Help! Brand New SW Pool Just turned green

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Okay, I went back and checked the entire thread for CYA specifically. Let me know if I missed something, but the only place I saw where you actually added stabilizer was on July 5 (42 ounces). Is that correct? If so, then that makes sense what you're seeing now on the CYA test because 42 ounces of stabilizer will only increase CYA to about 27 ppm in a pool 4500 gallons. So that would explain why you're seeing a CYA reading of about 30 or so.

So if that's true, then you just need to add more stabilizer in preparation for when you turn-on the SWG. 67 ounces should increase CYA from 27 to 70. NOTE: If you are concerned that your CYA right now is more than 27 (perhaps more like 40 for example), then just change that amount on the calculator to lower the amount of stabilizer added. Does that all make sense? Also, if you did add more stabilizer than what I saw on July 5th, please let me know. Or if you have any other questions, please ask. One thing we don't want to do is go "too high" with CYA. 70 is ideal for now. You can always add more, but you can't lower it (without draining).
 
I am running out the door to PT so will have to read your post more carefully when I get back but we added CYA twice as we were instructed to in this thread. I am pasting some info from my log below and I think it has the correct info in it but I am late and gotta run so don't have time to go over it. I will check in later when I get home but I wanted you to have the correct info on amount added.

Pool Filing and Chem info

9 x 18 Intex above ground vinyl pool. 52” total height (not depth of water).
4,545 gallon water capacity. With sand filter and saltwater E.C.O generator

We filled the pool with well water and for the first three days the water was clear with only 120lbs of salt in it and the pump running. The saltwater chlorine generator was not on during this time and there was no chlorine in the water. It turned transparent green after we turned on the SWG. The water was not cloudy.

On 7/5/16 we drained the pool thinking it was algae and we bleached out the pool liner and rinsed it. We started filling it again the water was clear until about noon when it started to turn to a transparent green color. I added ½ cup chlorine bleach to the partially filled pool and it continued to turn green.

Later on 7/5/16 We got the pool up to about half capacity, approx. 2,400 gallons and had to stop filing to rest the pump. At that point I added
11 ounces of regular 8.25% bleach
42 ounces of liquid CYA
30 pounds of salt

7/6/16
Pool full filter started around 2:00
Added 90 lbs Salt to bring it up to 120 lbs 4:00 pm
62 ounces of CYA (around 5:00?)
6 oz & 4 tsp bleach (around 5:00?)
1 cup 5 oz bleach 9:15 pm
1 cup 5 oz at 10:30 pm
 
Congratulations! ... it's not all out of there yet... but it IS a WHOLE lot better!

I told you not to worry, we (Texas Splash) had your back!

Are you ready to go swimming?... If I start walking right now, I might be there by December!

:swim:
 
Ah yes, well remember we did have to cancel Don's 71st birthday pool-party when we drained it so that was what all the worry and heartbreak of the whole thing was/is. We have survived a brutal heatwave over the last week and now a long rainy cold front is hovering over us so no swimming for us till the sun comes back and warms the water up. The new water is freezing cold.

So a couple of things I noted:
The water looks much clearer in person than it does in the photos for some reason. It almost looks cloudy in the photos but it is super clear in person. There is a canopy of green trees above the pool and the sky is a dark overcast grey so some of the off color may be a reflection of that.
The chlorine is not budging from 10.5 so SWG is still off
PH staying between 7.2 and 7.5.
Interestingly the cheap test strips are producing the exact same results as the TF-100 so that sort of backs the data up I suppose.
Still not sure if there is a problem with the control chemical for the CYA but we get the same results every time.
Our pool vacuum is a piece of junk LOL
 
Hello again, It's been 4 days since we last added chlorine, salt and 104 oz of CYA and the chlorine is not budging from 10.5 so we still have the SWG off. CYA test in the TF-100 is still not giving accurate results after testing it on a few pairs of eyes and against the control a couple of times. I am very sensitive to chlorine so I'm still hoping the level will go down soon. It is puzzling me that it is just not budging? Can't figure out what to do about the CYA test either? Thanks.
 
Your water does look very, very nice. Nice work. So the FC does not appear to be lowering huh? And there is nothing producing FC at all? Power is not supplied to the SWG? Your pool may get some cloud cover, and you've had dark skies for a while, but some chlorine (FC) should've been used-up by now.

The CYA test is also strange. No doubt if the pool volume is correct, the amount of stabilizer you've added so far should've increased CYA to about 70 ..... unless you had a bad batch of stabilizer. I don't recall asking this earlier, but I suspect the stabilizer was a newer bottle from one of your last trips into town right?

I'm scratching my head on those two items. :confused: Would you mind please explaining how you performed each test (FC and CYA). Water samples, type/amount of reagents, etc? It may not be anything, but it would be good to verify to ensure we're not missing something silly in either test. In fact, when you do the tests, go ahead and run all of them please? Maybe we'll see something interrelated to help explain what's going on.

Thanks very much.
 
The water temp is 66 today and there has been cloud cover and some rain everyday. The SWG is unplugged from the power. Stabilizer was a brand new bottle from the pool store. We are running both chlorine tests exactly as the directions state. We have both read instructions and both checked the results multiple times and the cheap dip stick tests are confirming the results on high chlorine. It is discouraging because the only reason we spent the nearly $100.00 on the TF-100 test and shipping was for the CYA test but the results just don't make sense. So after talking with a few people the best theory we can come up with is that chlorine is not going down because there is a high amount of both chlorine and CYA, heavy cloud cover, rain, the water is cold, and the CYA test is just not working properly. If none of that makes sense then we are clueless.

Blue box kit, Rinse test block. Put pool water in both sections up to line near top. 5 drops yellow cap in chlorine section, 5 drops red cap in PH section and shake. Hold 2-3" away in front of white paper and read.

Weekly test chlorine
Fill "Chlorine only" tube with 10ml pool water
add heaping scoop R-087 powder swirl to mix until pink
add R-0871 one drop at a time swirling as I add drop and counting drops till clear
multiply added drops by x 0.5

CYA test
Fill red capped CYA container to bottom of label with pool water
Add R-0013 to the top of the label mix, wait at least 30 sec, shake 1 more time
Hold CYA view tube at waist level and slowly add liquid to the tube until black dot disappears
Note fill level on tube
 
Your instructions seem to be "spot-on" so that's reassuring. Thank for you for confirming. I can assure you that the FAS-DPD FC/CC test (powder & drops) are the most accurate you can do at home. I actually test my FC that way every evening. The accuracy of that FAS-DPD test is that valuable to me because I run a fairly high FC/CYA level for a non-SWG pool.

I would agree with you and the others that if your CYA was in the 70 range, FC would remain longer. But it's odd the CYA hasn't reached its goal. By confirming your water temp, which is quite chilly, it will certainly will help FC stay much longer. My FC drops VERY slow in chilly water. So that's reassuring. In addition, we generally recommend the CYA test be performed on water that is at least 70 degrees in temperature. So perhaps that's why the CYA is registering a bit low.

I would suggest next time you take a water sample, bring the sample inside for an hour or two and let it warm-up to room temperature. At that point you can mix the CYA solutions then step outside under bright sunlight (at your back) and try it again. Perhaps that will reveal a reading closer to 70.

In the end, your TF-100 is one of the best home-testing products available to the public. Trust your own tests and methods as noted on the instruction card. You won't get any better from stores or strips. You keep very accurate notes and your processes seem to be very good, so stay with it. :goodjob: When in doubt, just look at your crystal clear water. Next time you run your tests (after reaching indoor temps) let us know what numbers you get. Have a nice evening.

- - - Updated - - -

Say, did you ever call TFTestkits about that R-0780 powder container that had a loose lid when you received it?
 

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Silkartisan said:
Ok I got the test kit and other than the fact that the lid came loose on the R-087 powder and it spilled all over everything during shipping everything else was intact. So now I have a new problem I think. I was repeatedly advised here in the forum to keep chlorine down to about 3 to keep the iron from reacting more. Because I was trusting the drops I had, (not the new kit), instead of the strips I put way too much chlorine in.
My chlorine (FC) is now 10.5 ppm.
My PH is 7.2
My CYA is 40 (Note: When I did the control test from the TF-100 kit the control result was between 30 and 40, not 50 like the paperwork said the control should be. I did go over the label a bit with my measurement on the control so maybe that is why it was off?)

So the question now is; Do I leave the SWG off because chlorine is so high in light of the high iron? How long will it take for the chlorine to go down? Our heatwave is ending tonight and we are headed into a cold spell with strong storms over the next few days to a week so no more strong sun or heat to burn off the elevated chlorine.

Still pulling iron out with the cloth and paper towel pre filtering.
Click to expand...

I will be glad to send you some new powder. Please contact me at tftestkits@gmail or call 919-528-1454. Take care! Rebecca @ TFTestkits
 
Thanks for the offer but I really don't think that I will be using the chlorine part of the test kit that much. I bought it for the CYA test but we are having trouble getting accurate results with the kit. The folks on the forum gave me some new advice about temp of water when we test so we are going to give it one more shot using water that we let sit a room temp most of the day. That might solve the problem. Thanks again for the offer.


OTPirate said:
I will be glad to send you some new powder. Please contact me at tftestkits@gmail or call 919-528-1454. Take care! Rebecca @ TFTestkits
Click to expand...
 
Just an aside: Intex recommends a CYA level of 30 -not 70- for their system. I use one as well and used the "normal" levels when setting up a new pool this summer (lost the manual.) I too have very high iron levels and will be cleaning the cell tomorrow due to "low salt" shut down. Salt level is actually 4100 which is well over the Intex recommended 3000. If the "low salt" indicator doesn't stop then it is water change time. I expect to find a layer of iron on the plates.

UPDATE: No iron, the plates were packed with scale. A few hours soaking in vinegar and they cleaned right up. Back in service!
 
Thanks so much for sharing your info Vickery. We have been so discouraged trying to get this pool going. We were having a terrible time getting the chlorine to drop and all signs seemed to point to the fact that there was too much CYA in the water but the TF-100 kit was reading lower than I was told it should have on both the control test and the pool water. I think we may need to break down and make the drive to the pool place in NH to get the water tested by them. Thanks too for the heads up on the "low salt" reading with iron in the water.
 
Trust your own testing. Going to the pool store will only add confusion and will not help you. If it matches then you might think their testing is ok, which it usually is not. If it doesn't match then you will question your test which is probably the correct one. If some match and some don't then what? :crazy:
 
I'm really new here so not much help, but I really want to encourage you to continue using the powder test weekly for the chlorine level. Right now your water is chilly, but it won't always be, and the only way you can stay on top of changes is to test for them. Use the blue box for a daily peek at FC and PH, then the more specific tests weekly. Takes just a few minutes, and it is fun!

For the CYA, it is a tricky one. One of the moderators here recommends that you mix the solution, let sit, mix again, then hold the tube so that your fingers and hand don't block light. Fill test tube to first line (100) then a quick glance (don't stare). If you still see dot, fill to next line, quick glance, and so on. The key is the quick glance into the tube, rather than a steady look.

When I followed her instructions with the practice test, a quick glance at the 50 line did make it seem as though the dot disappeared, but if I stared at it, I could make out the dot.

i hope that helps. You really can do this, and without the pool stores!
 
Once more: DON'T go to the pool store. They usually have very nice people who will sell you a lot of stuff that will make your problems worse. Using a Krystal Clean system, you likely have plenty of CYA in your system now. Cold, cloudy weather will delay the chlorine drop, but drop it will. The CYA test can be tricky. My eyes want to "see" - actually remember- that the dot is there. Hold the tube up and fill to a line, then look. Do it again. That lessens the tendency for the eyes to "remember" the dot when it has disappeared.
 

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