New, to us, pool PLEASE HELP!!!

[julienoelle]

Hello,
We recieved a pool from our friends about 3 months ago and just cleaned and set it up this past weekend.
I tested the levels of Chlorine and Ph and they seemed fine, but I wanted to shock the pool to get out the green color in the water.
The water looks great now, but I am not sure when or how much chlorine to add and how often???
I bought a floater and some 1" discs, but last night when I tested the water (after the shock) it seemed that the chlorine levels where higher???
I realize this is a very basic question, but for some reason I cannot find the answer ANYWHERE...
The specs of the pool should be in my signature and I would appriciate any and ALL advice that you can give me to help me take care of my pool

 

[cramar]

There's really no short cut to this:
- you need to read 'Pool School' several times and become educated in maintaining a pool (the link is in the upper right corner of the site)
- you need a quality, drop based, test kit - NO STRIPS!, strips are not satisfactory in testing the water
- for the best success you need to then post the results of the test kit, if you post those results people will help you, without test results you'll just spin your wheels.
- there's alot of variables here and without good test results you risk having too much chlorine in your pool or constantly battling algae
- relying on a local pool store to do your testing is not recommended, the knowledge of the individual is always suspect and they will most likely view you as a source of revenue primarily
- don't fall into the trap of believing you need a variety of exotic supplies to maintain your water, for the majority of people the 'BBB' method works and is the simplest solution (BBB is explained in pool school)

Once you have a proper test kit and the knowledge on how to maintain the water everything will fall into place and maintaining the water will become much easier.
Pool School has links/descriptions for test kits.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Do some reading in Pool School, there is a link near the top right hand corner of every page of this site. There is all kinds of good information there, including the answers to your questions above.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

The other two type faster than I do but we're pretty much on the same page.

Start by reading The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Then learn to use the pool calculator so you can keep up with what you need to add to the pool.
Even though you have a small pool I would suggest you buy a good test kit if you can swing it. I know it seems like a lot for such a small pool but it'll pay for itself in the long run because you'll have a lot less problems with your pool than without it.

Now for the direct answer to your question. You need to test the chlorine and add whatever it takes to maintain the level appropriate to your CYA level. Since you don't know the CYA level you'll need to let us know what all you've added to the pool since you've filled it (ingredients) and how much of each.

You need to add chlorine every day and you need to check the pH every day.

That's enough to get you started and we're glad to answer any other questions as you have them.

 

[PAGirl]

Could it be algae that soon? Could it possibly be copper or something in the water, or was there algae on the sides of the pool from the previous owners?

 

[julienoelle]

Thank you for all of the help!!! I have read and printed out the Pool School stuff and will be sure to ask if I have any other questions. I will also try to get some readings

 

[RobbieH]

A picture of the water will be helpful to us. We might be able to tell if it is copper or algae by the picture and your test results.

 

[anonapersona]

Filled up on the 10th, today is the 12th, and it is starting to turn green. Not surprising at all with no chlorine or stabilizer up to now.

You need chlorine, you need stabilizer to protect the chlorine from the sun. You need to be able to test to know exactly how much of each to add. We can assume a level of stabilizer if you can recall how many of the trichlor pucks you have consumed so far.

9 oz of 6% chlorine bleach will add 1.0 ppm chlorine to your pool. That is a start and should be OK even if stabilizer is near zero.

You also want to read the label carefully to know exactly what is in those pucks. Some have copper and other things that we do not recommend.

 

[julienoelle]

I think that I was unclear about my question. My water is far from green. We put a shock in the water Monday and it turned the pool crystal clear. The problem that I am having now is how much chlorine I should add. I took a test of the water yesterday (Tuesday) and the chlorine test water was BRIGHT yellow (top notch of chlorine) and the Ph was a very dull pink (the lowest level). Sorry, i forgot the numbers at home, but they were the extremes of both. I have not added anything but the water and the 1/2lb of shock granuals to my skimmer.

 

[zea3]

Test the water again today and post the results. You can use the pool calculator to help you balance your water. After you test your water, plug the results into the pool calculator and it will tell you how much to add for each chemical. Play around with it to get a feel for how it works.

 

[RobbieH]

Note that if your FC is high (it sounds like it is) your pH test is going to be inaccurate.

 

[JohnN]

I didn't see anyone say this important part: an accurate test kit is vital to proper maintenance of the pool. We recommend the TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 from tftestkits.net. A good kit is important because you need to know more than just chlorine and pH.