taking any more drastic action like these. Backwash water being discolored, even dark brown, is perfectly okay if you're following the TFP plan. The sand filter traps dead algae, pollen, dead plant matter, and lots of other things that come out brown-grey-white-black-yellow and such. Test results are far more helpful than backwash color.
"tested the water the only thing that was off were the phosphates" - do you test for phosphates at home or was that a pool store test? If you like what you read here on TFP, you will likely not need to test for phosphates ever again. Far less than 1% pool owners that follow TFP ever have to test for phosphates - they are able to prevent algae growth at all - so having food for algae doesn't matter - since there never is any algae to eat it. Pretty cool, right? Also, be warned - the vast majority of pool store water testers will be trying to do your tests as fast as possible, and are not necessarily doing the tests with as much care as you would be. Furthermore, unless you live next door to the pool store, the water has aged outside the pool for many minutes and is not necessarily going to reflect the actual pool conditions anymore on some tests. Testing at home is vastly preferred since it is immediate, and done by someone that cares for the pool very dearly, and has their own money at stake if the test is done wrong. You + a TFP suggested test kit = the best test results possible.
"total pool care dpd test kit." - when you post your test results, please give us a little more info on what brand and model this test kit is, so we can make sure you have all the tests you truly need
....That being said, here are a few of my thoughts that you can read after you post your full test results while waiting for the experts to reply:
Welcome to TFP! Many of us came here after the Pool store pool care system failed us, despite being the best customers they ever had. zea3 is asking for the complete set of test results because it is only with those exact numbers that the advice you get here can make sure that after 3 more weeks of work, you have a trouble free pool forever, not on some other forum seeking help because advice didn't pan out. The experts here can and will happily get you sorted out, but they need test results to do this for you.
A few other notes from your post:
"we worked really hard to get it cleared up started with black water" - CONGRATULATIONS!!! I had to do this earlier this year for a family member and oh my it was miserable and slow!
"I noticed cloudy water, so we tested the water" - I know you fine people have survived an amazing war with this pool, but until you know it much, much better, you're going to have to test it regularly and add a sanitizer sufficient to maintain safe levels. (most people on this site use regular bleach, or pool store store bulk liquid chlorine shock - which is just stronger bleach lol). You will spend a lot more time and money waiting until you can see problems in the pool and then trying to fix it than testing regularly, maintaining suggested levels, and avoiding 99% of problems.
"we super shocked and didn't change a thing" - yeah, unfortunately one time doses of tons of chlorine almost never solve anything. This site has an amazingly effective and efficient solution to many water problems: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl
"every time I back washed, the water was brown, so we deep cleaned the filter, changed the sand" - please try the advice you get from the experts here (after posting test results) before taking any more drastic action like these. Backwash water being discolored, even dark brown, is perfectly okay if you're following the TFP plan. The sand filter traps dead algae, pollen, dead plant matter, and lots of other things that come out brown-grey-white-black-yellow and such. Test results are far more helpful than backwash color.
"tested the water the only thing that was off were the phosphates" - do you test for phosphates at home or was that a pool store test? If you like what you read here on TFP, you will likely not need to test for phosphates ever again. Far less than 1% pool owners that follow TFP ever have to test for phosphates - they are able to prevent algae growth at all - so having food for algae doesn't matter - since there never is any algae to eat it. Pretty cool, right? Also, be warned - the vast majority of pool store water testers will be trying to do your tests as fast as possible, and are not necessarily doing the tests with as much care as you would be. Furthermore, unless you live next door to the pool store, the water has aged outside the pool for many minutes and is not necessarily going to reflect the actual pool conditions anymore on some tests. Testing at home is vastly preferred since it is immediate, and done by someone that cares for the pool very dearly, and has their own money at stake if the test is done wrong. You + a TFP suggested test kit = the best test results possible.
"total pool care dpd test kit." - when you post your test results, please give us a little more info on what brand and model this test kit is, so we can make sure you have all the tests you truly need
Sorry about that.
As of just a moment ago.
Chlorine (free total)/ brom: 5
PH: 7.2
TA: 110
Calcium Hardness: 300
Cya: 60
That's all my test kit has, it is a tpd test kit the tests include: free and total chlorine or bromine.
pH
Total Alkalinity
Calcium hardness
Cyanuric Acid.
As of just a moment ago.
Chlorine (free total)/ brom: 5
PH: 7.2
TA: 110
Calcium Hardness: 300
Cya: 60
That's all my test kit has, it is a tpd test kit the tests include: free and total chlorine or bromine.
pH
Total Alkalinity
Calcium hardness
Cyanuric Acid.
Last edited:
Welcome to TFP.
I's strongly recommend getting a TF 100 test kit or a K 2006 test kit and give us a full set of results along with pictures of your pool. If you do that we can usually, working together get you clear water in a week that will stay clear all season.
I's strongly recommend getting a TF 100 test kit or a K 2006 test kit and give us a full set of results along with pictures of your pool. If you do that we can usually, working together get you clear water in a week that will stay clear all season.
Your test kit doesn't test chlorine above 5 parts per million. You need a test with the FAS/DPD test for chlorine. Its going to take more than 5 parts per million of chlorine to get your pool good.
So go pour a gallon of liquid chlorine or plain bleach in to hold it steady (and do that every day until the test kit comes), order a test kit with FAS/DPD, read pool school -- the ABCs and how to SLAM, then when you have a test kit we can go kill this. Oh post some pictures.
So go pour a gallon of liquid chlorine or plain bleach in to hold it steady (and do that every day until the test kit comes), order a test kit with FAS/DPD, read pool school -- the ABCs and how to SLAM, then when you have a test kit we can go kill this. Oh post some pictures.
FWIW you can buy just the FAS/DPD chlorine test & add it to what you already have to replace the DPD.
http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine-CC-s-test-p47.html
That will give you a 'kit' with:
FC up to 50ppm, with 0.5 or 0.2ppm resolution (very accurate)
CC (same resolution as FC)
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Dom
http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine-CC-s-test-p47.html
That will give you a 'kit' with:
FC up to 50ppm, with 0.5 or 0.2ppm resolution (very accurate)
CC (same resolution as FC)
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Dom
This how my pool looks today, I ordered the k-2006 test kit and will buy liquid shock. I poured 2 lbs. Of chlorbrite sanitizer in on Saturday will it hurt to add the liquid today?The Chlor Bright is Dichlor, 2lbs (16oz) only added 4.4ppm of FC to your pool. Yes, add the liquid. At 60ppm of CYA your shock level is 24ppm. If the pool was clear, at 60ppm your daily FC target is 7ppm, with the absolute minimum FC level of 5ppm.
That Chlor Brite also added 4ppm to your already high CYA, pushing you up closer to 70ppm. That will require a shock FC of 28ppm.
Stop using pucks or granular trichlor/dichlor, both add CYA. Use only liquid chlorine (aka bleach) from now on.
Dom
Beautiful liner! If you have a brush, be sure to brush where you poured in the chlor brite in case it settled on the bottom instead of dissolving completely. Wouldn't want the liner to get bleached. Just a light brushing will do to stir it up. Great job ordering the FAS-DPD test! Be sure the pump runs for 20 minutes after adding the bleach/chlorine to mix thoroughly. You're doing great!
Hi, so my test kit came, and I had a problem with my pool draining itself through the back wash hose, so I couldn't run my filter until the issue was fixed, I replaced the multi valve finally yesterday. While I was at the pool store picking up the attachments and hoses I asked about liquid chlorine and they didn't have it so I got 8 packages of multi shock and 4 packages of swim clear blast and added it last night brushed the sides and bottom of the pool waited 2 hours and added swim clear black algaecide let it circulate overnight when I woke up this morning the water was cloudy but blue, so I added 5 lbs of swim clear flock and again scrubbed the whole pool, getting ready to turn off pump and will vacuum it tomorrow.Used the test kit ( I have no idea how to use the turn wheel)
But the free chlorine was > 16.5
pH: 7.0
Total alkalinity was 0
Calcium hardness was confusing I think that was 0 as well
Cyan was 110
I will retest tomorrow morning, I know that the readings are going to be off today with everything in the pool today.
Littlesnail81,
Continuing to buy products at the pool store and adding them to your pool will only cause you more issues, and will not be compatible with the advice you will receive here.
Every time you add powdered/granulated "shock" products or use chlorine "pucks" (or really just about any form of solid chlorine products), you are almost certainly adding CYA to your pool along with the desired chlorine.
As a result, your CYA level has risen from 60-70ppm to 110ppm now.
A CYA level that high makes managing your pool extremely difficult. It requires very high levels of chlorine to combat algae and high daily chlorine levels just to maintain a clear pool.
Additionally, adding algaecide products are problematic in 2 ways: they are almost always preventative in nature--not meant to correct an existing outbreak--and they often add metals like copper to your water, which leads to staining of your pool and blond hair turning green.
I would greatly encourage you to:
1) Stop going to and/or buying products at the pool store,
2) Only use regular, non-scented, non-splashless bleach for your chlorine source,
3) Do not add any other products to your pool unless directed to by the experts here on this forum,
4) Read pool school (links here on the forum), particularly the ABC's of pool water chemistry.
You have a good test kit. You have the ability to get reliable test results and add only what your pool needs. You have the ability to take control of your pool and spend less money maintaining perfect water.
But you're already in a bit of a hole and only digging deeper with every pouch of "shock" you open.
Your CYA level is already at a point where you're probably going to need to drain a lot of pool water and refill. Don't make it any worse!
This can all be overwhelming at first. It will make more sense with time.
But you can't mix pool store advice and chemicals with the guidance you receive here.
Continuing to buy products at the pool store and adding them to your pool will only cause you more issues, and will not be compatible with the advice you will receive here.
Every time you add powdered/granulated "shock" products or use chlorine "pucks" (or really just about any form of solid chlorine products), you are almost certainly adding CYA to your pool along with the desired chlorine.
As a result, your CYA level has risen from 60-70ppm to 110ppm now.
A CYA level that high makes managing your pool extremely difficult. It requires very high levels of chlorine to combat algae and high daily chlorine levels just to maintain a clear pool.
Additionally, adding algaecide products are problematic in 2 ways: they are almost always preventative in nature--not meant to correct an existing outbreak--and they often add metals like copper to your water, which leads to staining of your pool and blond hair turning green.
I would greatly encourage you to:
1) Stop going to and/or buying products at the pool store,
2) Only use regular, non-scented, non-splashless bleach for your chlorine source,
3) Do not add any other products to your pool unless directed to by the experts here on this forum,
4) Read pool school (links here on the forum), particularly the ABC's of pool water chemistry.
You have a good test kit. You have the ability to get reliable test results and add only what your pool needs. You have the ability to take control of your pool and spend less money maintaining perfect water.
But you're already in a bit of a hole and only digging deeper with every pouch of "shock" you open.
Your CYA level is already at a point where you're probably going to need to drain a lot of pool water and refill. Don't make it any worse!
This can all be overwhelming at first. It will make more sense with time.
But you can't mix pool store advice and chemicals with the guidance you receive here.
okay I will not add anything else, I will not buy any more chemicals from the pool store, I will retest the water tomorrow and post my results, I want to learn how to do this the right way.
Your TA is most likely not zero, especially with a pH of 7.0
Why do you ignore our advice? You were advised not to add any more granular form of chlorine, only liquid chlorine because the granular form adds other chemicals, specifically CYA. You have most likely doubled your CYA, and now have a FC shock level of 48ppm, or higher.
I thought my previous post made that clear .........
If you continue to mix TFP & Pool $tore advice all you will end up with is a smaller bank account. Please pick one or the other.
Now you may be looking at a 50% (or more) drain & refill to get that CYA back down.
Dom
I will comply with TFP, no more pool stores I will post test results tomorrow and only follow advice from here. I have spent a lot this week trying to fix this.
It's all good. You have some work ahead of you, but once you've righted the ship, you'll be on track to much lower costs to maintain your pool.
Oh, and in the meantime, check out pool school and get familiar with Pool Math. It's going to become your best friend.