want to drive a wrecking ball through my pool!

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passionsrlz

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Jun 4, 2010
241
Dayton, Ohio
A little background first....
my pool sat unused for two years with no cover.....so you can imagine how attractive it was when I started working on it. I didn't know if I should go fishing or put in chemicals. I was going to drain my pool but after extensive research realized that would do nothing more than ruin my liner. So began my descent into a mental breakdown......I got a leave rake and spent six hours dredging out leaves and muck...smelled like a sewer. I took sample of water to pool store and did whatever they told me. it went from black to cloudy blue/green pretty quickly. I have probably used 26 gallons of liquid shock...bought whatever I needed to buy to get all withing correct levels. Here are my current numbers
TC 15.......was told to keep it between 15 and 30
FC 15
pH 7.5
TA 120
CH 275
Stabilizer 40
Langelier index value 0.13

Pool store said my chemicals are balanced. And now I have a "Crud floating in pool" problem. So, I used clarifier and when that failed I used floc....I know that is a bit controversial but used it none the less...I have what looks like snow floating in my pool. Dead algae? thats what I am told. I clean my filter around 6 times a day and clean the muck off of it. Never does my pool clear...I can see about 18 inches into my pool. Driving me nuts...I truly feel like I have done everyting I can.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Lori
 
Ok cancel the wrecking ball. Your pool is reacting much like it should. Its going to take some time to clear a pool thats been ignored for that long. Filter cleaning , brushing and maintain your shock untill it clears. It may take a week or longer but it will clear.
 
You are definitely going in the right direction. You just have to keep in mind that it took 2 years for the pool to get in that condition. It isn't going to clear up right away. It's going to take a little bit of time.

What are you using to test the water? Are you doing it yourself or are you taking a sample to the pool store to be tested?
 
What are you using to get your test numbers? If you don't have a good test kit already (with a FAS-DPD drop chlorine test), I'd recommend getting one of those (Taylor K-2006 or TFTestKits.net TF-100).

How long have your been keeping your pool at shock level? I'd recommend performing an overnight FC loss test to see if this is a filter issue, or an organics issue (or both.) Bring your pool to shock level in the evening after the sun is off your pool. One hour after adding the chlorine, test you chlorine level and record it. The next morning, before the sun is on your pool, test the chlorine level again. You need to continue shocking until:

1) the overnight FC loss is 1ppm or less.
2) the CC level is .5 ppm or less.
3) or if you don't have a FAS-DPD test kit, your pool is sparkly clear.

If you don't have an overnight FC loss, you're done shocking and any issues you have clearing your pool are filtration related. How old are your cartridges? Have you carefully inspected for tears? How often are you cleaning them?

If you do have an overnight FC loss, keep you pool at shock level bringing it up as often as you can (even hourly if you have the time.) Brush every surface you can reach and pay attention to ladders (even the underside), step and and recesses like lights that might be in the pool. Keep shocking until you meet the above criteria.

With a pool that's been neglected for so long, it may take several weeks to get everything clear and under control, but you can do it and once it's done, with proper maintenance, it will stay that way.

Good luck and make sure to post if you have any questions or want to update with your progress.
 
Unless your old one has holes in it, it is fine. Can you tell if it is allowing debris to go back to the pool? Those cartridges are pretty tough. You have a lot of stuff in your pool that needs to be filtered out, and getting a new cartridge won't speed that up (unless your old one does have holes in it). Time for some POP = pool owner patience. You will get that pool clear!
 

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I seem to be holding chlorine overnight, I will run a sample to the pool store this morning. Initially I would put in a ton of chlorine and in the morning have none. That is not the case anymore. I also have noticed that in the morning I can actually see the bottom step on the stairs. When I turn on the pump its back to snow globe, less snow globe but.......yeah you get the point.....Anything I should be doing besides cleaning cartridge all the time, and making sure all levels are good?? bty I run the pump 8 to 12 hours a day. If there is something else I need to do please share! Thanks,
Lori
 
I think you're doing well! It just takes time to clear all the stuff out of a pool, no matter what kind of filter you have. Running the filter 24 hrs/day will help.

You're not going to be able to tell if you pass the overnight test by running samples to the pool store. The only way to really do that is with a good test kit with a FAS-DPD test. Without that, just do your best to keep the pool at shock level, run the pump, and keep cleaning out your filter!
 
passionsrlz said:
If there is something else I need to do please share!
Click to expand...
I hate to say it but you really need to order a good test kit. You really won't regret it once you use it a time or two. You can't do an overnight chlorine loss test using the pool store. You have to have the FAS-DPD chlorine test to perform it.
 
As stuff collects on the floor use the vacuum, otherwise just let the pump run and it'll start to clear. As you've already learned, it takes a while sometimes.

You'll need one to get your pool balanced once you're done shocking anyway. Take a look at the ones linked in my sig, they're the best bang for the buck.
 

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