This site is great.

[poolowner]

So I did a bunch of reading on here the past few days and you guys and gals really turned the lights on for me. Before I had no idea what anything was, I had to trust the pool store people that I suspected were not truthful or all that educated on these matters.

Before reading this site, if the label didn't tell me what a chemical did, I had no idea or at least didn't trust my knowledge.

It's funny because I'm a taxidermist and I deal with a lot of these same exact chemicals on a daily basis but never knew they were the same chemicals used in water treatment for swimming pools. Borax, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Carbonate, all familiar to me when tanning hides but didn't put 2 and 2 together that they would effect swimming pools the same way as tanning solutions.

So thanks all!!!

I haven't had to ask anything just yet, still doing a lot of reading but the pool opening is going relatively smooth so far because of this site and I have a much better understanding of why I'm adding what I am and not paying astronomical prices anymore. Now I just up my bulk taxidermy orders and have all the chemicals I need. LOL

I never liked relying on other people without at least a basic understanding of what I'm doing. The knowledge gained from here allowed me to forget about the knuckleheads at the pool store, this is not rocket science like I had originally thought.

Thanks. ---Matt

[Watermom]

I'm so glad you are finding our forum helpful.. if you haven't yet, go to our sister site also and read. Lots of great info there as well.

www.poolsolutions.com

[Manslick]

I know how you feel Matt. It's a nice feeling to be empowered.

[poolowner]

Yes it's a great feeling!!!

Last season I was not the one taking care of the pool and we never got to swim. This year I'm in charge of it and we're on the right track so I'm happy.

Here is the semi-success story so far thanks to this site and the sister site "pool solutions" along with a pool calculator I found, can't remember if it was part of these sites.

Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/Matt867/0602011220.jpg

After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/Matt867/0610011831.jpg

So after uncovering the pool, I started with lots of scrubbing, netting and repairing all the wall cracks and tile loss.

That was followed up with a lot more scrubbing, netting and a twice nightly/daily shock of bleach. Eventually after I netted everything I could, I started vacuuming to waste. It took several times because regardless of how slow I went, particulates would stir up and resettle again later.

Persistence was instrumental!!! I just kept remembering P.O.P.P.

Finally, I held chlorine overnight. At this point I vacuumed to waste for the final time and the pool was very clean and clear.

Next I topped the water off. It happened to rain heavy that night when I topped off, and the PH went down from 7.2 to 6.8 when I checked the next day (acid rain?). I used that to my advantage because TA was 150. With the PH at 6.8, it seemed to take about 2 days I guess to bring the TA from 150 down to 120.

I then aerated with an aerator designed for the livewell of a bass boat and also by splashing, continuously taking buckets of water from the pool then dumping them back in to create as many small bubbles as possible. The PH is back up to about 7.2 now. I'm trying my best to further aerate it to raise the PH to 7.5 without bringing the TA back up.

I didn't start recirculating the water back into the pool until today. I only ran to waste when running the pump before today.

So today with the water crystal clear, numbers good and no more particulates, I made sure all the filter cartridges were clean and cleaned the inside of the filter housing. With everything as clean as possible I switched all the valves on the plumbing (very old system) from pumping to waste, to recirculating through the jets. All was great.

Then I slowly added the recommended amount of DE slurry to the skimmer.

All still seemed great. Until about two hours later when I went to look at my crystal clear pool and found that it had become cloudy. It's not horrible, but it's definitely cloudy compared to before. I can't see the bottom in the deep end anymore.

My chlorine levels were non-existent today because I had run out of bleach and had no chance to add any yesterday and I had not used any pucks up until today. Today I found a bucket of Hypo-chlor tablets that my uncle must have hidden from last season. So I just added a puck to the skimmer.

So is lack of chlorine what caused the suddenly cloudy water?

Or is the DE going through the filter and making it's way back out the jets and into the pool? If so, how do I fix that?

My current numbers are:

FC: 0.0 (I just added the 3" puck and before today, FC and CC were holding right at 3.0 overnight)
CC: 0.0
TA: 120
PH: 7.2

That's all I can test for as far as I know.


I'm not sure what the pool used to be, but I know it was "re-surfaced" a while back with what appears to be fiberglass. However, when I removed material to better repair cracks under the coping and around the walls, it appears it used to be cement. So I patched with Dry-Lok. At least the repairs aren't leaking.

Lot's of work and lot's to learn, now I know why my Grandfather threatened to fill the pool in every year. LOL

Have a good one. ---Matt

[Watermom]

Is your CYA reading posted somewhere in there and I just missed it?

it shouldn't be the DE causing the cloudy water. If it is, then you have a problem with your filter. Did you notice the DE coming through the return jets as you poured it into the skimmer?

How long was your chlorine zero? It could be that you just have an algae bloom in the works. It doesn't take long for a pool with no chlorine to start growing stuff.

[poolowner]

Watermom,

I'm not aware of a way to test for CYA using my kit. Having only used bleach until this point, I would assume the CYA is probably low. Right?

The puck I added should release CYA right?

(CYA = cyanuric acid that acts as a chlorine stabilizer correct?)


FC and TC were low yesterday but only reached zero for this mornings test.

I added the puck earlier today and just checked everything again before dinner. FC and TC are at about 0.4 now.

Just to be safe in case that was the start of an algae bloom, I used the pool calculator and added enough liquid bleach that it should bring my level from 0.4 to 4.0.

Strange thing is, my test kit literature says the ideal chlorine levels should be between 1.0-1.5. Everything else says 3.0

The clarity is coming back already but it's still not where it was. I can see the drain again in the bottom but there is some cloudiness still. The DE filter is very old, original I'm told from the 70's, and probably should be replaced. A few of the cartridges are slightly broken along with the top cap that helps separate all the elements. Unfortunately it appears so old, I doubt parts are available.

Thanks for the help.

Current numbers are:

FC: O.4
CC: O.4
TA: 120
PH: 7.3

[Watermom]

If your kit can't test CYA, ask a reputable pool store to test it and report it here. Just don't buy everything they are going to try and sell you. Bleach doesn't add CYA but something that might have been used last year might have. So get it checked. We really can't advise you very well how high to take the chlorine without knowing that level.

Test kit literature is wrong. Chlorine levels needed to sanitize a pool are dependent on the CYA level. Take a look at the Best Guess Table in my signature below. (It is not a guess, it is factual.) Take your chlorine up to 4 is not adequate when you are trying to clear a pool. For now, take it on up to 12ppm and try and hold it there without letting it yo-yo up and down. Test as many times per day as you can (minimum of twice, more is better) and each time, add enough bleach to get the cl back up to 12. If you tell us the volume, we can help with amounts of bleach to add. As a reference, each quart of 6% bleach will add 6ppm to a 10K pool. Until we know your volume, you can use that to help you determine how much bleach to add to get back up to 12ppm.

I still suspect that your DE filter may be the problem because DE should not cause a pool to become cloudy. When added to the skimmer, the DE should stay in the filter. If the filter is in disrepair and it causes the DE to shoot into the pool, that would cloud a pool. That is why I suspect the filter may be the problem, but I am not the DE filter expert around here. Hopefully someone else will chime in on this thread about that issue.

Repost with CYA level when you get it tested, and with volume.

[poolowner]

Thanks Watermom,

Volume is 11,200.

I have been using a pool calculator to give specific amounts of chemical additions. Before this season, chlorine pucks were the only chlorine used in the pool, other than packages of "shock" (as far as I know). This is the first season of bleach.

I'll get the water tested for CYA though. Is the kit that everyone recommends on here able to test CYA? My kit is a dropper kit but I'd like to be able to test for more. And I looked at the best guess chart yesterday, that's when I understood that the CYA level directly effects your chlorine goals.

Anyhow, whatever caused the slight cloudiness is gone because the pool is as clear as a bell again. This morning the readings were:

FC: 3.0+ kit only measures to 3.0 but it was a tad darker yellow.
CC: 3.0+
TA: 120
PH: 7.3

Thanks again.

[PoolDoc]

Your best choice for periodic testing is probably the Taylor K2006 -- links to Amazon below, but only order if the Amazon seller is "Amato Ind"; other sellers seem to mixup the K2005 (no FAS-DPD) & K2006. Regardless, you need kit that includes an FAS-DPD test, and a CYA test; 'goofy strips' are just not accurate enough.

Ben

[Watermom]

Glad the pool is clear and it appears that the DE filter was not the problem. Good. Do yourself a favor and order that good test kit. You won't be sorry you did. It will do everything you need a kit to do and it will make your pool maintenance much easier as well as make it a lot easier to clean up if you ever have a problem. Good luck.