Opening my swamp -question about the order chemicals

[KristenNScott]

Hello. We didn't open our pool last year b/c it really needs new plaster. We planned to have that done but couldn't find anyone to do it. (I've been trying to find someone for 4 years -- small town, two hours from any cities.) Anyway, we are opening a swamp. (And I may have found someone who will plaster later in the summer.) I have successfully used TFP and have successfully gone from green to sparkly in the past, but I'm having trouble deciding the best way to proceed this time.

I have always had trouble keeping the CYA up - I know most people seem to have the opposite problem, but I am constantly trying to bring it up. Same with Calcium Hardness. And, I'm constantly having to add muriatic acid to correct the pH. (Our pool has issues.)

I currently have

No clorine
0 CYA
75 CH
and pH is un-measurable -- hot pink

Now, to my question. Do I just get started on the chemicals even though there is still a lot of gunk in the pool? Or, wait until we get all the gunk out? I've been brushing the sides and as much of the bottom that I can reach. I am frequently rinsing out the simmer basket/sock and back-washing the filter when the pressure starts going up. I am reluctant to put in 50 lbs of Calcium, which it needs, and adding lots of stabilizer, which it needs, when we will be replacing water through back-washing the filter and/or vacuuming. Should I add all the chemicals even though we will lose a lot, or just add the bleach at the beginning? (And, is it possible to do this without vacuuming, or is that an imperative part of this process? Once we began using TFP method, we never needed to vacuum again, until now.)

Thanks for your help!

 

[mknauss]

Oh boy, this will be fun!
How are you testing?

First, check for ammonia. Add LC to get to 10 ppm FC, circulate for 15 min, test, if FC is 5 or less, add LC to get to 10 ppm, repeat until you get a FC of greater than 5.

Then add acid to lower your pH to 7.2. What is the TA?

Then you add CYA. 30 ppm worth. Then raise your FC to 12 ppm and test/dose every couple hours until the FC holds. Follow SLAM Process using [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].

CH - well - with it that low for that long it is dissolving the plaster. I am not sure I would bother with CH if you plan to drain and repair soon. Others may have differing opinions.

That is good start! Good luck!

 

[KristenNScott]

I test with the TF-100 kit. I knew I left something out. I can't find my paper I wrote the values on, and I don't remember what the TA is off the top of my head. I'll get that reported next time. I'm going to be away for the next 3 hours, but tomorrow and Sunday, I'll be able to dedicate big chunks of time to the pool and retest frequently. Thanks for your quick reply. I look forward to replies from others as well. This is such a helpful group!

 

[KristenNScott]

After reading someone else's post about cleaning a swampy pool, I wonder if I should set the pool to recirculate, add the chemicals to the levels I know I need based on testing, and plan to vacuum to waste in a few days and then add appropriate water and additional chemicals to compensate for the water loss. Thoughts?