Bought a house with a pool that had been neglected for a year and half. Started cleaning it up about a week and a half ago using methods I read about in this forum. First scooped out all the muck, then tested water and got TA and Ph right (though now TA too high), then started shocking with bleach. Also started trying to get CYA up. Pool numbers as of this evening are
FC: 12
CC: 1.5
TA: 160
PH: 7.2
CH: 500
CYA: not registering (cannot make the black dot disappear even when I fill the cylinder to the top)
The CH in the pool is the same as my tap water so difficult to lower. I think I am on the right track as I can now see about 2-3 feet down into the slightly milky blue water. I have vacuumed to waste and been brushing and can no longer see fine muck come to the surface when I brush. I have been running the pump 24/7 until tonight. I decided to take the lid off the inline chlorinator and have a look inside. When I put it back together the old o-ring started leaking so need to get a new one tomorrow... should have left it alone.
The CC was at 5 when I first started so it has dropped alot. I have not checked the sand in the filter yet because the bozo who set it up did not allow a way to remove the multiport without cutting two of the pipes! So need to add union fittings on the inlet and waste sides of the filter. The pressure gauge reads 18psi after backwashing and has good strong flow through the returns. The flow is significantly reduced at about 24 psi so have been backwashing when it gets to 21 or 22 psi. The base pressure seems a bit high compared to other posts I have read... sound like a problem?
So as I said I think I am making progress, my only concern is the high CH. Is it possible that I could be seeing calcium precipitate in the water and that is what is keeping the water cloudy? I figure I need to get the CC down to at least 0.5 before I can really assume it is not algae making the water milky right?
To get CYA up I added enough of the dry stuff to bring up 20,000 gallons to 30. Also dissolved 4, 3-inch pucks of tri chlor. However, with the frequent backwashing I am sure I lost a bunch of the dry stuff... this was before I read about the sock trick in the skimmer on this forum. I have another dose of the dry stuff (sufficient to bring up 10,000 gallons to 30). Once I get the pump going again should I put it in a sock and drop in the skimmer?
BTW, the house is only about 3.5 years old so the pool and all the equipment can't be older than that.
Anyway, thanks for any advice... this is my first pool and I am learning everything from ground zero!
FC: 12
CC: 1.5
TA: 160
PH: 7.2
CH: 500
CYA: not registering (cannot make the black dot disappear even when I fill the cylinder to the top)
The CH in the pool is the same as my tap water so difficult to lower. I think I am on the right track as I can now see about 2-3 feet down into the slightly milky blue water. I have vacuumed to waste and been brushing and can no longer see fine muck come to the surface when I brush. I have been running the pump 24/7 until tonight. I decided to take the lid off the inline chlorinator and have a look inside. When I put it back together the old o-ring started leaking so need to get a new one tomorrow... should have left it alone.
The CC was at 5 when I first started so it has dropped alot. I have not checked the sand in the filter yet because the bozo who set it up did not allow a way to remove the multiport without cutting two of the pipes! So need to add union fittings on the inlet and waste sides of the filter. The pressure gauge reads 18psi after backwashing and has good strong flow through the returns. The flow is significantly reduced at about 24 psi so have been backwashing when it gets to 21 or 22 psi. The base pressure seems a bit high compared to other posts I have read... sound like a problem?
So as I said I think I am making progress, my only concern is the high CH. Is it possible that I could be seeing calcium precipitate in the water and that is what is keeping the water cloudy? I figure I need to get the CC down to at least 0.5 before I can really assume it is not algae making the water milky right?
To get CYA up I added enough of the dry stuff to bring up 20,000 gallons to 30. Also dissolved 4, 3-inch pucks of tri chlor. However, with the frequent backwashing I am sure I lost a bunch of the dry stuff... this was before I read about the sock trick in the skimmer on this forum. I have another dose of the dry stuff (sufficient to bring up 10,000 gallons to 30). Once I get the pump going again should I put it in a sock and drop in the skimmer?
BTW, the house is only about 3.5 years old so the pool and all the equipment can't be older than that.
Anyway, thanks for any advice... this is my first pool and I am learning everything from ground zero!