This is our first year with a pool and our pool store guy basically told us to balance the water and then throw in four bottles of 12.5% Sodium Hypochlorite shock and a bottle of Polyquat. Since the pool has some residual salt dust on the bottom that was looking a little green, I shocked the pool last week and ran the pump for 24 hrs (been trying to vacuum that out all summer with no luck - it looks like it's gone but settles back down within a few days). There's still some salt dust on the bottom but it's no longer looking green so we're hoping to get the pool closed today. My questions are:
1) TC is 16 so I'm thinking four bottles of shock is going to be overkill, correct? If so, should I: a) bring it back to shock level and circulate for a couple of hours before closing, b) bring it back to shock level, circulate briefly and close, or c) close with it at 16.
2) pH is 7.8 - is that good enough for closing or should I bring it down a little?
3) CYA - I'm out of R-0013 reagent. I went to a local pool store today (not where we bought our pool - that one's an hour away) to pick some up and they didn't have any. I didn't bring a water test because I hate this place and the way they treat me like an idiot so I was hoping to grab what I needed and get out. No such luck. They proceeded to do the usual, "do you even know what CYA does?"... "why do you think you need to test it before you close?", etc. I told them I needed to know what it was so I could bring the chlorine to shock level and they tried to tell me one had nothing to do with the other and to not worry about until spring and just close my pool. <Sigh> (As I left, I couldn't help but wonder if they were saying, "there goes another one of those TFP know-it-alls.
) The CYA has been pretty consistent all summer and was 70 when I tested a couple weeks ago. Can I safely use that figure and go ahead and close my pool today or do I need to order some and wait to close my pool?
4) Should I add Polyquat or not? I know people here recommend that I not add it this spring when we started the pool up so I want to be sure there will be no ill-effects if I do that now.
FYI: TA is 80 and the pool temperature has been pretty consistently below 60 for a weeks now as I live in Maine.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Lori
1) TC is 16 so I'm thinking four bottles of shock is going to be overkill, correct? If so, should I: a) bring it back to shock level and circulate for a couple of hours before closing, b) bring it back to shock level, circulate briefly and close, or c) close with it at 16.
2) pH is 7.8 - is that good enough for closing or should I bring it down a little?
3) CYA - I'm out of R-0013 reagent. I went to a local pool store today (not where we bought our pool - that one's an hour away) to pick some up and they didn't have any. I didn't bring a water test because I hate this place and the way they treat me like an idiot so I was hoping to grab what I needed and get out. No such luck. They proceeded to do the usual, "do you even know what CYA does?"... "why do you think you need to test it before you close?", etc. I told them I needed to know what it was so I could bring the chlorine to shock level and they tried to tell me one had nothing to do with the other and to not worry about until spring and just close my pool. <Sigh> (As I left, I couldn't help but wonder if they were saying, "there goes another one of those TFP know-it-alls.
) The CYA has been pretty consistent all summer and was 70 when I tested a couple weeks ago. Can I safely use that figure and go ahead and close my pool today or do I need to order some and wait to close my pool?4) Should I add Polyquat or not? I know people here recommend that I not add it this spring when we started the pool up so I want to be sure there will be no ill-effects if I do that now.
FYI: TA is 80 and the pool temperature has been pretty consistently below 60 for a weeks now as I live in Maine.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Lori
