Out with the pool store in with the intent heros?

[Dkoucky]

I just bought a new house and with it my first pool. It was looking good so I obviously did nothing, prob not a good idea. It then turned to swamp water soon after. I have been to the pool store multiple times and have spent hundreds of $ to get it looking marginally better. Now it is just cloudy instead of green... Anyway after having them put the water into the machine and tell me the same thing over and over again I recognized the definition of insanity. I purchased the expensive tester kit like this site suggested and read through some pool school (but I could be missing something so feel free to point out me being an idiot). Below are my results:

• 18,000 gallons
• Free Chlorine: 0.2
• Total Chlorine: 0.2
• PH: 7.4
• Alkalinity: 140
• Hardness: 250
• CYA: 55-60

Also I knew the chlorine was low so I have been pouring bags of shock (pool store suggestion) and recently 2 bottles of bleach (pool math suggestion) but have not seen a bump in my results.

Thanks in advance for the help!!!!
Daniel K

 

[Tedb]

First, stop adding shock and stop listening to the pool store.

This is what the experts here will be helping you do.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

and read, read, read

http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/113-pool-chemistry

- - - Updated - - -

 

[zimm]

Time to buy 10-20 bottles of bleach and do a SLAM. Check the CYA/chlorine chart for your slam level. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock
You'll need a slam level of 24ppm. Use the powder/drop test for chlorine level. You'll need to dose every few hours at first while the chlorine eats up all the nasties. It'll drop fast.

 

[Casey]

Welcome.

These will get you started.

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Chlorine CYA Chart

This will bring your pool back:

SLAMing Your Pool
Overnight FC Loss Test

 

[Dkoucky]

Thanks guys! So the plan is to get it to shock level (24) ppm and keep it there until at least dark, do a final test before bed and then check again in the morning to see what we have lost.

Once it passes the tests do I just let it fall back to normal levels naturally. At what point is it safe to enter and not turn the girls hair green?

 

[northrn]

Water is safe to swim in up to SLAM levels. But chlorine isn't what's turning your girls hair green. That's reserved for metals in the water - usually copper. You can do a search of the forums for "green hair" and there are many threads about it.

 

[tim5055]

Thanks guys! So the plan is to get it to shock level (24) ppm and keep it there until at least dark, do a final test before bed and then check again in the morning to see what we have lost.

This is not a one day procedure. Depending on how bad it is it can take days to weeks. You have to keep it at shock level until everything living in the water is dead.

You should read the directions on SLAMing your pool in the How To section of Pool School and follow that procedure completely to the end.

Casey has given you a more extensive reading list and you should take it to heart and read everything suggested. The whole idea of this site is for you to learn how to care for your pool, not to just blindly follow suggestions of someone else - be they from the pool store or on the web.

 

[duraleigh]

Thanks guys! So the plan is to get it to shock level (24) ppm and keep it there until at least dark,

Not really. The plan should be to take Tim and Casey's advice to heart.

You must start with reading "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. Once that's done and all your questions have been answered, you will be ready to SLAM your Pool....read "SLAM" in the "How To" section up in Pool School.

Learning Pool Water Chemistry and having your own precision testing kit will be an eye-opening experience for you. We will answer questions and provide learning guidance all along the way.!!

 

[kimkats]

You are off to a great start---------a good test kit.

Your next step is to read and reread and read some more.

You can do it and it can be cheap once you clear your pool with the SLAM.

Good luck and shoot us a pic of the pool!

Kim

 

[SunnyOptimism]

Thanks guys! So the plan is to get it to shock level (24) ppm and keep it there until at least dark, do a final test before bed and then check again in the morning to see what we have lost.

Once it passes the tests do I just let it fall back to normal levels naturally. At what point is it safe to enter and not turn the girls hair green?

You are not likely going to be able to fix this is one day. I recently finished my first SLAM a few weeks ago and it took three solid days with the first night having me get up every three hours to check my FC level and top off the bleach as-needed. All I had was minor water cloudiness (beginning of algae bloom). If you had the green monster, then it's gonna take some serious effort.

You are going to need A LOT of bleach so stock up in the cheapest source of high % liquid chlorine you can find (sometimes a lower % with a larger volume and lower price is a better deal).

You are also going to need a good test kit with a lot of reagents - TF100 with XL option or the Taylor K-2006C ( C stands for commercial option).

Also, read the OCLT carefully - three conditions

1. FC overnight loss less than 1ppm
2. CC less than 0.5ppm
3. Crystal clear water

You have to meet ALL 3 conditions.



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[zimm]

And copper turns hair green, not chlorine. You can swim up to slam level.

 

[joegus]

Word of advice: We know what it is like to want to have your pool looking good. You get anxious and want to dump stuff in your pool.
The worst thing you can do is blindly start adding chemicals. (remember the pool store?)
You'll just get yourself more frustrated and cost yourself lots of $$$$$$!
Read through and comprehend what is in Pool School. Once you understand what you are adding and how to properly test your water can you only then beat the Green and Cloudy Monster. Good luck! Keep us posted how you are doing, we'll be here to help but can't give you magic answers unless you update your own knowledge base.

 

[Dkoucky]

Thanks for all the help, like a lot of things I think doing this really helped me understand! I did not really appreciate how long and how much bleach it was going to take. 36 gallons of concentrated bleach over the weekend to maintain SLAM levels (24 ppm) and FC loss this morning was only about 6ppm overnight and CC has stayed around 0.5 so I am certainly on the right track. Here is where it started, hopefully I will be able to post a crystal clear image in the next day or two

Also I have the Taylor K-2006 but all this testing is blowing through my reagents for chlorine testing. Is there a cheap source to buy it in larger qty's?

 

[northrn]

The TF-100 with the XL option is the best bang for your $$$. Link is in my signature.

 

[kcindc]

The most economical test kit is the TF-100 from tftestkits.net. It has more of the reagents needed for a SLAM. Consider the XL option. Some folks also get the speed stir.

Here is a comparison of test kits:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison

 

[kimkats]

You can buy refills for ANY kit here:

http://tftestkits.net/splash-page.html

I can't wait to see your pics!!

Kim

 

[Vyrolan]

I can't wait to see your pics!!

+1 This thread needs a progress pic after that "before" pic of a true swamp.

 

[Dkoucky]

I am still in progress, but it is a far cry from the swamp. Things were happening fast, but I have now had 3 days where I thought I might pass the Overnight Chlorine test but I am still losing 5-6 ppm and having to add more bleach 2x a day. Maybe my helpers are adding dirt and debris back in

 

[tado921]

Maybe my helpers are adding dirt and debris back in

Hehe...maybe a little but not enough to worry about. Could be the pic, but the water looks a bit cloudy still. Keep going, it will be worth it!

 

[SunnyOptimism]

I am still in progress, but it is a far cry from the swamp. Things were happening fast, but I have now had 3 days where I thought I might pass the Overnight Chlorine test but I am still losing 5-6 ppm and having to add more bleach 2x a day. Maybe my helpers are adding dirt and debris back in

This is the hardest part, the wait in the middle. It can take days. And this is also why pool stores and pool service guys are so alluring. They play on our need for instant results and throw in a bag or two of cal-hypo or dichlor shock which, in the short run can clear the water but in the long term never really solves the problem and only makes it harder to fix later.

Keep going, you can do it!!


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