New to the pool and need some advice

[jasonengland]

I have never owned a pool. I am renting a home with a large above ground pool (18.5k). This pool has been dormant for 2/3 seasons. I have spent the last three weeks cleaning the bottom from leaves with he skimmer, I have drained it half way and refilled it after I got as much bottom debris out as I could manage. I have a good pump and a hayward sand filter.

I did not preform the deep clean on the filter. I found out about that part too late. However I have tested my water and entered several chemicals as recommended by the pool store. the filter has been running 24/7 for the past week and a half. However I have not had much luck. The water was murky and very dark green after draining and some chemicals i have it a blue green which looked cloudy. I did add conditioner/stabilizer as I was not holding chlorine. I have put in about 10 gallons so far without luck. Then I found out that the conditional needs 72 hrs to become active. I am hoping to get a new pool reading today from the store. I have only added 5.25 lbs of the dried conditioner to date. I also will be using the big tabs for my weekly maintenance. I am estimating that my CYA will be about 30.

This weekend I know i had no chlorine reading and people were in the pool. IT changed from the cloudy teal green color to a nice brown. I ended up having to back wash a few times as my pressure increased several times with the brown water churned up.

I also want to note i have been back washing without using rinse setting. I was unaware that I should preform that after a backwash.

Can anyone give me some fast track advise or best practices from this point?

Much appreciated,
jason

 

[jasonengland]

here is my updated signature for more details on the pool i have

 

[Richard320]

Start with a test kit.

Don't skimp. Clearing a swamp requires a lot of testing. I'd suggest a TF100 with the XL option. Without a tester, you're working blind. I always say it's like painting in the dark. You might get paint on canvas, but you won't be happy with the results. About all you'll have done is waste a lot of paint and ruin a canvas.

In the meantime, keep dredging and vacuuming and brushing. The more organic debris you remove up front, the faster it will clear once you take control.

Check out some of these threads. Look at the pictures first. The newer ones are last. Just do what they did. Recovering my old inspirational links

 

[jasonengland]

Hi Richard,
Thank you. I feel like i have been painting in the dark. I am ordering a test kit today. going back and forth to the pool store is killing me slowly.
The first picture is where I was and the second picture is what it looked like after people were in it.

 

[Teald024]

Hi Richard,
Thank you. I feel like i have been painting in the dark. I am ordering a test kit today. going back and forth to the pool store is killing me slowly.
The first picture is where I was and the second picture is what it looked like after people were in it.

Hello and Welcome to TFP! We're glad you found us!

Yeah, get that TF-100 with XL option on order ASAP. It costs a few extra, but you will save more that that to get your pool cleaned and stay clear.

Please, no more solid forms of chlorine. Use only liquid bleach to add chlorine to your pool. You can use regular, unscented bleach from your favorite store, store brand is good. Look for sodium hypochlorite, that is the active chemical you need.

While you are waiting for your test kit to arrive, each day add 1-1/2 gallons of bleach (8.25%). This will at least keep the algae from getting worse. One of the most important chemicals after chlorine is the stabilizer (CYA). You really need to know what the CYA level is in order to know how much chlorine to add.

Stay out of the pool store.
Just try to do the best you can with the leaf rake. The more you can get out, the less chlorine you will need.
Don't add any more stabilizer (CYA) until after you run your tests. You don't want the CYA to get too high. It will force you to SLAM at a higher chlorine level.
Once your test kit arrives in a couple of days, post a full set of tests.

Head over to Pool School (link at top of page) and read the articles on ABC's of Pool Chemistry, Getting Started, and How to SLAM.

Richard's links are great to see how other people handled it, but you may find a read through Pool School is a good place to start and then see how it was applied in those other links.

Ask any questions you have and keep this thread going.

 

[jasonengland]

Thanks for the feed back. I am going to the pool store tonight to get a fresh reading. I will use the info and the pool calculate here to determine how much bleach to add. It seems you are r telling me i don't need to get pool shock but rather just regular unscented bleach?

- - - Updated - - -

Also i am renting this house, do you all think i still need the XL added to the test kit?

 

[Richard320]

Thanks for the feed back. I am going to the pool store tonight to get a fresh reading. I will use the info and the pool calculate here to determine how much bleach to add. It seems you are r telling me i don't need to get pool shock but rather just regular unscented bleach?

- - - Updated - - -

Also i am renting this house, do you all think i still need the XL added to the test kit?

Yes. You'll likely burn through all the FAS-DPD reagents clearing up the swamp and have none left for maintenance.

 

[Teald024]

Thanks for the feed back. I am going to the pool store tonight to get a fresh reading. I will use the info and the pool calculate here to determine how much bleach to add. It seems you are r telling me i don't need to get pool shock but rather just regular unscented bleach?

Please be very weary of any test results given at the pool store. While they have good intentions, their results are often called into question here. Do not buy any chemicals from the, no matter how persuasive. The lone exception would be if they have a good price on liquid chlorine.

Don't add anything to the pool except chlorine, nothing...

For chlorine, you are looking for the chemical Sodium Hypochlorite. This is the active ingredient in bleach and liquid chlorine. The difference in name usually denotes the different strengths (%). It all depends on where you can get it the cheapest per ounce. Don't go out of your way to stop at a pool store. Many people use regular unscented bleach from the grocery store or Walmart or that type of place. There should be a date code on the bottle. The code gives a "born on date" most of the time. So today is 17177 for 177th day of 2017. Look for anything after 17085. (less than 3 months old).

 

[jasonengland]

Got it.

I will report back shortly with the results.

 

[jasonengland]

Okay after getting my pool reading from the store here are the results.

FAC 2
TAC 2
CH 70
CYA 30
TA 90
PH 7.6
Copper 0
Iron 0
TDS 400
Pho 300

After i got these results I agitated the bottom of the pool with the brush to churn up the murky water and then poured 4 gallons of bleach (12.5%) into the skimmer and around the pool. I also put on a skimmer cloth to help catch the tiny particles and keep them away from the filtration system.

I have 4 more gallons on reserve and waiting to hear from this thread if i should keep the shock going.

 

[jasonengland]

Okay after getting my pool reading from the store here are the results.

FAC 2
TAC 2
CH 70
CYA 30
TA 90
PH 7.6
Copper 0
Iron 0
TDS 400
Pho 300

After i got these results I agitated the bottom of the pool with the brush to churn up the murky water and then poured 4 gallons of bleach (12.5%) into the skimmer and around the pool. I also put on a skimmer cloth to help catch the tiny particles and keep them away from the filtration system.

I have 4 more gallons on reserve and waiting to hear from this thread if i should keep the shock going.

 

[Teald024]

Please wait until the test kit arrives.

IF that CYA is accurate (IF), you OVER chlorinated the pool. 27ppm instead of 12ppm.

You would have been better off adding those gallons at 4 separate events. The wasted chlorine will just burn off to the sun because your CYA cant protect it.

You do you want me to keep the SLAM going but wait until your test kit gets here.
Remember 1-1/2 gallons per day.

 

[jasonengland]

Okay I will stick to the 1.5 gallons a day till the test arrives. I guess I got a little excited.

 

[Teald024]

Okay I will stick to the 1.5 gallons a day till the test arrives. I guess I got a little excited.

Lol. It happens. We just don't want you doing more harm than good.

Keep an eye on those filters, they can clog quick if you have a lot of stuff in the water.

 

[jasonengland]

I watched the SLAM video and have a better grasp on maintaining my shock level now

 

[jasonengland]

I took the skimmer sock off this morning as it was a nice brown color and then back washed the filter to take it from 18lbs back down to 12lbs of pressure.

Tonight i will vacuum and brush the pool walls, then add the 1.5 gallons.

Does this sound right?

 

[Richard320]

I took the skimmer sock off this morning as it was a nice brown color and then back washed the filter to take it from 18lbs back down to 12lbs of pressure.

Tonight i will vacuum and brush the pool walls, then add the 1.5 gallons.

Does this sound right?

Yes. Definitely remove as much sludge as you can.

 

[jasonengland]

Okay after be diligent this week I have no visual results and I got the test kit and as of this morning here are my readings.
Fc 13
Cc 1
Tf 14
Hardness 75
Ta-120
Ph 7.2-7.5
Cya looks to be about 40

When I was testing chlorine once it came clear it would turn back slightly pink in a few seconds so I kept adding a drop till it held slightly. It seems my shock to SLAM needs to be more like 16. Am correct thinking a gallon of 12.5% will raise my 18.5k gallon pool by 5. So I would need about a half bottle? Then test every day fro keep it at 16. As of right now I did the 1.5 bottle a day and the water looks the same as it did in my pictures when the pool had no one in it. I vacuumed all week and it seems to be pretty good. I am assuming my chlorine levels have just been slightly subpar.

 

[Teald024]

Ok. Good job on the tests.
For the FC test, keep swirling while you use the drops. You did it correct, you need to wait until it stays clear after the last drop to get the correct FC level.

In 18.5k gallons, 1gallon of 12.5% bleach raises FC by 6.8ppm

Based in CYA of 40, FC needs to be kept above 16ppm. The more often you check and dose to keep above 16, the better.
Use PoolMath to get how much FC to add. It will tell you. Orange section for pool volume. yellow section for FC current & desired. Make sure your bleach % is set correctly.

After you dose to reach SLAM level. Test again in an hour to see what the FC looks like and get an idea how quickly it will drop.

 

[jasonengland]

After my test on Saturday the 1st, i was only able to treat the pool with 1/4 gallon of 12.5% and a full gallon of 5% chlorine.

My Second test was on 7/2 at 530pm. This is 32 hrs after the test on the 1st. My readings- FC was 8 and had a TC of 9.5 ppm. This was a big drop, but all my other readings held well. So I used the pool math and added 1 gallons and 3 cups @ 12.5%.

I tested it again this morning and my FC was 13.5ppm and TC was at 14ppm. Now i can see the chlorine holding and added 5 cups @ 12.5% to bring me up to 16 ppm. I will be home and check it again by 5:30 tonight and treat it again. should i shoot for it to be a little higher than 16ppm to keep the shock level constant longer during the day. I only lost 2ppm over night.