Hi all. New member/pool owner, bought a foreclosure house with a 24x16 AG pool that hasn't been taken care of in probably 2+ seasons. Greenish black, full of algae, smelled like a sewer when we bought it. Started by going to the pool store to find out what kind of equipment and chemicals I needed and what the process was to recover this pool. After buying a Hayward XStream 150 sq ft cartridge filter system with a 1.5hp pump, a bottle of algaecide and a ton of liquid chlorine/pool shock and getting mixed results after a week, I started googling and found this place. I now have a TF-100 test kit and a cursory understanding of pool chemistry. I scooped all the muck and leaves I could get out of it the first day (and there was a solid 3-4 inches at the bottom, I bent the handle on my leaf rake pole). I've been SLAMming the pool since I got the kit last Friday and have made noticeable progress, but I was hoping to get some feedback on my numbers and make sure I'm heading in the right direction. Keep in mind that I had already been loading the pool with chlorine before I got the test kit and learned the proper way to SLAM the pool, so my initial FC numbers are pretty high. I also failed to read the part where it says to measure PH before adding chlorine, so not sure how reliable those numbers are. I'll just give you day 1 and today. Here goes:
7/18
CYA = 0 ( I tested 4 times, pretty sure I got it right)
PH - 8.2+ (off the scale)
FC - 50
CC - 3.5
TA - 90-100
7/23
FC - 15 (after sitting all day, I added a gallon of 8.25% when I got home from work)
CC - .75
PH - 7.5
I measured CYA on the first day multiple times and got 0 every time, so I added 4lbs of HTH granular conditioner directly into the skimmer. I haven't measured since because I read that it can take up to a week for it to register on the test. Since the pool had been pretty much uncovered for years, I figured it was very likely that the CYA was in fact down to zero. Since adding it, I've had a much easier time maintaining 20-30 FC throughout the day, even whe we had temps of 85-90 and lots of sunlight the past few days. I've been using 8.25% Clorox 1-3 times per day, depending on what the tests show. Since I didn't know for sure what to do with 0 CYA, my target has been 20 FC daily. It's never dropped below 10, which should be sufficient with 0 CYA per the chart. This was early on, before I added the CYA. Since adding, it's never been below 20. I'm now 6 days in and the water is very blue, but cloudy. I can't see the bottom and there is still a dark spot in the middle, though when I brush it and rake it, virtually nothing comes up, just a bit of dead algae and the occasional small leaf. Is this normal progress given what I started with and what I've done so far? Thanks in advance, this site has been awesome.
7/18
CYA = 0 ( I tested 4 times, pretty sure I got it right)
PH - 8.2+ (off the scale)
FC - 50
CC - 3.5
TA - 90-100
7/23
FC - 15 (after sitting all day, I added a gallon of 8.25% when I got home from work)
CC - .75
PH - 7.5
I measured CYA on the first day multiple times and got 0 every time, so I added 4lbs of HTH granular conditioner directly into the skimmer. I haven't measured since because I read that it can take up to a week for it to register on the test. Since the pool had been pretty much uncovered for years, I figured it was very likely that the CYA was in fact down to zero. Since adding it, I've had a much easier time maintaining 20-30 FC throughout the day, even whe we had temps of 85-90 and lots of sunlight the past few days. I've been using 8.25% Clorox 1-3 times per day, depending on what the tests show. Since I didn't know for sure what to do with 0 CYA, my target has been 20 FC daily. It's never dropped below 10, which should be sufficient with 0 CYA per the chart. This was early on, before I added the CYA. Since adding, it's never been below 20. I'm now 6 days in and the water is very blue, but cloudy. I can't see the bottom and there is still a dark spot in the middle, though when I brush it and rake it, virtually nothing comes up, just a bit of dead algae and the occasional small leaf. Is this normal progress given what I started with and what I've done so far? Thanks in advance, this site has been awesome.
Maybe only use one when someone is home to check it?