Another murky pool, with numbers

[Julieanne88]

Hi all, I had my pool water tested as it’s been murky for the past few days. I’ve been shocking it to now avail so finally took some water into a store for more details:

FC .26
TC 3.62
PH 7.0
Ack 149
CH 133
CYA 25

the guy advised me to do a MAJOR shock because there was no FC and I added about 2 kg of shock to my @11’600 gallon pool. It’s only been @6 hours but the water is like milk. Was this the right advice and am I at least moving in the right direction? TIA

 

[DieselBeast]

Hi all, I had my pool water tested as it’s been murky for the past few days. I’ve been shocking it to now avail so finally took some water into a store for more details:

FC .26
TC 3.62
PH 7.0
Ack 149
CH 133
CYA 25

the guy advised me to do a MAJOR shock because there was no FC and I added about 2 kg of shock to my @11’600 gallon pool. It’s only been @6 hours but the water is like milk. Was this the right advice and am I at least moving in the right direction? TIA

I’m brand new myself .. but are you salt water or regular chlorine pool?
If you update your profile signature that will help the veterans help you out.

also, do you have a test kit? TFP-100 or Taylor etc?

I imagine they will refer you to read the ABC’s etc in pool school to get familiarized. Then you will probably want to move into a SLAM. (bleach)

but I’m brand new, so let’s let the veterans weigh in !! Start reading up in pool school in the meantime!!

Don’t worry this forum will have your water looking amazing very soon!!

 

[PoolStored]

Welcome to the forum!

First, order your own test kit. You won't get advice here with pool store test results (they are not accurate or reliable) --> Test Kit Comparison.

Good suggestion to read is ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry. You will need the basics.

Next you will need to SLAM your pool. Slam Process

Go back to pool school Pool School and read everything, twice or three times and you will understand what you need to do to keep your pool in top shape.

As always, this is a great place to ask questions!

 

[DieselBeast]

Hi all, I had my pool water tested as it’s been murky for the past few days. I’ve been shocking it to now avail so finally took some water into a store for more details:

FC .26
TC 3.62
PH 7.0
Ack 149
CH 133
CYA 25

the guy advised me to do a MAJOR shock because there was no FC and I added about 2 kg of shock to my @11’600 gallon pool. It’s only been @6 hours but the water is like milk. Was this the right advice and am I at least moving in the right direction? TIA

I searched high and low for a way to get a proper kit in Canada. Best I came up with was the Taylor 2006C from Walmart. Hope this helps!

 

[Julieanne88]

Welcome to the forum!

First, order your own test kit. You won't get advice here with pool store test results (they are not accurate or reliable) --> Test Kit Comparison.

Good suggestion to read is ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry. You will need the basics.

Next you will need to SLAM your pool. Slam Process

Go back to pool school Pool School and read everything, twice or three times and you will understand what you need to do to keep your pool in top shape.

As always, this is a great place to ask questions!

Thanks for your reply. I should have been more clear- I’ve SLAMMED the pool already but am wondering when I should see results. The pool store uses a detailed tester just like the ones you recommended, which are out of my budget at the moment. I’m just looking for some encouragement that I’m on the right path. It’s hot here and I’d love to be using the pool rather than waiting another few days only to find that I should have been doing something else. Thanks.

 

[Julieanne88]

I searched high and low for a way to get a proper kit in Canada. Best I came up with was the Taylor 2006C from Walmart. Hope this helps!

Thank you, that’s very helpful. It’s three times as much $ in Canada as the states and just not in my budget this year. But on the list for next year.

 

[DieselBeast]

Thanks for your reply. I should have been more clear- I’ve SLAMMED the pool already but am wondering when I should see results. The pool store uses a detailed tester just like the ones you recommended, which are out of my budget at the moment. I’m just looking for some encouragement that I’m on the right path. It’s hot here and I’d love to be using the pool rather than waiting another few days only to find that I should have been doing something else. Thanks.

Without being able to maintain the specific level of FC it’s impossible to SLAM properly.

shock and slam are different, you need to be able to check levels consistently.
There is a really detailed write up linked above.

without actual #’s , it is going to be really hard for people to help. They will just be guessing, which is not worth it.

unfortunately you need a test kit

 

[DieselBeast]

Thank you, that’s very helpful. It’s three times as much $ in Canada as the states and just not in my budget this year. But on the list for next year.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but the kit is expensive up front in Canada but I genuinely believe it will save us money long term as we will be putting only what the pool needs into it.

 

[Julieanne88]

This is probably not what you want to hear, but the kit is expensive up front in Canada but I genuinely believe it will save us money long term as we will be putting only what the pool needs into it.

That may be so but it’s still going to take ten days to get here. Never mind, I’ll find the advice locally.

 

[DieselBeast]

That may be so but it’s still going to take ten days to get here. Never mind, I’ll find the advice locally.

Ok well best of luck!! Hope it all works out! The pool school/ ABC’s will still be super helpful ! They will help you understand what you are using & the “why”.

If it helps at all, my Walmart ordered kit came in 7 days.

Good luck with the pool!!

 

[Julieanne88]

Ok well best of luck!! Hope it all works out! The pool school/ ABC’s will still be super helpful ! They will help you understand what you are using & the “why”.

If it helps at all, my Walmart ordered kit came in 7 days.

Good luck with the pool!!

I do understand the “why” but haven’t had enough real life experience in this area to have confidence that it will work. That’s all I was looking for here is the reassurance that I was on the right path.

 

[stricttime]

When you are ready (with your proper test kit) we will be ready to take you on the path to a trouble free pool! Good luck to you!

 

[Julieanne88]

When you are ready (with your proper test kit) we will be ready to take you on the path to a trouble free pool! Good luck to you!

Honestly, this kind of response is just frustrating, not helpful. I prefer to find another forum or get advice from my local pool store where people can appreciate the time sensitive nature of my question. You don’t know which test the pool company used but dismiss it outright.

 

[stricttime]

I honestly didn't mean any snarkiness, I apologize. I've just been where you are and wanted to encourage you that we will be here to help. But we can't really help without you knowing your chemistry from a reliable test. That's the nature of this site--you have to do your own testing. If you don't have that option, then do what the pool store says.

 

[koffey]

I searched high and low for a way to get a proper kit in Canada. Best I came up with was the Taylor 2006C from Walmart. Hope this helps!

$200 amazon.

Honestly, this kind of response is just frustrating, not helpful. I prefer to find another forum or get advice from my local pool store where people can appreciate the time sensitive nature of my question. You don’t know which test the pool company used but dismiss it outright.

Just think about it tho.

You have numbers. People here will tell you to do xyz, test again in hours and post numbers again. Repeat the cycle to determine what is wrong and if your situation is improving. Otherwise, you can go drop well over $200 at your local pool company to help you with this until you realize that it isn't working and you'll be back here again.

Good luck.

 

[Newdude]

I do understand the “why” but haven’t had enough real life experience in this area to have confidence that it will work. That’s all I was looking for here is the reassurance that I was on the right path

So please use our confidence. Science based and fine tuned by an untold thousands of real world pool owning folks over the years. Tailored to your specific region. With lots of your own countrymen/gals to chime in what they found to work best by you, and where to get it.

But we absolutely need to be on the same page. The reliable test kit is the only way that’s possible. Maybe your store’s tests are good today. Will they be tomorrow ? Or next month ? We just don’t know due to another untold thousands of real world folks getting unreliable tests from the stores who’s SOLE purpose is to sell you chemicals. We have nothing to sell you but goodwill if you listen.

If you have a problem you need to check your overnight FC loss to remove the sun/UV from the equation. The store is closed as it gets dark, and when it gets light out. If you have a real problem you need to test many times a day. They won’t just keep testing you if you don’t buy their overpriced and watered down chemicals. There is nothing free about their tests. They use a $15 cartridge to sell you $250 worth of stuff. Rinse, lather, repeat.

We would LOVE to help you. And guide you with dirt cheap chemicals available over the counter at regular stores. The kit will pay for itself many times over, even this season.

If your test is a guess, then so are our answers, possibly causing real damage to your pool or equipment and even more likely, ruining otherwise good water in the pool.

This is overwhelming for you. You’ve reached your wits end and met a bunch of strangers that seem nice enough but why would you trust us ? I’ll tell you why. Because almost every last one of us were in your shoes. We feel your story more than you’ll ever know. Some folks are lucky and come here during their build. They didn’t have this experience. But they’ll back up the ooodles of people they saw come in with the bad experiences. They’ll tell you how they watched us hold peoples hand and get them back from the brink. For free.

Please. Join us.

 

[PoolStored]

YES, it will work! Have confidence, we all can help. Plenty of success threads here if you search.
YES, the test kit is $250CAD.
YES, it will save you that much in chemicals from the pool store.
YES, You can get it here --> Taylor Test Kit on Amazon.ca
YES, I am a new pool owner. After getting the runaround and over $300 in chemicals from pool store, and they sold $1000 UV Filter, and I still had a cloudy pool, I fired them. (UV Filter is not needed on an outdoor pool).
YES, I did it myself.
YES, there is work involved to get it to where you want it, but once it is there it is easy to maintain.
YES, you have to read Pool School content, but it is fun to learn!
YES, you will be super proud of yourself for what you have accomplished!
YES, you have to suspend your fears, but I know you can do it.
YES, TONS of others have had success...check this out ->>Thread with Pics of all the others that have been successful!
YES, you can have a pool that looks like mine!

 

[Julieanne88]

$200 amazon.


Just think about it tho.

You have numbers. People here will tell you to do xyz, test again in hours and post numbers again. Repeat the cycle to determine what is wrong and if your situation is improving. Otherwise, you can go drop well over $200 at your local pool company to help you with this until you realize that it isn't working and you'll be back here again.

Good luck.

The pool company wasn't charging me for the testing, it's free. And buying the test will cost $180-200 and take 7-10 business days minimum to deliver. I was simply asking if it seemed like the advice was on track.

 

[Julieanne88]

YES, it will work! Have confidence, we all can help. Plenty of success threads here if you search.
YES, the test kit is $250CAD.
YES, it will save you that much in chemicals from the pool store.
YES, You can get it here --> Taylor Test Kit on Amazon.ca
YES, I am a new pool owner. After getting the runaround and over $300 in chemicals from pool store, and they sold $1000 UV Filter, and I still had a cloudy pool, I fired them. (UV Filter is not needed on an outdoor pool).
YES, I did it myself.
YES, there is work involved to get it to where you want it, but once it is there it is easy to maintain.
YES, you have to read Pool School content, but it is fun to learn!
YES, you will be super proud of yourself for what you have accomplished!
YES, you have to suspend your fears, but I know you can do it.
YES, TONS of others have had success...check this out ->>Thread with Pics of all the others that have been successful!
YES, you can have a pool that looks like mine!

Thank you for your response. It's not a matter of lacking confidence. Even if I were to order the test kit today, it may take until August 26 to deliver it. That doesn't help me now. I had numbers and advice, was just looking for some assurance that this was the right path. I've read the forums, I understand how things work, but I'm impatient to see some results.

 

[Poolnerdgrandma]

Thank you for your response. It's not a matter of lacking confidence. Even if I were to order the test kit today, it may take until August 26 to deliver it. That doesn't help me now. I had numbers and advice, was just looking for some assurance that this was the right path. I've read the forums, I understand how things work, but I'm impatient to see some results.

If you want to start the TFP method while waiting for your test kit, download the poolmath app and add enough liquid chlorine to bring your free chlorine level to 5 ppm, and do that daily. You may also want to clean your filter, in case it's getting filled up with dead algae.
The folks here spend a huge amount of time (free to visitors) addressing issues caused by pool store testing, advice, and products.
Bump up your chlorine, keep it up, and come back when your test kit arrives for specific guidance based on your test results. I promise it will be worth the wait.
Welcome!