Frustrated and ready to close my pool

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Dazed and confused

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May 29, 2012
28
I'm thouroughly frustrated with my pool. Let me ask several questions and see if I can start to control my pool instaed of my pool controlling me. I'm reliant on going to pool stores because I have a cheap test kit. 1)What test kit can I order today to meet my testing needs so I never have to go to a pool store to have water tested. Next thing, I've been battling a copper reading of 1. for 10 days. I do not have a heater or use algacide. I've only had to add some alkalinity up and a little PH up last week. I've added 6 liters of metal free Sequestriant, but pool stores keep test stripping it and saying copper reading is still 1.0. 2)Would this test still show a 1.0 copper reading even if its been sequestered? Pool is minimully cloudy with a tint of green but a light green. Its 16 by 32 aproximatly 20,000 gallons in a vinyl liner pool. My current readings today show PH 7.4, Alkalinity 120, Stabilizer 0, FC 0 and TC 0. The low chlorine readings because of a vitamin C treatment 4 days ago. 3) I was told I couldnt shock for a week because of the vitamin C treatment, should I continue to wait? 4) Should I immediately add Stabilizer and how much? One of the pool stores always tests for nitrates first thing. They say Im high with nitrates and should shock every 4 hrs until I start get a reading of chlorine to know I burnt off the nitrates but am leary to due to copper readings. Are nitrates an immediate concern? For the last 3 or 4 years I would maybe add 1 liter of metal free and treat each week with it, but this year I'm afraid to do anything more due to the 6 liters of metal free already added. Where do I start?? :(
 
Dazed and confused said:
1)What test kit can I order today to meet my testing needs so I never have to go to a pool store to have water tested.
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The TF-100

2)Would this test still show a 1.0 copper reading even if its been sequestered? Pool is minimully cloudy with a tint of green but a light green.

3) I was told I couldnt shock for a week because of the vitamin C treatment, should I continue to wait?
Click to expand...

I'll defer to others with more knowledge here.

4) Should I immediately add Stabilizer and how much? One of the pool stores always tests for nitrates first thing.
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No. Stabalizer = CYA. not knowing your current CYA level, it would be pointless, and perhaps detrimental, to add more. Wait for the test kit suggested above to arrive, test CYA, and then make a determination.

They say Im high with nitrates and should shock every 4 hrs until I start get a reading of chlorine
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Without knowing CYA, this advice is also "pointless".

Where do I start?? :(
Click to expand...

In Pool School, and with a TF-100. :)
 
Welcome!!!!

Start by reading Pool School to understand your pools chemistry while waiting for your test kit.

The recommended test kits are also linked in my signature. TF100 is the best value for the quantity or reagents you get.

Poolcalculator can eventually help you determine appropriate dosages.

I am not an expert on metals do will defer to someone else.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone :)
 
1) The TF-100 from TFTestKits.net is an excellent test kit.
2) Copper will normally show up even if it is sequestered.
3) Keep adding chlorine slowly but frequently until you can maintain an FC level.
4) Raise CYA to about 30 to start with, the adjust it more later.
Nitrates are irrelevant, makes no difference.

Metal Free is not one of our recommended sequestrants. Other brands are far more effective. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find many other brands with similar ingredients, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.
 
You already have the link for the test kit and the sequestrant, which saves me some typing.

If you order the kit now (get the XL and a speedstir, too), you'll have a plan of attack before next weekend, and can get moving. I see no reason your pool cannot be crystal clear and sparkling well before the end of the month.

Start sending out invitations for a Fourth of July Swim Party.

Seriously. :cheers:
 
Dazed and confused said:
One more question. When people refer to "bleach", is that just regular normal household bleach you buy at the foodstore and use rather than schock? And what would be equivilant to 1 lb. of shock?
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Yep. Or you can buy it at Costco, Sam's, BJ's, wherever it's cheap. Be sure to check the strength - some economy brands are as low as 3% !!! Alternately, you can usually find 10 or 12.5% at big box hardware stores or a pool store.

The equivalent to "shock powder" depends entirely on the actual compound - dichlor, cal-hypo, or whatever and the percentage strength of the shock and the bleach.

Pool School will explain it all, particularly the evil side-effects of using the wrong chlorine source.
 
Yes, plain unscented 6% bleach from the laundry aisle. The powdered shocks will add either CYA or calcium to your pool. Too much of either of those will cause problems over time. This is why most of us will tell you to go ahead and order the test kit before adding more chemicals to the pool. Chlorine will drop over a couple of days if you use too much, but too much CYA or calcium have to be drained and the pool refilled to lower those levels.
 
Thanks again. Ordering the TF-100 tonight. I see it runs about $65-. That would be good enough and equivilant to the tests I'll be doing on a regular basis? Ill also start reading up from pool school this week while I wait for test kit to arrive..
 

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Don't stress about it. I was just like you last weekend ( no test kit, what? put bleach in my pool!?!?, the pool store said I need to spend how much again?). Now after I read pool school, the tf100 arrived and butt load of bleach later, my pool looks awesome and I know that I am in control.
 
Get the tf100, I got the Taylor 2006 and ended up buying replacement chemicals very soon since I was going through a shock process with my pool last June when I found this site. My cya was very high so it took a lot of bleach to combat the problem, I should have drained and refilled all at once the first time.

Since then I kept the chlorine above the minimum on poolcalculator.com and haven't had to shock since, except to close the pool for the winter. What a relief it was to take the cover off this year, cc was 7, I installed a swg, and now it feels wierd only testing water once a week,... or more if I really want to make sure ;)

I see so many people on fb saying, oh it rained last night and now my pool is cloudy. I reply back saying bring on the rain, it won't hurt my pool. I once got so much rain, it came down the hill, through the flower bed through the grass, over the concrete and into the pool... This was at 5am, and at 7 when I got out of bed to clean the pool, the water was clear! I just had to sweep debris off the bottom. Cc's never came up, everything is good.

Hang in there, this site knows what it's saying!
 
I was a new pool owner as of last year, was fortunate to find this site first so I never had to go through the Pool store rigamarole. My water is so rock solid including my borated water that it makes my neighbor envious!

As a word of warning... there is a new version of Clorox that is splash less... I don't know how they make it splash less but I wouldn't want to chance the difference, just make sure you buy the regular unscented chlorine...

I shopped BJ's and Sams yesterday and Sams is still better at 8.54 for 3 bottles of 6% 182 Oz bottles... the price is a full dollar higher this year than last year though :-(
 
Ok, here's where I'm at. I ordered the tf-100 and should have test kit by Thursday. Should I do nothing til I can test again or should I start the process of raising the stabilizer that read 0 yesterday? If you think I should start the process in "pool school" of using Dichlor for the next four nights I figure I would use 42 ozs of shock being as my pool is 21,000 gallons. It should also be noted that it has only been 5 days since a "vitamin c" treatment. I have used "metal free" generously to sequester any metals being as I did have a copper reading of 1. My pool currently is hazy and a hint of green but I can see to the bottom of the 8 foot deep end. If you say start now and I shock tonight after dusk, do I let my filter run for 4 days straight or turn off midnight to 6am? If you think i should wait til i get test kit im good with that, i just want to do it right.Get my pool back, and I'll become a spokesperson, lol. Thanks again.
 
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