New to TFP! Cloudy water

[Anonymouscricket]

Hello!

New to TFP! I've read the pool school and have the pool math app.

We are in south Texas and have a small Intex vinyl sided/metal pole frame pool with 3,500 gallons. We have the little Intex pump (that takes the paper filter) and I got an Orca reusable filter that I clean everyday or every other day.

Our pool has been cloudy since a few days after we opened it.

I'm saving up for a test kit so am using strips right now.

Best I can tell with these strips here are my levels:
FC 10
PH 7-8 ish?
TA 40ish
CYA 80ish

I added 9oz of 10% bleach this morning and FC has yet to drop. I was using pucks in a floater but took those out since finding TFP.

I am seeing a little bit of algae when I clean the filter that is getting killed off. We are vacuuming and brushing the pool.

I'm not sure how much bleach I should be adding each day while I'm trying to clear this up? I'll try to do a overnight chlorine loss test tonight and see if I can tell on the test strips.

Do I need to do anything about the PH? And can we swim right now? I'm a little concerned over the FC level but if the CYA is high it's 'bound' right?

Thank you! So glad to have found this forum.

 

[aussieta]

welcome to TFP
as you have probably noticed we have found test strips to be unreliable and only recommend test kits that use taylor reagents

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why not use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

as your pool is 3500 gallons you could treat it as a seasonal pool

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

imo
it may be easier and cheaper to drain the water and start fresh

 

[Texas Splash]

it may be easier and cheaper to drain the water and start fresh

I tend to agree, especially with only test strips. Those tiny Intex filters and pumps don't help you much either when doing a SLAM Process to remove algae. In the meantime, checkout the link below. Stick around, we'll be glad to help.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Anonymouscricket]

Thanks for the advice!

I hadn't found that section about temporary/seasonal pools thank you for pointing that out!

I've drained and refilled the pool, put in 30 oz liquid bleach 10% to start, according to pool math.

I have a question on the chemicals I have on hand. Are they junk and should be tossed? Pics attached.
Clorox PH Down
Clorox Stabilizer

 

[TexEdmond]

The stabilizer is definitely something to keep on hand. That is your CYA which will buffer the chlorine in your pool from burning off in sunlight. It also isn't safe to swim in a pool with lots of chlorine and no CYA... Not to mention you'll waste TONS of chlorine. Put it in a sock and hang it in front of the pump's return nozzle in the pool. It'll dissolve pretty quickly.

For stabilizer, use your PoolMath calculator and decide how much will get you 30ppm, then you can start putting chlorine and swimmers in the pool. You owe it to yourself to get that test kit sooner than later.

FC/CYA Levels