Water Question

[pool_newbie76]

The water we use in our pool is treated water, they have a reverse osmosis plant where our water comes from, so how could our pool possibly show that it has no free chlorine in it?? And also I was told that I can use unscented 6% household bleach in my pool, is it ok to use the bleach in a pool with a vinyl liner??

[aylad]

I don't know the answer to the reverse osmosis question, except that the water probably does have chlorine in it until it gets to the pool--and then is used up by either stuff in the pool, or the Texas sun. Do you have stabilizer (CYA) in your pool?

It is fine to use the bleach in a pool with a vinyl liner--I've been doing it for years, as have many folks on this forum! What levels of chlorine you need to maintain will depend on your CYA level (see the "best guess chlorine chart" linked in my sig for more info there), and if you'll tell us about your pool here

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

we can help you figure doses.

[pool_newbie76]

Ok, I flled out the Pool Chart Entry Form, When I use the bleach in my pool, I should add it to the skimmer basket with my pump running right? And also should I just buy the Ph minus from Walmart to bring down my ph? And also will the stabilizer from Walmart work good for my pool? We dont have any pool stores around close, they are like 75 miles away, so Walmart is pretty much the only place I can buy all my pool stuff.

[aylad]

You can pour the bleach into the skimmer basket with the pump running, as long as there are no tabs or other chemicals in there, or you can just pour it slowly into the return stream where the water comes back from the pool from the pump. Either way, be careful not to splash it on you or the liner, and wear old clothes, no matter how careful you think you're being! :)

You can use pH minus to bring down your pH--but you don't list a pH reading--how high is it? You can use the stabilizer from WalMart--look at the dosing instructions on the label for your size pool, and shoot for 40 ppm or so. Add it either in the skimmer, slowly, pump running, to dissolve in the filter, or add it via old sock suspended in front of a return. It dissolves very slowly, so don't bother to add more or test for it for at least 4-5 days. And if you put it in through the filter, don't clean your filter for that period of time, because you'll just wash it all out and have to start over.

In 6000 gallons of water, each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach you add will raise your FC by 5 ppm, so you can use that as a reference to figure out how much you need to add. Is the water depth of your pool actually 48", or is that the total height of the pool wall?


Janet

[pool_newbie76]

My ph measured 8.2, which is the highest on the tester. The depth of the pool should be pretty close to 48 inches, but I dont know how close. I have it filled almost to the top of the fill line. And how many ppm do I want my FC to be at?

[aylad]

If it's reading the highest on the tester, it means it is 8.2 or higher. You can use dry acid to lower it, but it may take quite a bit.That's okay, you need it to be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Your FC level is based on your CYA, so you need a good number for your stabilizer level in order to determine where your FC should be. (See the "best guess chlorine chart" linked in my sig above for more explanation and the chart).

If you could run a set of test results, with a drop-based kit (no strips!) and post them here for us, it would be easier to help answer your questions. :) You definitely need to know your CYA level, though, and strips are useless for getting an accurate number.

Janet

[pool_newbie76]

CYA is Stabilizer right??

[aylad]

Yes, CYA is stabilizer (cyanuric or isocyanuric acid).

[pool_newbie76]

Ok, so the first step I need to do is to get stabilizer in my pool, then get my free chlorine in, and then ph level down??? Is that the correct order of my concerns?

[PoolDoc]

Add chlorine first. Always add chlorine first. Everything else is optional. Low pH may damage pools -- but low chlorine ALWAYS results algae and unsanitary pools.

Add 1/4 gallon doses of PLAIN 6% household bleach to maintain chlorine levels ABOVE 2 ppm 110% of the time! Once you've done that, read the muriatic acid sticky linked in my signature and go from there.

[pool_newbie76]

Ok, I have chlorine granules, tablets, and some 6% household bleach, which should I use, or should I use more than one? I also have stabilizer, and ph minus. I need to know the order in which each chemical should go in the pool, and how long do I wait in between to add each one, and how long in total I should wait to swim? Also, does the hth shock have anything to do with helping your pool to have free chlorine? I understood it to help kill any bacteria or organisms that the chlorine missed? I'm still really so confused about all this chemical stuff and thinking very seriously about buying a salt water pump next year, aren't they a lot easier to take care of? I read somewhere that all you have to do is keep salt in the pool, is that true?

[aylad]

The granules, tablets, and bleach are all just different forms of chlorine. If you use the bleach, you'll need to add the stabilizer separately, and you can lower your pH with the dry acid (pH minus). If you use the tabs, they will add chlorine and stabilizer, and will also drive the pH down because they are acidic, so you won't need the pH minus. Check the ingredient on the granules--if they are dichloro...(lots of other syllables), they will also add stabilizer and drive pH down, but if the ingredients are cal-hypo,, then you'll need to add the stabilizer and adjust your pH separately.

If you're adding stabilizer to the pool, you can either put it in an old sock and hang it in front of a return, or you can put it in the skimmer and let it go to the filter to dissolve--just don't backwash the filter for at least 4-5 days afterward, otherwise you'll just wash it all out and have to start over. If you're using the granules, you can then dissolve them in a bucket of water and then add it into the return stream where the water comes back to the pool from the filter. If you're using the bleach, it can also be poured into the return stream. With any chemicals poured into the return stream of the pool, you just have to wait 15-20 minutes or so between each chem, so the jets can help disperse it all. If you add pH minus, wait about an hour after you've added it to retest, because you need to give it time to circulate in the pool.

As far as swimming goes, after you add the chems, wait 20-30 minutes, and as long as your ph is okay and your chlorine is within range based on your CYA (and your pool is clear), you can swim.

Janet

[pool_newbie76]

The chlorine tablets I have are cal-hypo. I added ph minus, stabilizer, and chlorine granules last night, and my free chlorine is still 0 and my ph is still high!!! Since I added stabilizer in the skimmer, should I just broadcast the chlorine granules instead of putting the tablets in my skimmer? And how often should I add ph minus and chlorine to get my levels to where they need to be??? So frustrated!!!

[PoolDoc]

Pool_newbie,

You are asking questions like "how often" and "how much" that don't have an answer, other than "as often as needed" and "as much as it takes". There are ways to answer those questions more precisely, you'd have to have skills and test capabilities you don't have.

The time interval between your questions suggests you may be worrying less about the low chlorine than you should be: you're going to end up with a green pool!

Do ALL these things:

1. Read the muriatic acid page linked in my signature, then go get some muriatic acid -- 1 gallon is OK.
2. Get 6 gallons of PLAIN household bleach.
3. As soon as possible -- tonight? -- begin adding both bleach and acid, but NOT in the same spot in the pool. Make sure your pump is ON, and stays on the whole time.
4. Add the bleach 1 pint -- 2 cups -- at a time. You can add it to the skimmer, if there are no tablets there.
5. Add the acid about 1 cup -- guesstimate, don't measure! -- at a time, added to the water where it flows back INTO the pool.
6. Do NOT handle both bleach and acid at the same time. Do NOT pour bleach and acid into the same spot in the pool, unless there's an hour between doses. DO wear glasses and gloves.
7. Test the water ONE HOUR after both doses. If the chlorine level is not dark yellow, repeat. If the pH level is not below 7.6, repeat.
8. Continue doing this till it's too dark to continue OR until the water is in range.

Once you get the water adjusted once, REPEAT this process every evening, as needed. As the stabilizer dissolves, you should get some chlorine lasting through the day.

[pool_newbie76]

What does it mean if your pool smells like chlorine but no chlorine shows on the test?

[Watermom]

It often means that you need more chlorine. Usually when there is a strong chlorine smell, your pool has a CC (combined chlorine) reading.