Intex pool help

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thehopes5

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Jul 23, 2009
10
So we put up the pool for the season last week or so. Since than I have been trying to get the pool water clear. It is cloudy. I was just reading and I am thinking it may be because the CYA is at 0 when I test it. So I saw someone mention to someone else that has the same size pool (15 x 48) to put 8 oz dichor in everyday for five days. I am using the HTH balance. But can I do it more than once a day to speed up the process?

Also I notice the chlorine level is not staying overnight can this be one of the reasons?

So after five days if my CYA is up to normal levels should the pool water be clear or will I need to do something else? I have also been adding one pound of baking soda everyday for the last few days, should I stop that for now?

Edited to add:

I have the HTH test strips. Here are the results from what I just tested.

TH 200
FC 5
PH 8.4
TA I can't tell it does not match any of the colors, it is blue
CYA 30 - 50

I am in central Utah. No salt water thing. It is the 15 x 48 pool, I don't know what the gallons are.
 
I am also a newbie, so I don't feel comfortable answering your question, but someone with more smarts will be along soon. Help them help you by telling them as much of the following info as you can in a quick post:

1. pool volume in gallons if you know it
2. type of testing you are using (test strips, red pH and yellow chlorine drop test, FAS-DPD, etc)(how did you determine CYA to be zero)
3. test results if you have them (chlorine and pH minimallly)
4. if you are using a salt water generator
5. what your climate/weather has been like

You could add some of this stuff to your signature, which is helpful. They are great on this forum, and will walk you through clearing up the cloudy water!
 
I am also new at this. I just finished clearing up a BAD algae problem in an intex pool. in this process I have learned that two things cause chlorine levels to drop in your pool. 1. is sunlight. CYA is needed to protect your clorine from the sun. 2. is organics such as algae in your water. Algae is microscopic so just because you are not seeing any does not mean its not there. With the drop in chlorine without the sun exposure you may need to consider that it is possible that since you have had trouble maintaining your chlorine algae is trying to get a foothold.


If you can post your test numbers I know several people can help you out with your water balance.
 
thehopes5 said:
Edited to add:

I have the HTH test strips. Here are the results from what I just tested.

TH 200
FC 5
PH 8.4
TA I can't tell it does not match any of the colors, it is blue
CYA 30 - 50

I am in central Utah. No salt water thing. It is the 15 x 48 pool, I don't know what the gallons are.
Click to expand...

Baking soda raises PH and your' s looks high to me.
Click on the Pool School and read Pool Chemistry that is were I have been looking.
 
thehopes5 said:
It is the cartridge filter. Oh someone told me to use baking soda to make the water clear.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured it's what we had for my mom's pool until it broke and we replaced it with a sand system. Be sure to check your filter cartridge they can fill up quickly.

I'm not sure about the baking soda clearing up the water but with your Ph that high I would hold off on it until you get some help from someone here.
 
thehopes5 said:
So we put up the pool for the season last week or so. Since than I have been trying to get the pool water clear. It is cloudy. I was just reading and I am thinking it may be because the CYA is at 0 when I test it. So I saw someone mention to someone else that has the same size pool (15 x 48) to put 8 oz dichor in everyday for five days. I am using the HTH balance. But can I do it more than once a day to speed up the process? No.

Also I notice the chlorine level is not staying overnight can this be one of the reasons? Yes.

So after five days if my CYA is up to normal levels should the pool water be clear or will I need to do something else?
Depends on a combination of factors.
I have also been adding one pound of baking soda everyday for the last few days, should I stop that for now?
Yes, stop adding baking soda! We use Baking soda to raise TA.

Edited to add:

I have the HTH test strips. Here are the results from what I just tested.
The strips are not recommended. You need a chlorine/pH drop test kit. They are inexpensive and can be found at WallyWorld, K-Mart, Lowes, etc.

TH 200
FC 5
PH 8.4
TA I can't tell it does not match any of the colors, it is blue
CYA 30 - 50

I am in central Utah. No salt water thing. It is the 15 x 48 pool, I don't know what the gallons are.

If the test is correct, your pH is too high and should be lowered to between 7.2 and 7.8.
I suggest you take a sample to the pool store for testing and post your numbers back here in this thread. Also, you could pick up your dropper chlorine/pH test kit there.

What have you added to the pool since the fill last week?

Here is a link to a thread about trying to "simplify BBB for small pools....." which is full of great information: simplifying-bbb-for-very-small-pools-e-g-intex-t14533-80.html
I think you will enjoy the read.

Welcome to the forum :wave:
Click to expand...
 
I don't have a pool store near me so i can't do that. Since I put the pool up I have shocked it twice. I have put 3 lbs of baking soda, lots of clarifier, some bleach and than I just started putting in the balance stuff (the stuff that helps the cya).
 

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Well I could kind of see the bottom of the pool today so something must be working. I hope over the next week or so I will be able to get things under control and have a nice clear pool. My chlorine level did not drop overnight like it has been so hopefully that is a good sign.
 
Baking soda does not shock your pool. It raises your PH and TA, which is why your pool is cloudy and your PH and TA are way, way, way too high. Definitely stop that now.
You will actually need to add muriatic acid or dry acid to LOWER the ph down to 7.6 to 7.4 or so.

Chlorine is what you need to shock and sanitize the pool.
 
HELP

Posts merged by moderator

I had another post but did not get much response on it. I have been reading and went and bought a new tester. I only have wal-mart near me so I got the HTH 6 way drop test. I was using the strips. A little bit of info. We have the Intex 15' x 4' above ground pool. We use the cartridge filters.

I have been having issues with cloudy water. It has gotten a TINY bit better, like I can barely see the bottom of the pool where as before I could not. For the last 4 days I have been adding 8 oz of the HTH balancer (cynauric acid) and 2 cups of bleach.

Anyways here are my numbers, hopefully you can help me get my pool clear.

CYA 60
PH 7.5
Chlorine was orange so I could not figure out a number for it. I am assuming at this point it might be too high.
TA turned green but when I added the titrant after 11 drops it still did not turn to red.
TH turned to red but when I added the titrant after 11 drops it still did not turn to blue.

Oh we are in central Utah.
 
Re: HELP

The TA is probably higher than that, keep adding drops till it turns pinkish/red.

Your CYA level is 60 which means your shock level is 24. You should stop adding CYA and consider replacing some water to lower the CYA level so that you need to use less bleach. We recommend 30-50 for CYA. I would drain down about 1/4 of the way and replace with fresh water. Recirculate for several hours and retest the level. Once you get the CYA down, find your CYA level on the CHART and that is where you get the recommend FC levels.

To figure out how high your chlorine is, take 3 parts distilled (or chlorine-free) water to 1 part pool water. Test this solution, and then multiply the result by 4. This will test your chlorine up to 20, but you do lose some accuracy.

I can tell you for certain that you don't have enough chlorine in the pool for your CYA level. 2 cups of bleach isn't nearly enough to reach shock level for a CYA of 60.

So do the dilution method for testing, and do a partial drain/refill to get the CYA down.
 
Re: HELP

You need to stop with the CYA. You already have plenty in the pool, and the level may still go higher since it can take a long time to dissolve. Adding the CYA may be part of your cloudiness problem, since it's hard to dissolve.

Make sure you are running the filter 24/7 unless you are swimming. AT 60ppm CYA, your recommended chlorine level will always be above the testing range for the test kit you have at 7ppm.

It might help to brush the pool several times a day, and refrain from using any powdered chemicals. as well. Change the cartridge as required to maintain flow.
 
My CYA is now down to 50, but I reread the post and I did not let it circulate for a couple hours, myabe an hour. So the CYA might be down even more by that time.

So than what do I do to get some clear water?
 
After you get the CYA down to about 40, you shock the pool with bleach. Use the Pool Calculator to determine how much bleach you need to raise the FC up to shock level. Keep shocking, by testing and adding bleach as often as every hour if you want, until the water is clear and the FC is holding at shock level. Once the water is clear and the FC is holding at shock level, the algae is dead and you can let the FC drop to the normal level for your CYA. If you let the FC drop too soon, before the algae is dead, it will just come right back.
 

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