pool idiot with algae shock question

[DianaWolls]

Ok going to prefence this by saying I probably have no business owing a pool I don't get pool chemistry very good but I'm willing to learn! Thank God, I found this site.
We have had this pool set up for a couple of years and despite it being a Blue World Pool, never had any real problems. Well at the end of last summer the ionizer really wasn't working anymore and then I had a heart attack so the pool was never really tended to. It is now a green swamp. I tried shocking it but it didn't really do anything. I read Jason's post and that answered most of my questions. I know I need to slam it but I don't understand even with the calculator what my slam levels are.

Here are my very sad current levels
FC-0.0ppm
TC-1.1ppm
CC-1.1ppm
pH- UNR6.3
Hardness- 0ppm
Alkalinity (w/stablizer correction) 0ppm
Cyanuric Acid 4ppm
Copper 0ppm
Iron- 0ppm


HELP

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum

You won't be able to SLAM or use our methods effectively without your own test kit. Those results look like pool store testing.

If you are serious about managing your own pool, you should start with reading "The "ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. Then read the SLAM article and take a look at PoolMath. (That's where you will get your dosages)

Armed with your own good kit (TF-100 or K-2006), you can take the message of what we teach and have your pool crystal clear. Hundreds of volunteers here to help every step.

 

[woodyp]

Snag one of those test kits we recommend and we'll step you through it. You should raise your Ta up to 60 with baking soda and adjust your PH to at least 7.2 by aeration (free) or 20 mule team borax now. Buy some granular CYA from Walmart in a 4 lb. jug. Add 80 ounces of 8.25% bleach daily until your kit arrives.

 

[Richard320]

There's no shortage of water this year, unless you're on a well.

I don't trust pool store results. If you were running an ionizer, there's probably metals in the water. The pool is only 10,000 gallons. I'd say drain it. Not all the way, lest the liner shift, but maybe 75% of it.

You have a sand filter, which means you have a waste setting, which means that if you can get a good seal on the vacuum hose, you can empty the pool while vacuuming any sludge off the bottom. If you can't get a good seal, you can always siphon vacuum.

To do that, you connect the hose and vacuum and set the vacuum in the pool. Then feed the hose in slowly keeping it vertical where in enters the water. All the air will be forced out. Submerge the open end, cap it with your hand, and haul it out and over and below the pool water level and the siphon starts. drag the gushing end where you want the water to go and then just move the head around slowly, pulling sludge along with the water.

If you order a test kit today, you'll probably have it by the time the pool is refilled. We'll walk you through it.

In the meantime, check out some of these older inspirational threads. If they can do it, you can do it.

 

[DianaWolls]

Just a little update. First I ordered the pool test kit you told me too. I did take water to another pool place and got the same results, so for now I also bought the clorox testing kit and the hth kit, got all the same results SO upped the pH to 7.0, then I added stablizer once we had that right I began pounding the pool with shock and liquid bleach. (haven't taking a reading this morning) Well, at first I started seeing a little bits of white floating stuff almost looked like little feathers or spider webs I'm guessing smaller dying algae. Today I could see my bottom pool steps! but we had patches you could see where it seemed a little yellow/grey. Our property backs up to the National Forest so this year we got SLAMMED with TONS of pollen. EVERYTHING was Yellow and I still have a ring aound the water level that I need to scrub. So hubby got out the pool net to stir it up a bit...TONS of leaves on the bottom in areas! I thought a few times he was going to break the net. So we reajusted the water flow, now I have HUGE white patches (again guessing dead algae) floating up from the bottom. It's covering the top of the pool, poor little filter is doing its best we are constantly checking the skimmer basket and pump filter, we backwash every day so the water flow is really strong. I'm seeing progress at least!

 

[JoeSelf]

A trick for draining with the vacuum is to bring hose over to skimmer and let it trickle enough to keep enough water in the skimmer for suction.