I am hearing drain it from the wife. Bottom lone is that this moment I cannot afford a better test kit than the basic cl 6 and my ph is about 7.5. Pool was a milky white last year that I couldn't get clean this year the pump died I bought a sand filter went from black to gray and has stayed there all I have is basic text kit of ph and cl I can get some to pool store tomorrow im at a lost and I know filtration
Drain it
- Thread starter goats
- Start date
You will end up spending way more money to clean up the pool without reliable test results. Without a full set of test results there really isn't anything we can advise you on, as anything we said would just be guessing.
Jason is right... If you can't test it accurately, you'll be relying on pool stores, and their testing is proven to be most inaccurate... Invest a little now, and it will cost you heaps less in the long run.... You need to SLAM your pool, you'll find the article in pool school... It needs reliable testing and a lot of bleach... We're here to help you through this, and there are heaps of threads on this website, showing green swamps being cleared to sparkling clear pools... It can be done, but not without a proper test kit that allows you to test your chlorine loss overnight...
So here is what I have done.
flushed out and cleaned the sand filter even the leaf skimmer inside. Added a gallon of bleach in 2 hours I could no longer smell the chlorine I added another gallon. let the filter run till about midnight shut it off. Had some errands to do this morning got home and went to look at the pool I could actually see the bottom! vacuumed some tried it on the filter setting till I noticed the filter was spitting out dirty water so I backwashed and rinse tried to vacuum some more but now the water was so cloudy I couldn't see what I was doing. I then took the skimmer and sunk it to the bottom to let the filter draw in from the bottom instead of the top . Hopefully I can go vacuum again later and I can just barely smell the chlorine so I will add more. Yes I know there is science to back up the nose but it seems to be working
flushed out and cleaned the sand filter even the leaf skimmer inside. Added a gallon of bleach in 2 hours I could no longer smell the chlorine I added another gallon. let the filter run till about midnight shut it off. Had some errands to do this morning got home and went to look at the pool I could actually see the bottom! vacuumed some tried it on the filter setting till I noticed the filter was spitting out dirty water so I backwashed and rinse tried to vacuum some more but now the water was so cloudy I couldn't see what I was doing. I then took the skimmer and sunk it to the bottom to let the filter draw in from the bottom instead of the top . Hopefully I can go vacuum again later and I can just barely smell the chlorine so I will add more. Yes I know there is science to back up the nose but it seems to be working
The problem is, the FC that you want does not smell. It is the CC that smells.
Are you even trying to measure with your kit? I doubt you are hitting and maintaining a high enough FC level which will just make the process take longer.
Are you even trying to measure with your kit? I doubt you are hitting and maintaining a high enough FC level which will just make the process take longer.
as I stated I only have a cheap basic test kit and it says my chlorine is off the chart. All I know is what I am doing is working so far
Again like the others have said, you are flying blind without a good test kit, and wasting lots of money on bleach fighting to a standstill then letting the algae start winning again.
You know I had a choice a new filter when the old one died or a test kit I opted for the filter When my situation allows for me to get the test kit I will but for I have to work with what I have. Time will tell and if my decisions were wrong or right, but some of us can only do so much and must work with what we have THANKS FOR YOU SUPPORT
I don't mean to be negative here, just pointing out the old saying about being penny wise but pound foolish, if you end up spending more than the cost of a good test kit on extra bleach, even if you value your time at zero dollars
smforte
0
Hey goats...I've been there for sure! I actually had a yard sale to get $ to buy my kit. Know anybody that has a test kit that could help you out? Got anything ya can pawn for $60 or so? LOL If that's not practical pool store results although mostly inaccurate is better than nothing. Problem there is you have to test often at first. If ya want to take these guys advice based on pool store test and it possibly not working I'm sure they'd do that for now. Also read, read, read pool school. These guys know what they are talking about and they got my pool sparkling.
Maybe yes and maybe no. The issue is how far off (if any) are they?
If Pool store says your CYA is 40, what do you do? Add more? Drain? I just don't know.
If Pool Store says TA is 20, do you adjust it? I'm not sure.
It is almost impossible to offer advice on Pool Store results because of the inconsistency.....I won't just stab a guess.
I have changed my tune over the years from giving the Pool Store the benefit of the doubt to thinking it's not worth the gas it costs to drive there.
Hey Goats!
In 2008, I bought a 12 foot popup intex as an experiment in pool care. I purchased about 90 dollars worth of recommended chemicals with it. When those chemicals were gone about a week later, I did some quick math and realized it'd be a small fortune to maintain this pool. There had to be a better way! So off to the net I went, that's when I found this place. I lurked heavily here. Read the entire "Pool School" many many times. I decided I wasn't going to buy the good test kit, as it was $68 dollars. But I also knew I couldn't ask any questions, as there is no way anyone could give advice without knowing exactly what was going on with the water. So I formulated my own plans based on "Pool School" and the test equipment I had. (The same as you) It's like going to an auto forum and asking why your car doesn't start without proper test results and other pertinent information. It's not that they don't want to help, everyone here wants to help, trust me. There are complete pool geniuses around here, and they all want to help. However, without proper test results, there's no way anyone can even nudge you in the proper directions. There's too many variables.
My own heavily modified plans for my pool care worked, but I also knew the water would be dumped and the pool put away in 3 months time. 4 tops. I also knew I was completely on my own.
My water looked like this, most all the time with just the Chlorine and PH test.
The next year, I joined this site. Purchased the test kit, as I was putting up a much larger pool and the water was definitely not getting drained in 3 or 4 months. The people here helped me out tremendously when I didn't quite understand something. But I had the information for them so they could decide how to give me information I was looking for back.
5 years later, doing the tests, getting the results, and instantly knowing exactly what to do=AWESOME! Not spending thousands at the pool store=PURE BLISS! If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't even have a pool. I just wouldn't be able to spend the kind of money the pool store would want me to spend. I spend less than a hundred bucks a season for the pool. (My own laziness notwithstanding) ...and it's all because of a little $68 test kit, and the knowledge of the helpful/awesome people here.
In 2008, I bought a 12 foot popup intex as an experiment in pool care. I purchased about 90 dollars worth of recommended chemicals with it. When those chemicals were gone about a week later, I did some quick math and realized it'd be a small fortune to maintain this pool. There had to be a better way! So off to the net I went, that's when I found this place. I lurked heavily here. Read the entire "Pool School" many many times. I decided I wasn't going to buy the good test kit, as it was $68 dollars. But I also knew I couldn't ask any questions, as there is no way anyone could give advice without knowing exactly what was going on with the water. So I formulated my own plans based on "Pool School" and the test equipment I had. (The same as you) It's like going to an auto forum and asking why your car doesn't start without proper test results and other pertinent information. It's not that they don't want to help, everyone here wants to help, trust me. There are complete pool geniuses around here, and they all want to help. However, without proper test results, there's no way anyone can even nudge you in the proper directions. There's too many variables.
My own heavily modified plans for my pool care worked, but I also knew the water would be dumped and the pool put away in 3 months time. 4 tops. I also knew I was completely on my own.
My water looked like this, most all the time with just the Chlorine and PH test.
The next year, I joined this site. Purchased the test kit, as I was putting up a much larger pool and the water was definitely not getting drained in 3 or 4 months. The people here helped me out tremendously when I didn't quite understand something. But I had the information for them so they could decide how to give me information I was looking for back.
5 years later, doing the tests, getting the results, and instantly knowing exactly what to do=AWESOME! Not spending thousands at the pool store=PURE BLISS! If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't even have a pool. I just wouldn't be able to spend the kind of money the pool store would want me to spend. I spend less than a hundred bucks a season for the pool. (My own laziness notwithstanding) ...and it's all because of a little $68 test kit, and the knowledge of the helpful/awesome people here.
pool was drained when I discovered it was actually dirt on the bottom aboput a 1/8 a inch not just any dirt but adobe and unless you have ever dealt with it you wont understand. Adobe is a very fine sand that when I tried to vacuum it up it actually came back out the return. This stuff is so sticky when wet they used to build houses with it. After it is cleaned out I will start over
Once again THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Once again THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT