How to properly chlorinate small 12'x30" intex pool? And few other questions.

[Azmp1]

Hey all, i have small 12x30 intex pool for kids to enjoy. Thus far I've been reading up on the chemicals that I need and so far what I have is the PH+, the chlorine (granulated), algeacide plus (all three are by aquachem) and the test strips that only test free chlorine, ph and total alkalinity. All of this was given to me with the pool.

I got the PH in and the test strip,is telling me that both PH and alkalinity levels are ok, but of course the chlorine level is not.
So far the biggest question I have is how do I chlorinate this pool. The chlorine I have is granulated and it says on the bottle that I'm not suppose to dilute it before adding it the pool. However if I add if straight up it just settles on bottom and bleaches the liner... Is there a trick to this I should know about?

The pool is getting slimy after about a week (the water is still nice and clear just getting slippery on the inside, not colored at all, just feels slimy) so I really need to figure this out quick. in the mean time I will use the bleach fix, but not to sure how much to add and how often.... I believe the pool is about 1500 gallons?

Also, there is quite a bit of small debry in the pool after a week of use, that kids got in it, the pump is working and I assume it's doing it's job, but how do I get all that small crap out? Is there a small vac for these small pools or is there another trick to this?

Thanks in advance?

[Watermom]

We think that everyone needs a good test kit. Test strips are known around here as "guess strips" because they aren't reliable. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which you can get through the test kit link in my signature below. Try and order it early in the morning while the seller listed is Amato Industries. Sometimes they sell out during the day, but usually restock overnight. Some other sellers don't sell it for as good of a price.

Since the kit is only sold online, you need something to use until you get it. Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability (http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-6-Way-Test-Kit/17043668)), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)

Also, please fill in your pool's information in our pool chart:


Pool Chart Entry Form (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBLTzdpX19DZVlzUTRLOTU5ZFlZSWc6M Q)
Pool Chart Results (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ahjo2iDF0aJgdHBLTzdpX19DZVlzUTRLOTU5ZFlZS Wc)

Tell us the ingredients of the granules. For now, go ahead and get some bleach in there. Until we know your CYA reading, I'm going to suggest shocking the pool up to about 12ppm. Adding a quart of regular unscented 6% bleach will add that amount of chlorine.

I don't know what kind of vacs these small pools use. Somebody else who does know will hopefully chime in about that question.

[CarlD]

I would immediately add 5 cups of bleach to your water--regular ordinary bleach (6% concentration) to get your chlorine level at least to a fighting chance of stopping the algae that's growing. Check your water 3x a day with whatever you have, tho the 6-way HTH kit from Walmart is the second best kit you can get. You'll want to keep your chlorine level between 10 and 15 for now, till the slime is gone, and till we get a full set of test numbers.

I'm guessing the actual water level is 24", not 30" which puts your pool at 1700 gallons. One quart of bleach will add 8.8 ppm (parts per million) of chlorine to it. Forget the powder for now.

Carl

[Azmp1]

Hi folks, thank you very much for the replys. I've added a quart of bleach few hours ago and just tested with my cheap-o strips. All three indicators are now within the "ok" levels with chlorine at 5ppm, PH at 7.8ppm and alkalinity at 120. I will add more bleach tonight per CarlD's suggestion, one question thought, with the chorine levels as high as 10-15ppm, will it bleach the liner or harm the pool in any other way, and also what is the acceptable level of chlorine should be before I let the kids back in the pool? The chlorine levels just go down in its own, correct?

Thanks all!

[Watermom]

Chlorine levels are based on CYA levels and unless I missed it, I don't think you posted one. Since we don't know your CYA level at this point, I think if it were my pool that I would only take the chlorine level up to 10-12ppm. At that level, it should not hurt your pool in any way. Chlorine levels drop down on their own over time. How quickly depends on how much CYA you have, what the weather is like and what your water conditions are. It won't hurt the kids to swim at that chlorine level but you might want to have them wear old swimsuits. Take a minute if you haven't already done so, and read the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in either mine or Carl's signature above. It will better explain the connection between chlorine and CYA.

If you can pick up an HTH 6-Way drops test kit at Walmart, you'll be able to test your CYA level.

[Azmp1]

ok, so yesterday i've added anther quart of bleach, tested in the few hours and the chlorine level was at around 10ppm. This mornng checked and slime is just about all gone - Yey!!!!

You guys rock.

just now i picked up the HTH-6 6way kit from Walmart, i will test both my pool water, my tap water and will post results as well as the list of all chemicals that i currently have on hand.

btw, i've filled out the PF pool Chart - entry line 239.

Thank you all!!!

[aylad]

Thanks for filling out the chart. The 6-way kit you bought only has enough reagents in it to test CYA 2-3 times. We know there's none in your tap water, so don't waste the reagent testing that. We DO, however, need to know the CYA level in your pool water. And.....if you tell us the ingredients in the granules you already have, you might be able to use them, too. In the meantime, stay with the bleach. A little bit of bleach can do miracles in a pool!

Janet

Edit: Need to know CYA in pool, not in fill water!

[Azmp1]

Thanks Janet! Will post the info tonight.

[Azmp1]

Hi Folks,

Just test both the pool water and the tap water with the HTH6 kit here are the results:

Pool water:
Total chlorine/bromine - came out darker then the top window of 5ppm cl/10ppm br). The test strip says i'm somwhere in between of 5 and 10. My kids went in today and their eyes were burning, and the water stinks of chlorine.
Total pH - also came up that looked to be higher then the top window of 8.2.
Total alkalinity - 90ppm
Total hardness - 80ppm
CYA - Solution never turned cloudy. I emptied all 14ml into the view tube and could still see the dot at the bottom...

Tap water:
Total chlorine/bromine - looks to be at 0.5ppm chlorine, 1ppm bromine
Total pH - looked high again close to 8.2 (Is that normal to be high for tap water?)
Total alkalinity - 50ppm
Total hardness - 90ppm

Here are all the chemicals i have on-hand:

Clorinating ganuals by AquaChem:
trichloro-s-triazinetrione - 71.8%
boron sodium oxide - 8.0%
other ingridiant - enhancer/sunlight protector - 20.2%
(available chlorine 65%)

pH Up by Aquachem
Sodium Carbonate - 100%

Algeacide PLUS by Aquachem
copper metallic - 3.3% (active ingredient)
other ingredient - 96.7%

While at Walmart i also picked up a container of HTH shock 'n Swim

That's all

Thanks in advance!

[Watermom]

You need to lower the pH with some muriatic acid. Please read the guide in my signature above about using muriatic acid safely.

If your CYA test never turned cloudy, then you have less than 30ppm of CYA in there. Don't worry about that for now. Let's get the pool cleared up first. Then, you'll want to use some dichlor for a little while to bring your CYA level up to around 50 or else add some CYA separately to get to the level and just chlorinate with bleach.

Your TA and CH are fine.

Take the HTH Shock and Swim back. Also, do not use the algaecide. You do NOT want copper in your pool. Contrary to popular belief, it is not chlorine that stains things and turns blonde hair green, it is copper. Your pH is too high already so do not add the pH Up.

Regarding the chlorinating granules, let me run that past Ben. I'm not sure about the boron sodium oxide in them. Hold off using it for now and just use bleach.

I hope you are ordering a Taylor K-2006 kit. With that kit, you are not limited to being able to only test chlorine levels up to 5. Keep adding bleach tomorrow. Try to keep the chlorine in the dark yellow range on your test block. Tomorrow evening, after the sun is off the pool, test the chlorine level. Add enough bleach to get the chlorine level back up to around 12ppm. Wait an hour or two and then test the chlorine level again. Then, the following morning within two hours of sunrise, test the chlorine again. Note how much the chlorine level has dropped, and report it here.

Until you get the K-2006, you can use a dilution method to force your kit to read chlorine levels higher than 5ppm. It does lose accuracy with dilution, but it is better than nothing. Read about the method here: Testing Without a Good Kit (http://poolsolutions.com/gd/how-to-test-your-pool-without-a-good-testkit.html )

EDIT: You have a chlorine pool, not a bromine pool. Just ignore that side of the test block.

[PoolDoc]

Pool water:
Total chlorine/bromine - came out darker then the top window of 5ppm cl/10ppm br). The test strip says i'm somwhere in between of 5 and 10. My kids went in today and their eyes were burning, and the water stinks of chlorine.
Total pH - also came up that looked to be higher then the top window of 8.2.
Total alkalinity - 90ppm
Total hardness - 80ppm
CYA - Solution never turned cloudy. I emptied all 14ml into the view tube and could still see the dot at the bottom...

Read the muriatic acid page linked in my signature; then get some, and use it to lower your pH to ~ 7.4


Chlorinating granules by AquaChem:
trichloro-s-triazinetrione - 71.8%
boron sodium oxide - 8.0%
other ingredient - enhancer/sunlight protector - 20.2%
(available chlorine 65%)
OK to use right now; will raise your CYA. Has borax ("boron sodium oxide!), so it won't lower your pH as normal trichlor. Has added stabilizer, so watch your CYA levels.


pH Up by Aquachem
Sodium Carbonate - 100%
Soda ash. Take it back if you can.


Algeacide PLUS by Aquachem
copper metallic - 3.3% (active ingredient)
other ingredient - 96.7%
Use it as fall algaecide; might stain your pool a bit, but you probably won't notice.



While at Walmart i also picked up a container of HTH shock 'n Swim

Bad stuff -- take it back if you can. Non-chlorine ingredients can be VERY irritating in some cases. (There are a variety of shock 'n swim products; not sure which you have!)

[Azmp1]

Good morning folks, again thank you for the great replies. However, my apologies as looks like I've given you guys a bit of dis-info as far as pH levels. I've retested again this morning and in the normal daylight it does look to be be perfectly at the 7.8 level.
Chlorine looks to be at 5ppm or maybe just slightly above.
I did add another quart of bleach in this morning and left pool uncovered for the day. Hopefully chlorine levels will go down enough for my kids to use the pool in the evening. What should be good chlorine levels for them to use the pool and not burn their eyes and stink up everything with chlorine?

As far as the granulating chlorine that I have. How do I get it into the pool? If I just poor the power in it just settles at the bottom and discolors the liner... The box says I can't dilute it before applying either. Is there a method to this I can use?

And one more question. Should I shock the pool in the weekly basis? If so what do I use, since you said to not use hth shock 'n swim...?

Learning a lot here. Hopefully by the time I get a real pool in the spring I will know everything about this! :)

[PoolDoc]

I think all most of your questions are answered in this recipe:
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?17055

But, I'll make some other remarks:

1. Until you get a good test kit, you are -- as it were -- driving with a blacked out windshield, and will only discover that you were going in the wrong direction, when you hear the crunching sound, and feel the impact. Nothing we can do here, can make up for the lack of adequate testing.

2. Chlorine does not cause allergic reactions (ever). Chlorine does not irritate people (usually), even at high levels. BUT, chlorinating inconsistently or intermittently results in the production of some very irritating chlorine compounds. The solution is not LESS chlorine; it's more CONSISTENT chlorination! However, you won't be able to do this, till you have a good test kit. (Notice a theme, here?)

3. The whole "must let chlorine go down to swim" is based on a series of historical accidents and institutional inertia, not on science or health. Dermatologists have for years -- and still do -- treat both adult and pediatric patients with "bleach baths", which involve bathing in 50 - 100 ppm of chlorine for 30 minutes or so. Relatively high levels of chlorine are NOT a problem for people; they may be more irritating to eyes, but I'm not even sure of that. But, they can be damaging to women's fashion swimwear, depending on the stabilizer level. (Of course, to know what the stabilizer level is, you have to have a good test kit!)

4. The major pool chemical companies -- Arch/HTH and Biolab/BioGuard/Chemtura -- have increasingly engaged in behavior I consider predatory, and are selling chlorine blends that I consider to be very undesirable. These blends include compounds that are essentially useless (magnesium sulfate) or not appropriate for general application (aluminum sulfate), or likely to cause problems (various copper and persulfate compounds). In particular, Chemtura -- who is in bankruptcy (www.chemturacommittee.info) -- seems to me to be acting in its own short-term financial interests, in ways that are directly contrary to pool owner's interests. Between them, these two companies control most of the brands available to homeowners, via both retail big boxes like Walmart, and via pool stores. As a result, pool owner's need to be extremely careful about what they purchase, and should avoid 'blended' chlorine products like the plague!

[Azmp1]

Ben, thank you for the reply. I've read the thread you mentioned, great info I will start using.

I just tested again, pH looks good, still at 7.8, but chlorine is just about all gone by now, I guess as expected.
The good news is that the slimeiness is also gone completely.

The only issue I still have as I asked above is I'm still not sure as to how to administer the chlorine granulars into the pool... Can you or someone else please recommend a method? Can I just fill the sock or something like that with it and hang it in the pool?

As for the good test kit, I totally hear your comments and completely agree, but I just can't justify spending close to $100 box on the kit where I only spent $80 on the pool itself haha. The hth-6 kit will just have to do for now. Now once, I get the pool put in next spring as I'm planning, no expense will be spared for sure!

[BigDave]

The K-2006 is about $50 plus shipping now directly from Amato (http://www.amatoind.com/taylor-k2006-test-p-555.html). You've very likely spent more than that on chems you can't use. If you get it now and learn to use it, you'll be ahead of the game next year. I gurantee you won't regret this purchase.

I would disolve the trichlor granular in a bucket of pool water then pour it in; if that didn't work, I'd hang it in a sock.

[Azmp1]

Hmm, maybe i was looking at the wrong thing... i'll check again.
And thank you for suggestion on administering chlorine!

[PoolDoc]

Try in the morning -- Amato is the low price seller, and by afternoon, their Amazon quota (which Amato sets) is often sold out, and Amazon kicks you over to high price sellers. However, the K2006C (2oz bottles instead of 3/4 oz bottles) is usually available all day from Amato at $80 - 90.

[SafetyBob]

Trust me, get the Taylor 2006C, I know it may seem rediculous to by that big, huge, expensive test kit. It was the best money I have invested in my pool by far. As you can see, I have a small Intex pool like you. It has made my up keep and enjoyment factor the best it ever has been. No more guessing, no more cussing.....just the truth of what is happening in your pool. Little beach here, little CYA there when needed.....it truly has made this season the best season for the pool so far. Now I just need to get a bigger one!!

Bob E.

[Azmp1]

Thanks again for all the responses! I will get the Taylor kit.

Bob, since you have the same pool, how do you administer chlorine powder into the pool without it settling in on the bottom and bleaching the liner?