We put up our pool last weekend but have not been bale to get in because I have failed to gt the chemicals right. According to my HTH test strip results my CYA is excessively high, My total hardness is high, and my free available chlorine. level is low. HTH recommends adding 18.3 lbs of HTH PH decreaser, add metal and stain defense and add 2 pods of hth shock pods. Is this the best way for me to fix these levels? They recommended I drain my pool to fix the CYA. Is there any way to not have to do this? PLease help my kids want to get in my pool badly but I can't seem to get this right.
Please help me get my chemicals right
- Thread starter ninalowe1210
- Start date
Are you chlorinating via pucks? One of the problems with that is CYA does not ever burn off, it stays forever. So as you go through the pucks, it continues to get higher and higher until you get to the point where you can't maintain proper balance. And the only fix is to partially or completely drain and refill your pool. Some people switch to drip chlorinators (bleach) to get around this, and manually add CYA as needed. I switched to a saltwater chlorinator and add CYA about once a year. I've had my pool over 10 years and have never had to drain any water out of it.
STOP!!
If you didn't add any CYA to a fresh fill you have no CYA in the water. It doesn't exist in nature and it won't be in tap water. Your test strip is flat-out wrong. Don't trust them.
What have you put in the water since you filled it? We can help you get things squared away, but you need to tell us what you added already. Specifics. "Shock" could be one of many different chemicals, for example. It's as vague a term as "spice."
If you didn't add any CYA to a fresh fill you have no CYA in the water. It doesn't exist in nature and it won't be in tap water. Your test strip is flat-out wrong. Don't trust them.
What have you put in the water since you filled it? We can help you get things squared away, but you need to tell us what you added already. Specifics. "Shock" could be one of many different chemicals, for example. It's as vague a term as "spice."
Hi Richard. Thank you in advance for your help! I have added 10 pods of the alkalinity up, HTH metal and stain defense granules, and 2 pods of HTH shock on Wednesday. This did not fix the levels after waiting 24 hours and running our filter. We tested the water again yesterday and morning and it said our CYA is high and to partially drain our pool. it also said the total alkalinity is high. I was frustrated so I brought a sample of water to Leslies Pool Supply and they told me I needed NOPHOS to remove phosphates and to put in 57fl oz. They also said I need to decrease alkalinity and to put in 10lbs which I did. My hardness level was also high on this test and the recommendation was 12lbs of hardness plus. I did not do this. I feel like once I add something it throws something else off and I just keep adding and decreasing for the past 3 days. My readings this morning according to HTH shows cyanuric acid high, alkalinity excessively high, and total free chlorine level low. What should I do?
Oly
Gold Supporter
A quality test kit is the foundation of balanced pool water chemistry. Using test strips and free pool store water testing is the root cause of your frustration. Keep your water sanitized with liquid chlorine until you get a good test kit then post your results.
You're being Pool-stored.
You add Alkalinity up one day and then something else to reduce it later? You don't see a problem? You don' need hardness plus ever because you have a vinyl pool and there is no plaster to damage. That is just plain theft to try and sell that.
The money they've already bilked you out of could have bought a proper test kit.
No matter what is in those HTH shock pods, two is not enough to drive the CYA too high.
Step one: order a proper test kit. You won't find one in a store anywhere. And you're better off staying out of pool stores anyway, lest they max out your credit cards. You can hunt for a Taylor K2006C or just go to TFTestkits.net and order a TF100.
Step two: read the label on those pods so we know what is in them. Or give us the UPC code. Some way to guesstimate what you've added without having test results.
Step three: go find some liquid pool chlorine or bleach. Start hunting in the pool ssection of a big box store like walmart or lowes. Get a couple gallons. Add 3 cups of 10% every day until you get your test kit and can fix things right. If you can;t find 10%, tell us what you did find. Steer away from anything that says scented or antisplash or colorgard.
Step four: Pool School. Start with ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry Then PoolMath Recommended Pool Chemicals - Trouble Free Pool is also a good read. Tells you what adds what and how to add it
Step five, report back with what you found and be ready to hunt some other stuff.
I wouldn't trust it completely, but the pH test on those test strips is usually close. The rest of the tests are useless. You'll have to trust the pH test results on that until your test kit arrives. And I'm not kidding about test kit as step one. Order now so maybe it makes it out the door today.
You add Alkalinity up one day and then something else to reduce it later? You don't see a problem? You don' need hardness plus ever because you have a vinyl pool and there is no plaster to damage. That is just plain theft to try and sell that.
The money they've already bilked you out of could have bought a proper test kit.
No matter what is in those HTH shock pods, two is not enough to drive the CYA too high.
Step one: order a proper test kit. You won't find one in a store anywhere. And you're better off staying out of pool stores anyway, lest they max out your credit cards. You can hunt for a Taylor K2006C or just go to TFTestkits.net and order a TF100.
Step two: read the label on those pods so we know what is in them. Or give us the UPC code. Some way to guesstimate what you've added without having test results.
Step three: go find some liquid pool chlorine or bleach. Start hunting in the pool ssection of a big box store like walmart or lowes. Get a couple gallons. Add 3 cups of 10% every day until you get your test kit and can fix things right. If you can;t find 10%, tell us what you did find. Steer away from anything that says scented or antisplash or colorgard.
Step four: Pool School. Start with ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry Then PoolMath Recommended Pool Chemicals - Trouble Free Pool is also a good read. Tells you what adds what and how to add it
Step five, report back with what you found and be ready to hunt some other stuff.
I wouldn't trust it completely, but the pH test on those test strips is usually close. The rest of the tests are useless. You'll have to trust the pH test results on that until your test kit arrives. And I'm not kidding about test kit as step one. Order now so maybe it makes it out the door today.
Hi Richard. Would this kit be ok? Taylor Technologies K-1004 DPD Deluxe Test Kit. My local store might have this in stock
About the Taylor Technologies K-1004
The DPD Deluxe Test Kit is perfect for homeowners who want accurate and reliable test results for water and chemical balance.
Pool Chemical Features
Contents of the DPD Basic Test Kit
Here is the link to the shock pods
About the Taylor Technologies K-1004
The DPD Deluxe Test Kit is perfect for homeowners who want accurate and reliable test results for water and chemical balance.
Pool Chemical Features
- 6-Way Test Kit for Total Alkalinity, Total Bromine, Free and Total Chlorine, and pH.
- Includes .75 oz bottles.
- DPD Reagents #1, #2, and #3
- Thiosulfate, Total Alkalinity, and Sufuric Acid Reagents
- pH Indicator and Acid Demand Reagents
- Equipped with Testing Block, Carrying Case, and Instructions.
- System: Drop Test and sureCHECK comparators
Contents of the DPD Basic Test Kit
- Total Alkalinity, Blended Indicator, 1 drop = 10 ppm total alkalinity as CaCO3
- Total Bromine, DPD, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 ppm bromine (Br2)
- Total and Free Chlorine, DPD, .5, 1, 2, 3, 5 ppm chlorine (Cl2)
- pH with Acid Demand, Phenol Red, 6.8, 7.2, 7.5, 7.8, 8.2
Here is the link to the shock pods
- May 3, 2014
- 58,996
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
No on the test kit. Order what Richard describes.
Pods are dichlor. That is one half CYA and one half chlorine. And very acidic.
Pods are dichlor. That is one half CYA and one half chlorine. And very acidic.
That is a partial test kit. It's lacking the CYA test and the Calcium Hardness test, and the chlorine tester is really subjective and limited in range. If yours was a smaller pool where dumping the water and starting over was a simple matter, it would be sufficient. But yours is a grown-up pool and needs a grown-up test kit.
Moving on.... two six ounce pods means 12 ounces of dichlor. In a pool your size, you added roughly 8 FC and 7 CYA so far. The chlorine gets depleted by the sun and by killing any algae spores, so it'll disappear. The CYA remains. There is no possible way to have high CYA. The test strip is wrong. So was the pool store test.
It's not ideal, because it is acidic, but you can use up to 12 of those pods to chlorinate (not all at once!) and when they're all gone, you should have roughly 45 CYA. The pool volume is inexact and you will lose some to splashout. You added a bunch of baking soda, correct? !0 lbs or so? That should help protect the pH from crashing. Get a test kit pronto so you can keep tabs on that.
Moving on.... two six ounce pods means 12 ounces of dichlor. In a pool your size, you added roughly 8 FC and 7 CYA so far. The chlorine gets depleted by the sun and by killing any algae spores, so it'll disappear. The CYA remains. There is no possible way to have high CYA. The test strip is wrong. So was the pool store test.
It's not ideal, because it is acidic, but you can use up to 12 of those pods to chlorinate (not all at once!) and when they're all gone, you should have roughly 45 CYA. The pool volume is inexact and you will lose some to splashout. You added a bunch of baking soda, correct? !0 lbs or so? That should help protect the pH from crashing. Get a test kit pronto so you can keep tabs on that.
Thank you Richard I will go ahead an order the TF100 test kit now.
Too be clear I should add 12 of the shock pods to the pool? How many should I do at once and how many hours in between?
When do you feel it would be safe for my kids to go in the pool. Maybe not until after the test kit comes?
Thank you so much Sir! Your help is very much appreciated.
Too be clear I should add 12 of the shock pods to the pool? How many should I do at once and how many hours in between?
When do you feel it would be safe for my kids to go in the pool. Maybe not until after the test kit comes?
Thank you so much Sir! Your help is very much appreciated.
I would say one every other day or however long it takes for them to dissolve. Use the test strip for pH only. Ignore the others. If it's in the safe zone, it;s safe for the kids.
Once you have the test kit and some trustworthy results we can fine tune things.
Thank you! I just ordered the TF100. I will focus on the PH and restest so hopefully my kids can swim today. I also wanted to know how long after I add the shock pod should I wait to have the kids in there? My chlorine was low on the HTH test strip but that is ok as well?
They'll survive. You don't chlorinate the bathtub.
I've never actually seen a pod. If it's some kind of plastic thing, it's probably okay with the kids. If it's self-dissolving, throw it in after they get out. Just leave the filter on for a while so it mixes well.
Thank you so much Sir! I'm so grateful. When I get my test kit in would you be so kind in helping me interpret my readings and adjust?
I was under the impression you were going to use pods to chlorinate and add CYA? No more than 12 altogether.
That bleach is fine, so long as it doesn't say anything about splashless or fabric protection on it. It won't last long without CYA to protect it from the sun, but it'll keep algae at bay.
Like I said earlier, once you have the test kit and some trustworthy results we can fine tune things.
Hi Richard,
I only have a few more shock pods left and I'm unsure when my test kit will come so I bought the liquid bleach as a backup if I run out of the pods. Do you feel the shock pods are better than the liquid bleach or does it not really matter either way?
I only have a few more shock pods left and I'm unsure when my test kit will come so I bought the liquid bleach as a backup if I run out of the pods. Do you feel the shock pods are better than the liquid bleach or does it not really matter either way?