Volley Ball court or Horseshoe pit

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D

daveinnc

0
May 27, 2017
56
Hertford,NC
Good morning,
I am thinking about taking down my pool and putting up a volleyball court or maybe a horseshoe pit. I am at my wits end with this pool. I can't seem to get the water clear. Here are the conditions:
I did not have a pool cover over this past winter(BIG MISTAKE, I THINK). I had removed the filter for the winter. I reinstalled the filter, with new sand and began treatment on May 1st. I shocked it and filtered, and on 5/4 brought a sample to my local pool store. Here are the results:
Saturation Index: 1
CYA: 5
Tot Chlorine: 0.4
Free Chlorine: 0
Ph: >8.8
Tot Alkalinity: 224
Adj. Total Akl: 222
Tot Hardness: 50
The lady at the pool store sold me the following:
1 Qt Banish, algaecide
25 # Shock
2 Gal Muriatic Acid
8 # calcium increaser
with the following instructions:
Add 1 gal acid and all the calcium increaser
after 1 hr, add all the algaecide
the next day, add 1/2 the bucket of shock(12.5 #)
the other gal of acid
wait 2 days, 6.25 # shock
wait 2 days, the last 6.25 # shock
Retest 2 days later. Those results:
Saturation Index: -0.8
CYA: 70
Tot Chlorine: 0
Free Chlorine: 0
Ph: 7.3
Tot Alkalinity: 87
Adj. Total Akl: 66
Tot Hardness: 102
Then she sold me:
4 # chlorine tablets
Floc, 1 Qt
with the following instructions:
add all the shock
Floc the next day
I vacuumed, blind, because I could not see the bottom, for 3 days. Removed ALOT of leaves, trash from the bottom. Hoping that would help clear it up.
STILL CLOUDY
IT IS STILL CLOUDY
Went to Walmart yesterday and bought a 6 way test kit, thinking I wasn't monitoring the correct levels. As of yesterday:
Ph: 7.2
CL: 10
Alk: 130
Hardness: 110
CYA: 60
IT IS STILL CLOUDY
PLEASE HELP!! or Can someone here give me the dimensions for a "official" volleyball court.
Thanks.

Dave in NC
 
Hi Dave and welcome to TFP! :wave: Well, I'll be honest. You've been "pool-stored" and spent a lot of money/time on things that simply won't work and could cause more problems for your water. Cloudiness and algae are from a lack of chlorination, or the improper balance of chlorine and stabilizer. All the tricks & expensive potions in the pool store won't help a bit. We have a few basic principles here at TFP:
1. You must test your own water with one of the proper (recommended) test kits - either a TF-100 (link below) or Taylor K-2006C. That's a must and it's easy to do.
2. Stay out of the pool store and trust your own testing.
3. Stick to the recommended chemicals and levels as listed below in my vital links area. In fact, read all of those to get an idea of what we're talking about, starting with Pool School.

If you do those things, you might want a water volleyball set-up to show all of your friends. Hope that helps, and welcome to TFP!.
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! I would order one of the recommended test kits and use the 6 way kit you have until the new kit comes. Right now, your CYA is a little high but not outrageous, however you are going to need to raise your FC level to kill off the remaining algae in the pool. Use only liquid chlorine so you do not increase your CYA further. You can use plain, unscented grocery store bleach or buy chlorinating liquid from the pool store. The only difference is the concentration strength.

Read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and start the SLAM Process process to clear your pool. Try to stay out of the pool store if at all possible, or at least don't follow their advice. Feel free to ask us any questions you may have.
 
Thanks for the welcome, Zea3! One of the things I don't understand is HOW, if I have a CL level of 10, I can't have Free Chlorine? It seems to me I have SO MUCH chlorine in the water I MUST have an excess amount.....
How many gallons of Clorox would I need to add to bring up the FC?
Which would be the better test kit? TF-100 or K2006?
 
Last edited:
Volleyball, definitely. Something like this

Spike%20n%20Splash%20Volleyball_LRG.jpg


You can do this. Look through this thread for inspiration.
 
The key to the Trouble Free Pool Care method we teach is the CYA/Chlorine relationship. You have to keep the FC in ratio to the CYA level you have in your pool. The CYA is like a layer of sunscreen to protect the chlorine from burning off too quickly. When they are in the correct ratio chlorine is depleted oxidizing the organics in your pool instead of being lost to UV rays. Excess CYA binds the chlorine to the point where it can't do its job. When you have too much CYA, it is like putting on a heavy coat to take a shower. You'll never get enough soap on your skin to get the job done. When you have too much CYA you need more chlorine to have the same level of effectiveness.

Since your pool is still cloudy, you need to complete the SLAM Process process. PoolMath will tell you how much chlorine you need based on your test results.
 
How do I determine the FC level right now so I CAN start the SLAM process?
You need to have a FAS-DPD chlorine test(WHAT is this and how do I accomplish it?)
CYA (Stabilizer)

So, with my CYA at 60, I would put 24 POUNDS of Chlorine!?!
Minimum FCTarget FCShock FC
20*​
2​
3-5​
10​
30​
2​
4-6​
12​
40​
3​
5-7​
16​
50​
4​
6-8​
20​
60​
5​
7-9​
24
​
 
WHAT is this and how do I accomplish it?)
Click to expand...
The FAS-DPD portion test FC and CC not only very accurately, but at high levels required for SLAM/Shock purposes. You can see it demonstrated HERE. It's the only way I will test my chlorine levels.

We use regular chlorine bleach to manage our FC levels. :) Regular - not splashless of scented.

You can see a video on the CYA testing HERE.
 

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It's not 24 pounds, its 24 ppm (parts per million). All your test results for FC, CYA, and Calcium are read as ppm. Your 6 way test is a kit and not strips, correct?

PoolMath will show you how much you need to add to reach that level based on your test results.
 
So, I can't test for FC without the TF-100 kit? And, I NEED to know this before I start the SLAM process, right?
Can I take a sample to my local pool store and find out this info so I can start the SLAM while waiting for the test kit to arrive?
I am ready to start, but don't want to just start pouring bleach into the water without knowing what it is I am effecting....
Wow! I am completely lost here....

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, Zea3. A kit w/reagents.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, Zea3. A kit w/reagents.

- - - Updated - - -

I did the PoolMath and it told me the following:
Add 38 oz of washing soda or soda ash(WHERE do I get that stuff?)
Add 40 oz of baking soda
Add 90 oz of stabilizer
I have the baking soda and I was going to put it in, but everything I read says baking soda will lower the Ph, which I am at the low end now, and raise the CYA which I think I'm at the high end.
 
So, I can't test for FC without the TF-100 kit? And, I NEED to know this before I start the SLAM process, right?
Can I take a sample to my local pool store and find out this info so I can start the SLAM while waiting for the test kit to arrive?
Click to expand...
To "SLAM" you need at least the FAS-DPD. You can order it separately HERE, but you might find the entire TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C a better value. You'll want your own kit not only to ensure accuracy (which the pool stores almost never have), but also because during this SLAM process you will find yourself testing the FC/CC often - as often as every 30 min to an hour at first as your bleach (chlorine) needs to be maintained at the proper level based on your current CYA. People are often pessimistic about purchasing the entire kit (TF-100 OR Taylor K-2006C) at first until they see the accuracy received and money saved by not relying on pool store trips, advice, and over-priced products. Generally the kits pay for themselves many times over.

I wouldn't waste ANY chemicals until you have a way to test everything properly yourself. We don't like to see owners waste time, money, or chemicals until we know for sure what the water needs. Key point: When it comes to clear water and sanitation, it almost always boils-down to the CYA/FC relationship. You'll want to tackle that first before worrying about TA or other things.
 
The FC test on the 6 way kit is not ideal, it probably only measures up to 5ppm on the test vial, correct? You can go ahead and order the test kit. If you order from tftestkits.net they have very fast shipping and you will probably get it within two days. While you are waiting on your kit to arrive, keep the FC at the top of the scale on your 6 way test to keep things in a holding pattern and stock up on plain, unscented bleach. Read through the directions for the slam process and ask any questions you may have.

If you want to lower your CYA level to 30 ppm you can drain and replace about half the water in the pool before you start the slam.
 
The CYA can stay where it is at, you will just need to keep the FC higher than you would if you were at 30ppm of CYA.

EDIT: Don't worry about adjusting anything else until the slam is completed. The FC levels will cause the pH to have a false high reading.
 
Good afternoon. My Taylor K-2006 kit arrived today!! I am already lost! The first test, Free & Combined Chlorine Test has a note:
For 1 drop = 0.2 ppm, use 25 mL sample. For 1 drop = 0.5 ppm, use 10 mL sample.
What level do I use? How do I determine that?
Pool School says: Fill the sample tube with pool water to the 10 ml mark. The top of the sample will be curved. This curve is called a meniscus. The bottom of the meniscus should be level with the 10 ml mark.
What if I should be using the 25 mL mark?
 

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