{Newbie Needs HELP!} Cloudy Water, Sandpaper Liner

[DanielleM]

Hi All, I'm new to this forum, but have been reading some of the topics posted similar to mine and there has been some great advice offered - I am hoping to find my solution here!
We have a 24' Above Ground pool that was left full of water and uncovered this past winter (big no-no, I know). When we first opened the pool on Memorial Day weekend, we shocked it and everything was blue but very CLOUDY, when we vacuumed out the larger debris we noticed that there was sand (?) in the vacuum bag. Round and round we went with the pool store trying to find the cause of the problem, we've flocked it, shocked it, bought a $200 rover vacuum to vacuum it, raised the alkalinity, you name it - we've tried it! BUT our pool is still cloudy, and it's gone back to green since we didn't put the small tablets in after the flocking didn't work, and our vinyl liner feels like sandpaper.

So finally today I went to a DIFFERENT pool store and got our water tested by a computer and our results are:
Free Chlorine: 0.1 ppm
Total Chlorine: 0.4 ppm
Combined Chlorine: 0.4 ppm
pH: Over 8.2
Hardness: 200 ppm
Alkalinity: 81 ppm
Cyanuric Acid: 30 ppm
Copper: 0 ppm
Iron: 0 ppm

I am currently following their directions of: 3lbs pH Down (wait one hour), then 5lbs of Alkalinity Increaser (wait one hour), then 2 large tablets PLUS 4Lbs of Shock, run pool for 24 hours, add additional 2 lbs of shock...

Any idea if this will work? What should we be doing about the sandpaper liner?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

There's a better than odds chance it won't. The 3 lbs of pH down (dry acid) was good advice. The rest, not so much.

The first thing you need is a good test kit. If you order it today you can have it pretty soon. Just go to tftestkits and order the TF-100 with the XL option and a Speedstir and you'll be set for this year and probably next.

Then learn how to use the Pool Calc if you haven't already.

Since all we have are the pool store numbers we'll use them. According to their numbers and your description, you need to perform the shock process. You need to get about 25 jugs of bleach or 15 gallons of liquid chlorine (10% or 12.5%) to begin with.

While you're waiting on the test kit scoop as much of the debris out of the pool as you possibly can until you can't get any more out.

Post back once you get the kit and we can help you through this. Once it's done you'll be glad you came here.

 

[DanielleM]

Thank you for your quick reply!
I just bought six 1lb bags of 'Clear View Shimmer-N' Shock' at the pool store this morning (based on their reccomendation), and was planning on putting 4 bags in this afternoon and another 2 tomorrow. Will this not be sufficient shock?

We ran the rover vacuum last week about 6 times and at the end it was coming up with almost nothing, so I don't think there is any large debris left at the bottom (not that I could see it if there were!!!).

 

[Bama Rambler]

Shimmer-N' Shock is Dichlor. 6 lbs will raise your CYA level by 30 ppm and with the 30 ppm you already have your shock level is getting to high to be practical.

4 lbs of Dichlor will raise your FC by 20 ppm which is just above your shock level and your CYA by 19 which would then raise your shock level to 16 ppm FC.

Your best bet is to take the dichlor back and trade it for liquid chlorine or liquid shock.

 

[DanielleM]

hmmm this is all very confusing (did I mention I'm new? )

Well, I put 4lbs of Shimmer N' Shock in just now (before reading Bama Rambler's post), so now I guess I will wait 24 hours and test with a test strip to see where my levels are.

I am hoping this will clear the pool, any tips on the sandpaper feeling on the liner?

 

[sefrlw]

I have been in your shoes. 8 years ago. Then I went to pool school. Read, read and then when you think you ave it read some more. Do not listen to the pool store anymore. I am going to bet you have the same issue I had calcium scale, although you calcium is not that high. Mine was through the roof and my PH was also through the roof. The sandpaper feeling will take some time to go away, but once you get through pool school and follow the plan you will be so much happier with your pool

Get the TFT test kit and dump the strips!!!!

 

[supertune]

Hi DanielleM and welcome to TFP!
Please listen to the advice given here!
Read Pool School link here:
pool-school/

2nd, get a proper test kit and post those test #'s here.
You will spend way too much $$ with powdered shock bags of stuff, they have their place in a startup fill and IF your needing to raise CYA or Calcium.
Both can add other chemicals besides chlorine to the pool you don't need and will make clearing your pool very hard, costly and time consuming.
I was a newbie just like you...my total transformation was because I got a good kit and followed the principles taught here.
My pool is perfect all the time and very simple to care for now.
My college education here cost me $30 for my TFP membership (to give back and help you) and $78 for my TF100 test kit shipped to my door. I have only spent on what the pool needs only and never chasing my tail as the pool does exactly what it's told to do.
Get it on the east coast here:
http://tftestkits.net/Test-Kits-c4/
or (Big props to BlakeJ!)
He now supplies the TF-100 for the west coast here:
http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/poolsupp ... TF-100.htm

With this kit, it's the best tool in my toolbox! It can fix any problem I have and will not have.

Chuck

 

[Bama Rambler]

One or two doses of Dichlor probably isn't going to clear your pool up and it's not going to help the scaling. But the good news is that if you want to you can follow the advice here and get your pool clear first and then we'll attack the scaling.

One of the first things we need is a set of good test results. If you spend a little time reading on here you'll find that pool store results are notoriously inaccurate. And without your own good test kit you can't properly maintain your pool.

I know it seems like the first thing we do is jump on you asking you to spend money but it's in your best interest. And no matter how much we ask you to spend, it's going to wind up to be a lot less than the pool stores will sell you, and with them you still won't know how to properly maintain your pool. With us, not only will it be cheaper but the knowledge you gain will make maintaining your pool a breeze.

We understand that the amount of information you read on here is daunting and makes no sense at first but once you learn a few things about your pool it becomes much easier to understand and actually makes it very easy to maintain your pool.

 

[DanielleM]

How much time am I looking at do you think? From test set order (I'm in RI) to a swimable pool? We're feeling very discouraged. We just changed our filter sand today, it was clean but 4+ years old.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Wish you had posted that you were considering changing the sand here. But it didn't hurt anything.

It ships from North Carolina so it should be there Tuesday. Then give it a couple of weeks to get it cleared up. It may be sooner.

Use the next few days to read pool school.