NEWB-Cloudy pool with pics

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blackjack521

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Jun 3, 2014
12
Total newb as this is my first pool. I've read through pool school and I'm currently slamming the pool. Started as dark green and immediately went to cloudy blue. Has been that way ever since (about a week now). Here are my most recent test results:

FC: 10
PH: 7.8
TA: 120
CYA: 30?

Sand filter has been back washed when needed. I know I need a better test kit. I'm ordering one but in the mean time it only goes up to 10 FC so I'm keeping the level at least up to that. Any help is appreciated. It's been 90deg and I'm anxious to get this thing cleared up!


25k gallon IG. Vinyl liner. Sand filter Pyrex meteor.

Damascus, MD.
 
Would help if I added the pics
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mujahy4a.jpg



25k gallon IG. Vinyl liner. Sand filter Pyrex meteor.

Damascus, MD.
 
It's hard to give advice based on test numbers from strips. Especially on pools with vinyl liners. Without a solid CYA number it's not prudent to assume a SLAM level. I think what you're doing now is the way to go till you order a proper Test Kit. Keep dosing and filtering till then. Backwash when your filter pressure is 20 to 25% over clean pressure. Brushing and vacuuming always helps too.
 
Hi Blackjack! Welcome to the forums! :cheers: Good job reading through Pool School, getting a test kit and posting some results. However, the results you are getting with those strips ( I remember those!) are not what we consider reliable. They may be giving you something close, but in all reality, there are too many variables with the strips. My experience with them is that they are usually way off.

Please read Getting Started: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/165-getting-started

Add the following in your signature:
The size of your pool in gallons
If your pool is an AG (above ground) or IG (in ground)
If it's IG, tell us if it's vinyl, plaster/pebble, or fiberglass
The type of filter you have (sand, DE, cartridge) and, if you know, the brand and model of the filter.
If you know, please tell us the brand and model of the pump, and mention if is it a two speed or variable speed pump.
Date of pool build/install, particularly important if less then a year old.
Other significant accessories or options, such as a spa , SWG, or cleaner

Congratulations! You have taken the first step in learning about how to maintain your pool. You took the correct first step in cleaning your filter and making sure it is working properly. We don't want to assume or do too much until you get your kit and we can get some accurate results posted. I wouldn't be surprised if your CYA is going to be way high. What type of chemicals have you been putting in your pool? If you are using any type of "chlorine" from the pool store ( dichlor, trichlor, powdered shock or algaecide) please stop using immediately!
Hopefully you have read enough to know to use bleach (at least 6.25.%) unscented just plain bleach, to SLAM your pool. Going with your pool size, 25k gallons and a CYA (for now) of 50 targeting a Shock level of 20ppm you should add 4 gallons of 6.25% bleach.You can do this yourself using Pool Math: http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html
I wouldn't do anything else until you get your kit. The next step would be to adjust your PH. But without knowing your current and accurate CYA level we should hold that off for now.
Again, read through pool school, Slowly add in your bleach over your returns, wait for your kit and I'm sure one of our Moderators will be along with some great advice. I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries with the advice I gave, but think it will get you started. Good luck!
 
Thanks. Well like I said I'm a newb but I'm learning. I started off with powder but I've lately been using bleach and liquid chlorine (12%). Is that stuff also ok?


25k gallon IG. Vinyl liner. Sand filter Pyrex meteor.

Damascus, MD.
 
I would suggest you raise your CYA to 60ppm after your get your test kit. Anything under 30ppm is hard to test for...you'll see. Also the more CYA you have the more it protects your chlorine from the sun (it does require a higher FC level though).
 
consoleman said:
I would suggest you raise your CYA to 60ppm after your get your test kit. Anything under 30ppm is hard to test for...you'll see. Also the more CYA you have the more it protects your chlorine from the sun (it does require a higher FC level though).
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Why would you suggest that. Mr. Jack is gonna have to do a proper SLAM when his test kit arrives. If his CYA is indeed in the 30 range, he's at a perfect starting point for a SLAM. Besides, he's in Maryland and doesn't get that Texican sun you all get. :D:)
 
blackjack521 said:
Should I use 2 gallons a day until my test kit arrives?


25k gallon IG. Vinyl liner. Sand filter Pyrex meteor.

Damascus, MD.
Click to expand...

Depends. It's your pool but you have to careful it doesn't build up. Test strips can bleach out with high Chlorine. When that happens, some folks think there's zero Chlorine. They add more and more. When they get their real test kit, it's like Holey Moley, how did my Chlorine get to 40 PPM. Me personally, I'd dump two gallons of 12% the first night and do an OTO dilution test mid-morning.

The OTO test is a color match test for yellow. It has a yellow color bar that matches up to 3 to 5 at the top end. Higher Chlorine will deepen the yellow and as you go higher it will go to deepening shades of orange. Real high Chlorine will turn it brown. If you dilute your test water with equal parts distilled water you can get an approximation of Total Chlorine. So, if you dilute one part pool water with 3 parts distilled and the color matches up to 3 on the yellow bar that will get you a total of 12 TC. It's not accurate but it's ballpark enough. You times the color match by the number of water parts. A one to one dilution, you times by 2. Two parts distilled to one part pool, you times by 3 and so on.

What ever you decide to do, it's better to chlorinate when the sun's off the pool. This way, a 100% of your Chlorine is fighting algae and not the sun and the algae.
 

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All good points. I was thinking to add the liquid bleach to get him started, find out exactly where his CYA level is with accurate readings and see where it is at . No need to get carried away if he needs to do a partial drain if the CYA is high. If it is low, than get him to slowly bring it up and start SLAM'ing! Any way you look at it, getting the FC up is not going to hurt.
 
Until you get reliable test results with your kit, everything is a guessing game right now. If you want to add a gallon of bleach a night to hold off the green monster, that is perfectly fine but anything more can run on the verge of being wasted. I would encourage you to wait until you get your test kit before you start adding copious amounts of bleach. :goodjob:
 
Why would you suggest that. Mr. Jack is gonna have to do a proper SLAM when his test kit arrives. If his CYA is indeed in the 30 range, he's at a perfect starting point for a SLAM. Besides, he's in Maryland and doesn't get that Texican sun you all get.
Click to expand...

I just tried CYA at 40ppm when it was around 90deg outside. That ate my chlorine up like a fat kid loves cake. 20-30ppm of CYA is really only 2-3ppm of FC more. Everthing is bigger in Texas even the CYA levels. :wink:
 
Ok I'll go slow with it. Last night I shut the filter off and came out this morning and I could see the bottom of the deep end! Turned the filter back on and back to cloudiness.... I assume that normal as the return stirs things up?


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Ok got my test kit it's a Taylor. Here are my readings
Fc 5
Tc 5
Ph 7.2
Ta 10?
Ch 12
Cya 20-30

Just added 1 cup of de (half cup at a time) and my filter pressure went up 1 psi. Also added some more bleach to bring that fc back up to shock level. Here's what it's looking like now
usaturu4.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good going Blackjack. It may take a couple times at first until you get to know your kit better. How did you do the CYA test? Did you hold it at waist level in direct light? This may be the most difficult test to get right. Not that it is hard but it might take a couple times to figure it out. Was the water in the tube cloudy? You really need to concentrate on the black dot and make sure it completely disappears. You should get an exact reading. Not 20-30 but something definite. This is important.
Maybe this video will help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxaqoW-_MCs&list=UUNFkPFCkt9Y_YYNAeLtUr1g

TA at 10 is suspect also. For now, let's concentrate on the CYA, FC,CC and PH.
Do these a couple of times, check your results and post them again. You are on your way! Keep going.
 
The water for the cya test was not very cloudy I filled the tube up all the way to the max and could still barely see the dot. Top of the tune was 30. Since I could still kind of see the dot I assumed it was more like 20. I think TA was supposed to be 100. I'll have to look at the test kit again, but 10 drops is about what it took to change the color of the water. I'm new so it's hard to determine what exact number of drops changes it. I'm also confused about the FC test. My kit only goes up to ten but I need to be higher to shock it. Do I dilute the test to measure higher levels?


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Make sure you are mixing the reagent properly and try the test again. You may just have low CYA but its better to test a couple of times and be sure.
TA was probably 100. Not too concerned with the TA just yet. SLAM'ing the pool will throw off the test. We need to concentrate on the CYA level first. PH level next, then get your FC up to SLAM level and keep it there. But first things first. CYA level is extremely important.

- - - Updated - - -

Do you have a speed stir with your kit or are you mixing manually?
 

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