pool opening test results - help-want to chlorinate tonight

[patplh]

Lifted the cover today to find a green pool with some floating debris/pollen.. not too shocking since the pool wasn't in great shape when we closed it on Halloween.. It was closed about 1 ft below the returns and we opened with it entirely full.
I have the TFT test kit .. but didn't refresh reagents from when I purchased it in august 2009 - hoping they are still OK
FC <.5
CC<.5
TA 90
CH 240
CYA 0? kept seeing the dot (was 50 when we closed)
pH 7.2

So, I need to raise my CYA and FC, right?
I never thought I'd have to raise CYA since the previous owners were using trichlor pucks, but I guess the draining/raining dropped it to nothing.
I read on somewhere that I should use DiChlor to raise CYA if my FC is low.. it said add 1 pound of Dichlor (Shock) per 2000 gallons – so add 14 packets?? I already bought a case from Costco thinking that I might need it and I would return it if not..
But, I'm wondering if I should instead buy CYA and use Bleach..

based on Pool Calculator, my 27500g pool will need a little over 570oz bleach (which I have on hand right now) and CYA
or 66oz of dichlor

I want to put something in before I head to bed so it has time to act, but I don't want to mess things up. Would you suggest I..
1) wait until the morning and 3 gallons of CYA to get to 40ppm and add Bleach
2) just throw in Dichlor packets.. and if I use Dichlor, do I put in 5 packets based on Pool Calculator OR 14 packets based on what I read somewhere

Any responses this evening would be SO appreciated.. I'm leaning towards dichlor, since I Have no CYA right now.
Thanks!!

 

[coloeb]

There are other reasons your cya may be gone. I would bring to shock level tonight and I would go with the pool calculator results. Whats the water look like?

 

[sonoma]

I do not have as much experience as most on here but adding bleach or diclor tonight will at least start killing algae. It should last through the night even without cya because of no sun (which eats up the clorine).

Run the filter on recirculate if possible to keep most of the gunk out of the filter. It will at least distribute your clorine. you can start on the CYA in the morning.

 

[patplh]

thanks for the response - I decided to pour in the bleach even thought I have no CYA .. since it's nighttime, a lack of CYA shouldn't hurt until the sun rises, right?

The pool is murky green with visible algae on the stairs and floor.. we closed on Halloween and it looked bad then too.. so I wasn't too surprised.
i'm a little concerned with running the DE filter all night since the algae should die soon and may clog up the filter.. is it recommended that I turn it off until the AM when I can watch the pressure and backwash periodically? That's probably what i'll do to be on the safe side.

man, i hope I'm making the right decisions i'm such a procrastinator .. should have asked all these questions a week ago!

thanks again to anyone who is reading this!

 

[patplh]

sonoma - just saw your post as I was posting my first response.. I am on my way to change the filter to recirculate.. makes total sense! thanks so much!

 

[Richard320]

Hold off until morning.

1) You don't want to clog the filter and smoke the pump or explode something while you're asleep.

2) We wanna see pictures! And you won't capture the brilliant green color if it's dark outside.

 

[patplh]

hi Richard - unfortunately, it's a done deal.. i already poured the bleach, but recirculate shouldn't clog it up, right? hm.. i'll be up for a few more hours.. maybe I should turn it off before I go to bed to be on the safe side?

Attached are pics I took earlier in the day.. sorry I didn't post them earlier. How bad is it? We found one dead frog.. i'm sure there will be several more..

 

[patplh]

I've been doing a lot of research in the last 3 hours and starting to think I should have just used the dichlor since I had it and have 0 CYA ..ugh.. and I also think there's a chance that there's some CYA from the previous owners in the shed.. i would go out there,but it's 3:00 AM and awfully spooky..
looking forward to waking up in a few hours to see what the pool looks like..

 

[zea3]

If you do have some CYA in the shed use it first and then use the dichlor if you need more. You want to keep your FC at shock level and dumping in enough dichlor to get to 30-40 CYA all at once will also drop the pH to below 6.0 It would take 16 bags of dichlor to raise CYA to 35. That would leave you with a FC of 38.4 and a pH below 6.0 and you would need to add soda ash to raise your pH. Your shock level at 0 CYA is 10. When you raise CYA to 35 shock level will be 14. I would stick with the bleach and seperate CYA since it will not change the pH and you can control the FC levels better. Save some of the dichlor to use to boost CYA if you have a lot of splash out, back washing or heavy rains.

 

[patplh]

Thanks ..
pool looks less green, and some serious dead algae.. but i tested and got the following, so I added enough bleach to Shock level and I'm running to the pool store for some CYA (none in the shed) .. using Dichlor is seeming less and less desirable with the pH .. thanks for the feedback zea3, off to the store.. btw, still running on Recirculate until I get back fromthe store.. then it's filter/backwash/filter/backwash for the rest of the day..actually enjoying the anxiety of the "when will my pool be clear?".. does that make me weird? btw - I have a DE filter, is the best way to know if I need to backwash, just by looking at the pressure gauge.. i read that if it jumps to 8psi above norm (which for us is around 16), then I should backwash?
FC .5
TA 100
CH 230
CYA 0
pH 7.2

 

[JasonLion]

You should backwash the filter when it goes up by about 6 to 8 psi. You are likely to need to do that frequently when fighting algae with a DE filter.

 

[zea3]

You should backwash the filter when it goes up by about 6 to 8 psi. You are likely to need to do that frequently when fighting algae with a DE filter.

Very true! I don't have a back wash valve on my DE filter so when the pressure rises and return flow drops I open up the filter and hose off all the old DE and recharge with fresh. Look to be doing that about every couple of days while the pool is green. When my water is clear I can go about 6 weeks before cleaning the grids. Make sure you have plenty of DE available while you are clearing your pool.

 

[patplh]

alright.,. just got some CYA.. didn't realize it was so pricey.. around $17/5 lbs? is that right?
bought 10 lbs, need to add 9lb 3oz to reach 40..
Going to add around 6 lbs in 2 socks and then add the rest when that dissolves, is that OK? I just don't think I have enough socks to throw out for this..

Thanks again for the responses.. hoping to come back with some good news

 

[zea3]

Re-test about a week after each addition of CYA has dissolved. You don't want to overshoot and have to drain! I don't know how much it should cost, I haven't bought it in a long time.

 

[patplh]

I can see the bottom of the deep end, which is a good sign...
i tested 3 times today and after each time, FC was .5, so I've been adding 3x196oz bleach 3 times today.. seems like a lot.. but i'll keep doing it..
a little concerned about the filter progress.. the pressure hasn't gone up, but there is so much dead algae in the pool.. i've been brushing it periodically.. do I need to keep brushing it to circulate? should i turn on the polaris to kick it up?
on a whim, i turned on the in-floor cleaner and the pressure shot up to 35 (from 18).. i immediately turned it off and it was fine..i'm actually not sure how an infloor cleaner works.. would that help my situation right now?

thanks

 

[JasonLion]

You do want to clean up the dead algae if you can, though it is best not to run the polaris while FC is at shock level. Trying the in-floor cleaning system sounds like a great idea. The rise in pressure is very common, don't worry about it. In-floor systems require a lot more pressure than you would have otherwise. The in-floor system is supposed to pop-up jets that blow debris towards the drain(s). Typically different jets pop-up at different times, eventually cleaning up the entire floor of the pool.

 

[patplh]

great, i'll turn on the infloor system tomorrow evening .. unfortunately, we're going to be out of the house all day.. i was going to add Bleach to Shock level again (actually measured FC of 2 after shocking to 10 three hours ago) and then test again tomorrow morning to bring to shock level again before we leave for the day.. i'll probably put it on recirculate, since i'm not sure how much algae it'll pick up.. hope that sounds ok..

 

[patplh]

tried turning on the infloor system.. i turned the valve on (or so i thought) and i could hear water moving through the pipes, but didn't see any action by the actual in floor system jets.. would someone mind looking at the attached pic and telling me where the "OFF" needs to be to have the infloor system and the returns on?
This is the "BEFORE" I turned it on (OFF is pointed at the in floor system) ..in my "AFTER", the OFF sign is opposite the returns.

Also I have an FC of 2.5 this morning, which means,we still have a lot of algae,since I shocked 9 hrs ago and we don't have direct sunlight on the pool,right?

going to shock again this morning before I head out and set to recirculate.

 

[JasonLion]

Off should point to the left in that picture, ie point towards the normal returns, to use the in-floor system. If off is pointing down, ie not pointing at any pipe, water will go to both the normal returns and the in-floor system, which won't provide enough pressure to operate the in-floor system.

 

[patplh]

thanks jason-makes sense, i just thought the returns had to be on at all times..duh.. i'll turn off the returns in the morning.

latest results: today before I left for the day, i shocked to 10 and was out all day until 9:30p..
I just tested and we have an
FC - 2
CYA - 30
pH - 6.6(it's yellow)
TA - 80

I'm surprised by the CYA/pH - there is still some CYA in the socks, but it did dissolve pretty fast.. I was expecting it would take a week,and it's only been 2 days.

To treat the FC, should I keep shocking to 12 Or just bring it to the target FC of 4? I didn't see the pool until this evening, it's definitely less cloudy from what I could tell and give that i shocked to 10 this morning and there is still 2 FC left, that's a good sign, right?

To treat the pH, I plan to add 5.5 boxes of borax.. did it drop because my CYA dispersed too fast through the sock?

Thanks again..i feel like I'm getting close..