Hello. I need your help

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magiteck said:
You’re doing great! Assuming your CYA number is close to accurate (big assumption without a reliable test kit, but) - you should be able to stop when it’s about 12 inches and start refilling. That would get your CYA below 40 which is good.

Let us know when you’re refilling, you’re going to want to get some bleach into the water sooner than later then.
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Should I remove the /Quote tag? Anyway I drained it down to 1 foot and now it is refilling. Now what? Should I circulate it while it is refilling?
 
magiteck said:
You’re doing great! Assuming your CYA number is close to accurate (big assumption without a reliable test kit, but) - you should be able to stop when it’s about 12 inches and start refilling. That would get your CYA below 40 which is good.

Let us know when you’re refilling, you’re going to want to get some bleach into the water sooner than later then.
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I’m refilling now. Not sure where my other post went but I was wondering if I should circulate the water while it is filling.
DK
 
Once the pool is full again with water back up to the skimmer, you can turn the pump back on for circulation. As much water as you exchanged, that should've really helped with the CYA, but until you get your new test kit we can't be sure of the actual (new) CYA level (no guesswork now). So until you receive your kit, just add about 2-3 ppm of chlorine each day. Use the PoolMath to help or ask us. If you have a simple chlorine drop-test viewing compactor to use, that can work for now until the TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C arrive. But keep a small amount of chlorine (2-3 ppm) in the water to prevent algae. We'll watch for your new test kit results.
 
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Deltakilo7 said:
I’m refilling now. Not sure where my other post went but I was wondering if I should circulate the water while it is filling.
DK
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As TS mentioned, once water is back up to the skimmer you can turn the pump back on for circulation. If you have a pole with a brush and want to keep the water moving a bit in the meantime, you can use the brush to "stir" around the pool. You should be OK either way, but a little circulation is always a good thing.

Do you have a basic chlorine test kit you can use until your TF-100 arrives? You're going to want to keep the pool chlorinated, with liquid chlorine. It looks like you have a Menards in Valparaiso - if you're able, I'd pick up 2 cases (8 bottles) of this to start:

That will be 12.5% liquid chlorine. In an 18,000 gallon pool, every 18-20 ounces of that will raise your chlorine level by 1PPM. I'd add enough right away to get you up to at least 3PPM - call it an even half gallon. Then if you have a basic chlorine test, try to keep the level there. You'll probably have to add about that same amount each day until your test kit comes and we can get you better zero'd in.
 
DorsalSpine said:
Please read the Pool School section. It will explain the chemistry behind keeping your water clear. You will also need one of the recommended test kits. The short answer is that the pucks you are using are probably adding CYA to the water. Too many pucks and you have a CYA issue. High CYA lowers the effectiveness of your pool shock which makes cleaning up an algae bloom difficult.

The first step is a good test kit so you trust your numbers. While you wait for that read the Pool School section. You will probably have to replace a lot of water as well. It's tough to hear that but if you continue as you are right now you will just keep pouring money into the pool with little or no results.

There are lots of good people here who will be glad to help. A great many of us have been where you are now. That's how we ended up here.
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Deltakilo7 said:
Hi. We got this pool six years ago for the grandkids but this is my first year to care for it myself after losing my husband and son a year apart. The water is green and my hired handyman has been adding chemicals willy nilly. Now I’m taking over. I had the water tested today.

TC - off the charts at 15
pH - 8.1
CYA - 150
TA - 192
Adjusted TA - 147
Total hardness - 155

It’s a 27 ft round, 52 in deep, (18,000 gal?) above ground pool with vinyl liner and cartridge filter. Located in the Midwest. The pump has very strong flow, and it has a bottom drain. We’ve been cleaning the filter1-2 times a day. I wonder if ir needs to be cleaned with acid ??
I have all these chemicals on hand
Liquid chlorine
Muriatic acid
Blue Clarifier liquid
Shock-X Extra from Walmart
Stabilizer

The pool started out nice and clean this summer and then we ran out of chlorine tablets that go in the chlorinator pump thing. I didn’t even know there weren’t any tablets in there. It got cloudy. I shocked it with powdered shock. When I bought new tablets I didn’t get the real expensive ones that my husband had bought at the pool store. I bought them at Walmart instead. Everything has gone downhill from there and it slowly turned green in this heat. Handyman shocked it with 4 gallons of liquid chlorine last night which didn’t seem to help so I got the water tested today. The guy who tested it had no advice for me. I would be so appreciative for any guidance. Thank you.
Del
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I’d like to say thank you to everyone who offered advice (and for your condolences). I drained the pool down to 12 inches and refilled it. I read the pool school information. The pool is full now and the pump is running 24/7. I added a half gallon of liquid chlorine. The recommended test kit has shipped and should be here Monday. When it arrives I’ll read the instructions and post the results. I don’t understand how to use this forum as far as where to post. Do I reply to my own post or pick a person who replied to me and reply to that? This time I’m replying to myself to see how that works.
Thanks!
Del
 
Technically this is all about your Above ground pool so it’s in the right spot for it to be. It could also be in the ‘just getting started’ forum because you will be starting all over with the new water. Then again you could start a new post in ‘Algae and prevention’ because you have some residual algae in the old water to SLAM out. You already made an introduction so no need for that one, and you’re not ‘under construction’ nor are you in a ‘hot tubs and spas’. There. That wasn’t so bad, right. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: You’re doing great and you got this !!
 
Deltakilo7 said:
I’d like to say thank you to everyone who offered advice (and for your condolences). I drained the pool down to 12 inches and refilled it. I read the pool school information. The pool is full now and the pump is running 24/7. I added a half gallon of liquid chlorine. The recommended test kit has shipped and should be here Monday. When it arrives I’ll read the instructions and post the results. I don’t understand how to use this forum as far as where to post. Do I reply to my own post or pick a person who replied to me and reply to that? This time I’m replying to myself to see how that works.
Thanks!
Del
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You can reply to or quote (one or more) members if you want them to get alerted specifically to your reply. Otherwise there are (I suspect) many of us like myself who are “following” this thread and will get notified regardless if you post an update. So no worries how you’re doing it, it’s working fine!

Looking forward to your test results. Just make sure to keep adding chlorine. If you can test chlorine and add based on that, great, if not just keep adding a half gallon every day.
 
Hi again. I received my test kit just now and have read the instructions. The 18,000 gal pool was drained down to 12 inches and refilled over the weekend and I’ve added a half gallon of liquid chlorine daily. I’m ready to start. What should I test first?
Del
 
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wireform said:
Follow the laminated instruction card which is easy to follow and give us the test results. The CYA test needs to be done while the sun is still out.
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I carefully tested and here’s my result.
1. The CYA is 50.
2. The TA is between 220 and 250 depending. At 22 drops the liquid I was dropping in started to turn red but disappears after a swirl. At 24 drops it’s all slightly red tinged and at 25 it’s definitely red.
3. FC = 3ppm
4. CC = .5
5. TC = 3.5
6. I also ran the tests using the small blue box and it looked like chlorine and pH were as high as the scale goes: 5 and 8.2.
 
Deltakilo7 said:
I carefully tested and here’s my result.
1. The CYA is 50.
2. The TA is between 220 and 250 depending. At 22 drops the liquid I was dropping in started to turn red but disappears after a swirl. At 24 drops it’s all slightly red tinged and at 25 it’s definitely red.
3. FC = 3ppm
4. CC = .5
5. TC = 3.5
6. I also ran the tests using the small blue box and it looked like chlorine and pH were as high as the scale goes: 5 and 8.2.
Click to expand...
At a CYA of 50, you’re going to want to keep your Free Chlorine generally between 6 and 8 - and never let it go below 4. So you’re going to want to add some more liquid chlorine tonight (target 8), and then re-test each night and add to get it back up to 7 or 8.

If your PH is off the charts high, you’re going to want to get some Muriatic Acid in the pool to lower the PH. Something like this, usually found by the Paint Department:

If you use that concentration (31.45%, 20degree Baume), add about 33 ounces. Doesn’t have to be exact, just pour in about 1/4 of the gallon (carefully) in front of your return. If your Ph is 8.2 that would target it to around 7.8. But it’s not exact, so let that mix with the pump running for about 20-30 minutes and then re-test the Ph to determine if you need to add more.

After that, you’ll test your chlorine daily and add bleach/liquid chlorine. Test your pH every day or two and add acid if it gets above 8. And that’s basically all there is too it. :)
 
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Deltakilo7 said:
2. The TA is between 220 and 250 depending. At 22 drops the liquid I was dropping in started to turn red but disappears after a swirl. At 24 drops it’s all slightly red tinged and at 25 it’s definitely red.
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The endpoint is when there is no further color change. Keep adding another drop until the color doesn't change, then subtract that last drop. Your TA is 250 or maybe 260. The details don't matter much at that point.

With such a high TA, your pH is going to want to go up constantly. You'll be using quite a bit of acid for a while. Over time, your TA will come down and the pH will settle down as well.
 
CrystalRiver said:
The endpoint is when there is no further color change. Keep adding another drop until the color doesn't change, then subtract that last drop. Your TA is 250 or maybe 260. The details don't matter much at that point.

With such a high TA, your pH is going to want to go up constantly. You'll be using quite a bit of acid for a while. Over time, your TA will come down and the pH will settle down as well.
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I’m always a bit skeptical of early super high TA tests. The static on the dropper issue is real. My first few tests I thought my TA was in the 200s but once the dropper settled down it was really like 90. And i did wipe the tip on those early tests - still had tiny drops rolling off.

But regardless, the advice is fair. Watch the PH and add acid as needed. The TA will come down and settle in time.
 
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magiteck said:
I’m always a bit skeptical of early super high TA tests. The static on the dropper issue is real. My first few tests I thought my TA was in the 200s but once the dropper settled down it was really like 90. And i did wipe the tip on those early tests - still had tiny drops rolling off.

But regardless, the advice is fair. Watch the PH and add acid as needed. The TA will come down and settle in time.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me, lol.
 

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