New above ground and first treatment didn't go well.

[Amber]

We set up an Intex 10' by 30" above ground on Sunday afternoon. It's in the shade. I've been reading the forums and it was very clear to me that I needed to locate a test kit asap. I went to the pool store and tested the pool. Everything came back within a normal range except for the chlorine being non-existent. I was told by the pool store that if the pool didn't show any chlorine to add about 1/2 gallon of 10% sodium hypochlorite with the filter running and let it run for another hour and then let the kids swim. After an hour I re-tested and the chlorine levels are off the charts. The test tube turned the color of my iced tea! The ph, which had been 7.6 were now 8.0. The total alkalinity was 160 ppm. I don't even know where to begin to fix this. I tried the calculator but am not finding that very easy to understand. I am so new to all of this!

I would appreciate any help.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

I get 1,200 gallons for a 10 foot round 24 inches deep.

That was way way way too much chlorine. It may have bleached out the liner a little.

Have you added anything else to the water? If the pool was just filled, chances are that CYA is near zero. If so, the FC level will have come down to zero already. If CYA is higher, it will still come down fairly quickly.

Ignore the PH and TA test results while FC is that high.

The first thing to do is work on finding out your CYA level, and adjusting it to between 30 and 50. If CYA is zero, you can add 3 oz of 10% chlorine each evening after sunset, until you get some CYA in the water. If CYA is above zero, or 24 hours after you add CYA, start testing and raising the FC level to something appropriate for your CYA level.

 

[Amber]

Thanks for your reply, Jason. I didn't calculate the gallons myself, I went off of the manual that came with the pool.

I don't know how to get a CYA reading. This test kit that he told me would be good for our pool type doesn't give that reading. Should I take a sample in to a different pool store to get that reading? I don't want this to ruin the pool. Should we dump it and start fresh or what damage that may have occured already done?

I have not added anything else to the water. It was just tap water until I added the chlorine.

Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

There is no reason to replace the water. Whatever happened, has happened and is over now.

Tap water doesn't have any CYA in it, nor does liquid chlorine, so your CYA level must be zero. With CYA at zero, even with a lot of shade, the FC level should be zero by now. You can double check that with your test kit. Assuming FC is zero, add 3 oz of 10% chlorine this evening.

Your pool is fairly small, so you can decide if you want to follow the full BBB method, which means getting a much better test kit, and having a lot more control over what happens, or if you want to follow our seasonal pool instructions and replace the water when something goes significantly wrong.