hit it hard

[ethany]

I opened my pool yesterday and it looked like a swamp,so I shocked it pretty hard with about 15 gallons of liquid chlorine in about 2-3 hour intervals.

This morning,the water was just a little cloudy, which is great, no more green. I have the FAS-DPD test kit, here are my results:

fc-12.5
cc-.5
ph-8 plus
ta-80
ch-130

I need to buy more reagent to test for cya

My question is did I shock too much too fast. I read that if chlorine levels are too high it could damage the equipment. I never got hold of the algae this fast, was hitting it with that amount of chlorine so fast a bad idea,should it be more gradual?

 

[zea3]

Without knowing your CYA we can't tell if you raised the FC too high. Usually it doesn't hurt to have high FC over a short period of time. Get your CYA tested as soon as possible so we can determine what your shock and normal FC levels should be.

 

[JasonLion]

While you are working on finding out the CYA level, you should bring your PH down to around 7.5.

 

[ethany]

Well bad news, I did have some reagent and tested for cya. I went all the way up to 30 and it just was starting to get cloudy,so the cya is very low.

Now what? Do I need to drain and add water? It supposed to rain tonight.

I do have another question, when you aerate, does the ph go up or down?

Thanks

 

[dmanb2b]

aeration causes PH to rise. If your CYA is low, you do not need to drain, you need to add more CYA

 

[ethany]

Oh one more thing I did drop off some water to be tested at pool store to just compare numbers. The fc result was the same but they tested for cya and they got 90.

I've done this test many times last summer so I know I didn't make any mistakes, how could there be such a difference?

 

[coloeb]

If in fact your test went to 30 cya before it even started to get cloudy then there is no way I would trust a reading of 90. The store may have mixed up your ta numbers with cya )

 

[Butterfly]

I agree, always trust your test numbers over a pool store.

 

[ethany]

I know when you add stabilizer you are not supposed to backwash for 3 or more days, correct? What do you do at this stage when opening a pool and you constantly need to backwash? Do you wait a few days to add the stabilizer and keep on backwashing when needed or get the stabilizer in asap?

I remember reading here that some of you put the stabilizer in a sock and hang in front of one of the returns for about a week or so?

 

[dmanb2b]

If you use a sock, backwashing is not as bad, but it will dilute your anticipated CYA level. Not backwashing is far more important if you still happen to add CYA via your skimmer (not something we recommend) and it sits in your filter undisolved...backwashing would then flush most of it to waste.

 

[Butterfly]

I know when you add stabilizer you are not supposed to backwash for 3 or more days, correct?
Recommend not to back wash for about a week when you add the stabilizer thru your skimmer.

What do you do at this stage when opening a pool and you constantly need to backwash? Do you wait a few days to add the stabilizer and keep on backwashing when needed or get the stabilizer in asap?
You need stabilizer asap.
I remember reading here that some of you put the stabilizer in a sock and hang in front of one of the returns for about a week or so?
Yep, put it in a sock and hang it in front of a return.
It will probably be dissolved in a day or two. It will dissolve faster if the pump runs 24/7 and you squeeze the sock several times a day.

 

[ethany]

You guys are the BEST,I am so glad I found this site. I am out of work now but as soon as I find something I am looking forward to becoming a formal member.

Thank you