North Carolina Newbie recovering from swamp pool

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M

Marie Myatt

0
Jun 24, 2017
7
Raleigh NC 27603
Hello All,
I have lurked on this site for a while and have been impressed with the quality of the advice. My son and I were given an AG Intex pool by my sister last summer. We used the pool last year and really enjoyed it. My son took care of the cleaning and maintenance. However, he moved last winter, and now it is all up to me! I started out poorly by not closing the pool correctly and not covering it over the winter. Needless to say, I started with an algae-ridden mess this spring. I have spent too much money and time trying to get the pool clean and balanced since May with poor results. I have been really busy with work and have not had the time to devote to the pool. I have not used it once this year and have spent over $200.00 just for chemicals. Between the daily rainstorms, and the sun killing my chlorine, I have gotten discouraged with getting the pool balanced. However, I understand that my efforts have been sporadic, and I totally accept responsibility for my current bad pool condition. I am ready to put in the work to get the good result. Our weather has been super hot, and a cool soak would be so wonderful right now.
I bought a larger capacity pump and a suction cleaner. I think I have cleared the algae, but the pool continues to be cloudy to the point that you cannot see the bottom, so maybe I am wrong. I saw on Pool school that there is a test to make sure that all algae is gone. I was trying to use a dipstick test, but after reading this forum, I realized it was totally inaccurate. The pool store consistently tries to sell me useless and inappropriate chemicals, which do not solve my issues. I finally got a good test kit and am ready to get my pool together. I have printed out the Pool School information and am studying it now. I am not home right now, but am going to go home and test my pool water. I will post pool photos and my test results later today. Thanks for all of the good advice from you all. I am confident that when I do proper testing, get my water balanced, and follow the recommendations here that my pool will be as pretty as everyone else's! I really appreciate all of the good advice. As I said, I will be posting again later today with my current water chemistry results. I can't wait for all of the good advice to flow my way. I am ready to finally be able to use my pool!
 
Welcome to TFP!!:handwave:

Well, the "test" you talk about "to make sure that all algae is gone" is the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

My gut feeling is that you will fail, and it will be time to follow the entire SLAM Process process.

Now, to your test kit - the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. The K-2006-C has the larger bottles that you want. Even then it is a little short on the reagent & powder for the FAS/DPD test. If you purchased the basic K-2006 (don't feel bad, lots of folks do - it's hard to pass up $50 on Amazon) you will want to pick up more reagent & powder for the FAS/DPD test. TFTestkits.net is the place to go for supplies.

I also have the SpeedStir and Sample Sizer. They speed testing and accuracy if they are in the budget.
 
Experts here will correct me if I'm wrong, but you want CC to be below .5 and you want FC to be at minimum levels for your CYA. If your pool is cloudy, you have to perform a SLAM! For that, the pros here will walk you through the process. For a SLAM, the current CYA is a must! Just don't feel overwhelmed, the advise here WORKS. Everyone is here to help!!!!
 
niteshift38 said:
Experts here will correct me if I'm wrong, but you want CC to be below .5 and you want FC to be at minimum levels for your CYA. If your pool is cloudy, you have to perform a SLAM! For that, the pros here will walk you through the process. For a SLAM, the current CYA is a must! Just don't feel overwhelmed, the advise here WORKS. Everyone is here to help!!!!
Click to expand...

Hello All,
I was ready to start the SLAM process and I began by brushing the pool as recommended. So much sediment and junk came up that I realize that the main reason for my cloudiness is just dirt on the bottom of the pool. I did not realize how dirty it was because I have not been able to see the bottom of the pool. I have been using my robot cleaner, but could not ever see the bottom. So, my pool is back to dirty green. I was able to get some of the sediment out with rotating clean filters. At this point, I am changing the filters about twice per hour. I will work on cleaning this junk out this week. If I cant get it filtered out, I am going to drain the pool and start fresh. Now I know what not to do and I could start with a clean slate. I should have brushed it out first, but now I know, LOL. I should have asked you guys three months ago! Live and learn, right!?
 
One works fine in mine, I keep the other suction line 1/4 open because I am obsessed with the idea of something jamming up my skimmer and my pump running dry. LOL
 
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