New pool but pump didn't function for first 5 days..what to do first?

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K

Karen14

0
Bronze Supporter
Feb 5, 2016
95
Albany/NY
Pool Size
38000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I've been reading up on think stuff since I decided to get a pool but thought that I'd be starting out with clean water. I'm not sure what to do now. We had 33,000 gal of water trucked in last friday (6/17) and topped it off with our well to about 35,000. Our pump was not functional until tonight. So the water has been untreated and stagnant for 5 days. I have a TF-100 test kit and played around with it last saturday (6/18). This are my numbers:

pH - 7.2
FC - 0.5
CC - 1.5
TC - 2.0
TA - 70
CH - 75ppm
CYA - 0

I went to the pool store today (6/21) because I wanted to get my water tested without using my reagents ( don't have much of the DPD powder in the kit or does it just seem like that?) and figured that I would be testing it more over the next few days. Their readings were similar except for the TA, CH and chlorine. so at the pool store my levels are:
pH - 7.2
FC - 0
TC - 0.5
TA - 40
CH - 50
CYA - 0

I added 17 bags of pool salt and set the pump on high to run all night. I have a SWG but was told not to use that until after I backwash tomorrow morning.
My question is what do I do after I backwash tomorrow morning. The SLAM procedure on this site gives FC levels to strive for based on CYA levels but my CYA levels are 0.

The pool store sold me S.O.S. (shock, oxidizer, sanitizer it has 15% sodium dichloro-s triazinetrione and 85% other ingredients) they suggested 4lbs. and that if I sprinkle it into the pool it should be dissolved and safe for swimming within 15 minutes. This doesn't sound right, is it? I'm not sure exactly what this stuff is and I don't want to add anything that will cause problems for me it getting my pool up and running. I am basically on my own here so I want to start out right.

My questions are, should I add this SOS? if not, where do I start? Do I just add bleach according to the pool calculator? but I don't have CYA, what do I do first?
Thanks!
 
With 74 posts----it's decision time for you! You already took our advice and bought a primo test kit. Congrats! Now don't backslide and start chunking magic potions in there. With a CC of 1.5, you need to SLAM the pool. Period, paragraph. That'll get you up to speed to use the SWG. I'd recommend adding straight CYA to 30 and SLAM at that level.

Please add SWG to your signature line.
 
I'll get some cya this morning. I'm guessing I should get the liquid so I don't have to wait a week before it is at 30. How long do I have to wait with the liquid stabilizer before I can get an accurate reading and add my bleach?

thanks for the help! I'll fix my signature too.
 
I just got stabilizer but it is a granule. Do I have to put that in a sock in the skimmer or can I disperse it in the deep end? How long does that take to dissolve so that I can get an accurate measure before I start adding bleach?

Thanks
 
You don't need to wait to add chlorine. From reading your description, you backwashed this morning, and now you're dissolving the CYA. All good.

You can add chlorine and start the SLAM. The SLAM procedure is: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

There is a link in the procedure to this chart which shows your shock level of 12 ppm FC for CYA at 30 ppm Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Pool math shows you how much chlorinating liquid to add
 
I hope I didn't just screw up. I just put 5lbs of stabilizer in a sock in the skimmer. Since it would take a while for it to show up in the tests I figured I would go ahead and add the bleach figuring it the got used up due to lack of stabilizer I could just add more tomorrow. So I added 5 jugs of the bleach ( about 580 oz) the calculator said to add 602 oz so I figured this was ok. My pool is a brownish green mess. Is that normal. I did the quick cl/ph kit that comes in the blue box within the Tf-100 kit and my cl is off the chart and my ph is off the chart high now. Is this a problem? Should I wait an hour and do the fc/cc test. Will this high pH hurt anything?
 
If you know how much CYA you're adding and the volume of your pool you can be close enough for FC dosing in poolmath. No need to wait and measure.

I just had to add 4 lbs of CYA. I put the first three in socks in from of a return and it about 3 days to fully dissolve. The last pound I put in a knee high hose in the skimmer basket and it was gone overnight with the pump running.
 
Ok. That is good. I also forgot to add that I took another reading to practice my kit and get a baseline before I shocked.
my numbers this morning showed no cc?? Why would that be gone with no chemicals?

PH 7.5
fc 0.0
cc 0.0
ch 50
ta 80
cya 0

i shocked anyway because I thought it would be good to. I don't' know.
 

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Chlorine drives the pH up during the SLAM, but you don't need to think about it. The pH test does not read correctly during SLAMing anyway. You started at 7.2 which is correct for the procedure, plus the CYA would have reduced your pH a bit. Just want to make sure you're following the procedure. This is explained there.

Keep adding chlorine to maintain 12 ppm FC (provided that the amount of CYA you added is per Pool Math to get to 30 ppm CYA)

The key to a quick SLAM is the M, which stands for Maintain, Maintain, Maintain. The better you hold your pH up to shock level for your CYA, the faster your slam will go. The FC disappears due to sunlight and because it's eliminating organic contamination.

Only test FC and occasionally CC until the SLAM is finished.

- - - Updated - - -

You're doing fine, don't worry. If you want the CYA to dissolve faster, squeeze the sock periodically, for example every 15 minutes or so. It helps the water get into the powder.
 
Thanks for all of the help. I'm just curious about if I even needed to do a slam with my cc being 0 this morning. I'm holding fc at 12 and will check in the morning, that will tell me if there is anything left in the pool and I'll know.

Im a bit concerned about this color change that happened. My pool was a pretty blue/green color (tan liner). Then when I added the stabilizer and bleach it turned this horrible brownish green that has become more green as the day has gone on. Is that normal? Will that go away? I'm not even sure I had algae to begin with so this color change may be something else. Is it normal to get a color change with the addition of either the stabilizer or chlorine?
 
There's something worth ruling out. Have you ever tested the pool for metals in solution in the water? A practical way to find out is to take it to a pool store and ask them if they test for metals. Maybe take a couple samples to more than one pool store if you can. No need to buy anything. Bring back the results and the experts will take a look at it. Or if they gave you a printout in the past, it could already be on there.

Is it filled with city water? If so, you could ask your water company. In some places, you can look it up online. You don't mention well water in your signature, but just to double-check, was it filled from a well, or by a delivery service?
 
I had most of it trucked in but I topped it off with well water. I noticed last night when I was doing my last reading that there was a brownish orange band of stuff that I was able to brush off at the water line. I'm not sure if that helps. When I took a sample to the pool store they said there were no metals but I'm not sure how sensitive their test is.
 
Based on your pool store results showing no metals, the cloudiness is most likely algae dieing, so in that case, the need for the SLAM is confirmed.

Keep your FC at 12 as often as possible. Testing and adding 3 times a day at least and more often is better. You're not going to swimming in by the sounds of things, so don't be afraid to go over a bit. Hitting it hard at this stage will make the total length of the SLAM shorter. Brush the pool at least once per day and twice is much better.

The pool store's test for metals should be adequate, but do you have another pool store within reasonable distance? It wouldn't be a bad idea to rule metals out if possible. Trucked-in water and well water increases the likelihood of metals, so we really need to be sure if possible.

My guess is that perhaps the trucked-in water was drawn from surface water, i.e. lake, stream or river. I think woodyp is watching this thread, so let's see what he thinks. I can also ask a couple of experts to come take a look at your thread. Could you please take a picture looking down at your stairs and post it here?

Finally, have you used any algaecides or other chemicals in the pool? Anything else out of the ordinary you can think of?

Chances are it's just algae dieing and you need to keep the SLAM going strong. Pools can be entirely clear and have live algae growing. When it gets hit hard with chlorine, they start to die, and the pool goes cloudy with their dead "carcasses" although it's usually more whitish/blue than brown/green. The tan liner would be changing the look of everything vs. average appearance at this stage.

Be sure to read the procedure and follow it to the letter. Use the FAS-DPD test for chlorine (powder and drops).
 
needsajet said:
Based on your pool store results showing no metals, the cloudiness is most likely algae dieing, so in that case, the need for the SLAM is confirmed.

Keep your FC at 12 as often as possible. Testing and adding 3 times a day at least and more often is better. You're not going to swimming in by the sounds of things, so don't be afraid to go over a bit. Hitting it hard at this stage will make the total length of the SLAM shorter. Brush the pool at least once per day and twice is much better.

The pool store's test for metals should be adequate, but do you have another pool store within reasonable distance? It wouldn't be a bad idea to rule metals out if possible. Trucked-in water and well water increases the likelihood of metals, so we really need to be sure if possible.

My guess is that perhaps the trucked-in water was drawn from surface water, i.e. lake, stream or river. I think woodyp is watching this thread, so let's see what he thinks. I can also ask a couple of experts to come take a look at your thread. Could you please take a picture looking down at your stairs and post it here?

Finally, have you used any algaecides or other chemicals in the pool? Anything else out of the ordinary you can think of?

Chances are it's just algae dieing and you need to keep the SLAM going strong. Pools can be entirely clear and have live algae growing. When it gets hit hard with chlorine, they start to die, and the pool goes cloudy with their dead "carcasses" although it's usually more whitish/blue than brown/green. The tan liner would be changing the look of everything vs. average appearance at this stage.

Be sure to read the procedure and follow it to the letter. Use the FAS-DPD test for chlorine (powder and drops).
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for all of your help. I woke up with a nice looking pool this morning. I'm not sure if it is the sun shining on it now but some of the blue is back and it looks like it did before I started adding the chemicals. The trucked in water was our local city drinking water so it should be clean. 3 years ago we had our water tested and I think there is some iron in it. The pool store just checked for iron and said they had found none but that was before I had accidentally left my hose on to fill the pool up a bit more and it is now just at the top of the skimmer.

my fc did not decrease at all over night so I think I am through the slam. I actually am thinking that I probably didn't have any algae unless that brownish-orange stuff at the waterline is something as I never had a high cc reading. I'll bring another sample to a pool store to get a better idea about metals. and look into getting my well water tested again.

So now I just have to balance everything out. I'm trying to figure everything out. I'm thinking that I need to get my cya level to 70 but I do not have an accurate reading on that yet. I'd like to do a backwash soon to get my water level down about 1-2 inches but I can't do that if I have to add more cya. Also should I wait on that until my fc has decreased to the 4 ppm level that I want before I stabilize it? I'm having a pool party in about 10 days and would like all of this balanced before then. my levels this morning on all else are:

pH 7.5
TA 90-100 (should it be that bright red color or is dull red ok)
CH 100

I don't have a salt reading because I have not started up my swg yet (there is a reading on my omnilogic once it starts running). I know that I have not added enough from what was required from the calculations, I need to add about 7 more bags. should I start the swg at this point or should I wait until my fc has decreased? I'm thinking that I have to lower the pH to decrease the TA. can I do all of this at once? Also how soon after I add these things can I swim?
again, thanks again for all of your help. this site has been wonderful!
 
I'm thinking that I need to get my cya level to 70 but I do not have an accurate reading on that yet. I'd like to do a backwash soon to get my water level down about 1-2 inches but I can't do that if I have to add more cya. Also should I wait on that until my fc has decreased to the 4 ppm level that I want before I stabilize it?
Click to expand...
1-2 inches is nothing. You can start ramping up CYA now.
pH 7.5
TA 90-100 (should it be that bright red color or is dull red ok)
CH 100
Click to expand...
Count drops until there is no color change. Then don't count the last drop, the one that didn't change anything.
I don't have a salt reading because I have not started up my swg yet (there is a reading on my omnilogic once it starts running). I know that I have not added enough from what was required from the calculations, I need to add about 7 more bags. should I start the swg at this point or should I wait until my fc has decreased? I'm thinking that I have to lower the pH to decrease the TA. can I do all of this at once? Also how soon after I add these things can I swim?
Click to expand...
Don't worry about TA now. 90 might be fine. Just watch your pH over the next few weeks. Sorry I can't answer salt questions. You can swim now :swim:
 
Yes, bright pink for the TA, as mentioned before, and Mr Bruce describes it well also. Please add which test kit you have and your pool volume to your signature.

Sorry, I can't decipher test results when I have to dig back through the thread. My brain breaks. It's very handy if you post them per the method shown in "Read Before You Post" (link in my signature).

I recall that there was a CC problem and the pool is cloudy. It's not clear to me whether or not an OCLT was done. It's entirely up to you if you want to end the SLAM without meeting the recommended criteria. I am certainly glad the pool is looking good. The numbers in your last post look fine. If the heater is still under warranty, you may want to check the water chemistry specs. Have fun swimming!!
 
Mr Bruce said:
1-2 inches is nothing. You can start ramping up CYA now.

Count drops until there is no color change. Then don't count the last drop, the one that didn't change anything.
Don't worry about TA now. 90 might be fine. Just watch your pH over the next few weeks. Sorry I can't answer salt questions. You can swim now :swim:
Click to expand...

thanks for the great directions. That was a very helpful suggestion.

needsajet said:
Yes, bright pink for the TA, as mentioned before, and Mr Bruce describes it well also. Please add which test kit you have and your pool volume to your signature.

Sorry, I can't decipher test results when I have to dig back through the thread. My brain breaks. It's very handy if you post them per the method shown in "Read Before You Post" (link in my signature).

I recall that there was a CC problem and the pool is cloudy. It's not clear to me whether or not an OCLT was done. It's entirely up to you if you want to end the SLAM without meeting the recommended criteria. I am certainly glad the pool is looking good. The numbers in your last post look fine. If the heater is still under warranty, you may want to check the water chemistry specs. Have fun swimming!!
Click to expand...

sorry, my test kit is the Tf-100. I only had a cc reading on my first day of testing which was the day after delivery, it was 1.5 but I didn't have any fc at that point and it was the only time I saw a positive of the cc. Also the water was never cloudy. However, I am pretty ocd so I did finish out the whole slam. It just took only 24 hours because the fc didn't drop overnight last night therefore it did pass the oclt. However, I'm new here so who knows if all is truly right. The pool looks great today so I'm feeling pretty good. I'm going to check my numbers tonight and add more salt and possibly more bleach (the swg won't run until the salt is up to a certain level). I'm also going to add more stabilizer as I added to get to 30 and I should be at 70 but I'm not getting an accurate reading yet.

This is site is so helpful. I really like that I will have such a good understanding of pool chemistry soon and have such good control over my pool. It is nice to be able to see how healthy the water is whenever I want. Thank you to all who help out us new guys.
 
That's great and glad the pool is looking good. :) If you ever have a concern about algae growing, you can do the OCLT anytime. Just test after sunset and before sunrise, or at least before any sun could have hit the pool, with SWG turned off for the duration of the test. It's very satisfying learning all this and knowing you're doing a better job than you could hire!
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
 

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