I cannot get enough chlorine in the pool

[amiejh77]

My husband and I bought one of the easy up pools from Walmart. We filled it with our well water (not much rust content thank goodness). We apparently do have very alkaline water though. I bought one of the HTH starter kits on Wednesday when we bought the pool. The pool holds around 4600 gallons. Yesterday I added 15 oz of the stabilizer in an old sock and hung it from the ladder. Last night around 7 PM I added 2 oz of the granulated 48% chlorine. When I tested the water again (using the guess-strips from the kit) no chlorine registered. This morning I added 4 oz of chlorine, tested an hour later, still no chlorine. I just added another 4 oz of chlorine.

I plan to go get the HTH 6 way drop kit to hold me over until I can order the Taylor kit. The strips immediately turn dark blue whenever they come into contact with the pool water, so that is why the am assuming the water is alkaline. The PH s acceptable. So I guess my question is can the high alkalinity have something to do with the water not holding onto the chlorine? Also, how long does it take for algae to start growing in a pool that small. My husband thinks I am worrying too much about the water :) but I had a smaller pool years ago and I ended up draining and selling it because it was such a pain to maintain and keep clear. I don't want another mosquito pit in the backyard.

Thank you for all you guys are doing to help!
Amie

[amiejh77]

Chemical readings after the HTH test:

FC- 4
PH- 7.2
CYA is not testing at all, but the sock is still in the pool. Am I on the right track if I moniter the Chlorine level and retest the CYA next week?
The Alkaline took 35 drops to change from green to red. Should I try to lower this or leave well enough alone?

[Watermom]

Don't worry about the alk at this point. For now, just worry about keeping chlorine in the pool and keeping the pH between 7-8. What kind of granular chlorine are you using? (meaning ingredients).

1 lb. of stabilizer will add about 30ppm of CYA. Don't test it again for awhile. You're probably going to want your CYA at 40-50 instead of 30, but I don't want to advise you to add more yet until I find out what kind of chlorine granules you are using.

Your question -- how long does it take a pool to turn green? The answer is NOT LONG!

Welcome to the Pool Forum! (Do yourself a favor and go ahead and order the K-2006 kit so you'll get it soon.)

[amiejh77]

Watermom,

I have had success getting a consistent FC reading in the morning from chlorination the previous night (YAY!) The first night I added too much, but I think I finally got the dosage right last night. 2 oz of the granular put the FC at 2 this morning.

But what I was afraid might happen is happening. The PH is on the rise and is sitting at 8.2 this morning. The only chemical I have read on the forum to rake care of it is the muriatic acid (Am I understanding the information about this correctly?). If the PH is what actually causes the eye and skin irritation I would like to get it under control. My daughter has pretty sensitive skin and the hubby mentioned that his eyes were bothering him yesterday when he was playing with her in the pool.

And if I haven't mentioned it yet, THANK YOU GUYS for all of the information and help for us new owners...You Rock!

Amie

[Watermom]

Yes, use muriatic acid to lower the pH. Please read the link about it in my signature.

[amiejh77]

I have read the info, and now I am sort of nervous :) Only question I have is does the time of day I add it matter? Can I add the muriatic acid and chlorine at the same time tonight or should I space it out

[Watermom]

It doesn't matter what time of day. Adding the acid a few minutes after adding the bleach is not a problem. (Maybe 15 minutes or so should be fine.)