Help. First time pool owner in Nassau County, NY.

[George D]

Hello and Thank you for this great forum.
I recently bought a home with a pool that has not been used in over 5 years. The first pool company I brought in the tech said that the pipes were clogged from the filter all the way to the end of the pool and I needed to remove the pavers to install new pipe. Thankfully he was wrong. I called another co. and was advised that a pipe is ruptured. The technician dug the area and found the same pipe ruptured in two places. He installed a new pipe and fixed the problem.
Between the pool company and I, we removed as much organic matter, dirt and whatever else was in there as we can. The pool guy added 5 lbs of Bioguard Burnout 3 and 1 gallon of liquid chlorine 2 days ago. I was told to keep shocking the pool only with chlorine and not to use any other chemicals until after pool is clear enough to vacuum. I added 5 Gallons of Liquid Chlorine the next evening and the pool is turning from a dark green to regular green. I have been Backwashing 3-4 times a day, the first time for 5 minutes then 3 minutes thereafter and Rinsing for 1 minute before returning to Filter. I do not know the condition of the sand in the filter and the pressure gauge keeps reading 0. According to what I have read so far, I should not try to adjust the chemicals in the pool until after all the debris has been removed. The sun hits the pool almost all day until 5:30-6PM and it looks like the liquid chlorine evaporates quickly. I purchased the necessary chemicals to use the BBB method along with Clorox stabilizer, which the label shows as 100% CYA and boric acid. My question is, how much liquid chlorine should I pour in the pool each evening, knowing that I cannot use any other chemicals. The AquaCheck strip from 2 days ago showed FC-2, PH 6.8, TA-0 and CYA-0.
I just received the Taylor k-2006 test kit but I have not used it yet.

 

[George D]

Update: Tested with Aquacheck a few minutes ago. TC-5, FC-10 and no change on the others. Lots of algae on the top including some black in color. Scooped up most of it with leaf rake.

 

[rolo918]

OK George here's what you need to do first off we need a reading with that k2006 next while you're doing that keep putting more bleach in the water 1 gallon per day. Until You do a proper reading with the kit . Post your results and a picture is 1000 words if you can give us one

 

[George D]

OK George here's what you need to do first off we need a reading with that k2006 next while you're doing that keep putting more bleach in the water 1 gallon per day. Until You do a proper reading with the kit . Post your results and a picture is 1000 words if you can give us one

Ok, should I run the test now or wait until the evening after I add the chlorine?

 

[rolo918]

Now is fine

 

[George D]

Ok. The Taylor k 2006 test kit showed the following results.
PH 7.0
TA 30 PPM
CYA 30 or below.
I was confused with the Chlorine test. Instructions: Step 1. For 1 drop =0.2 PPM, use 25 ml sample. For 1 drop =0.5 PPM, use 10 ml sample. I used the 10 ml sample.
Step 4. Multiply drops in Step 3 (2 drops) by drop equivalence in Step 1. How do I calculate the FC?
I attached a photo of the pool. Did you also want photos of the results?

 

[Mr Bruce]

If it took 2 drops to turn the water in the test sample clear, that would be 1.0 FC. However, looking at that water I'm going to guess there isn't any chlorine.

The FAS-DPD test (powder) goes like this.

Fill to 10 ml mark. Add a heaping scoop of powder. If it doesn't turn pink, you are done. If it is, squeeze the 871 one drop at a time while swirling until it turns clear. Multiply # drops by 0.5 (or divide by 2).

Does that help any?

 

[George D]

Yes, this helps. Thank you. So I should be adding much more than one or two gallons per day?
I'm ready to add 7 or 8 if necessary to speed up the process. Today was about 90 degrees and sunny.
The label shows 10% Sodium Hypochlorite.

 

[rolo918]

OK what was the result for the chlorine test

 

[George D]

Mr. Bruce did the math. 2×.5 or 2÷2 =1. FC-1.
Looks like the algae and the sun got rid of the chlorine. How much should I add now?

 

[rolo918]

If your cya is 30 then a shock level of 15 to 16 needs to be done you need to put in about 5 gallons of 10% chlorine

 

[Catanzaro]

If your CYA level is 25-30, the shock level is 12, as (15 to 16) is too high. Also, it is best to bring your level up to 30 for the SLAM. Please use the TFP calculator and keep daily records and always test around the same time.

 

[George D]

I added 5 gallons during the last 2 hours. So is it ok to start the SLAM to prepare the pool for vacuuming or is the SLAM done right after that?
The frequent Backwashing caused the water level to drop a bit. I added water using a garden hose for about 3 hours

 

[George D]

I found a helpful post dated 8/4/13 from Richard320 that would allow me to add CYA and still Backwash 3 to 4 times per day.
The forum title was "Algae in pool and I have no CYA."
I will paste his comment here:This is why we recommend tying the CYA granules up in a sock or nylon and suspending it in front of a return, or just let it bob around dangling off a float of sorts. Then you can backwash without losing the granules.
You really need some CYA in the pool, or the sun will degrade the bleach before it gets a chance to work on the green stuff. Target about 30 CYA during the SLAM, and raise it later.
I would like to try this. How much stabilizer should I add to the sock? Is the return the square skimmer at the corner in the photo I attached earlier?
The Test kit showed CYA-30 but that is the lowest number displayed in the kit. How do I know it's not 20 or 10? How can I have a CYA of 30 due to the pool not being used in over 5 years? Would the 5 lbs of Bioguard Burnout 3 that was added 3 days ago add CYA?

 

[rolo918]

During the SLAM you should be picking up any large debris you can with the net.

 

[drharris]

How much stabilizer should I add to the sock? Is the return the square skimmer at the corner in the photo I attached earlier?
The Test kit showed CYA-30 but that is the lowest number displayed in the kit. How do I know it's not 20 or 10? How can I have a CYA of 30 due to the pool not being used in over 5 years? Would the 5 lbs of Bioguard Burnout 3 that was added 3 days ago add CYA?

You can use PoolMath to determine actual amount of stabilizer to use. If the dot disappeared at 30ppm mark on the CYA test, then that's what the value is. If you had to fill the tube all the way to the top to get it to disappear, then you have some value below 30. If it's clear all the way to the top, you likely have 0ppm CYA. If you know it's less than 30, start with adding just a pound via the sock/return, and re-measure after it dissolves. The "returns" are the jets sending water back into your pool, the rectangular skimmer box is called the "suction" side of your pool (along with any main drains or vacuum ports).

Burnout 3 is mostly calcium hypochlorite, but it's about half "other ingredients". Those other ingredients might include CYA, but it doesn't say. It's most likely something to keep the powder in a stable form and promote dissolution. Cal-hypo will increase CH values though. It's not a terrible item to keep around for emergencies (since it stores for longer times than bleach), just a bit expensive.

 

[Catanzaro]

George:

CYA that dissolves in a sock will not register immediately. It does take about one week (almost positive). Only the gallons of liquid stabilizer (which is quite expensive) will show up in about 24 hours. If you are going to backwash a lot, it may be best to add enough to bring up to 40 or even 50. As pointed out previously, you may have no stabilizer in the pool.

 

[rolo918]

George

I added 5 gallons during the last 2 hours. So is it ok to start the SLAM to prepare the pool for vacuuming or is the SLAM done right after that?
The frequent Backwashing caused the water level to drop a bit. I added water using a garden hose for about 3 hours

Rolo918

By adding in the 5 gallons of chlorine you have started the SLAM process

 

[George D]

Thank you all for your helpful responses. I failed to mention yesterday, that the dot did not dissappear during the CYA test which means it could be zero.
I guess it's best to place the sock containing CYA by the jets on the deep end of the pool?
Also, before I purchase and replace the pressure gauge which is not working, do I need to turn the pump/filter off first? Is there a pressure gauge that works better with sand filters?
I read the informative post on deep cleaning the sand filter. Should I wait until the pool is ready for vacuuming to do this or should I have cleaned this yesterday? The pool has not been used in over 5 years.

 

[Catanzaro]

I would not be concerned about deep cleaning the filter at this time. You will need to replace the gauge. Some gauges are better than others, but if the needle bounces, do not be concerned because this is vibration at the equipment pad. Start adding CYA immediately, enough to get the level up to 30-40. Remember that you will be backwashing often and you will loose some CYA along the process. Follow the instructions carefully in the SLAM section.

If the pool has not been used in 5 years, then you will have to be very patient. Take pictures daily around the same time of the pool and steps so you can see your progress. My friends pool (new house not opened in 2 years) took over 14 days and 40 gallons of 12.5% bleach. He vacuumed daily for at least 1 hour if not longer. The pool is 95% of the way done.