new numbers....still cloudy.

[passionsrlz]

A continuation of the topic began here:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/want-to-drive-a-wrecking-ball-through-my-pool-t23580.html

here are my results at this time
TC 15
FC 15
PH 7.4
TA 140
CH 250
STABALIZER 50

pool cloudy. using new filter for three days. The "snow globe" look is gone but now just cloudy. I put a skimmer sock on and rinse it constantly. Cleaned the new filter slimy and green......any tips or just keep waiting to see bottom?

 

[Debstar60]

what is your cc number? are you converting from Baqucil or just having problems with a cloudy pool?

 

[passionsrlz]

is cc fc and tc combined? if so then i guess 30? I am new to this pool thing.

 

[NCFlyersFan]

TC = FC + CC. Did you test for CC and get 0, or are you assuming your TC = FC?

 

[passionsrlz]

I will be honest with you I have no clue. I don't have my own test kit yet and I get results from the pool store. The numbers I listed are all I have.

 

[NCFlyersFan]

Pool store analysis are notoriously inaccurate. And, time at the pool store is time that is either spent trying to NOT buy the chemicals and quick remedies they want to sell you or time that could be better spent.....like swimming. You really need to invest in a good test kit. The TF-100 is a fine choice at tftestkits.net. There are other similar test kits out there. The important part is to ensure the kit has the FAS-DPD chlorine test. That is a must to test for chlorine at the elevated levels required to shock your pool. I know they are kind of expensive, but with the money you will save using the BBB method of pool care, you will more than pay for the cost of a good kit.

I would also strongly recommend spending some time at pool school reading to gain some knowledge. There is a link to pool school at the top, right corner of this web site. The articles there will at least familiarize you with the basics of pool care and the BBB method recommended by most of the TFP subscribers. And, when you are done reading, feel free to ask questions. All of the members here, and especially the moderators, are very helpful and want you to have a sparkling clear, sanitized pool as badly as you do.

To answer your original question at the start of the thread.... You need to shock your pool. Read the article at pool school about shocking, as it is a process and not a product you buy. Once you pass the overnight FC test (as described in the aforementioned article), your pool may still be cloudy due to dead algae that still needs filtered out of the water. On some occasions, continued cloudiness may point to a filtration problem, but in most cases it is merely indicative of the need to shock, brush, and filter 24/7.

In order to shock though, you need a good test kit (sounds like a broken record, doesn't it????) to be able to monitor FC levels.

Hope this helps.

 

[passionsrlz]

thank you. I will do some reading. And I have stopped buying pool store chemicals at least! and when I can I do plan on buying my own test kit.

 

[Richard320]

thank you. I will do some reading. And I have stopped buying pool store chemicals at least! and when I can I do plan on buying my own test kit.

Oh, stop stalling! Lack of money is no excuse! A TF100 is about the same as 3 bottles of assorted snake oil from the pool store. Just put in on plastic and stay out of the pool store, you will have saved enough to pay for it before the bill even arrives.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

You need your own test kit so that you can take total control of the pool situation and eliminate the guesswork.

 

[passionsrlz]

I have my own test kit....I just picked it up at wal mart because I was impatient. Here is what it is telling me
TC 4
BROMINE 10
PH 7.5
TA 140
CYA I tested twice and never lost site of the black dot....what do I do?

 

[JasonLion]

If you can still see the black dot clearly even when the view tube is full of the test sample, your CYA level is zero. Adding some CYA to get up to around 40 to 50 is your first priority. Without any CYA you lose all of your chlorine to sunlight very quickly. Even the inexpensive WalMart test kit is much better than pool store testing!

 

[passionsrlz]

so is the stuff I need called cya?

 

[JasonLion]

It is sold under a number of different names: stabilizer, conditioner, cyanuric acid, CYA, etc. You should be able to find it at any pool store, or the pool department at many big box stores.

 

[passionsrlz]

I was wondering how much bleach I should be putting in my pool on a regular basis to keep it where it needs to be.

 

[Richard320]

I was wondering how much bleach I should be putting in my pool on a regular basis to keep it where it needs to be.

There's too many variables here: Pool Size, Amount of sun, Amount of swimmers, Amount of children with weak bladders, CYA levels.... That's what the test kit is for!

Check it, plug your numbers into Pool Calculator, and add what it says. Over a couple weeks you'll learn whether your pool is bigger or smaller than you thought, and how much you typically use daily. Trouble-free is not maintenance-free. You're substituting a few minutes daily for weeks of grief. It's like the dentist: spend a couple minutes a day for pennies a week brushing your teeth, or ignore them and go in once a year to spend a few thousand. The daily routine is cheaper and much less painfuil.

 

[passionsrlz]

okay I have some confusion(shocker). I know that if I put in to much stabalizer it can be bad. The pool store says my stabalizer is 40. My cya test which I think is the same test, reads zero. I can see the black dot even if I fill it all the way to the top. I am torn, do I add it or not and if I add it how much do I add????

 

[poolnew-b]

okay I have some confusion(shocker). I know that if I put in to much stabalizer it can be bad. The pool store says my stabalizer is 40. My cya test which I think is the same test, reads zero. I can see the black dot even if I fill it all the way to the top. I am torn, do I add it or not and if I add it how much do I add????

Does the water even look cloudy when trying to see the black dot with the tube full ?

 

[Bama Rambler]

As long as you added equal amounts of pool water and R-0013 trust your test. Pool store tests are notoriously incorrect especially CYA tests.

 

[passionsrlz]

I actually did the test twice and same result. no cloudiness at all.....so I should add it??? nervous to add it for some reason. I just keep reading stuff about draining a pool if there is to much.....

 

[Bama Rambler]

Yeah, I'd add it. I'd probably add about 2/3rds the 3/4ths of the amount recommended by Pool Calc. and wait a week and test again.