New pool owner can't get the chemicals right--and rain ain't helping

[txpoolfool]

A bunch of friends/neighbors seem like we all put pools in this spring, and one friend told be about this website.

Naturally, the pool guy associated with the builder supposedly set everything up perfect--then we got a bunch of rain and our readings are off the deep end in a bad way.

Using AquaChek strips to test so trying to match the color as best we can, but current readings as of this morning appear to be:

pH 8.4
FC 0.0
Alkalinity 80
CYA 0

What is driving us crazy is we can't seem to budge the numbers. Added 4 lbs of HDX "shock" (trichlor) over the past day and FC has not moved. After reading this website, scared to death of CYA and causing an unrecoverable chem level. So as new pool owners we're clearly out of our element and don't know what to do.

Any, ANY advice for a rookie pool family?

 

[woodyp]

Welcome to the forum. Don't panic! Use muriatic acid to lower your PH first-----see PoolMath to tell you how much to add. Then bring your FC to 4 or 5 using plain old bleach. Do yourself a long term favor and order one of the test kits we recommend in pool school. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate. Any CYA additions can take up to a week to register on a test. However much you add-just assume it is there and maintain your FC appropriately for that level using our FC/CYA chart in pool school. With CYA of zero, I would recommend you add enough using the Walmart brand of stabilizer to bring it to 40 to 50 to start to protect your FC.

 

[robdac]

What Woodyp said!

Muratic acid to bring down the Ph. See pool math. Cyanuric Acid in a closed sock (I use a zip tie) in the skimmer basket to get enough CYA to protect the chlorine. Then some plain ole bleach. Get a recommended test kit today and start reading.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Divin Dave]

In order to know whats going on, you really really really need a good test kit.
www.tftestkits.net This site only sells test kits that are dependable. EIther of them listed will be fine, but the TF100 is a better bang for the buck.
You cant rely on the pool people to test correct, or accurately, and certain cannot depend on them to make the proper recommendations.

Your FC may be 0 because something is eating it up! Just because water is clear doesnt mean there isnt algae. Only when its too late, does the alge actually become visible to the eye.

Your FC may also be zero because the test strips are just no good at accuracy.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Here is some basic info to get you started,
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
Recommended Levels
Recommended Pool Chemicals
PoolMath

 

[SCon36]

I relied on a test strip early last season on CYA and got my pool jacked up. Never did show a good reading after adding stabilizer. Once I bought the correct kit, I found out it was over 100. The test strip also failed to read chlorine because the level was actually too high and bleached the strip so it read low on chlorine. This site helped me get things back in order.