- Aug 16, 2012
- 2
I own an Intex above ground pool - that I purchased from Walmart this year. It is an Ultra Frame Pool - that measures 22' x 52". According to the box - it holds approx 10,472 gals and uses cartridge filters. It came with a Krystal Clear Filter Pump, and by recommendation by another shopper, I purchased an additional Krystal Clear Saltwater System pump. I was assured by this person that if I had a saltwater system, I would never have to add any chemicals or do any maintenance other than keep salt up to the correct level - my life would be perfect and stress free. If I haven't mentioned by now - I am a new pool owner and obviously very gullible. Upon hearing this person's testimony, my kids and hubby said - let's get a pool, it will be easy.
Ok, so now that I have laid out the background - let's begin with my issue. For the first 2 months - everything was wonderful, no troubles. Then.....we went on vacation for 3 weeks. I didn't worry about the pool because I had the reg pump running 12 hrs a day, and the saltwater pump running 6 hrs a day. Well while we were gone, we had severe storms, lost power, and my pool just sat there. I live in SW Missouri, and we are very humid. The algae grows on house siding here - so needless to say - we returned home to a nasty, slimy, very very green pond. Now, here is where my ignorance just shines like a beacon. I went to Walmart - the pool experts - and asked for advise. They said put this hth From Green to Blue stuff in there....and in 24 hrs your pool will be sparkling clean! I said great - it's only $15 what a deal.
So I went home - tested my water (with the little test strips that came with my pool) - got my pH and TA to normal limits with Muriatic Acid, and then added the stuff to my skimmer just like it was directed. It worked somewhat...I had nasty clumps of algae on the floor and some beyond nasty stuff floating on the surface. I vacuumed it up, and still had algae. So, I went back to the experts at Walmart...I know - it just gets embarrassing - so, they tell me to get this hth Super shock 'n swim and just add it in until it goes away. I put in a total of 4 lbs of this magical stuff in there - and nothing changed!
So, I got a little smarter and looked on the internet and found you! Aaaaa...that's the angels singing...and I started to read. I discovered that the "experts" at Walmart may not have been as educated as I originally assumed (who would have thought!) Anyway, I bought a test kit (hth 6 way test) and tested my water. My CYA test was a miserable fail! My water was crystal clear (said I had to add the indicator until the black dot disappeared). Well when your water is crystal clear - that dot NEVER goes away. So, I went to the pool calculator and it said to drain out 56% of my water. I immediately drained it to about 50% and added 3 gals of 6% liquid bleach ( I know this was overkill - but I was desperate). This morning, I tested my water again (with the 6 way test kit) and here are my results:
Cl - more than 5 (that is the max level it has - but I am not at school bus yellow) - I am not sure if this is FC, CC, or TC (not sure how to tell)
pH - 7.8
TA - 150
CH - 290
I did not do another CYA test - because I have not added more water to my pool yet. I only have the ability to test 2 times.
My water now is a little clowdy (but I can see the bottom) - with clumps of brown stuff on the bottom (that I can't vacuum up - it goes right through the vacuum filter - and cartridge filter)
So, now that you know a little about my problem, could someone please help me get my pool back to correct working/swimming order? Thanks!
Brianna
Ok, so now that I have laid out the background - let's begin with my issue. For the first 2 months - everything was wonderful, no troubles. Then.....we went on vacation for 3 weeks. I didn't worry about the pool because I had the reg pump running 12 hrs a day, and the saltwater pump running 6 hrs a day. Well while we were gone, we had severe storms, lost power, and my pool just sat there. I live in SW Missouri, and we are very humid. The algae grows on house siding here - so needless to say - we returned home to a nasty, slimy, very very green pond. Now, here is where my ignorance just shines like a beacon. I went to Walmart - the pool experts - and asked for advise. They said put this hth From Green to Blue stuff in there....and in 24 hrs your pool will be sparkling clean! I said great - it's only $15 what a deal.
So I went home - tested my water (with the little test strips that came with my pool) - got my pH and TA to normal limits with Muriatic Acid, and then added the stuff to my skimmer just like it was directed. It worked somewhat...I had nasty clumps of algae on the floor and some beyond nasty stuff floating on the surface. I vacuumed it up, and still had algae. So, I went back to the experts at Walmart...I know - it just gets embarrassing - so, they tell me to get this hth Super shock 'n swim and just add it in until it goes away. I put in a total of 4 lbs of this magical stuff in there - and nothing changed!
So, I got a little smarter and looked on the internet and found you! Aaaaa...that's the angels singing...and I started to read. I discovered that the "experts" at Walmart may not have been as educated as I originally assumed (who would have thought!) Anyway, I bought a test kit (hth 6 way test) and tested my water. My CYA test was a miserable fail! My water was crystal clear (said I had to add the indicator until the black dot disappeared). Well when your water is crystal clear - that dot NEVER goes away. So, I went to the pool calculator and it said to drain out 56% of my water. I immediately drained it to about 50% and added 3 gals of 6% liquid bleach ( I know this was overkill - but I was desperate). This morning, I tested my water again (with the 6 way test kit) and here are my results:
Cl - more than 5 (that is the max level it has - but I am not at school bus yellow) - I am not sure if this is FC, CC, or TC (not sure how to tell)
pH - 7.8
TA - 150
CH - 290
I did not do another CYA test - because I have not added more water to my pool yet. I only have the ability to test 2 times.
My water now is a little clowdy (but I can see the bottom) - with clumps of brown stuff on the bottom (that I can't vacuum up - it goes right through the vacuum filter - and cartridge filter)
So, now that you know a little about my problem, could someone please help me get my pool back to correct working/swimming order? Thanks!
Brianna