Laundry Detergent - I swear it wasn't me.

[poolhownd]

Shortly after testing my chem levels today, I directed my dad to dump 7lbs of baking soda into the pool. As I was getting around to testing CYA, that smell wafted over to me. You know, that 'I'm running through a field of flowers and pine trees' smell.

Yes, indeed, he had poured in Arm&Hammer laundry detergent, not baking soda.

So now I have a pool that smells like the laundromat and has (very few) suds on top.

What do I do now?

 

[toadydodee]

Dump in your dirty laundry and turn on the pump.

Sorry, the smiley faces made me do it.

 

[zea3]

Keep the filter running and clean it as needed. You will also need to bring the pool to shock level and keep it there until you pass the overnight test.

 

[poolhownd]

Thanks @toadydodee. Real Helpful. It did make me a little less upset though.

@zea3 : The overnight test?

My Red Cross Chem Mgmt certification never prepared me for this one.

 

[zea3]

The overnight free chlorine loss test helps determine when you are finished with the shock process. For more info on the shock process read how to shock your pool.

 

[guamguy]

Dump in your dirty laundry and turn on the pump.

:lol:

 

[duraleigh]

Adding to what's been said, high levels of chlorine will clear up the issue.

If your water was perfectly clear beforehand, you are not exactly shocking the pool for the normal purposes (like algae) so you may just be able to observe once your pool is back to normal and not run the OCLT.

In other words, bring the FC up to shock value according to the chart in Pool School and keep it there until the pool looks pristine again. That said, the OCLT is a really definitive way of insuring your pool is entirely cleaned up and is a valuable test that you need to learn if you ever have an algae outbreak.