New Here.. and Overwhelmed

[ajackson]

First of all I want to say What A Great Site. I am getting overwhelmed by all the info on the board.
We had our pool built 5 years ago and until middle of last summer it was nice and clear.
I have had nothing but problems this year, and spent hundreds and hundreds of $$ at the local pool store.
I am going to make the switch to bbb for the rest of the season because it sounds like you all have great success
(our pool is open from late May to early Sept in Central Oh)
Now for the downside. I just bought a 50 lb bucket of trichlor tabs 2 weeks ago and I really dont want to waste them.
What should I do?

I will be ordering a K-2006 in a few days but I had my water tested less than a week ago and here are my numbers
Test results
Fc-1.4 (I added 2 1/2 more gallons of 12.5% shock last night. OTO is alot darker yellow than the 5 mark still today)
Cc- ?
Tc- 1.4
Ph-6.5
T/A- 101 (the pool store told me to add 5.5 lbs of Balance Pak 100 and 3 lbs of balance Pak 200)
(I added 8 lbs of baking soda. this was before I found your calculator)
(I dont know exactly what ph is now because I have a cheap OTO/PH test vile and the colors are hard to read but it looks like 7.2)
Ch-371 (??? on the print out it says 371 Tot Hardness) (had me add 1 1/2 quarts of Scale inhibitor)
CYA- 30
Temp 83

I cant wait for my new test kit to come...
my biggest question right now is What should I do.. wait for my kit to arrive before going back to the pool store? just try to keep up my FC level?
and I am confused on the CYA. I thought trichlor raised it alot.. (I am floating 4 3inch tabs and put 4 everyother day in my Hayward inline chloinator)
I actually put sabilizer in my skimmer to raise CYA more. Was that a mistake?
UGG.. I am just so frustrated..
I feel like I have had to be a chemist to understand all the info I get. and then my pool is still cloudy. I wouldnt mind all the $$ so much if the pool was clear.
I have just had numbers this year that were up down up down everytime I walk in the pool store
Help me Please.. Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[MikeInNH]

I would only add bleach until your kit comes in. I wouldn't trust the pool store numbers especially for CYA. That one seems low for using tablets. Maintaining a pool is a bit overwhelming at first but you'll get the hang of it. Pool school at the top right is the best place to build knowledge. Welcome to TFP!

 

[lightingguy]

I too wouldn't trust that CYA number. They tend to be wrong from stores and there is a lot of evidence that it should be much higher.

As to being overwhelmed - we were all there once. Once you start taking your own measurements and making adjustments it'll all start to feel better. One of the worst aspects of getting pool stored is the constant bombardment of conflicting information and random products - each of which is supposed to "fix" the pool. None of which seem to work.

Now that you are here you can put that behind you. When the test kit arrives - post your results and we'll help you build a plan of attack. It'll most likely look like

1) Determine if the CYA level is manageable. Fix if need be.
2) Make sure the PH is in range
3) Raise the FC level to shock and keep it there until the pool clears.

Once the pool is clear you can make little adjustments to TA and Calcium if needed - but there is no need to worry about all that now.

In the mean time - keep that FC level up - 10ppm or very yellow on the OTO test should be safe. This should help cut down on the true shock time once you get a better FC test. Keep reading Pool School - soon all those little abbreviations will begin to make more sense.

Hang in there - it gets a lot better

 

[ajackson]

Thanks for the advice, I ordered the K-2006 this morning so hopefully it gets here soon.

 

[GreatCanadian]

Hey ajackson. I understand your feeling of being overwhelmed. The reason for that is that you are now trying to learn while you are in the middle of a problem. While you are waiting for your test kit read pool school, and read it again. I am guessing your CYA is a lot higher than you've indicated. Read up in pool school to find out why that is a problem and why it's EXTREMELY important to have an accurate CYA reading. Once you get the hang of this and get your pool balanced it really is a breeze to maintain it. And read, read, read. You will develop confidence as you start to understand the chemistry, and actually look forward to the challenge. It's like a fight!! And you will feel excited about joining the battle because you will know you can win!! Read read read!! And good luck!!

I went from a pool a couple of years ago that I tried to maintain most of the summer with zero CYA, crazy pH levels, and chlorine readings anywhere from off the charts to zero, to THIS:

Other than add borates this year I have added NOTHING to my pool. My SWG runs 2 hours a day, and my pH is now stuck on 7.5. I test daily. And relplace a little splashout every now and then. That's really all I do now. And it's all because of the help I received from the members on this site.

P.S. This site is awesome. There are some very knowledgeable, friendly people here. When you are stuck, ask the question, and tons of answers will flood your way. Best forum on the net as far as I'm concerned.

GC