Pool Finally Up

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vanmor

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Jun 14, 2009
39
Hey Folks,

I finally gave in and had my pool installed by professionals. They used a transom and got my pool level to 1/2 inch.

It filled in 24 hours with two hoses. Now I need to wire the pump (running on an extension cord right now), put up a fence (required by the city), and build a little deck so my son can get in via his wheelchair.

The problem I have now is cloudy water. The installers said shock it and then add the chlorine tablets. My water was still cloudy. I checked the ph, BR, and CL levels. They were in range for ideal.

My neighbor said it was going to need more chlorine, so he gave me some more shock and I put six tablets in the strainer. The next day it was still cloudy. The ph tester is violet colored, so I asume this off scale for being too alkaline. The BR/CH is dark yellow, so I asume this is off scale for too much chlorine.

I have now added 14 oz of HTH Super Clarifier. I think I put too much in. The bottle is marked for 2 oz. graduations and I thought it was something else.

I'm going to get a better test set. This one came with the pool and only checks for the three above mentioned chemicals.

The pool has been up since July 5th and I sure would like to get in it.
 
HI and welcome!

Okay, first, ignore references to bromine on the tests, you are using Chlorine.

Yes, you need a better kit.

We don't recommend tablets, as they cause alot of side effects. You can use them for vacations, and what not.

Right now they aren't hurting anything, actually they may help to lower your PH which sounds like it might be too high.

To lower PH we recommend Muratic Acid.

But I think your first priority is to get a good test kit, either the TF100 or the Taylor K-2006. With accurate results, we can advise you how best to proceed.

Clarifier is an unneccessary expense, not something you should use at this point till we can pinpoint the exact problem.
 
I forgot to mention. I have a salt system I purchased. They put in the wrong fitting with the kit (according to the installers.) My neighbor has the same kit, so I am going to look at his.

How do you add chlorine if you don't put the tablets in the strainer ?

I know the salt system will add chlorine by seperating it from the salt. At least thats how I think it works. :shock:
 
Liquid Chlorine, a.k.a. bleach, poured slowly into the return flow, is how most BBB'rs add chlorine.

If you are choosing to use trichlor tablets (for a while) then use a floater, or install an inline chlorinator (it would go immediately before the return, installed into the plumbing line.)


Be sure to read all of the articles in Pool School. :wink:
 
that would be US! Bleach Borax and Baking Soda. Pool school will get you on the right track in no time. Congrats on the new pool
 
OK,

I picked up a 6 way test kit at Wally World. I know it's not the quality test kit you guys suggested, but I had to see what the HTX kit could do.

CYA: This is less than 30 ppm. In fact, I couldn't get the black dot in the bottom of the test tube to dissappear.

Alkalinity: Is 80 ppm.Total by calcuim carbonate.

Cl: As stated before, is dark yellow. Something like dark urine when someone is dehydrated. So it is higher than 5 on the scale.

ph: As stated above, is a dark violet color. Higher than 8.2 on the scale.

So it looks like I really screwed everything up! :eek:
 
welcome to TFP :wave:

Open up a bottle of pop (Pool Owner Patience)..keep reading pool school and we'll get you on the right track.

You need to lower your PH to 7.6 NOW with either muratic acid or PH minus (Dry acid) to figure out the dosage use www.poolcalculator.com

You are NOT beyond the point of no return....we just need to adjust your levels...Chances are that your cloudiness is from the high PH if this is a fresh fill. I'm guessing you may have hard water and you may be seeing calcium scaling. Is the cloudiness white or green?

Do yourself a favor and get the tf100 from tftestkits.net...you won;t regret it...it pays for itself with 30 days IMHO by not buying chems you plain don't need.

You'll get there...we all have and were in your shoes when we joined TFP.

Welcome
 
Yes, this is a fresh fill pool.

I can see the bottom OK, it's just not clear as it is supposed to be. Hard to say what color the haze is. Not really a color at all. I would have to say white if forced to make a choice.

I can't seem to get the pool calculator to work.
 

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ok we have the same sized pool...enter 13,500 gallons up top as your pool volume and then you want to enter your current chemistry levels follwed by you target levels...the calculator will tell you how much to add.

to lower your ph from 8.2 to 7.4 you need 3 cups or 24 oz of MA...or 2 lbs of ph minus or dry acid

if using MA be careful not to inhale the fumes and use gloves and saftey glasses...pour it in front of your return slowly while the pump is running...let it circulate for 30 mins and re-check ph
 
I managed to crawl thru my first BBB summer with the HTH 6-way. It's not ideal, and believe me, you will love the "upgrade" when you do. Many people use it until the big-kid kit arrives... :lol:

Yes, lower the PH... but not to 7.4 if you plan to keep using the tablets to raise the CYA. If your TA is 80 that's good for now, but the acid will probably lower it so retest TA after the acid has a chance to work. If you continue to use trichlor pucks, you want your PH to be 7.8 and your TA to be 100. The pucks will slowly drop both levels.

What do you mean "total by calcium carbonate".... :scratch:

I'm not seeing the type of filter - if you have a sand filter you will want to get your CYA up to around 50. It would probably be quicker to just buy stabilizer seperately rather than using pucks. Dose carefully, the test kit you have only has enough solution for about 2-3 tests....

(When all is said and done, we want to see pics! :wink: )
 
OK...something went wrong, either you were not at 8.2 before or the PH test your are using is not accurate...you have the filter running correct? If your near a supermarket, go to the laundry aisle and pick up some 20 mule team borax...you will use this to raise your PH to 7.4-7.6...but you definately want to get it above 7 as soon as possible.
 
vanmor said:
OK, but how much ? I can't seem to get the pool calculator to work.

Oh, in addition. One of my test kits says I'm dead on 7.6 while the other says I'm below 6.8. :shock:
Click to expand...

Which one says which? Trust the Wallyworld one, it's pretty accurate.

The pool calc - enter your gallons.

In the "now" you enter your test result, in the "target" you enter your goal, or what you want the number to be. Hit calculate.

So if your PH is 7.0 you put that in "now" and if you want it to be 7.5 you put that in the "target". The box to the right will give the recommended chemical amount, in ounces. Move your cursor over that, and it converts it to "lbs, jugs, cups" etc in the box up above.
 
OK, got it. I didn't put my values in at the bottom of the chart.

The WalMart test kit shows the lower ph.

The calculator shows 0.2 ounces or a teaspoon by volume. If so, doesn't this mean I need 450 oz. of Borax ?
 

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