Slowly getting there...

[drag0on]

Hi everyone,

We bought a house with a 24' hexagonal on-ground pool in January. Pool is about 10000 gallons. We were told that the pool was installed in 2007 or 2008, and the liner was replaced in 2014. After we moved in, we discovered that the previous owners (who'd been there two years) did absolutely no maintenance on the house. We also found out that the pool was last opened in 2014. I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when we opened the pool to find a swamp. The water was black and full of dead leaves.

Photo taken three days after opening. Results from the day before:

FC 0
TC 0
CC 0
pH 7.3
CH 54
TA 83
CYA 0
Copper 0
Iron 0
Phosphate OVR 326.46 ppb

I was told to add a jug of phosfree, 10 cups of hardness increaser (5 cups two hours apart), and put some stabilizer in a stocking. Then I used a leaf net to remove as many of the leaves as possible, and I started vacuuming to waste once I could see the bottom a little more clearly. We were using granular shock at this point, but we switched to the liquid shock on the Tuesday.

I even found a 4' downspout from someone's house, and ended up vacuuming out a few pounds of gravel.

A week after opening (Thursday)...

We have been shocking using 1 gallon of liquid chlorine per night for the last three days of the week. I've backwashed and refilled the pool to above the skimmer several times. We added conditioner yesterday as well.

Ten days later (today)...

Results from yesterday's test:

FC 3.99
TC 4.75
CC 0.76
pH 7.5
CH 162
TA 99
CYA 15
Copper 0
Iron 0.1
Phosphate 46.61 ppb

I was advised not to shock it last night, so I didn't. Will the TC go down on its own? Yesterday, I added some hardness increaser and some stabilizer (6 hours apart) and let the filter run all day and night-- except for while using floc. The pool is extra cloudy in this picture because I have not yet vacuumed the floc out. I know opinions are mixed on using floc, however, I'm having a hard time pulling the remaining organic particulate from the bottom. I've even left the vacuum running in the middle of the pool for a little while to see if I could filter it out.

The good news is that I no longer have to vacuum to waste because nearly all the leaves have been removed.

Is there anything else we can do? Or is it more of a waiting game now?

 

[AimeeH]

Welcome to TFP

First, what we advocate is testing your own water and understanding what is needed to clear it up and maintain it. Mixing our advice with the pool stores will just leave you confused.

To clear up your pool you need to SLAM it. Shock Level And Maintain. You need a good test kit to get through the process and maintain clear water. Here are some good articles to start with to help you decide which route you want to go. If you want to take control from the store to you you will never be left without help from members here

Pool School - Test Kits Compared
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

 

[drag0on]

Welcome to TFP

First, what we advocate is testing your own water and understanding what is needed to clear it up and maintain it. Mixing our advice with the pool stores will just leave you confused.

To clear up your pool you need to SLAM it. Shock Level And Maintain. You need a good test kit to get through the process and maintain clear water. Here are some good articles to start with to help you decide which route you want to go. If you want to take control from the store to you you will never be left without help from members here

Pool School - Test Kits Compared
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Thanks! I will look into getting my own testing kit. I would like to try the SLAM method, but how can I do it with the chlorine being high? Do I wait for the chlorine to drop or should I drain a little and refill?

 

[Richard320]

Thanks! I will look into getting my own testing kit. I would like to try the SLAM method, but how can I do it with the chlorine being high? Do I wait for the chlorine to drop or should I drain a little and refill?

The right tester -- the one you need to do the SLAM -- can measure FC up to 50 ppm by .2 increments if needed.

Your free chlorine level isn't high. It would be barely adequate for your CYA level if the pool was already crystal clear and sparkling. It's nowhere near high enough to keep ahead of the algae.

If Pool School gets too confusing, just skim through some of these and look at the pictures. If they can do it, you can do it. Just do what they did. Recovering my old inspirational links

 

[AimeeH]

According to your last tests posted your chlorine is far to low. If that test can be trusted (and we don't usually trust pool store testing) your CYA Is low. That is stabilizer. Have you added any? If so it may not be dissolved yet.

There is a link at the top of the page to pool math. Play with that a bit to determine the affect of adding the amount of stabilizer if you've added it.

 

[drag0on]

The right tester -- the one you need to do the SLAM -- can measure FC up to 50 ppm by .2 increments if needed.

Your free chlorine level isn't high. It would be barely adequate for your CYA level if the pool was already crystal clear and sparkling. It's nowhere near high enough to keep ahead of the algae.

If Pool School gets too confusing, just skim through some of these and look at the pictures. If they can do it, you can do it. Just do what they did. Recovering my old inspirational links

I just retested and it looks like there's almost no chlorine in the pool. How confusing this all is. I will check out the post, thanks!

According to your last tests posted your chlorine is far to low. If that test can be trusted (and we don't usually trust pool store testing) your CYA Is low. That is stabilizer. Have you added any? If so it may not be dissolved yet.

There is a link at the top of the page to pool math. Play with that a bit to determine the affect of adding the amount of stabilizer if you've added it.

I did add stabilizer, however, I mixed it in water and spread it out around the pool. Am I better off putting it in a sock?

Glad I found you guys.

 

[Richard320]

I just retested and it looks like there's almost no chlorine in the pool. How confusing this all is. I will check out the post, thanks!

I did add stabilizer, however, I mixed it in water and spread it out around the pool. Am I better off putting it in a sock?

Glad I found you guys.

Go brush that stuff around some. You run the risk of it leaving white freckles on the pool floor if it sits in the same spot too long. Brush every hour or two until it's all dissolved. Or vacuum it up so it's in the filter and then don't backwash for a couple days.

 

[drag0on]

Go brush that stuff around some. You run the risk of it leaving white freckles on the pool floor if it sits in the same spot too long. Brush every hour or two until it's all dissolved. Or vacuum it up so it's in the filter and then don't backwash for a couple days.

I put it down yesterday afternoon. I've since swept a few times and I've vacuumed as well. I forgot about the no backwashing rule and I think I did it once this morning.

It looks like I'll have to order a FAS-DPD kit off of eBay. No stores in my area sell it.

 

[AimeeH]

If you're ordering the chlorine test kit, make sure you get a test for CYA as well. In all cases the minimum amount of chlorine your pool needs is dependent upon your CYA.

Keep reading pool school. I know it can be overwhelming and confusing at first but a light will come on and you "will get it" and never be pool stored again if you want to take control.

 

[drag0on]

I feel like you guys are selling a philosophy here.

I put a gallon of sodium hypochlorite in this evening. It's now very blue, but still cloudy. I'm hoping the foaminess is from the breakdown of two years of organic material. I've scrubbed the bottom a few times over the last six hours as well, to spread the chemicals around.

Our PS damage wasn't too bad (~$200, including a large leaf net for the bottom of the pool). I regret two of the products we bought, but I'm learning. I'm looking forward to maintaining the pool and learning more about using non-PS products.

 

[Richard320]

Foam is common. Scroll through the pics in Frog Filled Green Swamp to Oasis---Work in Progress!!!!!!

 

[drag0on]

Foam is common. Scroll through the pics in Frog Filled Green Swamp to Oasis---Work in Progress!!!!!!

Great read, thanks. Good to know it might be normal.

I will stop worrying about the calcium as well.

 

[mjnorman]

I feel like you guys are selling a philosophy here.

Couldn't have said it better myself. There is so much information on this forum it can be overwhelming no doubt. I didn't know anything about pools at all, and after getting advice from various folks here, pool is doing great and had a fabulous Memorial day weekend with family and friends, and everyone loved the pool.

If I can do it you can too. Don't get overwhelmed, and just reread those articles they linked above over and over again. You'll be set to go in no time

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