What now?
- Thread starter vicki347
- Start date
Your next step will be to purchase a test kit that will give you usable results....those numbers are not very probable.
Please read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry up in Pool School.
Tell us how your water looks when you post back new test results.
ok I understand I need a kit, but what I have now are strips... 
sorry. I am working on it. Now they are reading..
Th-200
tc-3
fc-3
br-6
ph-7
ta-100
stabilizer-100...so I'm making progress?
sorry. I am working on it. Now they are reading..Th-200
tc-3
fc-3
br-6
ph-7
ta-100
stabilizer-100...so I'm making progress?
It's kinda hard to decipher from those results (hard to know if they are accurate.) First TA was 0, now 100 - CYA 0, now 100 - PH 3 (not really possible) and now 7. These are huge moves - so did you add these chemicals or is that just 2 tests?
A little history on the pool might help determine if you are indeed making progress. What's the water quality like, what kind of chems have been added, etc.
IF your CYA is really 100 - you'll want to keep your FC level much higher than 3
IF your PH is really 7 it might be a little low. If you are using bleach to chlorinate you'll probably find it comes up on it's own.
A little history on the pool might help determine if you are indeed making progress. What's the water quality like, what kind of chems have been added, etc.
IF your CYA is really 100 - you'll want to keep your FC level much higher than 3
IF your PH is really 7 it might be a little low. If you are using bleach to chlorinate you'll probably find it comes up on it's own.
The pool was fine sparkling clean, and then the hubs turned the pump off and I didn't know it for 2-3 days. Went out there and it was light green water. So I added bleach and left the pool running. It was doing good and again he turned the pump off. When I went out there and found it off again I had some 20% algaecide and in hast just poured it in. Posted on here dont think that's gonna be an issue. I have had the pump running and been adding small amounts of bleach. Plugged the numbers in the pool calculater and added more bleach and baking soda.
The first set of numbers were first thing this morning before I did anything...the second are from just now with the pump going the whole time. The pool is in the sun all day..no shade.
Haven't been able to get in for days now...I just wanna swim....
The first set of numbers were first thing this morning before I did anything...the second are from just now with the pump going the whole time. The pool is in the sun all day..no shade.
Haven't been able to get in for days now...I just wanna swim....
Without good test numbers it's impossible for us to tell what's going on.
Unless you used a lot of liquid stabilizer it would be impossible to go from zero CYA to 100 ppm CYA in a few hours.
Unless you used a lot of liquid stabilizer it would be impossible to go from zero CYA to 100 ppm CYA in a few hours.
It sounds like you always have a low level algae bloom present and then once the pump goes off - bang it grows out of control.
The short answer is - more chlorine. Probably much much more. The first order of business is to kill ALL of algae in the pool. If your CYA really is 100ppm you'll want to raise your FC level up to 40ish - and keep it there until the pool clears. After that you'll want to keep your FC level up around 12ppm. Obviously the test strips are not going to be of much use in this.
If your CYA number is different than 100 - then your FC levels will need to be different as well.
There is nothing that is going to clear up your pool today/tomorrow/this weekend - short of draining it, scrubbing it with a light bleach solution and starting over.
If you haven't had the chance to read through the Pool School articles a couple of times - I'd highly recommend it. Good luck
The short answer is - more chlorine. Probably much much more. The first order of business is to kill ALL of algae in the pool. If your CYA really is 100ppm you'll want to raise your FC level up to 40ish - and keep it there until the pool clears. After that you'll want to keep your FC level up around 12ppm. Obviously the test strips are not going to be of much use in this.
If your CYA number is different than 100 - then your FC levels will need to be different as well.
There is nothing that is going to clear up your pool today/tomorrow/this weekend - short of draining it, scrubbing it with a light bleach solution and starting over.
If you haven't had the chance to read through the Pool School articles a couple of times - I'd highly recommend it. Good luck
Well... that's a bummer, but I'm not giving up. May choke the hubs if he goes near my pump again. 
I'm gonna keep working with the chlorine and the strips I have til the good kit gets here. Probably have more questions(melt-downs) along the way. Thanks for your guidance I will keep you posted Ok, so my pool passed the over-night test, and has been doing great all day despite this little heatwave we are in right now. I have been checking it every hour and it isn't as crystal clear as it was but its getting there.
so now just keep the chlorine at shock until the pool clears. You should expect the filter to take a few days to clear out the cloudiness - depending on how good the circulation is, etc.
YAY!! Pool still holding levels!! Even with the additional rain water (bad storms last night) that has it practically overfowing. Still a tad bit cloudy, but that'll work itself out in a day or two I'm sure. 
Thanks to everyone that made this website available to pool dummies like me. This is my first pool and with the info I learn here, the whole family thinks I actually know what I'm doing. 
Hey, during all this bleaching process my cya level are staying really low. From what I am understanding from Pool School that's a good thing...right :?: Once over the Algae war is that something I even need be concerned with raising :?:
CYAvicki347 said:
Cyanuric Acid
Sometimes called stabilizer or conditioner, it helps protect the chlorine from 'burning off' in direct sunlight. Too little and most of your chlorine can be lost in about 30 minutes of direct sun. Too much and it interferes with your chlorine's ability to sanitizer and kill algae. Recommended range is 30-50 ppm unless you have a salt water chlorine generator, then the recommended range is somewhere between 50-100 ppm depending on the manufacturer of your unit.
Nevermind..just found this while re-reading
Do you have a good test kit yet?
I see where you say you passed the OCLT but without a good kit you couldn't possibly know.
I see where you say your levels are holding, great, etc but I don't see an actual set of test results. Can you post those?
I see where you say you passed the OCLT but without a good kit you couldn't possibly know.
I see where you say your levels are holding, great, etc but I don't see an actual set of test results. Can you post those?
Still no test kit. Just using the strips, BUT my water is crystal clear again. I have just been trying to keep my chlorine level up as best I can with the strips. I have been looking at the test kits and cant figure out what I NEED. It's just a small above ground...any advice on which one to order?
If you have a ph/OTO kit I'd suggest the TF-50 from tftestkits. If you don't have a pH/OTO kit then the K-2006 form the same place is a good choice.
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