New pool owner bbb ?

[wragusa]

I am sure this question has been answered 1k times over.
I just bought a house back in October that had a above ground pool. I sort of know how to take care of the pool. My parents used to have a above ground pool.
The pool is a 12x18 pool with a Hayward DE filter.
I opened the pool a week or so ago and have the water Crystal Clear. the PH is just about right might be a tad high but it is around 7.8
I have a few tablets the old homeowner left so i been using them for now.
I remember when my parents had a pool they always complained about the cost of Chemicals. Basic Chem tells me that Chlorine is bleach but pool shock or liquid Chlorine has more strength to it.
I started doing some basic web searching and found this BBB method.
I just so not know how to start it or what i need to do.
Like how much Liquid bleach do i need to keep the water at 2ppm how much Baking soda or borax to get other levels right.

Currently the only test kit i have is some DYE kit. Red PH and yellow Chlorine test. I can get those numbers right according to the color chart with what i have. However once i run through the costly pool store stuff i would like to try BBB.

Please assist.

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome!!

We'll be happy to help you adopt this method of pool care, but you need a good test kit. We strongly encourage folks to get the k-2006 that can be bought several places online, but at a good price in the link in my sig. Once you get the kit, run a set of numbers, post them, and we'll be happy to help you go from there!

[wragusa]

so the kit i have is not enough ?
My water is crystal clear already lucky me

i can not click on your link there. it says i do not have Access to.

[aylad]

Might have to give it a day or two before Ben finishes your registration--once it's upgraded, you'll be able to clink on the link. The test kit you have is good for testing chlorine and pH--but will not test for alk or CYA. The alk isn't that crucial in most cases, but the CYA is--the CYA is what's going to determine how high you need to keep your chlorine.

Do you know the volume of your pool? We'll need to know that to help calculate how much of a chem is required to change from one value to another.

[Watermom]

Wait until the end of the week to try and order the kit Janet recommended. The Amazon sellers that we usually refer people to are apparently out of stock but they typically restock fairly quickly. When you check, if Amato Industries is shown as having them in stock, go ahead. They have a good price for it.

[wragusa]

about 5400k gallons

[PoolDoc]

On a 5,400 gallon pool, a gallon of plain 6% household bleach will add about 12 ppm of free chlorine.

The OTO / phenol red 'dye' kit is MUCH more reliable than the test strips usually sold today. However, there's no 'cheapie' way to measure CYA (cyanuric acid), plus if you run your chlorine levels correctly, as a function of your CYA level, you have to be able to measure higher levels of chlorine than you can easily do with OTO.

[wragusa]

yes but what about the borax and baking soda. what are they used for and how much would be needed for PH changes ?

[PoolDoc]

Hi Wrag;

Borax is used to raise the pH, or to create a borate residual > 50 ppm, which makes your pool somewhat resistant to algae, and tends to make it 'sparkle' more, apparently by modifying the refractive index of water slightly.

Baking soda is used to raise alkalinity -- it's EXACTLY the same chemical as is sold by pool stores as "Alkalinity Increaser"

If you would, please post your pool info -- it helps us keep give better info.

Pool Chart Entry Form (http://goo.gl/cNPUO)
Pool Chart Results (http://goo.gl/PXaLu)

[wragusa]

12x18 AG pool
4 feet deep.

so i would use the same amount of baking soda as i would of the pool store chemical
?

[PoolDoc]

Yes, but don't do that. We don't know what your TA is, and it may be too high. Use borax.

[wragusa]

The only reason i have not gone to crazy with everything is because there is a leak somewhere.
I been trying to find it but have not found it yet. I lose a a inch or so a day. I know the leak is in the liner. I been llsong water all winter. My pool is half in ground so no wet spots. Any tips? ?

[PoolDoc]

Wow. Finding a small leak in a liner is hard.

On a pool your size (thanks for completing the chart!), a 1" leak per day is only about 120 gallons, or 5 gallons per hour. That's a fast drip.

There are 3 ways to find it that I know of:
1. Find it on the outside, where the water is coming through. Sounds like you've already checked all the exposed outside.
2. Let it leak till it stops; usually the leak will be within an inch of the water line. You could speed up the process by pump out 12", and seeing if it still leaks, then 12" more and see if it leaks. The leak will be in the LAST 12 band you check. Refill 6" and see if it leaks. etc.
3. Get in the pool with a mask and snorkel and look for pinholes or bad seams. If your pool walls are steel, you might feel for rusted steel under the liner, too.

[wragusa]

The leak is at the bottom. Over the winter i looked a d watched the pool go.empty. but with snow i could nkt let it stay empty in fear of walls closeing in. From.weight of water snow or ice on cover.

[PoolDoc]

Do you know WHERE it is? You can patch a liner; it's best dry, but you can do it underwater. However, you have to know WHERE to put the patch!

[wragusa]

thats were i am stuck. I am not sure were the leak is. i only know its on the floor. I felt a one or two craters. But when i tried food coloring i go no were

[PoolDoc]

Yeah, it's gonna be hard to find a leak that small. I'm sorry, but I have no ideas, except to drain and do an inch-by-inch inspection.

[wragusa]

local pool store does leak detection. 150 patched no matter how many holes they find

[PoolDoc]

local pool store does leak detection. 150 patched no matter how many holes they find

Sounds like a winner to me!

[wragusa]

I got the test kit you all suggested. However it is extremely confusing. I hae no idea how to use it lol

[Watermom]

Maybe these will help. (They may both be the same thing, I'm not sure. Haven't looked at them in a long time.)

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/products_choose_slideshow.asp

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/ChemistryTopicsCM.ASP?ContentID=11