We took the tarp off the pool yesterday, and the water is dirty filthy brown! Last year it was good, but this year with all the rain, we had ground water flooding into the pool, under the tarp, several times. I tested a sample and there is 0 FC and 0 CYA. I know there are some leaves in the bottom, and I can only see a couple of feet down into the pool. I'd like to try and clear the water a little. Can I run the filter just using the skimmers to clear the pool enough to see down into it? I'm worried about the main drain sucking in too many leaves. Or should I use my leaf basket by feel and remove as many leaves as possible from around the main drain, and then use the skimmers and drain 50/50 to begin clearing the pool? Thanks much.
Can I just use the skimmers to clear up the pool?
- Thread starter edweather
- Start date
Although if your plumbing is anything like mine, blocking off the main drain with leaves is functionally no different than closing the valve on the pad. So perhaps you should filter through the skimmer and the main since the main is going to get the scummiest water and bring your visibility up faster. Just keep an eye on the pump basket.
If you're concerned with plugging the MD and then having to unplug it later, you can just use the skimmers to clear the pool. Raking as much as you can with a leaf net makes things go much faster, so I'd do that in addition to running the filter.
Us AGPer's only have the skimmers all the time.
Us AGPer's only have the skimmers all the time.
Thanks to all for the fast responses. I have some stabilizer, and some liquid chlorine. My pH is north of 8, but I'll probably wait until I use the stabilizer to adjust it. This is also probably a good time to try and get rid of some hockey pucks. They will add stabilizer and lower the pH a little. Time to stop talking, and roll up my sleeves. Thanks again.
If your pH is high, that's the first thing you should adjust. Go ahead and add some muriatic acid to bring it down to the mid 7's.
Just curious. My pH is only about 1 point high. Is there much of a downside to waiting to see how much the stabilizer and pucks bring it down? Thanks.
edweather said:
Yes, getting the pH right is very important. Unless a moderater says otherwise ( so wait till they give their opinion), I'd get that pH down first or now.
You're going to have to shock, and that's a process that can take a while, not just a one-time deal. Remember, pH will read wrong at shock levels, so you need to get it right before you start shocking, and then ignore it until shocking is done.edweather said:
A pH 'north of 8' is not just one point high. Remember pH is a logarithmic scale.
Stabilizer and trichlor probably won't bring your overall pH down much and since you're going to have to shock you need to adjust it first. Add enough muriatic acid to get it to the mid 7's. Since we don't know what the rest of the test results are nor how you're testing, we can't say how much effect the chems will have.
Stabilizer and trichlor probably won't bring your overall pH down much and since you're going to have to shock you need to adjust it first. Add enough muriatic acid to get it to the mid 7's. Since we don't know what the rest of the test results are nor how you're testing, we can't say how much effect the chems will have.
Ok, thanks. I forgot that the pH scale is logrithmic. I use the TF-100 tesk kit. I mentioned in my first post that the FC is 0 and the CYA is 0. My pH is 8.4. I didn't test for TA yet it's usually pretty high though.) Using the pool calculator the pool needs about 1.25 gallons of Muriatic Acid to drop the pH from 8.4 to 7.5. Is this about right? I'll probably add a gallon of acid to start, and recheck the pH. Thanks again.
Without knowing your TA the pH calc can be way off. I'd add about half of what the PC says and see what that does.
OK. I can test the TA also & input the results into the calculator. Not a problem. Thanks.
Note to self. Next year don't add anything until I run the pump a little and circulate all the water in the pool, then do the initial test. I think there was a lot of rain water on top, and old pool water on the bottom. I only added 3 quarts of Muriatic acid, and 4 lbs of stabilizer. Originally my test #'s were 0 FC, 0 CYA, 8.4 pH. Now I have a CYA of 50, and a pH of 6.4, with a TA of 60. It's hard to believe that the little amount of acid and stabilizer did all that. Oh well, live and learn...no biggie. The pump has been running for 24 hrs now and the pool is 100% clearer, but still a ways to go. When I'm done shocking, I'll adjust the pH, and TA again. I'll be doing a couple of backwashings and a lot of vaccuuming to waste in the near future, then refilling with the hose. That should help my pH, TA, and CYA. Right now the water table is very high and my liner is practically floating. It'll probably be a week or so, without rain, until the liner settles.