Newbie-GREEN Pool Help please

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dtalcorn

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Aug 7, 2012
28
We have been pool owners for over 10 years and the last 3 years have been so frustrating. On the advice of our pool store, we've been pouring hundreds/maybe thousands of dollars into chems without great results. I'm willing to give the BBB system a try but I'm a little nervous due to my lack of water chemistry knowledge. First things first, I don't own a recommended test kit. I will order one but that will take precious time to arrive. In the meantime I am relying on the results from my pool store. They carry a Bioguard Multi Test kit 1200V, is that adequate or should I wait and order the Taylor K-2006??

The pool store recommended that we change the filter sand, which we did yesterday and shocked again last night. This morning, pool is still green. Had water tested at store and results were:

FC: 10
pH: 8.3
TC: 10
TA: 166
CH: 153 (given as Total Hardness reading)
CYA: 151

I was told to adjust the pH by adding 6lbs of Lo'n Slo. Then add shock and algaecide tonight????? Just doesn't sound right to me?

We had the water tested yesterday but I cannot find the result sheet. Prior to that, we had it tested Saturday (8/4) with the following results.
FC: 2.9
pH 7.9
TC: 2.9
TA: 143
CH: 97
CYA: 135
We shocked it!

Any help or advice on where to start with this would be so appreciated!!!!!! Thank you
 
Welcome to TFP. :wave:

I hate to be the first one to say this but you're going to need to drain a good bit of your water to get the CYA into a reasonable range.

You should start with about half of the water. While we usually don't trust the pool store numbers, They're good enough to ga ahead and start draining while you wait on the test kit.

I'd suggest you go ahead and order the TF-100 from tftestkits (see sig) with the XL option since you're going to be shocking.
 
Dave, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately that was not what I wanted to hear, but I will go ahead and start draining. At least my lawn will benefit.

So, how do I proceed from there? Drain 1/2 way and treat or drain and refill and then treat. Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Drain, refill, test water.

DO NOT USE ANY MORE SHOCK PRODUCT! That and tablets are what drive your CYA up.

I hate to be the first to tell you that you did not need to change your filter sand. :(
 
Again, Dave, Thanks for your help.

Just called my husband at work and we are going to give the BBB a go! I ordered the recommended test kit. I took the chlorine sticks out of the skimmer and will continue to keep the water circulating without them until husband gets home and can help begin the drainage process. Will draining 1/2 way be adequate?

Another question I have is about the advice given to me this morning at the pool store. They told me to balance the water and brush it completely. With a 33 ft above ground, vacuuming and brushing is impossible to do unless I can get in it. I was told that although my pool is very green with algae, my chlorine levels are safe enough to get in it to scrub and brush it. Is this true?
 
I wouldn't worry about doing anything until you've drained and refilled and have the good test kit.

I'd recommend draining and refilling and then testing the CYA again with a good kit. Then if you don't need to drain more, test & adjust the pH first and then start the shock process.
 
dtalcorn said:
Will draining 1/2 way be adequate?
Click to expand...

It's a start. Assuming the 135 CYA is accurate then you'll be around a 65-70 CYA which is workable but a little higher than desired for shocking the pool.

dtalcorn said:
Another question I have is about the advice given to me this morning at the pool store. They told me to balance the water and brush it completely. With a 33 ft above ground, vacuuming and brushing is impossible to do unless I can get in it. I was told that although my pool is very green with algae, my chlorine levels are safe enough to get in it to scrub and brush it. Is this true?
Click to expand...

Probably OK - I would shower after and rinse the suit.
 
dtalcorn said:
CYA was 151 this morning, it was 135 on Saturday. So maybe more than 1/2 way drained?
Click to expand...

The tests aren't very accurate over 100. Maybe you should give the pool store a 50/50 diluted sample (half pool water, half distilled water or tap water). If you use tap water ignore the values for everything except CYA which you then double. If you use distilled water you can double all the values (except pH).
 
Thank you, everyone, for all your replies and help! We drained a little over half the pool yesterday and began filling it overnight. Unfortunately with a pool of nearly 26,000 gallons, that process takes a little more time. While I'm waiting for the pool to fill, I have some concerns.
1. Being that there is not all new water in the pool, will the "affected algae" water breed into the fresh water at a rate that I won't be able to get under control? And if so, is there a process I should be doing to help prevent this?

2. I read the section of pool school on supplies to have on hand, but I'm not sure how to calculate the amount of bleach and other supplies I should get to arm myself for my attack. My pool testing kit was ordered yesterday, but I don't expect to receive it for at least another day.
My pool store is open until 5pm EST today so if it has reached the skimmer level to a point that I can begin to run the pump, I will begin circulating the water to get it moving and mixed in, and then take a sample for testing the CH, pH, and CYA. There is a possibility that I might not be able to test until tomorrow morning. Will that cause more problems for us?

Is there anything that I am missing here or should be doing that I am not? Again, I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate you taking the time to read and respond to my questions! You guys are the best!
 

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You are on the right track :mrgreen:

I am also a newbie in my first year but i have learned a ton and don't really consider myself a newbie anymore.

Once you get the hang of it the whole process is simple ... and if you do have issues they are addressed on here very quickly.

I will take a stab at answering your questions

1 - yes it will all blend together but with the lower CYA level you will be able to attack it with far less chlorine. You may want to add some chlorine now but i will leave that to the experts.

2 - The pool calculator will help ..... but until you have your test results don't buy anything other than bleach .... i went out and bought all 3 B's but have only used bleach and borax.

Once you get your results you plug the numbers into the pool calculator and it will give you the recommended amounts ..... but over time you will know how much chlorine to add without even looking at the calculator ... i know 44 ounces of 6% bumps my FC level up 1 ppm ....
 
You should be able to pump now - attach a vacuum hose to the skimmer (primed first) and drop the hose into the deep end. You won't be skimming but you will be able to pump. Be sure to use the non-swivel end of the hose on the skimmer connection - if your hose has this it can leak air into the system if you hook it up the other way.
 
Hmmmmm....I'm not sure what you mean by non swivel end of the hose to the skimmer. My hose does not have a swivel end? We have a standard vacuum attachment that goes over the skimmer (basket removed) and then the other end attaches to the vac head. Just placing the hose into the water might run the risk of it sucking itself/sticking to the bottom of the pool unless someone stays out there to either hold it or keep an eye on it. I might be able to just stick the vacuum head in there and let it run itself through that. At least the brushes on the attachment will keep the hose from suctioning to the bottom of the pool.

According to the tracking on my test kit, it was shipped from NC yesterday, so maybe I will receive it tomorrow? Keeping my fingers crossed on that.

My water level will not be full until later tonight. That puts me at another disadvantage because I won't be able to test until the pool store opens at 10am. Any suggestions on how to proceed would, again, be so appreciated. I will take a sample up in about an hour to get an idea of what my CYA level and pH is, but they won't be accurate until the pool is completely full.
 
dtalcorn said:
Hmmmmm....I'm not sure what you mean by non swivel end of the hose to the skimmer. My hose does not have a swivel end? We have a standard vacuum attachment that goes over the skimmer (basket removed) and then the other end attaches to the vac head. Just placing the hose into the water might run the risk of it sucking itself/sticking to the bottom of the pool unless someone stays out there to either hold it or keep an eye on it. I might be able to just stick the vacuum head in there and let it run itself through that. At least the brushes on the attachment will keep the hose from suctioning to the bottom of the pool.

According to the tracking on my test kit, it was shipped from NC yesterday, so maybe I will receive it tomorrow? Keeping my fingers crossed on that.

My water level will not be full until later tonight. That puts me at another disadvantage because I won't be able to test until the pool store opens at 10am. Any suggestions on how to proceed would, again, be so appreciated. I will take a sample up in about an hour to get an idea of what my CYA level and pH is, but they won't be accurate until the pool is completely full.
Click to expand...

Some vacuum hoses have a swivel on one end. Mine (cheapo lowes one) does not; my neighbor's does. My vacuum head has a swivel so I don't miss it. If you don't have a swivel - don't sweat that detail.

Yes by all means leave the head attached - you can leave the pole on it if that helps keep it lying on it's side even.

You can take a sample now - but as you know the composition is changing... hang in there.
 
I feel like a kid on Christmas morning....MY NEW TEST KIT IS HERE!!

We have dumped half the water and refilled...it is up to skimmer level and the pump is running. Filter has new sand

These were my test results from the new kit:
FC 7.5
CC: 1
CYA: 40
TA: 130

The shock chart says to get the FC up to 16, so does that mean I just start pouring the bleach and test hourly until I hit that level? I'm getting a little confused.
 
I should clarify....I'm not just "dumping" . The pool calculator indicated I would need 227 oz. of 12% bleach. I have been slowly adding that and will retest hourly. Then what? Do I plug the new numbers in the calculator and add more bleach? Do I need to test the CYA levels again or am I ok holding at 40?
 
Use the Pool calc to figure out how much to add to get from 7.5 to 16 and then just add whatever it says to.

After an hour test again and add enough to get from where you are then back to 16.

Don't worry about testing the CYA again.
 
Thank you! Another question for ya....Is my pool safe to get into? I have a really difficult time doing an adequate job of brushing or vacuuming unless I can actually get in it to reach all the surfaces. What levels should I be watching that would make it dangerous to be in the water or should I just do the best I can by brushing from the outside?
 
Performed 2 more tests for FC. Both times I reached a level of 20 per the drop test and the water was still not turning clear. I stopped adding drops of the R-0871 when I reached 40 drops indicating that I have at least a FC level of 20. I am hoping I am safe to say my chlorine level is above the desired 16 level for my shocking process. We are getting ready to head out to the ballgame so I am leaving my daughter in charge of testing the water and adding chlorine if the level drops below 16.

Am I missing anything here? I'm not sure how quickly I should expect to see results? I have not added any additional bleach since the initial dose of 3.5 gallons of 12% that I put in about 2 hours ago.
 

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