0 Chlorine, all else ok? No chemicals added - help pls!!!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

maggiem

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jun 15, 2008
61
Hi everyone! I have been reading and reading and haven't run across this exactly - apologise if it is here and I haven't found it!
We just filled a 15x36 intex vinyl pool (filled it about 3/4 of the way as it sloped a bit and it's just to teach my 6 yr old twins to swim) last night and I have tested the water a bit ago. I used the HTH 5 tests kit. THe readings are:

Ph = 7.3-7.5 ish
CYA - 30ppm
Alka = 150ppm-ish
Hardness = about 30 as it turned purple and not red with first drop of tester solution and took only 3 to get to a darkish blue
Chlorine = 0

THe 0 chlorine is throwing me off a bit. :? Our town water "stopped" using it so this might explain why it's 0 but my question is, do I need to raise it? From what I have read, it sounds like all other stuff is fine and calcium is not an issue due to the vinyl....

I have added nothing at all to the pool. Should I still shock it and add bleach or just shock it and dive in tommorow? IT's about 3,300 gallons I suspect

Thanks much!
Maggie and her guppies
 
THanks for the replies!!!! The pool was just filled last night and it was so late that we didn't add anything at all. We thought we'd let it sit today and then run the filter when we came home from a father's Day celebration so we'd be around in case we messed it up :shock:

I know it needs chlorine due to it being 0. I reckon about 4 cups of the 6% chlorox (unscented) bleach. But is that all it needs? I'm so scared to raise the CYA and then have to dump it (as I have read about) Also, I know that once I chlorinate it, I will then have to test it later in the evening for all levels because the chlorine might change the ph, cya, ta etc... right? :?

I'm going to do all of this in the morning because it's very dark and late here and cold now too!

Thanks so much again. I think I mostly know what to do, just scared to do it and wind up wasting all the water!

Maggie & the guppies
 
Your numbers look fairly good. You said CYA was already 30, which seems unlikely if you just filled it. With most everything except chlorine it is best to add perhaps 2/3rds of what you think you need, let it mix in, and then retest to see where that got you.
 
I have to say CYA is 30 because try as I might, I couldn't understand the "disappearing black dot". It seemed to have dissappeared only when the tube/vial was full..... :oops:

And yes, the water has been sitting now for about 30 hours or so - the weather has been about 4 hours of straight sun during yesterday and today was very overcast. It's sparkling still, very little debris on the bottom and the filter has been running for about 8 hours now.

So tommorow I will start the filter again, add the chlorine, retest at night to all values and then go from there. I have borax and baking soda all on hand and at the ready :) I just need to get over the "fear" of messing it up!

Thanks again for being so helpful!
Maggie & the guppies
 
If the dot completely disappears when the vial is full you have the CYA level listed at the top of the tube, either 20 or 30 depending on which tube you have. If the dot never completely disappears then the CYA level is called zero, though it might actually be between 0 and 15.
 
Well after 4 cups of Chlorox (regular kind, with only the 6% whatever the chlorine is called and nothing else) this am at 8:00am - I tested at 2:10pm and the water is at Chlorine 4, ph is still 7.3 ish, the Alka is about 80 and the CYA is *I have no clue* because now I see the dot always...

DO I have to worry about CYA if I'm just using bleach? I know it helps to maintain chlorine levels and better chlorine efficiency but as long as I test and add chlorine, won't it be ok?

Is the pool set or should I add anything like the shock & swim and other stuff that came in a Pool Basics kit we got at BJ's?

It seems like I should not have to do anything at all - just test daily and dump in a few cups of bleach nightly...

Thanks again so much! Now we're just waiting for the weather to warm up again!
Maggie
 
You really need to add some CYA... Look at it this way. You add your bleach at night so it can work without getting burned off by the sun. Morning comes, and the sun hits the pool, and the guppies hit the pool, and pretty quickly your guppies are swimming in an unsanitized pool! :shock: There are other pathogens that chlorine kills besides algae, many of which reside on the human body!!

So add that CYA! If you are not using dichlor or trichlor, you will not run the risk of too much.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Please read this sticky
http://www.troublefreepool.com/category/pool-school/pool_water_chemistry

It talks about why you need CYA, otherwise you will lose too much chlorine because of sunlight during the day.

There are a couple of things you need to know with CYA. It takes a week to dissolve, so after adding it, wait a week before testing for CYA levels.

After you add CYA, you will need to maintain higher chlorine levels.

Use the Pool Calculator to help figure out how much CYA to add, and how much bleach.

BTW, the people here (I am not including myself in this :-D ) are very smart and helpful. Listen to them, and you will have a clear, blue pool.

Good luck
Randy
 
Oh my! I never thought about the little guppies and their own "algae"! They probably have lots of that! :lol: Also, I assume the sun will come out again around here so that will deplete the chlorine too!

So I'll get some of the CYA and just keep adding the bleach and then adjust the amount once the CYA is at an appropriate point. The stories of dumping due to too high CYA just have scared me a bit so I thought if I could get away without using it, I'd try! Granted, if we needed to dump, dumping about 3300 gals is not too big of a deal but the high water bill will send hubby to the hospital! :wink:

randytsuch, you're right on! I've been reading and reading here and it's amazing how much everyone knows! I think I know enough now and feel confident that I just need to follow a BBB and not get sucked into $$$$$ for things I won't need from a pool store (not to say they all might want to rip me off but you know what I mean!)

Thanks again to everyone! I'll post a picture of the lopsided pool and the soon-to-be-swimming guppies in a few weeks.

Maggie & the guppies
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply