Please help me!!

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beccas27

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Jun 23, 2016
15
Shepherdsville Kentucky
Hello everyone!! I am new to the pool life. But last year had a sand filter and never had any issues, switched to a Hayward 2 HP cartridge filter

I have 27x 42 round above ground pool

My pool is a teal cloudy color. And I am stuck, and completely lost!
I get one level up and then Bam. All went to ?
Here is my levels

TH-110
FC-1
C-1
PH-6.8
TA-60
Stabilizer-60


I do the baking soda and had the TA up to 140. Then bam. Right back down after I add shock.

Can anyone tell me what I should focus is first? Or what else to add?

I have spent sooo much money on products I feel like I am going to need to start donating blood to keep up. Jk jk.

But any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I live in KY. The weather here is very humid. Temp was 105 today.

I look forward to getting to know all of y'all!- again I am from Kentucky ?
 
Welcome to the forum. :wave:

read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. That will explain what you need so we can get going. You need chlorine in that pool....nothing else just chlorine.

Please tell us how you are testing and we'll work with you and get your pool crystal clear....promise.
 
beccas27, Dave's question above will really help us (and you) - how are you testing. Everything we do to guide you depends on the proper test kit. For cloudy (algae) water, you expect you'll need to "SLAM" (link below in my sig). Three key chemical tings to look for:
- Adjust pH to 7.2 (raise with Borax)
- CYA (stabilizer) of 60 --- we need to know how that was tested
- If your CYA is correct, then your SLAM FC level would be "24".

So you would "SLAM" first, then worry about TA and other things later. But again, we'd hate to see you start adjusting things only to find out those were pool store results that are not reliable. So we'll watch for more info from you.
 
I have tried the slam process. I read the forums daily. And also the BBB method.

Yesterday the cholorine and FC was over 10. So I thought ok. Maybe it was the 2 lbs of shock I used. So I waited until today to retest and now the chlorine is at a 1 again.

Umm. Don't laugh. I don't know the name of the kit. It's a dropper kit. My neighbor used and showed me. And also I used some of those strips. Chlorox brand. Until I get my own kit in

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image.jpg
 
I understand. So you look to have two thins working against you at the moment:
- Basic test kit/strips that don't test FC accurately over 5-10 ppm
- Inconsistent SLAM FC level that is dropping as well

If ordering the entire TF-100 test kit is an issue right now, you definitely need THIS PART to test FC accurately. Those local HTH-type kits aren't designed to test FC at 24. The strips are just about worthless when it comes to accuracy. My other concern is the CYA. If you used your own test kit from the store, you may be okay going with 60 which drives the SLAM FC level of 24.

Definitely raise that pH to at least 7.2 though because it's very corrosive at 6.8. Hope that helps.
 
For raising the FC level accurately, we use regular liquid bleach - generic is fine. It works great with little to no side effects of adding other chemicals.

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The chlorine won't cause the cloudiness. That's all algae. Your TA can wait for now. It's fine. The cloudiness is caused when algae begins to grow, and that happens with the CYA and FC become unbalanced. If you look at the Chlorine/CYA Chart below in my sig, you'll see how they work together. When those two get out of whack, that's when the problems start.
 
Outstanding! That's a GOOD neighbor. :) Then you can feel confident the CYA of 60 is accurate if tested from the TF-100. Now you just need to adjust pH to 7.2 (increase with Borax) and then increase FC to 24 with chlorine/regular bleach. But you need that FAS-DPD (powder & drops) to test FC accurately up to the FC of 24. That's going to be key for you.
 

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We see this everyday. A TFP "SLAM" can fix that and get you clear again. Just need the right tool - powder & drops for FC testing. Starting now you could have it ready for the 4th.

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86 ounces of Borax to increase pH from 6.8 to 7.2.
 
You can add the Borax any time by pre-dissolving it in a bucket of water and then pouring that slowly in front of a return. Bleach is also added slowly in front of a return.

The only thing I would highlight is the FC (bleach). When you first add it, the FC may drop from 24 to below 10 very fast with all that algae/organics in the water. So you have to be ready & available to re-test and increase back to 24 frequently until it can stabilize. I just wanted to point that out because if you do a one-time increase of FC to 24 then are away from the house all day, it will probably all be gone when you get back and not have been able to do what it needed to.
 
Ok. Awesome. Thanks so much. I'll be sure to keep they kit handy and keep testing

And I'll post my numbers tomm!

is it best to do in the evening when that sun is down or does that really matter?

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Oh and 1 more thing. So my mind is 100 mph. Lol



so 86 ounces of borax.... How many bottles of bleach should I buy? I know better to have lots of hand correct. Lol
 
Oh, amount of bleach? Quite a bit. If your FC is zero right now, it would take 5 gallons to increase to the SLAM level of 24. After that, it's a matter of testing and re-adding bleach as required. I can see 10-15 gallons easy to get started.
 
Well, what about:
Soda ash is available as ARM & HAMMER® Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster. Do not confuse this with ARM & HAMMER® laundry detergent! It is sold in the laundry detergent section of most larger grocery stores and some big box stores. It is also sold by pool stores under various names, including PH Increaser, PH Up, Balance Pak 200, etc. Soda ash is best added by pre-dissolving it in a bucket of water and then pouring that slowly in front of a return.
Click to expand...
 
Well I found some at a drug store for 6.59 for 12 ounces. So I'll just go get that in Am. Along with lots of bleach!!
thanks again

and I'll post numbers tomm ������

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Awesome! Thanks for all of your knowledge. It's greatly appreciated!! I am sure they sell the A&h stuff at Walmart. Lol
 

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