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C

CBSIMONSEZ

0
May 6, 2014
16
Strong Island NY
First, let me say that i never really thought that there was a forum for pool owners. I belong to several other forums for cars and motorcycels and the like ... so here i am ... the NOOB on TFP.

So allow me to preface this with i had a pool in my childhood ( 25 yrs ago ) so i have some knowledge of how to keep up with a pool. The chemicals ... not so much. My wife and i bought our home last Oct and much to our delight it came with an above ground pool. From what we were told by the seller the pool has not been open for 3-4 years! I peeked under the cover the other day and much to my suprise the water is almost crystal clear! The seller did say that the first cover was damaged during huricane Sandy ... and i can clearly see leaves and debris on the bottom of the pool in spots. But, i can also see the blue/white design of the vinyl liner!

So i have been lurking here for over a week and i feel like my head is going to explode with all the information i have read and then add the "Pool Math" on top of it and i have the deer in the head lights look and i am not sure how much chemicals to use. Here are the basics of the pool to the best i can figure out.

27' round 4' high
roughly 17,000 gals.
HAYWARD pump and sand filter

So last weekend i went out and bought a HTH 6 test pool testing kit. Here are the results which boggle the mind seeing as how the pool is almost crystal clear.

FC = 0
CL/BR = 0
CYA = 0
Ph = 5? *
hardness = 50ppm? **

* i say 5 because there was a yellowish tint in the test sample, but it did not register on the scale.
** I say 50ppm because that was the result from adding the drops one by one until the sample changed from red to blue.

So, my question for the Pool Gods is this ... given the fact that the water is clear but has no FC .. CC .. or CYA is there an abreviated SLAM? I have tried to use the pool math calculator but i honestly do not know what my target numbers should be. I will be taking the cover completely off this weekend as temps are expected hit the 70s for the first time.

If i have left anything out, or asked a really dumb question i appologize in advance. Thanks in advance for your help. It will be greatly appreciated.
 
CYA at zero is not a good thing. Ph at 5 is worse! Fix it!. Take cya to 30 and bump your chlorine up per the cya/chlorine chart in pool school. Consider ordering one of the test kits we recommend? Welcome to TFP!
 
As long as the water is clear and clean and you take care of adjusting your levels soon there isn't any reason to SLAM.

As long as CYA is zero, add 2 pm of chlorine each evening after sunset. Starting 24 hours after you add CYA switch to adjusting FC based on the target level for your CYA level.
 
Welcome to TFP !
By far one the best investments you can make for your pool is a good test kit. I use the TF-100. Best value.
Keep reading in pool school. I know it's a ton of info, but it will all make sense after a couple of read thru's.
Any questions you have don't hesitate to ask. ?
 
Get the TF100. You'll need it to help keep your water in line. Get the cover off, fill the pool, run the pump and filter and get the pH up. Use pool Math to tell you how much of what to add. You have a Now and a Target. The now is the result you have Now and the Target is what you want it to be.

Keep us update and post any and all questions you have. We can help you understand. It's very helpful though if you purchase your own test kit like the TF100 and own your pool and not depend on anyone but yourself and your reliable test kit. :goodjob: Welcome. :)
 
Welcome! :wave:

Get the water circulating and retest. Actually, I'd believe FC is 0, so go ahead and add that as soon as you have flow, and then recheck pH, TA, & CYA after it's had half an hour to mix. Then add the necessary CYA in a sock and suspend it in the pool somehow, and work on getting the pH where it needs to be. If those readings are correct, you'd be a good candidate for Soda Ash / Washing Soda. It's the same as pH up, but it is cheaper. It's also harder to find, though.

As long as the water is relatively clear and you have good circulation, it can be shaped up easily.
 

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I'm a big motorcycle/car forum fan too. Welcome to TFP, you found the "right" pool forum. I was a newbie last year and these folks steered me straight. Spend the $68 on TF-100 test kit, best investment you can make for your pool. Once the pump is up and running, do the full battery of tests, plug the numbers in pool math, and you'll know what to add.

First up is to get Ph in line- shoot for 7.2 to start. You can also get the FC up right away- at least 2-4ppm, that'll stop any nasty green algae blooms that are sure to hit you soon if you don't get the pool up and running before it warms up.
 
Odds are once you start removing the debris and adjusting the levels - you will start to see that the pool probably won't hold Free Chlorine overnight and even tho the water looks clear now it may not stay that way once you start.
Circulate the water - retest as stated above.
Adjust the PH and TA first - if you need help figuring out the PoolMath - let us know.
You can use a combination of Borax and baking soda - but Soda Ash if you can find it (in laundry aisle Arm& Hammer Washing Soda) might do the trick a bit better.
Start adding the CYA at the same time via sock method - and keep in mind it will also lower the PH/TA a tad amount. At the bottom of the PoolMath calculator - the Effects of Adding Chemicals section - you can see the effects each ingredient will have on the water chemistry.
Once the PH/TA are adjusted and CYA is in the sock dissolving (this shouldn't take you long) - you can start debris removal and the chlorine process.
I know it can be overwhelming at first but we are here to help - there are no stupid questions and we were all NOOBs once. Good luck!
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
Once the PH/TA are adjusted and CYA is in the sock dissolving (this shouldn't take you long) - you can start debris removal and the chlorine process.
I know it can be overwhelming at first but we are here to help - there are no stupid questions and we were all NOOBs once. Good luck!
Click to expand...

TY everyone. This is one approach i didn't think of ... getting the Ph and CYA up BEFORE removing ( stirring up ) the leaves and gunk on the bottom. Basically add just a bit more water and fire the pump up. Because i work M - F from 6am to sometimes 8pm i am afraid that it will take Sat & Sun just to get the Ph/CYA up before i can 1. clean the pool out and 2. add liquid bleach to get that FC level up. Should i look into adding liquids to raise the Ph & CYA vs. using a dry chemical if it's availible?
 
You won't find a liquid to raise the pH. Use Borax by adding right above the return with pump running and retest it in a half hour. CYA liquid is available but very expensive and hardly worth the money IMO. Even if you get the CYA in a sock and dissolved in the water, it's going to take the better part of a week for it to register. All you're going to do is SLAM to the CYA you are aiming for even if it's not yet registering and still dissolving in the pool. Then, check it in a week or so and adjust it again if need be.:goodjob:
 
Casey said:
You won't find a liquid to raise the pH. Use Borax by adding right above the return with pump running and retest it in a half hour. CYA liquid is available but very expensive and hardly worth the money IMO. Even if you get the CYA in a sock and dissolved in the water, it's going to take the better part of a week for it to register. All you're going to do is SLAM to the CYA you are aiming for even if it's not yet registering and still dissolving in the pool. Then, check it in a week or so and adjust it again if need be.:goodjob:
Click to expand...

Good to know, thanks.
 
so with temps hitting the 80s this weekend ( not the 70s that was predicted earlier this week ) i figured i would get a jump start on the adding of the CYA with the cover on last night. I have 2 socks with 2#s each and another 2#s in the filter itself. As i ran the pool with the cover still on i noticed that the 1st cover was being sucked down into the pool! So in the dark the wife and i struggled to take both covers off. The first had some leaves, but the orignal covers was thrashed and full of wholes. By taking off the covers it stirred up the gunk in the pool ( LOL ) so now the water is a nice black with gunk floating in it. I decided to add pH while i was at it, and tossed in some Cl tabs in a floating duck just for good measure.

I wake up this morning to one of the filter hoses shooting out water EVERYWHERE! So now at 6 in the am in my PJs im playing Tim the Tool Man switching out hoses, clamps, fittings and the return jet while the water level was so low; almost to the bottom of the filter!

I'm waiting for some sunlight to see just how bad the water is as it is over cast right now. In the overcast conditions i can see about 2 feet into the water and clearly see the gunk suspended in the water. Im sure the heavier stuff is on the bottom still, and im hoping that with the filter running over the weekend that it will filter and settle. I did run my hand against the side of the pool to see if it was slick with algea .. but it is not. I'm hoping that i can get this beast cleaned before it turns green. We shall see .....

I know ... i know ... P.O.P. But i want it clear NOW! :D
 
I think this thread may have been somewhat sidetracked when you began discussing pool chemistry before your pool was clear. (we think of a clear pool as both the water and pool floor being close to pristine) Sorry about the mishap. Now, your best start is to get out all the debris and dirt you possibly can with a leaf scoop net and keep running that pump 24/7 to filter out the dirt....backwashing as needed.

When that's all done, then retest and start your chemistry additions. Good luck.
 

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