The 3rd time HAS to be a charm...

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gigi55

0
Aug 9, 2016
5
Valdese NC
Hello!! I'm a newbie on here and have lots of questions. We installed an 18' Above Ground with a 1hp Hayward pump in June of this year. The water was great the first week (according to our pool store). It stayed that way for about a month, and then things began to go down hill. It was VERY hot, and the water started turning...dingy, then green, then brown :mad:. Back to the pool store, lots of chemicals to treat algae, both green and mustard, and lots of shock. It didn't clear up fast enough for us, so we drained it. Filled it back up, everything was great for about 4 more weeks, now we are at the same place AGAIN!! We are planning to drain it again tomorrow. I don't have a T100 test kit yet, been using the WWorld kit and the strips. I would like to get away from the pool store method and go with the TFP method. Where do I start?
 
Welcome! The first step would be to order the TF-100. The methods suggested here involve adequate daily testing and only adding the appropriate chemicals that your pool needs. The method used here uses simple products at a lower cost and you will always have a clean and clear pool.

FYI, algeacide only prevents algae and doesn't kill existing algae. Liquid chlorine kills algae.

While waiting for your kit, read the following:

ABCs: Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Recommended levels: Pool School - Recommended Levels

Recommended chemicals: Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

How to chlorinate your pool: Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Chlorine CYA/Chart: Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

SLAM: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

If you do drain tomorrow, you will need to add enough CYA to get to 40 in order to protect the chlorine from the sun. After that, add about 1/4 of jug of liquid bleach daily which can be found at Wal-Mart (8.25% or 10%).
 
Start by ordering the test kit. That will be the best investment to make sure you don't have to drain again. If you are draining and refilling tomorrow, you will at least need to get both CYA and chlorine in the pool right off the bat. You can get your liquid chlorine from bleach. You can get CYA from lowes, maybe walmart or the pool store.

You can get an idea of what amounts of CYA and chlorine from PoolMath: http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html (Bookmark that link!).

Read through pool school while you are waiting for that thing to fill: Pool School - Handy Reference

One of the more senior members will post shortly I'm sure with detailed instructions...but first off I would get a test kit ordered. With your own test kit, you won't have to go to the pool store again!

:cool:
 
gigi, Welcome to TFP, you will love it here...

I know it sounds just like one of those late-night TV commercials.. Buy this.. and it will cure cancer and bad breath.. :kim: But, that is not really the case here. Before we can help you fix your pool problems, we need reliable test data from your pool. Pool store tests, or other test kits, do not provide the data we need to be able to help you. Look through some of the bazillion posts here and you will see what I mean.

We will need the following chemical levels, and the only way to do that is to buy one of the recommended tests. The tests are easy to do, and you, not the pool store, control the quality and accuracy of the tests.

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Each of the above tests are somewhat interrelated, so it is very important for us to have accurate test data. We do this by asking everyone to use the same basic test kit, so that we are always comparing apples to apples.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I commend the TFP method- I had a slight algae problem the first week I got the pool going, but once I got the test kit and read a bunch of posts here I instantly could tell what to do. I have had zero problems since. My friends who own pools were snickering and waiting on me to call the pool guy, recommending who to call, and lamenting on the expense I'd better get ready for. Now they are like you're keeping it like this it yourself? Yep.

Give me some bleach, some muriatic acid, some CYA and the test kit, and I can take care of business.
 
Until my test kit gets here, all I have to go by are the strips to check the levels. I added 2 lbs of CYA, and 2 1/2 jugs of bleach. The total chlorine is 10, the FC is 5, ph is 6.2, TA is 40, and the Stabilizer is somewhere between 0-50. Now what?

- - - Updated - - -
 

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Trust these guys. Ask all the questions you can. Ask them again if you still don't get it. They do not judge or put down. They answer questions, encourage us newbies to take control of our own pool and save us from the black hole that can be pool store advice. I am indebted to these folks for holding my hand through my first pool.....
 
The cya test is a light sensitive turbidity test that must be done in full sunlight with your back to the sun and vial at waist level.

Your first step should be to replace water to get your cya level down to 30 or 40.


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