How to aerate small seasonal pool?

[citypoolnewbie]

Hi,
My alkalinity keeps sky rocketing... pool math calculator says to lower the ph and aerate the pool. I have no idea what to do! Any ideas?

 

[Donldson]

Before getting in to aeration, how are you testing your TA?

 

[citypoolnewbie]

hth test strips lol I am not investing in a drops kit... way too expensive after everything I spent on this pool

 

[citypoolnewbie]

I don't really know what to think of these test strips honestly...it keeps saying my CYA is high when a few tests ago it said it was fine and I didn't add any CYA. Also half my pool mysteriously emptied out so I pretty much drained and refilled half of my pool....and it's still saying CYA is high.

 

[Donldson]

Throw away the test strips. Follow this guide.

Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools

Smaller seasonal pools can see just as much enjoyment as their larger counterparts. In this guide we'll show you how to maintain your temporary pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

Do as @Donldson says - follow the guide & chunk the strips they’re a waste of $. Not much better than tasting the water to determine levels. An hth 6way kit is $16 @ walmart. Also no need to lower alk if you’re ph isn’t rising rapidly. Its the last thing u worry about.

 

[citypoolnewbie]

I did! but how will I maintain levels if I don't test??

 

[citypoolnewbie]

ph is also sky high... looking into hth test kit thanks!!

 

[Brett S]

Hi,
My alkalinity keeps sky rocketing... pool math calculator says to lower the ph and aerate the pool. I have no idea what to do! Any ideas?

When you say that your alkalinity keeps sky rocketing, do you mean that you get it down and then it goes back up? Typically alkalinity won’t go up on it’s own. The only time it would go way up like that would be if your fill water has very high alkalinity, and if that’s the case then this is something that you’re going to be fighting constantly.

 

[Brett S]

hth test strips lol I am not investing in a drops kit... way too expensive after everything I spent on this pool

The problem is that test strips are notoriously inaccurate. I get that a better test kit is more expensive, but by spending the extra money on a good test kit you’ll not only have way less frustration because your test results will be consistant, but you may spend less money in the end because you won’t be buying chemicals to fight problems that you don’t actually have.

 

[citypoolnewbie]

ok ok i ordered the test kit. was out of stock on all the sites except for eBay....for double the price. and that is a good point about the buying chemicals... levels are definitely off though. my kids said the bottom of the pool is slippery. algae after a week?! I'm beginning to regret this pool... sure hope the test kit will smooth things out

 

[citypoolnewbie]

is it horrible if I don't have a skimmer? the one I bought gives us more issues than it's worth... I don't think it's currently doing anything.

 

[Brett S]

is it horrible if I don't have a skimmer? the one I bought gives us more issues than it's worth... I don't think it's currently doing anything.

It‘s fine to have no skimmer. It means that you might have to net out more stuff that’s floating on the water (or vacuum out more stuff that sinks to the bottom if you don’t net it off the surface fast enough) but especially with a little pool those aren’t difficult or time consuming tasks.

 

[Teald024]

my kids said the bottom of the pool is slippery. algae after a week?! I'm beginning to regret this pool... sure hope the test kit will smooth things out

Hello and Welcome to TFP!

the test kit will definitely make your life easier. You won’t have to guess for one. Which kit did you order?

the slippery feeling on the bottom isn’t necessarily algae. It could just be slippery vinyl liner. The test kit will help you figure that out.

how are you adding chlorine to the water? Be aware that each day, the sun will consume some of the chlorine and you will need to replace it somehow to maintain the chlorine level high enough to prevent algae and any other germs.
Having a pool should be enjoyable and knowing what to do will make it way easier.

 

[citypoolnewbie]

the hth 6 way test kit.
it wasn't slippery before, but I sure hope you're right!
I was adding liquid bleach as per the pool math calculator, but I'm starting to think a 1" chlorine tablet will be easier...

 

[Mdragger88]

If u have not added anything but liquid chlorine you won’t have any stabilizer/cya
So the chlorine will be gone in a couple hours. The seasonal pool guide has the choice to use tablets for chlorinating until you reach the recommended levels of cya & then either drain/refill & use tabs or switch to liquid chlorine. If you’re experiencing algae you may need to drain & begin fresh if a shock or proper chlorine levels don’t sort things out . Always follow the FC/CYA Levels
*A tip for your skimmer attachment is to put a rock in the basket to weigh it down.

 

[zea3]

So you can avoid future problems, the chlorine tablets will make your CYA level rise quickly in such a small pool. I would be very careful using anything with dichlor or trichlor as the main active ingredient. They contain CYA. Once you have your test kit you can check the CYA level and you can keep track of how much to use. You can use liquid chlorine, or cal-hypo granules to avoid adding too much CYA to the pool.

 

[citypoolnewbie]

Oh, I misunderstood your question. I did add CYA, and adjusted ph as needed. I thought you asked just about chlorine.

 

[citypoolnewbie]

and that is a good tip about the tablets. nix that idea...