New to TFP, what do I do while I wait for my new test kit

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RobynA

RobynA

0
Jun 10, 2015
27
Bellingham, northwestern Washington State
Hi! I am very glad to have found TFP. We've had an above ground pool that we bought used and have been enjoying for the last few years.

Figuring out what amount of chemicals to add to my pool and how to interpret testing has been a challenge. I have done the best I could with limited information and periodic struggles with the green monster, though have always managed to get the pool back to clear. The last year we had the pool up I tried using bromine, with no real direction on how to do it. Somehow the pool stayed clear, but I am not sure why, because it doesn't seem I ever had enough bromine in it (I seem to remember using algaecide and shocking regularly).

This year I decided to do some extended research and was delighted to come upon your site. All of a sudden, many of the questions I have always had are being answered! I love Pool School and have read all the basic articles. I have ordered the TF testkit 100 and should get it by next week.

Here is where I am at now. I am giving up on bromine for this year. I would like to get a SWG but can't afford it at this point in time. So it is back to chlorine. Until I get the new test kit, I tested with my old test kit (Aqua Chem). I am not sure how helpful it is because the chemicals are at least a few years old. What I got was FC 0, PH 7.2, TA 40, CH 0. Don't have a way to test CYA right now.

My question is, what should I do while I wait for the new test kit? I know I need to be adding chlorine/bleach. I am not sure if I should try to raise the PH or add stabilizer or raise total alkalinity without knowing if my test kit is accurate.
 
Hi Robyn and welcome! :wave: For now, the best thing to do is to simply add about 1/2 gallon of bleach a day to your water to maintain your FC and keep things "at-bay" for now. No sense adding more chlorine than that for now since we don't know your CYA. When you receive your kit, post your new numbers and we'll go from there.

Oh, and since you will need to SLAM, try to keep your PH at 7.2. That's the ideal starting point for SLAM. Also remove any pucks or tablets you may have in there (if any), and do not put any more store products (algaecide, bags of sock, etc) in the pool either. We look forward to assisting you more! Welcome!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and read and re-read the SLAM page (link below) along with the Chlorine /CYA chart also below. You will be referencing those throughout the SLAM. :)
 
HELLO! You are going to love it here! We have you so covered you will save money and time! Here is a good link for you about changing over to chlorine.

While you are waiting for your test kit go price shopping to find your best price for bleach/chlorine. Some find it at Walmart with their greater value plain bleach. Others find it at their pool store. Sams has a good price on their 3 pack of bleach. Shop around. Make sure it is fresh and check the % to make sure it is worth while.

Kim
 
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Welcome to TFP!

RobynA said:
I am not sure if I should try to raise the PH or add stabilizer or raise total alkalinity without knowing if my test kit is accurate.
Click to expand...
Since your kit is on order and you'll likely have it in a day or two, I wouldn't fiddle with anything right now. Just add ~ 1/2 gallon of 8.25% bleach per day until your kit arrives. When your kit arrives, test and post the results.
 
kimkats said:
Here is a good link for you about changing over to chlorine.

Pool School - Convert Your Baqua Pool to Chlorine
Click to expand...

The procedure above is for converting a pool using Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB, not bromine. Do not follow that -- it won't work.

When you used bromine in your pool did you use bromine tabs or did you just add a sodium bromide (granules) product and then add an oxidizer such as chlorine or non-chlorine shock (MPS)?
 
chem geek said:
The procedure above is for converting a pool using Baquacil/biguanide/PHMB, not bromine. Do not follow that -- it won't work.

When you used bromine in your pool did you use bromine tabs or did you just add a sodium bromide (granules) product and then add an oxidizer such as chlorine or non-chlorine shock (MPS)?
Click to expand...

+ 1

Not the same thing at all.
 
Thanks everyone!

Just to be clear, I used the bromine two years ago. I live in northwest Washington and so our pool is only a summer pool, so we just put it up for this year. So no need to worry about bromine, none used this year.

Also, haven't used any products in the pool yet this year, so will just add the bleach and wait for the test kit to arrive, probably middle of next week. Oh, and I'll keep checking the PH as well.

So far, the water is still sparkling clear, but no one has used it yet. :)
 
The issue is that "once a bromine pool, always a bromine pool" because the bromine when used/consumed becomes bromide salt and when you add an oxidizer such as chlorine it gets used up back to chloride and turns bromide to bromine. In other words, when you add chlorine it becomes bromine.

The only way to get rid of the bromine from your pool is either through a water change or if you didn't use bromine tabs and didn't use too much bromine, you may be able to outgas it over time through aeration.
 

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Thanks chem geek. I do understand that once a bromine pool always a bromine pool.

We have an above ground pool that is taken down and put away for the winter, then set up again in the summer and filled with fresh water. Being in the Pacific Northwest, there is a small window for an above ground unheated pool, basically June through September (when we are lucky!). Last year was a cool summer so we didn't even put it up, looks to be the opposite this year!
 
Ok, got my new test kit, have been doing the minimum. No bleach added Wednesday.

Here are the results: K1000 test kit chlorine .5 ppm & PH 6.8. Other tests FC .5, CC 1.5, TC 2.0 CH 50, TA 40, CYA 0.

Could someone walk me through how I start "fixing" the pool. The water looks clean, very small amount of dirt in small spots on the bottom.

I know I need to get the PH up before I start slamming the pool and would appreciate recommendations on the best way to do that.

Also, since there is no CYA present, I know I need to raise the levels. If I can't find the solid cyanuric acid in town and have to order it, is it okay to start with adding liquid CYA and how should I do that?

Also, should people stay out of the pool the whole time I am slamming?

Thanks so much.
 
Robyn, here are some answers to your questions:
- In preperation for your SLAM, you want the PH at 7.2 and CYA as close to 30 as possible. Increase PH with washing soda or soda ash. Use the poolmath calculator based on your pool volume to determine the exact amount; the CYA is increased with granular stabilizer in a sock near a return, or liquid stabilizer (more expensive)
- Usually you can find the granular stabilizer at Wal-Mart (got some last night), or local home improvement stores. You can get it at a local pool store too if needed. If you have to add liquid, just pour it in wihth your pump running for 30 min.
- It is safe to be in the water as long as your water is between the minimum FC level and you SLAM FC number. Once you go "over" the SLAM FC level, you should not be in the water.
- While you want your CYA close to 30 to SLAM, continue to add about 1/2 gallon of liquid bleach per day just so things don't get worse.

Hope this helps.
 
Disregard this post, pump was sitting on something that was making it rattle. All fixed now! So I am adding my chemicals now.

Okay, new problem with adding chemicals. My pump is making a funny clanking noise so I don't think i should run it until I can get someone to look at it. Hopefully our land mate can do that tomorrow morning. Can I at least add bleach, by pouring it in around the pool and then mixing it up with a pole? We are coming up on a very hot weekend and everyone is going to want to be in the pool. If I dissolve the borax first, can I add that in the same way?

Thanks.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Kim. I do have a couple of straw brooms around.

I do have a question about the CYA. Texas Splash, you said to put the CYA in a sock near the return. In pool school I read to put it in a sock in the skimmer basket ( Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals ). My return is low down on the pool so there is no real way to attach the sock near that. Right now I have it inside of the the skimmer basket, to the side (so it doesn't fill the whole basket and slow down the flow of water through the skimmer).
 
Being in a sock in the skimmer, it will mostly dissolve and not get caught as much in the filter. That's how I add CYA in my pool (though I use an old T-shirt in the skimmer) and I have a cartridge filter. I'm usually able to dissolve it running the pump continuously and it only takes less than a day.

If one pours CYA directly into the skimmer to get caught in the filter to dissolve, it will dissolve MUCH more slowly. How slowly depends on the type of filter. Cartridge filters would be the slowest since they have the lowest per filter area flow rate of any filter. With 48 GPM through my 340 square foot oversized cartridge filter, the water velocity through the filter area is less than 1/4" per minute. Compare that to the effective filtration area for a sand filter of 3-4 square feet, so 100 times faster water velocity (2 feet per minute or 0.4" per second) or a DE filter of 30-50 square feet so 7-11 times faster water velocity (about 2.5" per minute). The water velocity through a skimmer at 15 GPM and 6" diameter is 123" per minute (2" per second) though the flow will be restricted going through a sock or T-shirt (but is still much faster than through the cartridge or DE filters -- the sand filter is somewhat more comparable).
 

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