help - weekly pool cleaner added polyquat and chlorout to SLAMing w/copper pool!

[Rose Haven]

2nd year with pool - have learned a ton from this site - thank you!

I have been SLAMing the pool due to recurrent cloudy water all season and green water and sides for the past week.

The pool went green when the weekly pool chick didn't come, Chlorine went down to Zero, and I had no pucks, shock, or my trusty liquid chlorine on hand. She had used them up (I had used up the liquid chlorine) and not replaced them. I am disabled, and had to wait several days for my hubby to bring some when he got back from being away.

I SLAMMED the pool and after a week of frustration hubby brought Omni Algae Kill Kit - Copper & Chlorine. I treated with that and YESTERDAY *finally* saw clear water and dead brown algae *dust* on the bottom. No trace of green on the sides at last!!

I asked hubby to bring a phosphate test kit this weekend, as we have a new well in a farmed field this year. Last year, we used city water in out pool and had no problems with a weekly treatment of liquid chlorine. The same weekly chlorine treatment this year has continued, but we have had cloudy water all season.

TODAY, I left a note for the Pool Chick to test for Phosphates, and note that the Pool was 'closed for swimming' as it is being shocked and algaecided. So all I needed was a vacuum ( which I am unable to do. )

Instead, she left me a note that my Chlorine was too high - 5-7pmm ( Yay, drifting down nicely after SLAM & clear water at last! ), so she added ChlorOut (!!!), and it's now 3pmm! Though she left the pump off, which I just turned on - so likely Chlor Out may not have been fully mixed in yet.

She also added a jug of MBA-60 algaecide ( polyquat ) for good measure!! Though noted she saw no visible algae, and noted she did not have a Phosphate Test Kit, but I "probably don't have phosphates as all the numbers are good".

To say that I'm beside myself furious, is an understatement.

Now I have low Chlorine, Copper, and Polyquat and ChlorOut (sodium thio) in the pool. And it's cloudy again, of course.

I feel like I have an unhealthy chemical stew going on. The pool maintenance company has not returned my calls.

I have visions of draining the pool, and we have a gorgeous weekend ahead. Of course, weekends are when the pool is in heavy use.

What to do???


Pool specs - 40,000 rectangle inground, Hayward sand filter, pump, heater

Test strip:

Free Chlorine 3ppm
Total Chlorine 3ppm

Alk 120
Ph 7.8
TH ~400
CyA ~100

My Taylor Kit is missing - she may have misplaced it.

Many thanks in advance to the experts here!
Judy

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello Judy and welcome to TFP! Well, you have been at the mercy of some others to help you and they have let you down. That's not uncommon with pools. That's what TFP is all about - 100% control of your own pool. I guess the first question to ask to you and your husband is, "Are you both able to do that?" You obviously have some limitations, but can either of you test the water daily with your own test kit? Then also add some bleach to the pool each evening? If so, then once you find the missing kit, just cut ties with the pool service and do this on your own. Start at our Pool School page (link below and on home page) and read what TFP has to offer.

Also make sure to update your signature with all of your pool information as we read your posts. You're correct, you have quite a science experiment going on there now with everything in the water. Did it cause any problems? Too early to tell yet without good test results from your Taylor K-2006C (if that's what you have). That's the key.

Also, I just noticed your estimated CYA is around 100. That's too high Judy. But don't trust the test strip. You need to test that CYA with a Taylor K-2006C. If it is over 100, you'll have no choice but to drain some water to lower it, which might be just as well anyways based on all the other chemicals already added. Lots to think about here, but we'll help. First thing though .. find that test kit and please confirm if it's a Taylor K-2006C. Very nice to have you with us.

 

[Rose Haven]

Hello Pat and Thank You so very much for the warm welcome and your kind words - and taking the time & trouble to read my novella.

To answer your questions: Yes, I can test the water daily and add bleach in the evening. I have spinal arthritis, so while relatively mobile, heavy lifting, vacuuming (pool or house lol) is impossible. The pool maintenance company opens and closes the pool for the season, and then weekly vacuums, drops some pucks into the skimmer, and maintains and repairs equipment as needed.

My Taylor test kit is not the K-2006C, and I sent hubby to the pool store to get that or a TF 100 tonight. (He works in the city - the pool and I are at our summer country home.) Needless to say, he called back that he was sold a tube of test strips as they did not have what he asked for. Yes, I told him NO Substitutions, what can I say. I will look for my Taylor kit in the daylight tomorrow and post the numbers. In the meantime, I'll order the proper test kit online, but likely won't have it til next week as it's a holiday weekend here. Without accurate numbers, I can only approximate with a test strip.

I have spent dozens upon dozens of hours and many late nights reading this site and forums, both last year and this year, and would not have had the near the success I've had so far without what knowledge I've learned so far! What an amazing resource, and such incredibly knowledgeable and helpful Mods and folks on this forum. I would be completely lost without it. So thanks so much again!!

I will also fill in my sig line with my pool description - today was a frantic hair pulling day. I'm still very concerned about the chemical stew the pool girl created, and especially after 2 weeks of fighting algae - and not swimming due to high chlorine - and finally having definite success yesterday, I really lost it. Plus with the holiday weekend ( our Canadian 4th of July ) coming and neighbors and friends coming over, I've gone from ecstatic to blind rage at this mess.

I still don't know if we can use the pool this weekend with all the chemicals in there. Would it be safe?

Taylor test results posted when available....