Pool newbie here! Kind of lost

[heatherisadork]

I'm trying to open up the pool that the last home owners left. There wasn't a cover over the pool and I don't think the pump was winterized although I've been running the pump and it seems to be working fine. The pump is a Hayward power matrix 1 HP - 115 Volts.

When I started working on the pool last week it was black. Now it's a cloudy green/blue but I still can't see to the bottom at all, so I'm not sure if theres a lot of leaves left or not. I haven't been able to keep the pump running for 24/7 because I have to backwash the pump about every 1-2 hours it seems so I can't run it at night or if I'm going out for a few hours.

Right now the readings are
Hardness-100
FC- 0 (I had it up to 20 when shocking it but it just drops overnight)
PH- 6.8 (I have baking soda ready to add but I'm not sure when to add it!)
TA- 40
CYA- 0

I know I need to get my cya around 30-50 but I'm not sure how.

The pool is about 22000 gallons.

Like I said, i'm very new at this, I've had no experience with pools ever. If I left anything out and you need more info just let me know! I'm hoping I can get this pool up and running before the summer because i broke my foot over the winter and would love to use the pool to exercise with so I don't put too much stress my foot.

 

[baudilus]

What kind of filter is it, sand or DE?

First, raise your pH to around 7.2 before shocking, as you won't be able to reliably test with a high chlorine level and 6.8 is too low, and it might be lower because 6.8 is the threshold for many pH tests.

*note - with your CYA at 0, you may want to raise it before shocking; you can purchase it at Pool Stores and also stores like Home Depot and Lowes, as well as online. It's usually called Conditioner or Stabilizer. Liquid Stabilizer will dissolve faster but is also much more expensive - the dry stuff takes about a week or so to properly dissolve.

Then, start shocking and brushing. I suggest taking a look at the Pool School, specifically How to Shock Your Pool and Defeating Algae. Given that you have an injured foot, hauling bleach may not be the best thing for it. Luckily, your CH is low, so you can use Calcium Hypochlorite to shock and kill two birds with one stone, and the bags are only 1 pound each. The amount depends on the percentage, but you can use the Pool Calculator to determine that.

Good luck!

 

[heatherisadork]

Woops, it's a sand filter. I'll probably run to walmart tomorrow then, I saw they had stabilizer but I had no idea what it was at the time. haha! Tomorrow i'll work on getting the ph higher before shocking it any more, should be easy to do tomorrow since I'm free the whole day.

 

[baudilus]

Be sure to check the chlorine as often as you can (every hour or two at first is ideal) and bring it back up to shock level - that is key to defeating the algae quickly.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Use Borax to raise the PH. Use a little Baking Soda for the TA.
Raise the CYA to 30 until you are done shocking, then you can raise it to 50 for the season.
Does your sand filter have a "recirculate" setting so you can bypass the filter and leave it running without having to backwash so often?
Figure out how to use the Pool Calc to determine your dosages.... we'll help if you need so just post back here if you do.
Welcome!