New Pool - need to get the kids in this darn thing!

[mom2fourredheads]

We just bought a house that has a 16x32 inground pool. I have been trying since last Tuesday to get it ready for the kids to swim in. After removing the winter cover, I put in 10L of liquid chlorine, have been running the filter continuously and the inline chlorinator has been turned OFF but my chlorine level is still over 10ppm. I dumped an entire bottle of Terminator chlorine remover and it is probably down to around 7ppm now. I have kept the solar blanket off but the weather here in Southern Ontario has been dismal and overcast with rain..so no sun to burn off any chlorine.

In addition to my chlorine problems, I can't get the pool to heat up. I have a gas heater and was told it would heat up 1 degree per hour, but the Dang thing keeps turning off overnight...I have been trying to heat it for three days and am only at 70 degrees.

I never thought owning a pool would be so frustrating. I have four little kids chomping at the bit to get into this thing (regardless of the overcast skies!)...I told them Saturday afternoon at the latest, but here we are and I don't know what to do.

Thanks in advance for any tips you can provide.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Could you please post a complete set of test results to help us advise you better? If you have a solar cover that will help retain the heat when the heater cuts off. Have you checked to see if the heater is attached to a timer? Someone in the past may have thought that was a good idea.

 

[mom2fourredheads]

I don't have the exact numbers. I have taken a water sample into the store on both Thurs and Fri. They told me the PH was in the normal range, it was high in Alkalinity and the Chlorine was over 10 (they can only read as high as 10) and that my stabilizer was perfect. I have little test strips that test Chlorine, PH and the Alkalinity and and that's where I got the approx. 7ppm from....but they also told me to not worry about the other numbers until I can get the Chlorine down because it affects the other numbers???

Sorry I don't have anything more accurate. We only moved a week ago and I'm drowning in boxes and trying to get the pool open at the same time.

Good idea about the timer, I will email the past homeowner and ask.

 

[JasonLion]

The best thing you could possibly do is to purchase a top quality test kit. I recommend the TF100 from TFTestKits.net. The Taylor K-2006 is also good. Reliable test results will save you all kinds of problems and more than pay for the test kit over a single season.

 

[mom2fourredheads]

Do you know if those are readily available in Canada? I always find the US has great things that just do not exist here. I looked for test kits when I was at the pool store this morning and all they had were the dip strips, I'll have to try another store this week. Thanks for the tip!

 

[JasonLion]

Try Piscines Apollo Pools for the K-2006 in Canada.