New Pool Owner

[bobcat]

First, thank you for this forum. I just registered for 1 year...the least I can do for the info I have already received from just one day.
We just bought a house in the country with a 15x30 above ground pool, and I know nothing about pools (well...not until yesterday after I spent several hours here). Pool looked great when we moved in about a month ago and I have not done much maintenance. Added chlorine pucks and a little vacuuming. We had a big storm other day and lots of leaves and dirt got in pool. Went 2 days without tending to it and...well it was pretty ugly. A nice shade of green! So, after reading here yesterday I went home last night scrubbed walls and vacuumed really good. I also tested for the first time. Chlorine was at the last mark .5, and Ph was below last mark 6.8. So I added 4 gal. of bleach, waited half hour and added 1 box of 20 mule team (4 lbs), turned pump to run all night, and went to bed. This morning I was amazed! It is nor crystal clear, but it looks 100% better already. Tested this morning and the Chlorine was off the chart. I assume that is ok after adding all that bleach??? And that with the direct sun and 104 temp all day that will come down pretty fast??? The ph however was still at the 6.8 range. My question is do I add another box of borax, or wait a day or so???
Thanks, Robert

[bobcat]

Also, I forgot to mention: Did the TA test and when I added th 5 drops it went straight to red, never even saw the green. What does this mean?

[Watermom]

Hi Bobcat and welcome to the forum. What is the volume of your pool? We really need some good testing numbers to be able to help. I'm assuming that your chlorine tester only goes to either 3 or 5. It is a good idea to invest in a good kit. We like the Taylor K-2006. It will pay for itself in no time.

I have a feeling that your CYA is probably high from using the trichlor pucks and it has also dropped your pH. If your pH is still showing 6.8, go ahead and add another box of Borax. It may be much lower than 6.8 since that is as low as the tester will read. From another post written by one of our members who sells Taylor reagent refills, he states that when doing the TA test, if the indicator turns immediately red (as opposed to green) then the pH is less than or equal to 4.5. After you add the Borax, wait 2 or 3 hours and then retest. If the pH is still low, add more Borax.

You need to get the pH up ASAP! Repost with a full set of numbers. You may (until you get a better test kit) have to have it tested at a pool store, but just don't let them talk you into buying anything.

BTW -- Thanks for becoming a subscriber and supporting the forum. Also, instead of starting a new thread, just reply to this one so we can keep all your info in one place. (I merged your two threads.)

[bobcat]

OK, Thanks. I will add another box of borax tonight, also...should I start aerating?

[Watermom]

Sure. Go ahead and aerate but also keep adding Borax until you get pH above 7.0. Don't have to wait more than 2 or 3 hours between additions. If pH is as low as yours is likely to be, you want to raise it ASAP! Anything below 7.0 is acidic and can damage your pool. Hope this isn't the case in your situation.

[bobcat]

OK. Got home. Tested. Ph still off the chart low, and Chlorine still off the chart high. Guess I added a little too much bleach. Added another box of borax and started aerating. Will test again in 2 hours and post.

[bobcat]

Also, tested the fill water and the ph is 7.2

[aylad]

Hi! Welcome to the forum, and thanks very much for your subscription!
Don't worry about the chlorine, it will come down on its own soon enough with the weather we're having. At least you know the algae should be dead!! Keep the filter running until your water clears up, since the chlorine kills the algae, but the filter is what removes it from the pool.

Regarding the pH, having a pH that low is a major priority. I don't know where you are in Texas, but with the fill pH being higher than 7.0, would it be cheaper and easier to drain/refill a good bit of your water? That should also lower the CYA, which you haven't posted yet but I'm sure is pretty high. What type of test kit are you using, and could you post a full set of numbers?

Janet

[bobcat]

Tested 2 hours after adding the second box of borax, ph still below 6.8; added another box of borax. Tested this morning and ph still below 6.8! Do I keep adding the borax? How much is too much?

[aylad]

Do I keep adding the borax? How much is too much?

Yes,keep adding it--it's too much when your pH goes over 8.0--seriously!!

Having a pH below 7.0 can do some significant damage to your vinyl, so it's critical that you get it above 7.0 ASAP--so whatever amount of Borax it takes to do so, that's the correct amount.

You have already removed the remaining trichlor pucks, right? If not, then you need to do so--that's your major culprit for the low pH.

Janet

[bobcat]

Got it! Will buy out Walmart supply of borax! Yes pucks have dissolved. Does it matter if I add the borax in the skimmer, or in front of return jet?

[aylad]

I would add it into the skimmer--slowly--breaking up clumps as you go. Don't want to put a big chunk in all at one time and chance a clog in the pipes, but by putting it into the skimmer it will go into the filter and dissolve more fully. Should reduce the possibility of undissolved powder causing cloudy water problems that may happen by putting it in front of the return jet. What kind of filter do you have? You might want to give it a good cleaning before adding all the Borax to it, to make sure you don't have to backwash any of it out.

Janet

Edit: One other suggestion: you might want to take a 5 gallon bucket of your pool water and add a measured amount of Borax to it, to see how much it takes to get that sample up to above 7.0. That might give you an idea of how much Borax you're gonna need.....

[bobcat]

I like the 5 gal bucket idea, tells me how much borax I need and keeps from getting clogged in the pipes! Thanks Janet

[bobcat]

Got home, tested...ph still low/chlorine still high. Backwashed/rinsed, added box of borax, waited hour and FINALLY...ph came up to 7.2!!! Added one more box of borax, will post in an hour or so...I'm excited!!!
Janet, not sure if all the borax finally caught up, or disloving in a 5 gal bucket did the trick! Kinda strange that as soon as I did the bucket the ph came up.
Edit: 2 hours later; ph still holding at 7.2
Chlorine still high off the chart
TA- 100
CYA- didn't make the first mark (Walmart 6 way tester) about half way to first mark of 100
15x30x4'= 12,000 gal?
Dynamo 1.5 motor
Aquatools Sand filter AT3120
The chlorine is still above the chart, but it has turned orange instead of red. If the ph gets right tonight, which I think it will, can the kids go swimming tomorrow or will the chlorine level still be too high?

Thanks,, Robert

[aylad]

I suspect that all the Borax you put in finally caught up, but I'm glad it finally got up to where you need it to be. As long as it's staying in the 7.2 to 7.8 range, it's fine for swimming. As far as chlorine goes, the kids could safely swim in a pool with chlorine up to 15 ppm (but I'd wear old suits in case of fading) because your CYA is so high. You say right now it's off the charts, but I don't know how high that is. Here's a link to the Carld shotglass method to force your OTO kit to measure higher levels of chlorine so you can get an idea of where you are.... http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10073.

With your CYA that high, you definitely do NOT need to use anymore trichlor pucks or dichlor powder, and I strongly advise you to drain about 1/2 your water and refill, to bring that CYA down to a more manageable level, if that's at all possible.

Janet

[bobcat]

OK...thanks to this forum, my pool looks great. TC has come down to around 6ppm and ph is holding steady around 7.2. With it being so close to end of season, don't think I'll do a drain right now. I will just live with the high CYA and try to manage the TC and ph. What would my ideal TC number be with my high CYA level?

[BigDave]

bobcat,
It sounds like your CYA is well over 100, you'll need at least 8ppm FC to keep your pool safe.
Ben's Best Guess Chart: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365

[aylad]

With your CYA halfway to the 100 mark, it's just a guess at this point--but I would say your CYA is somewhere around 150. I would keep the chlorine ABSOLUTELY no less than 8 ppm but would target somewhere closer to 10-12 at a minimum.

Glad it cleared up--enjoy the rest of your season!! :cool:

Janet