New Pool Startup

[jerryla]

We are in the process of trying to get our new pool(installed in November last year) up and running. I have done the tests and not sure what I need to do to get my water under control. I am posting the results in hope of someone being able to determine what course of action I should take next. The water appears clean but a little cloudy. The first of the week I added 2 gallons of bleach to clear up brown looking algae. My SWG has never been plugged into the console or ever turned on. We added 12 bags of Morton Pool Salt yesterday afternoon.
Here are my test results from an hour ago:

FC=0
TA=30
Salt=3870
CYA=40

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[woodyp]

My FIRST usggestion is that you read pool school a couple of times to see what to do and more importantly---WHY to do it. You have no PH posted or CC or hardness #'s posted. How did you test? Don't raise the cya level yet to what we recommend for your SWG-you may need to shock first in reference to your brown algae. Post back more test #'s so we can help, and I'd get some more FC in there pretty quick and probably advise you to get several more jugs on hand.

 

[257WbyMag]

What is your pH? That will need to be verified and adjusted first. You will then need to shock your pool (it's cloudy) and continue the process until your water is clear, your FC drops no more than 1 overnight, and you CC is 0.5 or less. Use bleach to shock, rather than your SWCG. This save wear on the cell and works faster.

Please consider the purchase of a TF-100 test kit from tftestkits.net. You need to be able to accurately test in order to manage your pool.

 

[jerryla]

Thanks for the info guys. I do have a test kit TFA100. Let me clarify before I go further. The greenish brown algae from last week has been taken care of. Last week upon returning home from a weekend away the pool turned brown, I added almost two gallons of Clorox and it cleared up leaving the water a little murky from a week ago. After testing this morning I added a gallon of 121 oz Concentrate to the pool. I am about to do a complete set of tests and post the results. A neighbor tells me the only thing he ever uses as far as chemicals is shock, stabilizer and salt???
Thanks for the help

 

[Isaac-1]

Neighbors can be both good and bad sources for information, for example the fact that he did not mention using acid/ pH Down or Soda Ash / pH UP may mean you live in a area where pool pH does not tend to drift much either way, or it may mean his pool water is so acidic that it is eating through the pool equipment. It also helps to know what he is calling "shock" this may be dichlor which adds both chlorine and stabilizer, or it may be cal-hypo which adds both calcium and chlorine, this calcium adds to water hardness, and eventually can cause scaling if allowed to get out of control. Just remember you also probably have neighbors that think you never need to change the oil in a car, just top it off when it leaks, out, etc.

 

[jerryla]

Just completed tests for this evening and these are the results.

PH: 7.0-7.2
FC: 4.0
TA: 50
CYA : 40
SWG: never been turned on.

Now from what we have calculated from the information on this forum: This is what we would do??

Add 18 oz of soda ash to bring PH up to a strong 7.2
Add 74 oz of baking soda to bring TA up to 70
206 oz of liquid stabilizer to reach goal of 70.

Are we close, way off base, little of both??
Thanks
Jerry

 

[Isaac-1]

I would still be concerned about your cloudy water issue, and wonder if you need to shock (process not product) before boosting your CYA, therefore an OCLT is in order (what luck it is just the time of day to start one) pool-school/overnight_fc_test


p.s. remember stabilizer is acidic so will effect your pH, I have not ran the numbers to see exact effects on your pool though