Pease help!!!! I have been trying to get my pool open for the past week. I have an 18×52 Summer Escapes AG pool. I had it up last year with the cheap pump it came with. This year I upgraded and bought an Intex Sand filter. (I have been trying to go the cheap route until we knew for sure if we were truly "pool people" and ready to splurge for a more permanent AG pool. Well I have probably surpassed that cost!!) Anyway, due to life happening I did not do anything to the pool to prepare for winter or opening this summer. Therefore, I started by filling it up with water , about half had evaporated. (In hindsight I guess I should have drained at this point as DH said!) I hooked up new sand filter, and got out as much of the leaves and such that I could with a big net. I took the recommendation of the pool store and put in "Clean to Green" from Leslie's and spent 36 hours putting 2 bags of shock every 12 hours with pump going. Not as green on Monday, but still not "just cloudy" as pool guy said it would be. Took a sample of water to the local pool store I used last year. This time muriatic acid, an algaecide, and 3 bags of a super shock and tablets for the floater. Did not vacuum at this point, just had used big skimmer pole. Put in chemicals. THEN realized I need to vacuum. Vacuummed for 2 days until very little was coming from bottom. Third trip to Pool store recommended muriatic acid, 2 bags shock and a clarifier. I also added the rest of the algeacide since it still looked green and 2 more bags shock. That was yesterday. Oh and last night, in a fit of frustration, I poured in 2 gallons of liquid bleach. I have yet to look at the pool this morning. I am to the point that if it is still any shade of green I am going to drain it. I have not purchased the test kit that is recommended as I just saw where to order today, but I will! Any advice would be gteatly appreciated.
To drain or not....New and very frustrated
- Thread starter tuckertx
- Start date
Hi, welcome to TFP! I sorry you have been chasing your tail with the pool store's advice. For us to help you, we need to know test results, especially the CYA level and the FC level. Which shock product did they have you use, and how many bags total? Depending on which shock product it was, draining may be the best option.
Going the pool store route is seldom cheap! You will not regret ordering the test kit, just by keeping you out of the pool store it pays for itself in no time in savings!
Going the pool store route is seldom cheap! You will not regret ordering the test kit, just by keeping you out of the pool store it pays for itself in no time in savings!
I used a total of 13 bags of shock in the last week. 7 of those were the brand from Leslie's, Chlorinator, 1 HTH, 6 from the local store, which they say is a better quality than Leslie's or hth. And 2 gallons of liquid chlorine from Walmart pool section.
Time to read, if you haven't already, while you wait for your kit!
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here 
Lots of people come here in your situation with ineffective pool store advice. The quickest and cheapest path to a safe sparkly pool starts with one of the recommended test kits - the TF100 test kit with XL option or a Taylor K-2006C. Knowing your true numbers will save you from buying expensive pool store stuff, paying for the kit in a couple of months, then it's all savings. TFTestkits.net
The TF100 has been optimized for Trouble Free Pool Care (TFPC). We also recommend the speed stirrer if you can swing it.
Lots of people come here in your situation with ineffective pool store advice. The quickest and cheapest path to a safe sparkly pool starts with one of the recommended test kits - the TF100 test kit with XL option or a Taylor K-2006C. Knowing your true numbers will save you from buying expensive pool store stuff, paying for the kit in a couple of months, then it's all savings. TFTestkits.net
The TF100 has been optimized for Trouble Free Pool Care (TFPC). We also recommend the speed stirrer if you can swing it.
Do you know if the Leslie's bags were Chlor-bright, Power Powder, or Fresh and Clear? They have different chemical compounds. The Chlor-bright has CYA in it as it is dichlor based. The CYA is the level I'm trying to estimate by asking what shock you have used so far. Power powder and HTH are calcium hypochlorite. Do you know if the other pool store's shock was dichlor or trichlor based?
Chlor Brite bags -sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dehydrate 99%
Poolife bags -calcium hypochlorite 78%
Hth bags -calcium hypochlorite 52%
Pool is still green this morning!!!
I will order the tester and read, just want to be able to use pool soon.
Would it be my best option to drain in order to use soon?
Poolife bags -calcium hypochlorite 78%
Hth bags -calcium hypochlorite 52%
Pool is still green this morning!!!
I will order the tester and read, just want to be able to use pool soon.
Would it be my best option to drain in order to use soon?
Seven bags of Chlor Brite raised your CYA by 56ppm. I don't know if you had any CYA in the pool when you started, but the recommended range of CYA is 30-50ppm for a manually chlorinated pool. Do you have a copy of a recent test report that shows a level for CYA?
It showed 65 from the pool store results. It was the same both times. I went ahead and drained the pool today. I scrubbed the walls down with bleach and poured a gallon of bleach into rhe water that was left, about 6 inches. What would you recommend I add as it is filling with water? I will be using city water from hose. Our water is pretty hard here.
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Glad you were able to drain and refill. That going to be way easier!
We'll need to know pool volume. Could you have a look at "Read before posting" in my signature and follow the instructions for adding a signature? That will help you get the best advice. If need be, tell me length, width, shape, shallow end depth, deep end depth, I can help out with that to give us a rough idea.
We can do CYA, chlorine and pH all within an hour if need be, and as soon as the water is warm enough, it will be fine for swimming if the water is clear. If any water was left in the pool, describe how much. When it's full, post a picture looking down at the steps or of the deep end with your pool brush resting in the water.
Since there was algae there, we'll SLAM it right away or really soon, and it should be fine in a few days. The only thing that could set it back is if there's algae hiding anywhere. If you have pool lights, pop those out (probably two screws holding them in, they're waterproof, no harm taking them out with the pool full) and scrub out any algae. Anywhere there's a place for algae to hide, scrub it.
So if you're filling it for swimming this coming July 4 weekend, we can get it safe for the weekend, and then SLAM right after. I think that will work out. But it's key to kill off the algae entirely so it's trouble free all season.
There's some more reading to do, but let us know if this plan works for you. Another key thing is not to mix TFP advice with pool store advice. Stick to what we tell you if you want safe, sparkly water. I think that covers it. Do you know when you'll have your test kit?
We'll need to know pool volume. Could you have a look at "Read before posting" in my signature and follow the instructions for adding a signature? That will help you get the best advice. If need be, tell me length, width, shape, shallow end depth, deep end depth, I can help out with that to give us a rough idea.
We can do CYA, chlorine and pH all within an hour if need be, and as soon as the water is warm enough, it will be fine for swimming if the water is clear. If any water was left in the pool, describe how much. When it's full, post a picture looking down at the steps or of the deep end with your pool brush resting in the water.
Since there was algae there, we'll SLAM it right away or really soon, and it should be fine in a few days. The only thing that could set it back is if there's algae hiding anywhere. If you have pool lights, pop those out (probably two screws holding them in, they're waterproof, no harm taking them out with the pool full) and scrub out any algae. Anywhere there's a place for algae to hide, scrub it.
So if you're filling it for swimming this coming July 4 weekend, we can get it safe for the weekend, and then SLAM right after. I think that will work out. But it's key to kill off the algae entirely so it's trouble free all season.
There's some more reading to do, but let us know if this plan works for you. Another key thing is not to mix TFP advice with pool store advice. Stick to what we tell you if you want safe, sparkly water. I think that covers it. Do you know when you'll have your test kit?
