New Overwhelmed Pool Owner

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Bluelightnin6

Bluelightnin6

0
Jul 7, 2017
46
Corbin, KY
I am a first time pool owner (above ground) and just started adding chemicals a few days ago. The pool is above ground 24' by 52" called the Rio II. My pool supply store instructed me on everything to do with the chemicals. Without thinking to research online, I did as I was instructed. Now I'm reading conflicting information on how to apply these chemicals from what the pool store told me and I'm stressing out.

Here are my water analysis details:
13,600 gallons
Filter type - sand
Free and total chlorine both 0.02
Combined chlorine 0
Ph 7.5
Hardness 98 ppm
Alkalinity 38 ppm
Cyanuric acid 2 ppm
Copper and iron both 0



Here is what I was told to do, and therefore what I did.

Day 1 , added 2lbs stabilizer directly into skimmer very slowly

Day 2, added 2 lbs of shock directly in skimmer at sunset

Day 3, added half recommended dose (20 lbs total, 10 was half) of calcium boost directly into skimmer very slowly

Day 3, added half recommended dose ( 16 lbs total, 8 was half) of alkaline plus in front of return and broadcasted all around pool

Day 4, repeated calcium boost with 2nd half of recommended dose

Day 4, repeated alkaline plus with 2nd half of recommendations dose


I haven't had a testing done yet as they said wait a few days after the last chemical was added, however the water is still crystal clear.

My concerns are mainly with how they were added. I was not told to dilute any of these chemicals in a bucket first. In fact, for the calcium I was specifically instructed to NOT mix it first because it reacts quickly to water. I was also instructed to add the calcium, shock and stabilizer directly in the skimmer.

Now I'm reading online that NOTHING should ever be added to the skimmer? I also read that stabilizer should be the very last chemical added after all others are balanced. Have I wasted these chemicals? My more important question is have I damaged my pump, filter or any other part of the pool?
 
Welcome to TFP! It is not the end of the world. The only immediate concern is PH potentially being below 6.8 and if so, we want to raise that to 7.2. This is the only thing at all close to urgent. Take a breath, test PH. Report back. Everything else is fine - we will improve it after we make sure your PH isn't a little corrosive at the moment, which would - over time - hurt the equipment. You're not going to kill it overnight in 99% of cases okay? Good. No panic needed, but let's find out your PH at your next testing opportunity. No need to rush home from work, just when you get home, report back PH.
 
After we test/adjust if needed the PH - then you can read the following:
Most pool shocks, stabilizers, and other chemicals are at least slightly acidic. This is fine, when used correctly. The reason we don't suggest putting fast dissolving acidic substances in the skimmer is because they will become mixed with a small amount of water that will become more acidic and then it will go right through your expensive pool equipment, putting it at unnecessary risk. The alternative is to hang CYA using the sock method, to use Muriatic Acid poured extra slowly in front of a water return just to dillute immediately (then a quick floor brushing to further stir), and for other chemicals that must be added, to sometimes dillute them in a bucket with pool water, if suggested by a TFP mod, guide, or expert.

With calcium - first off - vinyl liner pools barely need any at all and 50ppm is certainly enough unless a pool heater requires more. Adding CH to a vinyl liner pool to go above 50ppm is a rip off many pool stores do. Do you have a vinyl liner or fiberglass or something else?

When calcium is added, there are two valid ways to do it, neither is the skimmer, but again, don't worry, if you haven't had any problems yet, you probably will not and got away with it :) Depending on which product is used, we either dissolve a small amount in a bucket, quickly stir and dump - small amount and quickly because as it mixes it gets HOT! Then brush floor. The other way, if your plaster is in good shape and your PH is low and FC moderate for your CYA is to just pour slowly in front of the return jet and brush the floor until it is all dissolved. There is always a small concern with undissolved calcium sticking to surfaces, so that's why the brushing, as well as to mix up the heat. Adding to skimmer just creates unnecessary risks for heat and sticking in places we don't want, but I'm guessing your water flow took care of it and any damage was minimal since you haven't had problems. No point in worrying about it now, forgive yourself and move on.

We explain what chemicals we use for what here, and we do our testing with one of these suggested test kits, I suggest you buy the best value one called the TF-100 available here. I have both the K-2006 and the TF-100 and I love both, but no denying the TF-100 is the far better deal, and easier to buy with fresh chemicals via that site.

After you get your test kit, you'll be so happy you did. You'll spend so little on pool chemicals it will pay for itself, and you'll never have to trust a pool store again.

That being said, even before your test kit gets to you, to keep your pool clean, it requires regular doses of sanitizer - and that's either bleach/pool chlorine or the shock packets you've been using. The solid products each have a disadvantage, but that's the price you pay for convenience. This page explains them. I suggest you buy some bleach, 8.25% non-scented, non-splashless and add half a 121oz bottle each day until your kit arrives. If your pool begins to look anything less than perfect, increase to 1 jug for 1 day, then 3/4 after that until crystal again, then back to half jug a day. There is science behind my suggestions, I can explain now, or we can go into it after you get your test kit. You'll learn all about PoolMath and never live without it ever again.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh and none of the products were wasted by adding to the skimmer. They still did their jobs. Best not to do a backwash for a few days after adding the stabilizer to the skimmer though, as it will get stuck in the sand and dissolve over time, but could be backwashed out if it wasn't dissolved yet. So adding to the skimmer was just a wildly unnecessary risk, not a waste.
 
Battle, the pool store analysis said it was 7.5, did you see something that would have brought it down?


Bluelightnin6, We can certainly help relieve the stress that the pool store has you under. All the chemicals they are selling you are causing the stress so stop buying them. Check out the recommended chemicals we use. Most are available at walmart or home improvement stores.

If it were my pool right now I would dump a gallon of liquid chloring or bleach in there when you get home and do so every day until you can get a proper test kit. Spend a little time reading in pool school at the top of this page. ABCs of pool water chemistry are a good place to start.
 
AftonJeeper said:
Battle, the pool store analysis said it was 7.5, did you see something that would have brought it down?
Click to expand...
7.5 testing was before additions of 2lbs stabilizer (-.33 PH) and 2lbs of shock (if dichlor -.37 PH) (if trichlor -.86) total potential ph drop of .7 - 1.19. 7.5-1.19= potential current PH of 6.31 only helped by a +.17 bump from the 256oz of ta up, assuming it was just overpriced baking soda

If the shock was cal-hypo, no immediate ph concerns, but better safe than sorry was my approach. If you see it differently or if my math was off, please let me know as I want to make sure we give the poster the best possible help! Yay TFP!
 
BattleOfYakima said:
7.5 testing was before additions of 2lbs stabilizer (-.33 PH) and 2lbs of shock (if dichlor -.37 PH) (if trichlor -.86) total potential ph drop of .7 - 1.19. 7.5-1.19= potential current PH of 6.31 only helped by a +.17 bump from the 256oz of ta up, assuming it was just overpriced baking soda

If the shock was cal-hypo, no immediate ph concerns, but better safe than sorry was my approach. If you see it differently or if my math was off, please let me know as I want to make sure we give the poster the best possible help! Yay TFP!
Click to expand...

That is why I'm here, so much to learn. Thank you for explaining it to me.
 
I'm still learning too! My pool truly is trouble free - really no fun at all to maintain, too easy, too cheap, too fast - so helping others is the only way I get to experience pool problems anymore. Bluelightnin6's pool will be a really easy one as long as they get a legit test kit, but I'm working on a few others right now that are real doozies!

I'm just glad that calcium added to the skimmer didn't clog stuff up immediately - Bluelightnin6 must have added real slow and have good strong flow. Good common sense on their part, and smart enough to find us!
 
We are here to help make your pool life stress-free, low maintenance, and pretty thrifty. It is fun and rewarding to us. Yes, the more you read from Pool School, the better off you will be. Ask any questions you have.

Word of caution - most pool stores disagree with at least some of what say - so you'll probably want to pick to either go entirely TFP for how you care for your pool or entirely pool store.

Obviously, I can't praise TFP enough! My pool is in sunny Florida, gets blasted all day, rained on, flooded, tons of bathers...and yet....I spend under $1.50 a day average during the summer for all my pool maintenance and chemicals. During the winter - oh yes - less than $0.30 a day! Under $400 a year in Florida! I have neighbors that spend that in a month via pool stores and pool boys and their water is still a mess! I will never live go without a TF-100 or K2006C ever again. Wish I had found this site when I was a kid and was guessing along with my first vinyl liner pool and hot tub. What a nightmare, despite a great 6 way test kit and a seemingly knowledgeable and helpful pool store! I never knew a pool didn't have to be green from time to time or that your own testing is better than the pool store testing! I love TFP!
 

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Bluelightnin6 said:
Wow thanks for all the swift and very helpful replies! It has definitely eased my mind. Looks like I have a lot of studying to do at the pool school this weekend :)
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When I first joined this site last year I spent a lot of time in the pool school it is the most informational section and you quickly learn how simple this pool maintenance really is.

Steve H
 
Bluelightnin6 said:
I did a test (using the cheap test kit that came with the pool) and the PH is at 7.2.
Click to expand...
Fantastic! No action needed on PH, all equipment safe from further damage due to potentially corrosive water.

Bluelightnin6 said:
I have to add half a bottle of bleach every single day? That seems like it would add up quick.
Click to expand...
Contaminants are blowing into the pool 24/7 which uses sanitizer. Sanitizer is also broken down by the sun. People in the pool uses up more sanitizer too. Once algae and bacteria gain a foothold, they double as fast as every 45 minutes, which means the longer it goes unsanitized, the more sanitizer is required to clear it. TFP keeps your sanitizer level above the minimum required so that algae never has a time to start, with all contaminants being oxidized (flamless burning/sanitized) very quickly, yet at a low enough level not to be harmful to humans at swimming everyday levels.

There are a lot of things you can put in your pool that stay in there dang near forever: CYA, calcium, bomine/bromides, copper/metals - but bleach added today will be used up and break down into *warning mini-science lesson* combined chlorines: monochloramines and chloimides that will be burnt off by the sun - leaving only a little harmless salt behind, and some cabondioxide that is constantly escaping via outgassing. There is no buildup when you only add what you need. There is no waste when you only add what you need. Adding more than you need just gets broken down by the sun since a certain amount of CYA can only effectively protect a certain amount of chlorine (more or less). This chart explains the relationship: [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].

At TFP, we encourage the investment in a TF-100 or K2006C so that you only have to spend what you need to on chemicals - rather that everything the pool store suggests. We have thousands and thousands of satisfied users, and it grows daily. Will you be the next one? Only you can decide if you want to trust the pool store that had you dump a bunch of acidic chemicals right into the skimmer - and add a lot of calcium which you may or may not need (do you have a heater? How about plaster? fiberglass? vinyl liner?) Your pool - up to you. I want to help you spend as little time and money on your pool as possible - and am charging you nothing for it. What do they want? Sales? Are they going to swim in your pool? Buy you a new motor?
 
BattleOfYakima said:
Fantastic! No action needed on PH, all equipment safe from further damage due to potentially corrosive water.


Contaminants are blowing into the pool 24/7 which uses sanitizer. Sanitizer is also broken down by the sun. People in the pool uses up more sanitizer too. Once algae and bacteria gain a foothold, they double as fast as every 45 minutes, which means the longer it goes unsanitized, the more sanitizer is required to clear it. TFP keeps your sanitizer level above the minimum required so that algae never has a time to start, with all contaminants being oxidized (flamless burning/sanitized) very quickly, yet at a low enough level not to be harmful to humans at swimming everyday levels.

There are a lot of things you can put in your pool that stay in there dang near forever: CYA, calcium, bomine/bromides, copper/metals - but bleach added today will be used up and break down into *warning mini-science lesson* combined chlorines: monochloramines and chloimides that will be burnt off by the sun - leaving only a little harmless salt behind, and some cabondioxide that is constantly escaping via outgassing. There is no buildup when you only add what you need. There is no waste when you only add what you need. Adding more than you need just gets broken down by the sun since a certain amount of CYA can only effectively protect a certain amount of chlorine (more or less). This chart explains the relationship: [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].

At TFP, we encourage the investment in a TF-100 or K2006C so that you only have to spend what you need to on chemicals - rather that everything the pool store suggests. We have thousands and thousands of satisfied users, and it grows daily. Will you be the next one? Only you can decide if you want to trust the pool store that had you dump a bunch of acidic chemicals right into the skimmer - and add a lot of calcium which you may or may not need (do you have a heater? How about plaster? fiberglass? vinyl liner?) Your pool - up to you. I want to help you spend as little time and money on your pool as possible - and am charging you nothing for it. What do they want? Sales? Are they going to swim in your pool? Buy you a new motor?
Click to expand...


I'm definitely going to follow along with this crew rather than my local shop. It's just that I underestimated (or under researched) how much money this is going to cost me. I asked the pool shop how much to have a pool installed and ready to swim, they gave me the price. I bought it. I didn't really think about it having a monthly cost attached to it. I knew about chemicals needing to be put in, but I thought it was just a once a year thing for the most part. I guess I'll have to do some financial budgeting to squeeze in another $50 a month for bleach. Is the cheap stuff okay to use (Great Value Wal-Mart brand, $3/ bottle)? What should I do with the 4 pounds of "shock" and the 10 "pucks" I still have?

Also, I have 3 more bottles of chemicals that they didn't tell me how to use so I was just going to read their labels. I haven't added them yet. Do I need them? 1 is algaecide, 1 is metal remover and 1 is crystal clear clarifier.
 
What is the active ingredient and % of the shock? different kinds could be fine for you, others just make things worse. potentially return or use in place of some bleach

pucks don't go bad if you keep them dry and cool. And they do have valid TFP uses - just not year round floating. They are great to help with vacations and to replenish CYA lost due to splashout. But if they are returnable - that might be best.

Algaecide = return if possible, sell on craigslist if not, can use before the winter too if it is the right one (really only 1 active ingredient kind that works great)
Metal remover - only matters if you have metal staining/discoloration or know fill water issues from crazy hard unfiltered well water
Clarifiers = return if possible, craigstlist if not - no way this should go in your pool in 99% of cases


As for bleach - freshness matters, % strong matters - but brand DOES NOT. We buy the cheapest good stuff we can find. 8.25% Great value is a real favorite super fresh and pretty cheap! Some pool stores/hardware stores and walmarts sell pool chlorine/bleach at 10% or 12.5% but sometimes it is not fresh - or kept in sun - or costs more than the GV bleach. There are a few threads about bleach cost - do a search in upper right for 2017 bleach costs and try KY bleach or cities near you and the word bleach. We all try to help one another save money and time. GV is kinda like the unofficial gold standard though for people without a great deal on stronger bleach.
 
I'm not currently home to check the shock info.

Well i'm in love with this forum already. I was reading about the Pool Essentials Chlorination Liquid on the chlorine price thread and it seems to be a good choice. It's almost $1 higher than the regular bleach though so I'm not sure which one I will use just yet.

So after all the chemicals are balanced, is it really just maintaining the chlorine level every day until it's time to winterize the pool? Or are there more chemical prices I will be running into throughout summer? I do plan on getting the TF-100 test kit but I'm afraid i'm not reading these test tubes correctly. The color of the water sample doesn't really match any of the shades on the tubes, I just went with the closest one?

By the way it is a vinyl liner above ground pool.

thanks for all the help
 
vinyl + no heater = no need to increase CH above 50. So sorry that pool store ripped you off.
For the most part - summer pool concerns for most TFPs are:
empty skimmer
vac when needed
backwash when needed
maintaining PH 7.2-7.8 (some pool that's a weekly adjustment, others never really go out of range)
maintaining target FC for your CYA ([FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]) and never falling below min *cheaper to keep clean rather than let green*
Check CYA every month or two and top off if needed (and after major water loss/overflow events)

There are several PH color matching blocks on the market. I think the one in the TF is one of the better ones. If it is problematic, we can suggest another. One way or another, to be a true TFP follower, you'll need the FAS-DPD test (and not DPD test) because it is the only way to get clear readings for FC CC above 10. Testing PH is also essential too. These are daily tests until you get to know your pool. Then we can help get multiple days between, if desired. TA, CH, and CYA also need to be known too. Luckily, we do not need TDS, PHOS, metals, or other things many pool stores claim matter to them to push product on you. They give sales a bad reputation.

I used about 30 bottles of fresh pool essentials on a swamp I cleared for a friend. When fresh, it is great stuff. When old, pass, get the fresh GV 8.25. As far as best value for the money, search bleach cost calculator or something like that and you'll find a link to a calculator to add $ % oz and it will give you a comparable price per whatever. makes saving the most money easy.

If you have any water samples that just don't seem to line up, that can sometimes indicate old or expired test chemicals, improper background, improper lighting, TA issues, or algae, or an old test block compromised by sunlight, or a tube that needs a bleach soaking to clean.
 
Thanks for all the help and sorry for such a late response. Just ordered the TF-100 kit today. Seems like it comes from North Carolina and I'm in KY so I'm hoping I'll get it Friday but possibly have to wait til Monday. I decided to go with pool essentials liquid chlorine since it is a stronger % . I check the dates to make sure they are no older than a couple months. So far my water is still crystal clear but I know that's probably just luck right now since I have no idea what my chemical balances are other than ph and chlorine using the standard kit that came with the pool. I don't trust the pool store so I haven't even bothered taking a sample to them after adding those chems they sold me. Hopefully the water stays nice and clear a few more days til my kit arrives , then I'll start calculating more precisely how much chlorine to add each day. I feel like I went from a pool chemistry noob to a full blown chemist overnight with all the information I have taken in from TFP lol I'll post the full results of my test soon as I can.

I do have one more question though. I decided to keep the chlorine pucks for use when I'm out of town a few days. I have no idea where to store them though?? I've read absolutely do not store in a garage as they will rust out anything metal, not in a shed for same reason , put them in a cool dry location. I don't have a basement, just a crawl space but there's metal under there (gfci outlet and light bulb / light switch). I certainly don't want to store them in the house.Where else am I supposed to put them? Lol
 
Yes, wet ones are a bigger storage issue than dry, to the point that it is probably just easier to leave the wet ones in the pool unless CYA is 80+.

Dry, never wet ones store easily in original packaging and when lid is on tight, without fumes concerns really. BE CAREFUL when opening that bucket through, do it outdoors, it will be a wave of fumes! Don't breathe that!

Did we answer your concerns?
 
So I CAN store them in my garage with no worries of metal corrosion/rust issues? They are in a plastic bag which is in a large plastic bucket with the lid sealed properly. I can't smell it by simply walking into the garage, however if I lift the bucket up and kinda wift the air around it does start to smell strong so I know fumes are escaping the bucket. They are completely dry, never removed from the bag and bucket.
 

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