Opening ~ Newbie ~

[melabella]

Hi all....

Newbie to BBB - I have a 24 above ground - vinyl liner - when I took the cover off the pool last week its water is a dull brown / green color.

I can't remember what FC means...is this the chlorine?

Also what is CYA? I know it's acid...but when I look on the bottles at the store nothing specifically says cya. Sooooo where do I get the stuff?

How much bleach - borax - and baking soda do I need to put in to get my pool started back up?

 

[JohnT]

The best explanation is in Pool School ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[257WbyMag]

Hi melabela!

How much you need all depends on your test results. Do you have a test kit? If not, please consider a visit the the TF Test Kits website, the link to which you will find in my signature line. Only with a high quality test kit will you be able to get control of your pool.

I would start out reading the Pool School articles. You will find the different abbreviations and explanations there. Incidentally, FC is the amount available chlorine or free chlorine in your pool water at a given time. CYA is also known as stabilizer. It protects your FC from being lost to the UV rays from the sun.

If you don't have a test kit yet, you can run a sample of your water to a pool store and let them test it for you. Don't buy anything from them. Just post your results back here and we will get you going.

 

[Molson]

Hi all....

Newbie to BBB - I have a 24 above ground - vinyl liner - when I took the cover off the pool last week its water is a dull brown / green color.

I can't remember what FC means...is this the chlorine?

Also what is CYA? I know it's acid...but when I look on the bottles at the store nothing specifically says cya. Sooooo where do I get the stuff?

How much bleach - borax - and baking soda do I need to put in to get my pool started back up?

Hello!

Yes, FC means Free Chlorine. CYA is Cyanuric Acid, which is also called stabilizer. Generally your chlorine pucks will also have CYA in it, bleach or liquid chlorine do not contain CYA.

Do you have a test kit now? And can you provide us with a set of numbers? If you do not have a kit, bring a sample to your local pool store, and have them test it. Don't buy any product yet, just post the numbers here and we can help you clear your pool up.

In the mean time, browse over the articles in Pool School, the link is in the top right of the page, and also in my signature.

 

[Molson]

wow, Mobbed by the Mods. Lmao.

 

[melabella]

I do have one of those cheap-o hardware store - when I get home this afternoon I will run a test and post my results and see what you guys think.

Thanks guys!

 

[melabella]

Good Morning all....

Ok I tested the water...and btw....that water is COLD! lol

FC - .5 ----I say that because it was just about totally clear with not much trace of yellow in the water
PH 7.8
CYA ----> 30? this little test seems to give me problems and have a problem making that little dot dissappear from viewing from the top. Am I doing something wrong?

So that's the only tests that I have run....can you tell me where to go from here?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

If the dot doesn't dissappear it's usually cuz your CYA is low. So is the water a little cloudy in the view tube, not completely clear?

Follow the steps in this article:
Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis

You're going to need a better Test Kit.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I'll 85th the better test kit. Not wanting to seem like I'm piling on but it really is important to have good tools if you're serious about keeping your pool trouble free. You'll save more in pool store chemicals than you'll spend on a good test kit.

At this point you need to shock, but without a good test kit once you add enough chlorine to get to shock level you have no way to test it to make sure you continue to add enough to maintain shock level long enough to get rid of all the baddies.

Being sensitive to economic issues, if you can't afford anything else, get a FAS-DPD chlorine test kit. It's not the best way to go because it costs more to purchase things individually than to purchase everything in one kit but at least it'll allow you to clean up your pool and get started maintaining it.

 

[melabella]

the water for the cya test was a smidge cloudy not too bad though.
so i need to purchase stabilizer (cya) and add how much of that for a 24 foot above ground?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Do you know how to use the Pool Calculator? If not you should learn how to use it - it calculates everything for you.

Pool Calculator Instructions