HELP - I need advice on getting my pool clear

[ilashes]

Hello All -
I have a 21' above ground pool that I did not cover over winter - it is of course all kinds of green and mucky - just gross. What would be the best cheapest way to get it sparkly clean and ready quickly?

I do not want to spend tons of money on chemicals and thought maybe someone would have some advice.

 

[Guest]

all you need to clear it is chlorine (bleach) and a GOOD test kit. Start by reading the pool school section of the forum. The link is in the upper right corner of every page and also in my signature.
Your first step would be to post a full set of test results so we know what is going on in your pool. I assume that you have been using trichlor pucks in a floater or feeder and, if so, you probably have a CYA (cyanuric acid) level that is too high (or in a worse case, your CYA has been converted to ammonia by bacteria and your pool now has a huge chlorine demand!). It's not as bad or complicated as it seems but you do need a good test kit because you need to know your test numbers. Strips and cheap (and some expensive) kits will NOT do it. You need a test kit that uses the FAS-DPD chlorine test method, NOT DPD or OTO tests, and also tests pH, TA (total alkalinity) CH (calcium hardness NOT total hardness like the strips and some cheap kits), and CYA (cyanuric acid or stabilizer).
Start reading pool school and it will all fall into place very quickly. You do NOT need to waste money on algaecides, clarifiers, phosphate removers, and all the other goodies the pool store will try and sell you.

 

[JasonLion]

Just to add to what waterbear already said, the first step is to get all the debris out that you possibly can. Pull out all the leaves, etc, that you can with a leaf net and try doing some vacuuming even if you can't see the bottom. The more you can get out before hand the less chlorine you will need.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Hi and welcome...

Is your filter up and running? Be sure the water has circulated a bit before you collect a sample for testing. You can take a sample to the pool store for them to test for you, if you don't have a good kit.

The articles in Pool School - read them all! You'll be glad you did. Then read them again! LOL. Start at the top and work your way down, if you don't have an SWG you can skip those for now, but refer back to them later, you may decide you want one... . Focus on the basics, learning the various terms and issues, and then concentrate on How to Shock your Pool, Defeating Algae, and Recommended Levels. The Defeating Algae article - that will tell you what you need to do to turn your pool water clear again!

First and formost, order a good test kit - the Test Kits Compared article will tell you the two we recommend. It may seem like a lot at first, but when you consider the amount of money wasted at pool stores, it's the best investment you'll make. You won't have to set foot in a pool store for them to test your water, tempting you with all sorts of unneccessary chems!

 

[ilashes]

wow you guys are great - this is really my husbands job so I am going to have him read all of this> I am so done spending so much money on chemicals so this is good - who has all that extra money these days anyway.

We still have to add more water in, set up the filter yet and scoop the junk out of the bottom. I am going to have my husband on this forum pronto - I want to get this going ASAP.

Thanks so much!!!! I am sure I will be here a lot. :-D