TFP Rocks

[tmccool]

I really just wanted to get logged in and say how thankful I am for this forum. I've been reading everything that catches my eye the past couple of weeks.

Had beautiful water for almost 2 months just using bleach (a friend recommended it), then the kids let the dog swim without me knowing and I woke up to a green tinged pool. I was running late and didn't have enough bleach on hand, only half a gallon jug left. Asked hubby to get some and he forgot. By the time I got home it was swampy looking. God bless Mississippi heat... .

I rushed to the local dollar general and got a bunch of bleach (so I wouldn't run out again) and am slowly working my way back to a clean pool. During my bleach job I found this forum and I bet my friend should have told me to come here rather than just use bleach.

Things this forum has schooled me on:
This whole time I've been cruising with no real test kit, just the strips. Got the TF-100 test kit ordered today and shipped today
Printed off the instructions for SLAM, charts for CYA & FC levels. Right now I'm just running the filter and putting a bottle of bleach in every day until my test kit comes in. Just to keep from having an actual swamp. It's already gone from a murky green to a cloudy blue, so something is working right.
Brushing the pool after adding the bleach to the return flow.
Keeping the kids OUT. Tough job, its summer and now running 90-100 degrees. Even cloudy the pool is inviting...
I need stabilizer! Since I haven't used any of the pucks, stabilizer or bagged shock, I'm betting my CYA is ZERO.
I need to get some pool DE. I have a ton of food grade DE, but I understand that doesn't work in pool filters. Correct? Got lots of tiny particles that aren't getting trapped by the sand filter.

So yeah, as soon as I get my kit I'll post my numbers and make sure I'm on track. Many thanks again for the wealth of info here!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

 

[woodyp]

We know! Thanks! Welcome!

 

[IcemanVA]

Welcome!! Looks like you've got the perfect mindset to get your pool straightened out and off to a crystal clear summer! We look forward to seeing what your numbers are when your test kit arrives; without those, we're just shooting in the dark.

 

[Richard320]

I get this mental image when I see the thread title

 

[Isaac-1]

Welcome, and hang in there we are glad to have you here
Ike

 

[Casey]

I highly doubt the dog turned the pool green and suspect that the sun was burning the FC off faster than it was being replenished, as you mentioned no CYA. I've had a dog in my old pool any and every day that we swam and it never turned green.

 

[tmccool]

Thanks for the welcome! @Richard :lol:
@Casey I don't really mean the dog turned the pool green. More like, FC was (and had been) borderline and organic matter on the dirty dog (they did not bathe her and it'd been a while since her last bath) just sent the pool water over the edge chlorine wise.
Dirty doggy+chronic low chlorine+mississippi heat=algae bloom.

Either way, I'm here now and don't expect to have another one

Got my TF-100 today. I actually passed the delivery driver on my way to work :lol: Wow that's a nice kit!
And as we all suspected, no CYA.

Before adding anything for the day, here were the numbers.
FC=0
CC=1
PH=7.8 (little high, yes?)
TA=220
CYA=0

I brought the FC up to 10, liquid bleach 80 ounces. Now I need to purchase some stabilizer and finish out the SLAM properly.
What do you recommend for stabilizer?

 

[Richard320]

What do you recommend for stabilizer?

There's only one choice: Cyanuric Acid. They might call it stabilizer or conditioner, just read the label. Walmart sells it, so do big box hardware stores and pool stores.