help cloudy pool

Jump to latest Follow Reply
K

kris34

0
Jun 11, 2014
4
Elyria/OH
O.K. I am new to this site and also new to tending to a pool lol. So here it goes
FC: 0
TC: 0.6
PH: 7.4
TA: 89
CH: 212
CYA: 0
So i have went to a store twice and my readings are the same. Was told to add Alkalinity Increaser 15lbs. Then 1.75lbs Lo N Slo then 6lbs. Stabilizer then to top all off 3 bags of burnout all in a day. This seems alot, also wondering how come they dont tell me to add chlorine, am i wrong or just clueless lol. Any help would be very appreciated ;)
 
Welcome.

pH and TA are fine from just looking. But I would suggest you read up on your own test kit like the TF100 which can be found in my signature and a look see at the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry which can be found in Pool School (Big Button) at the top right of every page. :goodjob:


You need chlorine and we all use regular unscented bleach. The ABC's of pool Water will give a good grasp and how to proceed. Keep posting, reading and asking questions. Also, Pool Math is your friend.
 
They suggested you open your wallet and leave it on the counter.

Is this all new water? That's the only way your CYA is zero.

If you added all the stabilizer they suggest, your CYA would be high and you could be fighting green all summer.
If I remember correct, low and slo add stabilizer CYA at about 50% of the bags weight! The stabilizer is 100% CYA. BurnOut is high cost chlorine.

I suggest you stop going to the store, invest in a test kit and only use liquid bleach chlorine.
 
Welcome to TFP!

I have to tell you, those recommendations from the pool store will NOT clear your pool. Also the pool store testing is notoriously inaccurate.

My first strong suggestion would be to get your own test kit. There are a few very good comprehensive kits available. The best is the TF-100 from http://TFtestlits.net, and a close second would be the Taylor K-2006. Neither will be available locally, you will have to order one of them.

Next would be to get some liquid chlorine into that pool. You will probably need 2 128 oz bottles of 8.25% sodium hypochlorite (otherwise known as bleach!).

If that CYA number is to be trusted, you will need about 5 lbs of cyanuric acid, sold as stabilizer or conditioner. Walmart carries the HTH brand.

Your TA is right where it should be, so no need to add alkalinity increaser.

The Lo and Slo is an alkalinity and pH decreaser. Why would the pool store want you to add a TA up, and then TA and pH down? Doesn't make sense to me......

The Burn-out is one of the most expensive forms of chlorine out there, being lithium hypochlorite. So yes, they did want you to add some FC to your pool.

Go ahead and order your test kit, and while you are waiting for it, read Pool School, linked at the top of every page here.
 
Hi Kris! Welcome to TFP!

What you'll soon find here is we are all about self-testing our pool water. We can help you with everything to get your pool clear and sparkling but unfortunately pool store testing is very unreliable. They are there to test your water so they can sell you expensive stuff to "fix" it. If what they sell you doesn't fix it, guess what? They get to sell you *more* expensive stuff!

Everyone is going to ask for test results from one of the test kits we recommend. (Mainly the TF-100 from tftestkits.net or the Taylor K-2006 also available through that website or through amazon.com) The TF-100 is the one that is most recommended because although it costs a little more up front it has a more balanced amount of the testing reagents that you'll be using the most for our methods. (New K-2006 purchasers usually end up having to buy refills pretty soon after getting their kit!)

It's completely up to you what you want to do. Reading "The ABCs of Pool Chemistry" article in Pool School (link button on top right of page) will help to give you a little more of an idea of what it's all about.

You're right about one thing, you need chlorine. It's pretty simple but the pool store can make it pretty darn complicated (and downright expensive!) with bags of this and buckets of that and bottles of the other.

What it comes down to is this: With reliable test results you can post here and we can tell you step by step what needs to be done to get your water sparkling and keep it that way. 1 upfront purchase which will lead to tons of saving.

So what do you say? Want to take control of your pool and do it the TFP way? Jump in, the water is clear and sparkly over here! lol
 
OK. I've read for 2 days now and will still be for days till im cleal lol. Lots of great info. I will get the test kit as soon as I get payed spent tons at pool store :(. So in mean time I put a jug of bleach yesturday and tested with a strip today and have chlorine yay :) Pool is still extremally milky cloudy im going to get me a bunch of bleach and put 1 in a day. I know its hard to tell me anything without the kit yet but any suggestions to get it to clear at least a little. My husband has me on a time crunch were trying to get this cleared for the 4th. Should I be vaccuming daily? Any help very much appreciated Thank you all

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry read a little more I will add 2 bottles bleach and I went yesturday to walmart and bought the stabilizer conditioner which I will add also. Should I put straight in or use the sock trick I've seen suggested?
 
Also sorry, we bought all the store recommended but did not put in. I felt the info like u said sounded weird so I held off and am glad I did.
The water was all new but about a foot worth of the old if even that much.
 
Definitely use the sock if you're putting in CYA. Pouring it in can cause all sorts of issues! You can put the sock in your skimmer as long as it doesn't restrict the flow to the pump or you can tie it to something and hang it over the edge of the pool in front of the return (kinda looks like a fishing pole!) where the water will constantly be flowing past it to help it dissolve.

You should be able to get it done by the 4th...with a kit! Without a kit...well...too much guesswork to even know!

Aim low on that stabilizer level. You can always add more but if the test was inaccurate (they almost always are, we just don't know how much it's off) and you overshoot, you'll have to drain some water to get it back down!

*edit*

I gotta throw it in there...get a kit asap! (So you can get it cleaned up asap!)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
If the store won't take it back, see if you can sell it to some other person who doesn't know any better. Put it on craigslist or you local swap site. You will probably lose a bit on the sale over what you paid, but at least you will have something for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply