New Pool Help!

[rlsteward]

Hello,
I recently bought a new house that has a pool and realized quickly it hasn't been taken care of. It's clear, but starting to grow algae at the bottom. I purchased the TF100 and received the following results, any suggestions on where to begin or what to start adding? Do I need to test for anything in addition to what's on the card for daily/weekly? Appreciate anyone's help!

24' round pool ~ 13,500 gallons
CL- 0
PH - 6
CC- 0
FC - 0
Performing the Alkaline test, the tube immediately turned pink instead of the green color indicated?
CYA - 68

 

[rlsteward]

I just added 1 gallon of 12.5 liquid chlorine in an attempt to get the chlorine level up.. I know I need to do more, and have thrown in several calculations to the calculator, but I'm unsure where I need to start.

 

[TheBraLady]

Eek! I think you did the right thing to start with adding chlorine. But I would also be concerned about the pH. However, I don't know what that means when the TA test doesn't turn green. Hopefully the experts will be along soon to get you going in the right direction.

 

[rlsteward]

Just a quick update ~24 hours after adding the liquid chlorine. Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated!
FC 5.5
CC 0
TC - 5.5
TA - Still turns pink after I add the 5 green drops, instead of green?
CYA 62

 

[TheBraLady]

On the TA test - are you adding reagent #0007 - 2 drops first before you add the green drops? I have no idea why the water would be turning pink instead of green first...is your pH still 6?

 

[bdavis466]

If the water immediately turns pink your TA is 0 and the pH is probably near 4-4.5.

Use baking soda to raise the TA which will also raise the pH for you. Shoot for a TA of 60 by adding small amounts of baking soda and testing before adding more.

 

[rlsteward]

If the water immediately turns pink your TA is 0 and the pH is probably near 4-4.5.

Use baking soda to raise the TA which will also raise the pH for you. Shoot for a TA of 60 by adding small amounts of baking soda and testing before adding more.

Thank you! Is there a recommended amount of baking soda to start with?

 

[bdavis466]

Start with 5 lbs and let the pump run for 15 mins and test again. Once the TA is up around 60, test the pH. If it it's still low, find a way to aerate the water and it should quickly rise into the 7's.

Make sure to brush the pool really well after you add the baking soda.

 

[rlsteward]

Okay great I just added 5 lbs. Do I need to replace some of my water to get the CYA level down? Should I use borax in addition?

 

[bdavis466]

Your CYA is fine and you don't need borax.

 

[rlsteward]

Thank you Brian! The calculator was telling me to replace 35% of my water, so I wasn't sure exactly what to do.
I asked about the borax after reading about the benefits and ability to increase PH.
Slowly making gains after 8 lbs of baking soda.
Should I keep going with baking soda 4 lbs at a time (how many ounces are in a 4lb box?)?
PH - Yellow (Not sure how to be more exact since it doesn't match the scale?)
FC - 4
CC - 0
TA - 50 (turned pink instead of red as indicated on the instructions?)
CYA - 68

 

[bdavis466]

Add enough to get your TA a little higher and the pH will rise on its own. It would help to have a bunch of splashing to aerate the water.

You can add borax later if you want but you don't want to mess with it now. Borax can aggressively raise the pH and that coupled with the baking soda could cause scale to form. Get your water balanced and then you can look into borates.

 

[rlsteward]

Reviewing the Chlorine / CYA Chart.. At my CYA level of ~65 I should target my FC level to be in the 7-9 range?

 

[bdavis466]

Correct