New pool owner..

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Charles_cz

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May 29, 2010
7
Hi guys, I moved to new location with above ground pool. See signature. Pool was half way full with all kinds of junk in there. We emptied the pool and filled it with fresh (well) water. We have a lot of iron in the water.
I have found some left over pool supplies. Two brands Nature’s Way Pool and Clear X by N. Jonas & Co (if that is the brand)
Please note that I did following before I have found this forum and I knew nothing about pools. Smart, I know.. :oops:

I have used Clear X #8 – Instant Iron & Stain remover. That helped to bring the iron to the bottom of the pool. We have vacuumed that from the pool.
I have used Clear X liquid Shock I think (bottles are gone by now). They were year or two old. I guess chemicals have expiration date two?

And I found some test strips. Readings were bad. After all that I have decided to do some reading and some research. That’s how I ended up here. I have ordered TF-100 kit and it should be here soon.

I was wondering if I could get some advice in the meantime. Water in the pool is clear and looks inviting. I used few bottles of Clorox just to keep it that way but I know that it will need more than that.
When I used Test strips (only thing I have right now) I got following readings.
Ph – High 8.4
Ppm Free Chlorine Low I would say 0 nonexistent
Ppm Total Alkalinity – High 180 or 240 (need better test, I know)
Ppm Stabilizer – Low – hard to tell if reading is 0 or 30 to 50 :roll:
I have following supplies I’d like to use if possible but I can go different route if preferred.
All is Nature’s Was Pool brand.
Super Shock – 73% Calcium Hypochlorite
Stabilizer – 100% Cyanuric Acid
I assume I should go shopping for more Clorox soon….

I would like to keep water clean and usable before TF-100 arrives and I can give you more accurate readings.

What would be next logical step here.

One more thing. I have changed the filter and pressure reading shows 0?? Is this normal when new filter is installed or is there something missing? I do not have manual.

Thanks for help.. Charles
 
I'd worry about the filter first. Get it right before the testing equipment arrives.

Now the interrogation:
Did it read pressure before you swapped the cartridge?
Does the needle move at all?
Are you sure it's the right cartridge?
There were no seals or O-rings left over when you put it back together?
The valves are in the right positions?

You might as well start shopping around for Chlorine and Muriatic Acid. Get some of that standing by. You could bring a sample to the store for testing. Just tell 'em you think you have old test strips or something. Don't buy anything but Chlorine and acid, chemical-wise, for now. If you see some neat toys, splurge.
 
Now the interrogation:

Did it read pressure before you swapped the cartridge?
No... I found a mouse in there and nice nest.. :) No one used it for a year or so.


Does the needle move at all?
I do not think so. Did not noticed anything. I tried to to open the cartridge one time and could hear some hissing to indicating some pressure?

Are you sure it's the right cartridge?
I am sure the cartridge is right. It was new unopened and it matches specs on the cartridge.


There were no seals or O-rings left over when you put it back together?
No seals, No O-rings.... I can't tell if there is anything missing as I have no manual and could not find one online. There are some instructions on the catridge it self but all it tells me is to remove the cover, replace the filter and put the cover back...

The valves are in the right positions?
Not sure what valves but I would assumed so as it was originally put together by pool company and working.


You might as well start shopping around for Chlorine and Muriatic Acid. Get some of that standing by. You could bring a sample to the store for testing. Just tell 'em you think you have old test strips or something. Don't buy anything but Chlorine and acid, chemical-wise, for now. If you see some neat toys, splurge.[/quote]

Can I use some the products I have mentioned in my previous post. In addition I have Nature's pH Down (sodium bisulfate) and pH Up (Sodium Carbonate)
Thanks Charles
 
I would like to keep water clean and usable before TF-100 arrives
Click to expand...
You can likely use some of those chemicals but I wouldn't do so for now.

Until your kit arrives, you can keep your water clean and sanitary by putting a large jug of Clorox in each evening after the sun is off the pool. It's a good strategy for just maintaining the "status quo" for a few days and is peretty cheap to do. Don't put the Clorox in in the daytime....do it in the evening.

Post your numbers up when your kit gets in and you'll get help from lots of frienfly folks here.
 
If you turn the pump on, do you get water flow? Do you see movement in the skimmer, and does water comes out the returns? If you put your hand against a return, do you feel pressure? If you answered yes to these questions, I'd say you have a bad gauge, and that the valves (if any) are set to the right positions. Replacing it isn't significantly harder than changing a lightbulb, except you'll need to use a wrench instead of your bare hand. And you'll need some teflon tape. Since you bought a fixer-upper house, I'm guessing that minor plumbing repairs pose no challenge to you. But I had to say it, because there are lurkers reading.
 
Richard320 said:
If you turn the pump on, do you get water flow? Do you see movement in the skimmer, and does water comes out the returns? If you put your hand against a return, do you feel pressure? If you answered yes to these questions, I'd say you have a bad gauge, and that the valves (if any) are set to the right positions. Replacing it isn't significantly harder than changing a lightbulb, except you'll need to use a wrench instead of your bare hand. And you'll need some teflon tape. Since you bought a fixer-upper house, I'm guessing that minor plumbing repairs pose no challenge to you. But I had to say it, because there are lurkers reading.
Click to expand...


:party: I am remodeler. I think I can handle changing gauge.. Plenty of tools around here.

Anyway, pump is running, strong flow. Probably programmed for 12hours of running. I wish I knew how to program it for different hours of the day. If anyone has clue about Hayward pump or manual, please let me know.

With all that mess that I have found inside I would not be supprised if the gauge was bad.
 
Ok.. I just got TF-100

According to test, if I did it right
TC – 0
PH-8.2
T/A 360
CYA – I could not get to the point where I couldn't see the black dot on the bottom of the tube… That means?
At this point I guess it doesn’t make any difference if I measure FC, does it? It’s going to be 0 as well, correct?
CH – relevant to vinyl?
Everything out of whack… I did not epect anything else.. :rant:

Where do I go from here? Should start with stabilizer (Cyanuric acid) first? I have that handy.
Then I have Super shock (Calcium Hypochlorine) available that says should be applied after pH is adjusted. For that I have Natures Way pH Down stuff (Sodium Bisulfate).

All that stuff is just sitting here so I’d like to use if we can.. I bought six jugs of Clorox too…

Thanks Charles
 
1. Lower your pH...muriatic acid....get it down to around 7.2-7.6...do so sooner rather than later.

2. Keep adding the jug of Clorox each evening.

3. Put stabilizer in your pool....enough to get to 40-50ppm...your test result means you have zero.

4. Test for stabilizer about the 4th-5th day after it's (stabilizer) added and test FC also....post those results.

5. Disregard CH and TA for now....get others in line first.
 

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Although the TA isn't that important to address right away, it can be kinda difficult to get down. And, if those numbers are accurate, it is very high.

If it were me, I'd just do some simple aeration... even if it's just pointing your return jets to the surface.

And, keep an eye on your pH, keeping it at about 7.2 with acid. With a TA that high, I'd expect you to have some significant upwards drift on your pH anyway... more so with the aeration.

I am definately in agreement with duraleigh that your TA is not a priority. But this is a simple step you can take to start moving your TA downwards.
 
That sounds good. I will start on it.
I have one more problem that I can't address. The pump stops running somewhere around 5pm and starts early in the morning. So is I would want to try add any of the above I would have to do that with pump running I assume. Best time for me would be evening but pump will not run.
Can anyone give me any tips how to set the pump to run at different time of the day. I can see switch that says Off Program On but I have no Idea how to set up different time of the day.

Can I just put Clorox in without pump running ot it will have minimum effect?
 
Charles_cz said:
That sounds good. I will start on it.
I have one more problem that I can't address. The pump stops running somewhere around 5pm and starts early in the morning. So is I would want to try add any of the above I would have to do that with pump running I assume. Best time for me would be evening but pump will not run.
Can anyone give me any tips how to set the pump to run at different time of the day. I can see switch that says Off Program On but I have no Idea how to set up different time of the day.

Can I just put Clorox in without pump running ot it will have minimum effect?
Click to expand...
Whatever conytrol box says "Off Program On," look for a brand and model. Most companies have owner's manuals available online these days. Adjusting the timer should be no harder than programming the thermostat in the house or the automatic sprinklers. Once you have the manual.....
 
quote]Whatever control box says "Off Program On," look for a brand and model. Most companies have owner's manuals available online these days. Adjusting the timer should be no harder than programming the thermostat in the house or the automatic sprinklers. Once you have the manual.....[/quote]

Thanks Richard, I have made some progress. I found instruction for timer. It was very simple. I tapped on the gauge because sometimes these things get stuck and sure enough it started to work. It jumped to 10PSI. I turned the pump off to make sure it will go down. It did. So that is working now too.

I am getting excited as I learn more things and hopefully I will be able to get water under control soon. Thanks everybody for help so far.

Charles
 
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