New member with a new responsiblity..

[Jason in Ky]

Hi all... My family and I bought and moved into a house 3 weeks ago. I now have a 30 ft AG pool, and it was a mess. It hasn't been used in over a year, and doesn't appear to have been maintained during that time either. The cover placed over the pool at last closing came loose at some point and dumped in a lot of debris. I have worked daily to get it clean and have been successful removing most of the debris, however the water is very murky/cloudy. I got a Chlorine /pH test kit locally until I get my Taylor Service Complete Pool Water Test Kit K-2006C I ordered. I want to at the very least get it clean so I can close it in 2-3 weeks. The cheap kit I have shows my pH is low and I used a "pH up" that was left at the house, but I'm not sure how old or affective it would be. I used it according to directions and still have a low pH.. So it may be my TA. I guess I'll have to wait on the good kit.

I will pose this question though. Where is some the better places to buy your BBB supplies in bulk? Considering shelf life, is it advisable to buy in bulk?

Thanks for the help, hope to eventually be an asset to the forum..

JnKy

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Many of us just use WalMart, Costco, Sam's, etc--but where the best place to get it is will depend on what you need, and you won't really know that until you have good test results. However, low pH is one of the critical things, so you could go ahead and start adjusting that now (it needs to be done before shocking the pool because high chlorine levels will falsely elevate pH readings). A pH of less than 7.0 is acidic and can do some real damage to your liner. We recommend 20-Mule Team borax (laundry aisle at WalMart) to raise pH. We usually recommend it added slowly through the skimmer, breaking up any clumps. Depending on how low your pH really is, it can take quite a bit of borax to raise it, but your pH needs to be between 7.0 and 7.8.

[Jason in Ky]

Thanks Janet.. At first test my pH was running 6.8 or possibly less I suppose. My most recent test from yesterday showed I was at least out of the danger zone @7.2. I will be checking again shortly and I will post results soon. However, Hurricane Isaac sent us quite a bit of rain last night and this morning. So I'm curious if that has changed anything..

JnKy

[Jason in Ky]

My most recent test shows my pH is still hanging around 7.2. My chlorine level, which I failed to mention in previous post, is 1-2. Obviously that is low, but I think it my be still trying to break down what little debris thats left in the pool (mainly real fine leaves that settle to the bottom). I keep them stirred up so the pump will take care of that. With my pH at an acceptable level I guess I am in a holding pattern until I receive my kit. I will attempt to raise the pH a small amount, when I get all the supplies I need.

Thanks
JnKY

[PoolDoc]

membership upgraded. -ben

[Jason in Ky]

Ok folks I got my Taylor testing kit yesterday. It was delivered just before I was to leave for work so I wasn't able to do any testing until this afternoon. The previous post above explain my troubles but I wanted to post my numbers as to get professional advice. So here they are:

FC- .4 ppm -- very low
CC- .4 ppm
pH - is still less than 7 -- I conducted a base demand test it took 12 drops to get to roughly 7.5 ppm
TA - 70 - low end of normal??
CYA- the black dot never disappeared, so I would guess it is low as well..

So with multiple problems, what should I tackle first? I had the pH at an acceptable level a few days ago, but we've had a lot of rain and storms the last 48 hours. I'm not sure if that could change things much or not, but the water is clearer now than anytime before I took the cover off.

I did some shopping while I waited for the test kit to come in. I was only able to find one box of borax at Walmart, and all Sam's had was 8.25% concentrated bleach. I got a case of three. I was able to find a 13.5# bag of baking soda. I will attempt to find a form of stablilizer (suggestions?).

So with that I will wait for more guidance. Once these issues are resolved, it should be just in time to close it.. Boo!!!

[BigDave]

You really need to get the pH in range. If you can't find more borax, washing soda will raise pH and TA as well.

[jwhouse]

I will attempt to find a form of stablilizer (suggestions?). You can find stabilizer at Wal-Mart, Lowes or Home Depot in their pool section. Unless their pool section is gone. I just went by Lowes and their selection was beginning to dwindle down to a small area. If you can't find it there you can always go to your local pool store. They should have it. It may be a little more expensive there. Wherever you go, just make sure to verify that the ingredients list cyanuric acid or isocyanuric acid as the ingredient.


You really need to get the pH in range. If you can't find more borax, washing soda will raise pH and TA as well.
Also, what BigDave said above along with getting that chlorine level up is probably the most important things right now.

[Jason in Ky]

Thanks for the advice guys.. I will be tackling these issues tomorrow and I will post an update thereafter. I work 12hr swing shift so that makes it difficult to do anything in a timely manner. I'll try to track down more borax and or washing soda. I will assume its ok to use borax to start and then washing soda if I can't get the borax right away.

Thanks Again

[Jason in Ky]

Update with a question..

Latest test results
FC 1
pH 7.9-8.0
TA 80
Did not do a CYA test, as it was <30 two days ago and I haven't done anything to change it.

I am about to get things in order and the pool is looking better every day. I don't want to mess things up so I am seeking advice. The previous owner left a few things behind and I would like to use them if it will help me.
I have a bucket of "98.6% trichloro s triazinetrione tablets (90% available chlorine). It appears that they will do what I am in need of right now.. With my CYA and FC levels being low and my pH slightly high, could I use the tablets to get the results I need.

I am having success with just the BBB method and don't want to mess with a good thing, but I would like to use them if they will help.

I don't feel the need to purchase anything for CYA as I am about to close the pool. As posted previously, the pool was a mess less than a month ago and I am just trying to get it clean in order to close it for winter.

Thanks

[PoolDoc]

Trichlor tabs would be ideal right now -- they add chlorine; add stabilizer, and lower the pH! You can just add them to your skimmer, till you're able to maintain your FC that way. The only caution: if you use a pump timer, the chlorine level can get VERY high in the skimmer. Ideally, you'll run your pump 2x per day, to prevent that. OR, you can use floaters.

[Jason in Ky]

Thanks Ben.

I was thinking that would be the case. I was hoping I could at least get some use out of the leftovers. I don't use a timer right now, I have been running the pump 24/7 during the clean up process. I do plan to use one next spring.

Thanks