new here - and some questions

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Most of the calculators, including mine, are not very accurate at figuring PH changes when the TA if way off of what they assume.

Adding the entire box of borax won't be a significant problem. The PH should be reasonable for now. By the time you add a couple of rounds of baking soda the PH will end up a little too high and will need to be lowered slightly.

Remember, every pool is different. None of the calculators can tell you exactly what will happen when a chemical is added. So it is best to add a little less than you calculate you need, let it mix in, and test the water to see where you are.
 
Thank you very much ;)

I have 2.5 lbs of alkalinity plus (from HTH brand)
it says 95% sodium bicarbonate, 5% inert ingredients.

should I put that in you think - since I have it now - and then grab more regular soda from the store?

Thanks so much for all your help!

(also - the chlorine I have is 6% and is 174 oz bottles.)
 
I added that box, waited 5 hours, and checked, still low - (according to my strips) so I added 2 big boxes of baking soda, next morning - still low - so I added 2 more big boxes baking soda. Checked it this afternoon....pool looks even clearer! (still that funky white stuff at the bottom though!) But I am going to buy more baking soda tonight when we go into town, (I really thought 4 boxes it would be plenty! lol)
 
Laurie,

to raise pH you need soda ash not baking soda...
although Baking Soda(Sodium Bicarbonate) will raise Alkalinity and the pH, Soda ash(Sodium Carbonate, sold as pH plus in walmart) is preffered as it is a cheaper and raises pH quickly..

borax can also be used but since it raises the borates, which act as a buffer for the pH, you do not want too much of it..

With all the baking soda you added your TA should be in range now so all you need is to raise the pH above 7.0 using Soda Ash (pH plus/ anything that has Sodium Carbonate as the only ingredient), wait for a few hours for it to mix with the pump running, add a gallon of bleach, run the pump overnight and you should be good to go..

Experts.. comments please...
 
saraiks - Remember his TA was 10 and he already added an entire box of borax. If the previous test was right and my math was right then his PH should be above 7.0 by now while the TA may still need a little work. Also, borax is what we normally recommend for raising PH. Soda ash had some advantages in this case because PH and TA were both very low. But borax and baking soda together will do the same job.

lauriedelk - It would be nice to hear what progress you are making. New test numbers, even if they are from the test strips, would be wonderful.
 
Thanks everyone - early this morning - I put 4 more big boxes of the baking soda in.

I got home this afternoon and my test strip reads:
Total HArdeness - ok-250
Total Chlorine - 0 (I have 4 bottles and they are 6% and is 174 oz bottles)
(idea of how much of this I should put in? Thanks!)

PH - ok - 7.2
TOtal Alkalinity - ok- 145
stabilizer - ok-50

Thanks everyone! ;)
 
With your numbers the recommended FC level is 4 to 8. One full 174oz jug will bring it up by about 6. So I would say go ahead and dump a full jug in there and check the level. Check it again tomorrow morning and report if there is a significant loss (> 1ppm) .

What is the report on the "white stuff at the bottom"..
 

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I still see the white stuff at the bottom ;(

been climbing in it each day - *scooping* it out with the net - since my vacuum does not seem to be working well....
(not for sure if it is my filter being bad, or the cheap vacuum from walmart - but I don't want to buy new this late in the year, will probably replace next year if I have to) (unless someone also knows how to clean the filter as well - easily lol)

Thank you SO much guys (and gals!)!
 
Well if the FC holds overnight and water looks clear it might be OK to swim!!

The white "mystery" stuff needs to be tackled next. To me it seems either something is getting into the pool from the outside or it is some deposit/corrosion from your liner.

see if you can take a picture of the "white stuff" and post here to help us in identifying it. also let u know if it is the same quantity every day ? Does the quantity increase or decrease with if your pump run time changes ?
 
It said like 1 for chlorine on my strips this morning - so it is not holding very well.....

hubby won't let the kids swim until it is COMPLETELY CLEAR :roll:

Anyway - I got in again today, and scooped as much of that white stuff as I could.....it seems to come back - but I am hoping maybe it won't now that I have all the *stuff* right in it.....

I will add another thing of the chlorine tonight, and then check it when I get back from church ;)

Do you guys know - is there something I can add - to make my filter maybe run better / clean better......or is it going to take either replacing all the sand, or buying new next year?

Thanks again!
 
You can add DE powder through the skimmer to increase the performance of your sand filter.

If you search around here, there are some posts that tell you exactly how to do it.
Basically, you backwash your sand filter. Then with your pump running, note the psi on your gauge. Then add DE powder through the skimmer, 1 cup at a time - watching your psi. (I cannot remember how much to bring your psi up to - hence you will need to find another post or perhaps someone will step in here). You would need to repeat this every time you backwash if you want to continue using DE with your sand filter.

I am sure curious as to what the white stuff is. Unless you put some flocculant in the pool, I cannot imagine what it would be.

Skimmer socks may also help.

Also, do you think the white stuff is coming back into the pool via the return/s? You may want to get a kneehigh nylon stocking and use a twist tie or something to put it over your return/s to catch anything that may be coming back in that way.
 
If your FC is dropping overnight the you are certainly battling some sort of an Algae or there are a lot of organics getting into your pool. If you see another overnight drop I suggest you shock the pool to a reccomended FC level as suggested by the pool calculator in Jasons signature above and keep it there by adding additional chlorine till you dont see any overnight loss. Do backwash the filter often during this period. Also read the sticky on shocking the pool. If possible please post a picture of your pool and a picture of the white stuff you scoop out.

How does your water look in general..

Good luck...!
 
If you try adding DE to the pool, I suggest adding 1/4 cup at a time and giving it two minutes to settle before looking at the pressure gague to see if you went up 1 psi, and if you didn't the repeat with the next 1/4 cup. Once you know the amount for your filter you can add it all at once the next time.
 
DE powder - hadn't heard of that - do I get that at a pool store - or walmart? thanks
(my gauge I think is broke on the filter, so I cannot do that - I guess just putting a tiny bit in at a time and watching it?)
I won't bother with that I guess, until we get all this resolved (unless you guys think I should ;))

flocculant - NOPE - no way! lol

I cleaned it scooping up that white stuff for 4 hours yesterday, was SO excited, as I thought today the kids would be able to swim, and almost the WHOLE bottom is covered with it again.....

I thought Algae before too - some kind - but my pool tests from the store did not show any....and I put SO much algae stuff in months ago....I wouldn't think I would have any! lol

Here are some pics I took today....

Water looks PERFECT - can see all the way to the bottom, just a thin layer of that white junk on most of the bottom though
 
DE is Diatomaceous Earth, used as the filter media in DE filters for swimming pools. Any pool store will have it, as will places like WalMart, Lowes, and Home Depot (though it is getting late in the season and the big box stores often sell out for the season by now).

If you can't measure the pressure I would try 3/4 of a cup. Better yet replace the pressure gauge.

The DE will help filter out very fine particles in the water, but doesn't seem likely to have anything to do with you white "stuff".

You said you have a sand filter. Are you sure that you have sand in the filter and not zeolite? Zeolite is white and if the filter was broken it could be letting the zeolite get into the pool.
 
You said you have a sand filter. Are you sure that you have sand in the filter and not zeolite? Zeolite is white and if the filter was broken it could be letting the zeolite get into the pool.
Click to expand...

hmm - not sure - we got it put in about 5-6 years ago....and the people at the pool place totally changed hands....when I called to fix/replace my liner 2 years ago (got a hole at the bottom) - the people did not even have my records on file!
is there a way I can find that out! lol

It is sounding more and more - like I am going to have to do what my husband said - and shut it down, and start over with all new next year.....I just promised the kids I would get it done - and now it is more like a vengeance to get it! lol It is only 84 degrees out today, so it will only be this month - if I can get it going anyway - I just hate to give up - after ALL I have tried all summer....
 

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