Help! Major beginner, no clue what I’m doing 🥴

[mbnoelle]

Hi there! Please go easy on me. Consider me like a child, I will very unlikely know what the abbreviations you usually use mean. For example, I read the SLAM instructions and I’m still lost.

We opened our above ground pool recently. All the info I have or know about it is in my signature. Anything else I have no idea. It was obviously green, and as such we are working on opening it. Last time (our first time opening it) we closed it way too late and didn’t maintain it before closing it, and as a result had to drain and start over, so I’m basically new at opening a pool properly.

We’ve put 3 giant yellow jugs of liquid chlorine in, backwashed, and filled the water. It is now much lighter but still cloudy and green.

Took a water sample to the pool store and these are the results of the test (in brackets is what they recommend we be at):

FC - 0 (2-4)
TC - 0 (2-4)
CC - 0 (0-0.2)
PH - 7.6 (7.2-7.8)
Alk - 55 (100-150)
CYA - 30 (30-150)

They recommended the following:
- add 2.5kg of TROL, circulate for 6-8 hours and test again
- add 1.8L of liquid chlorine or the condensed powdered shock they recommended to me

She said this is all I need to do and it’ll be clear again.

I can’t see the bottom of it to vacuum it properly. I have no idea if the vacuum is even touching the ground. Can’t see a thing. Hard to tell with such a long pole as well.

Our basket went missing (possibly on the bottom of the pool which we can’t see).

So far I’ve just added the recommended amount of Trol. When should I add the shock chlorine? Tonight?

Does circulate mean put my pool filter on the circulate setting? Or is it just always circulating when the filter is on?

Our pool is in the shade for a good chunk of the day.

Again, I have ZERO experience with opening a pool, and truly I just toss pucks in the container thing to maintain it. So my knowledge is low and I don’t understand much of this! Please keep that in mind when answering my questions

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hello! We are a forum of pool owners who are happy to help other owners with their pools. We do ask that each pool owner have their own quality test kit, and for you in Canada the one you can get a hold of is the Taylor K-2006 (preferably C version for extra size). Please obtain one so we know we are on the same page.
One Canadian Source: Canada: only Lowry & Associates in Newmarket, Ontario (905-836-0505) or [email protected].

Some basics--> Pool Care Basics

SLAM means "Shock Level and Maintain" which means taking your Free Chlorine Level (FC) up to the appropriate killing level (based on how high your CYA stabilizer lever is) and *keeping it there* until all algae dead and water clear and tests good.

The only thing I would dare suggest you add is plain Liquid Chlorine.... the strongest one is usually around 10-12%, but I don't know what you can get there? Years ago folks in CA shopped at ?Canada Tire? for their Liquid Chlorine, I recall?

I had to Good what "Trol" was, and if it was intended for Alkalinity, that is the last item you need to worry about. Your problem is algae and only that.

Add a gallon of Liquid Chlorine each day and brush as much as possible, vacuum out what you can. Debris on the bottom will deplete chlorine which you need more to kill algae.

Can you get the liquid chlorine and test kit?

Maddie