Walmart 10% liquid chlorine from the pool section, as long as they stock it in season.
Maddie
Maddie
New to pools, pool guy seems to have done nothing for us
- Thread starter DoubleEcho
- Start date
Welcome! Glad to see your pool is headed in the right direction.
At times new folks can be quite a bit intimidated by the overwhelming response in tossing the pool store aside, buying a TF-100 and doing your own testing. While I generally agree that doing your own testing is generally the way to handle it, not every pool store should be painted as painfully hopeless and that advice shouldn't be rammed down the throats of anyone who thinks other wise.
The best advice I can give you is that the TF-100 kit is worth it's weight in gold. I've used mine for two full seasons no problems, and never ran low on anything. I actually just performed my first test of my 3rd swim season with it and while I am now low on just one or two supplies, the test seemed just fine. Having said that, 2 full seasons out of a $50 refill kit is IMO a great value. I'll be discarding the rest of the original kits supplies and using the refill kit for this season. I can't see you not getting 2 swim seasons out of a TF-100 kit unless you have major problems.... but after learning here and getting the hang of your new kit, I doubt you will have many if any problems!
I live very close to where you do (probably within 200 miles or so), so very similar swim seasons and weather. Good luck with your pool!
At times new folks can be quite a bit intimidated by the overwhelming response in tossing the pool store aside, buying a TF-100 and doing your own testing. While I generally agree that doing your own testing is generally the way to handle it, not every pool store should be painted as painfully hopeless and that advice shouldn't be rammed down the throats of anyone who thinks other wise.
The best advice I can give you is that the TF-100 kit is worth it's weight in gold. I've used mine for two full seasons no problems, and never ran low on anything. I actually just performed my first test of my 3rd swim season with it and while I am now low on just one or two supplies, the test seemed just fine. Having said that, 2 full seasons out of a $50 refill kit is IMO a great value. I'll be discarding the rest of the original kits supplies and using the refill kit for this season. I can't see you not getting 2 swim seasons out of a TF-100 kit unless you have major problems.... but after learning here and getting the hang of your new kit, I doubt you will have many if any problems!
I live very close to where you do (probably within 200 miles or so), so very similar swim seasons and weather. Good luck with your pool!
Wobblerlorri
Bronze Supporter
- Apr 16, 2019
- 2,010
- Pool Size
- 4024
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Liquid Chlorine
Here's some pics of the progress so far. Still had a FC reading when I got home (2.3) so I'm shocking it tonight again. pH is 7.4, alkalinity is 64, hardness is 60, CYA 19. I'll worry about alk when I get this clear.
Wobblerlorri
Bronze Supporter
- Apr 16, 2019
- 2,010
- Pool Size
- 4024
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Liquid Chlorine
Keep up the good work.
With your numbers, PoolMath PoolMath tells you how much chlorine to add to get to shock level, which for you is 10. Also your CYA is low which will allow the sun to burn off your chlorine quicker. You should get it up to at least 30 CYA. I'm not sure what "hardness" is but if its calcium hardness, you don't need to increase it. Vinyl pools do not need calcium.
Keep up the good work.
With your numbers, PoolMath PoolMath tells you how much chlorine to add to get to shock level, which for you is 10. Also your CYA is low which will allow the sun to burn off your chlorine quicker. You should get it up to at least 30 CYA. I'm not sure what "hardness" is but if its calcium hardness, you don't need to increase it. Vinyl pools do not need calcium.
To get CYA up would I be OK with using one or two of those chlorine pucks?
- May 3, 2014
- 62,672
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Use PoolMath to see how much those one or two pucks will raise your CYA.
Thank you sir! I have the app, looks like I'll need 26 oz to increase it from 19 to 30. I'll have to check the bucket label for the amounts.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,672
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Each 3" trichlor puck weighs 8 oz. Depending on water temperature it will take a week or so for them to dissolve.
On an unrelated note, does anyone else with an inground pool find mice in your pool nearly every day? I feel like my pool is the rodent suicide spot. I found a floater at least once a day for the past few days and I found one in the skimmer basket. One time I walked away from the pool for not even 30 minutes after brushing it, came back and there was a new mouse floating in the middle.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,017
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Not every day, but I do get them, especially the young ones. So far this year I've also had a couple birds and a rabbit.
You can get a "frog log" to help with the mice. They help all kinds of small critters find their way out of the pool.
I am glad you have found your way to TFP. Your thread was a good wake up call for our approach. Thank you for this!
Kim
I am glad you have found your way to TFP. Your thread was a good wake up call for our approach. Thank you for this!
Kim
And you don't want to wait that long. It leaves your pool too long with low stabilizer and the sun burning the chlorine off quickly, combined with killing off the CC. You'll go thru chlorine a little slower when get more CYA/conditioner/stabilizer in your pool. But not too much or you'll have another problem. You'll find it inexpensively at a hardware store or Walmart. You won't need a lot but the powder in a sock at the discharge opening will dissolve a lot faster than the pucks. Do you have any of the powder "shock" bags left over from the previous owner? Those could work too. But don't go out and buy them, they are too expensive.
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Quick update, testing kit still has not arrived. Pool is slightly clearer, I've been shocking it and running the filter all weekend. I also vacuumed it last night with the cartridge filter removed, and a waste pipe attached instead of going to the return, with the help of my girlfriend (had her watch the waste pipe to see what came out so I knew if I was hitting the messy spots). Lots of slime and a lot of dead leaves and pine needles I wasn't able to get with the leaf rake before.
Would it be more beneficial to shock the pool without a filter and basically go on "circulate" or should I keep filtering?
I had a spare filter I bought before and put that in last night, I'll be cleaning it tonight with the filter flosser tool which seems to work well. The first initial filter is pretty much useless now after a week of filtering and cleaning and even soaking in the filter washer. I have a 3rd filter on order too which I'm hoping to be able to use when this pool is cleared up
Here's a pic of what I removed so far that got trapped in the pump basket
.
Would it be more beneficial to shock the pool without a filter and basically go on "circulate" or should I keep filtering?
I had a spare filter I bought before and put that in last night, I'll be cleaning it tonight with the filter flosser tool which seems to work well. The first initial filter is pretty much useless now after a week of filtering and cleaning and even soaking in the filter washer. I have a 3rd filter on order too which I'm hoping to be able to use when this pool is cleared up
Here's a pic of what I removed so far that got trapped in the pump basket.
Good job getting some of the yuckies up and out!
You might want to look into a "leaf gulper" that can be found at Walmart or Lowes. It is so easy to use and works great at getting stuff out of the pool.
You can run the filter without the cartridge if you want but I would keep using it to get anything out of the water it can.
Have you tried to "clean" your filter with TSP? What you do is put it in a large garbage can and use this mixture of TSP: one cup trisodium phosphate (TSP) to five gallons water. Of course you will use more than five gallons of water but this gives your the ratio. You can buy the TSP at Lowes or such.
Kim
You might want to look into a "leaf gulper" that can be found at Walmart or Lowes. It is so easy to use and works great at getting stuff out of the pool.
You can run the filter without the cartridge if you want but I would keep using it to get anything out of the water it can.
Have you tried to "clean" your filter with TSP? What you do is put it in a large garbage can and use this mixture of TSP: one cup trisodium phosphate (TSP) to five gallons water. Of course you will use more than five gallons of water but this gives your the ratio. You can buy the TSP at Lowes or such.
Kim
Good job getting some of the yuckies up and out!
You might want to look into a "leaf gulper" that can be found at Walmart or Lowes. It is so easy to use and works great at getting stuff out of the pool.
You can run the filter without the cartridge if you want but I would keep using it to get anything out of the water it can.
Have you tried to "clean" your filter with TSP? What you do is put it in a large garbage can and use this mixture of TSP: one cup trisodium phosphate (TSP) to five gallons water. Of course you will use more than five gallons of water but this gives your the ratio. You can buy the TSP at Lowes or such.
Kim
I haven't tried the TSP but I can do that! It's only $4 at Lowes for a box. Just want to make sure, this won't add phosphates to the water assuming it clean it thorougly right? Also how long should I soak it in the TSP solution, and cold or warm water?
- May 3, 2014
- 62,672
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Extended Test Kit Directions Archives
www.troublefreepool.com
Run a full set of tests and post them up.
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA