First of all, this is an awesome thread and there is so much useful information, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed so decided to post to see if someone can provide quick advice or direct me to a relevant thread.
I have a 13.5 IG pebble-tech in Phoenix, AZ (I will add this to my signature line). We have had some heavy rains here that seemed to have messed up some levels and turned the pool green. I had someone come out and "fix" the pool last week, but after $150 later, the pool turned blue, but stayed cloudy. The green pool returned today even after brushing and making sure there were tabs (I realize that this might not be enough now after reading your forum).
I got my levels tested today at Leslie's. (I know I need to buy the right tester - right now I am using strips from HD - but where do I find this on the forum?). Here are my levels according to Leslie's:
FC = 0
CYA = 90
TA = 40
PH = 7
Base Demand 4
Copper = 0
Iron = 0
TDS = 3900
Phosphates = 450
Their recommendation is to drain the pool. This doesn't seem like a good option to me. First of all, I don't know how to drain. Do I just backwash? Do I just dump it in the alley? How do I hook it to a septic line? I am in downtown Phoenix and there is not a drain in site to pour it down. Can I adjust these levels without draining or will this be a constant problem?
The other big mess up is they told me to use granular shock (which I think is dichlor) and add more pool tabs (probably also dichlor). Did I seriously mess things up now? I added 8 cups of baking soda (to bring up the alkalinity), 4 tabs and and 2.5 pounds of granular shock (all at their recommendation). I have been running the pool pump for about 3 hours. When do I test the levels again? Should I take it back to Leslie or are the strips okay and go from there or can I buy the recommended test kits in store?
Thank you all for your help.
I have a 13.5 IG pebble-tech in Phoenix, AZ (I will add this to my signature line). We have had some heavy rains here that seemed to have messed up some levels and turned the pool green. I had someone come out and "fix" the pool last week, but after $150 later, the pool turned blue, but stayed cloudy. The green pool returned today even after brushing and making sure there were tabs (I realize that this might not be enough now after reading your forum).
I got my levels tested today at Leslie's. (I know I need to buy the right tester - right now I am using strips from HD - but where do I find this on the forum?). Here are my levels according to Leslie's:
FC = 0
CYA = 90
TA = 40
PH = 7
Base Demand 4
Copper = 0
Iron = 0
TDS = 3900
Phosphates = 450
Their recommendation is to drain the pool. This doesn't seem like a good option to me. First of all, I don't know how to drain. Do I just backwash? Do I just dump it in the alley? How do I hook it to a septic line? I am in downtown Phoenix and there is not a drain in site to pour it down. Can I adjust these levels without draining or will this be a constant problem?
The other big mess up is they told me to use granular shock (which I think is dichlor) and add more pool tabs (probably also dichlor). Did I seriously mess things up now? I added 8 cups of baking soda (to bring up the alkalinity), 4 tabs and and 2.5 pounds of granular shock (all at their recommendation). I have been running the pool pump for about 3 hours. When do I test the levels again? Should I take it back to Leslie or are the strips okay and go from there or can I buy the recommended test kits in store?
Thank you all for your help.