Chlorine level and cloudiness

[brbak]

I enjoyed reading your articles back in 1998/1999 when I had a larger pool.
This year I set up a 13ft. by 36 inch round pool for my daughter. It is going through chlorine extremely fast rate and is cloudy.
I'm glad I found your site again.
Bruce

[Watermom]

Hi Bruce and welcome to the Pool Forum. Can you post some current water testing readings for us taken with a drops-based kit and we'll try and help you figure out what is going on with your pool. Make sure the CYA reading is one of the levels you report for us. Also, tell us the exactly what all you have put in the pool -- meaning ingredients and not just "shock." Have you had an algae bloom? How often have you been testing and how high have you been taking the chlorine? Also tell us what type of filter you have.

Repost with the requested info and we'll try and help you out.

[brbak]

Thanks for the welcome and quick response. I will need to get a drops based test kit, all I have been using is strips. According to the strips cya is at 0 PH was high at 8.4 so I have put in PH decreaser, PH is down to 7.2 according to test strip.
I have also put in chlorine in powder form and super shock. I will pick up a drops base test kit and report readings as soon as I can.
Thanks

[Watermom]

What was the ingredient in the powder form of chlorine -- cal-hypo or dichlor? How about the ingredients of the supershock/

[brbak]

Both were with cal hypo

[Watermom]

OK. Since they were both cal-hypo, that means you have not added any stabilized form of chlorine yet so CYA truly is 0. You will need some CYA in the pool or you won't be able to keep chlorine in there. Go ahead and get the smallest container of CYA that you can find. It may be labeled as stabilizer or conditioner. If the ingredients say cyanuric or isocyanuric acid, it is what you want. Put 1 lb. of the CYA in an old sock and hang it in front of a return jet and then run the pump 24/7 until it dissolves. You can give it a squeeze every once in awhile to help it along. It may take a few days to totally dissolve and for you to get a CYA reading.

Until you do get a CYA reading, you will lose a lot of chlorine to the sun, so it will be necessary for you to add some chlorine every morning and evening and maybe even in the afternoon if someone is home. I would just use bleach as it will not contribute to any cloudy water issues. In this small pool, every cup of plain household 6% bleach will add just a little under 1.5ppm of chlorine to the water. Until you can get a better kit, go to Walmart and pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red (yellow and red drops) kit and use that to test at least twice per day. Each time you test, add enough chlorine to get back up to about 5ppm. After you start to get a CYA reading, you'll be able to test and add bleach in the evenings only. At that time, you'll want to make sure you keep your chlorine level between 3-6 all the time or you'll risk an algae bloom.

Hope this helps you get started.

BTW - You'll need a good test kit. That way, you want have to depend on a pool store to test for you and it will make your pool maintenance so much easier. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want. If Amato isn't listed, wait a day or two and try again. They seem to restock pretty quickly when they sell out.

[brbak]

Thank you for the help. I will do as you say.
Also is it best to stay out of the pool until it is stabilized?

[Watermom]

As long as you have some chlorine in there, you can swim. But, if you swim while it is at shock level, you'll want to wear an old suit. Since it is cloudy, be diligent about watching swimmers!