Newbie 14' round intex

[nymxracer]

I just filled it added 3 doses of bleach, 4 doses of borax. Just got test kit and my pH is 8.2, alkalinity 50ppm, no reading (clear) for chlorine/bromine, and 30 ppm hardness. I know i should have tested be for i dosed with borax but i didn't get the test kit until the next day. Please advise on next steps as i believe i need muriatic acid to lower the ph.

[Watermom]

What test kit are you using? Even after adding bleach, you still have a chlorine reading of 0? How much bleach did you add at a time and how much later did you test the chlorine? Did you test the pH right after you added the bleach? What is your volume?

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[nymxracer]

Test kit = Hth 6
Filled up Sunday night into Monday morning. I added the bleach 3/4 cup x 3 on monday morning, added Borax 3/4 cup x 4 on Monday night and tested water today around 1230pm. Intex says the pool is just under 4000 gallons. I'm also running all the stock filters and pumps. Thanks in advance, this forum rocks!

[Watermom]

Have you seen our Super Simple Start Up Recipe guide? http://pool9.net/ssr/ It would be a good way for you to start since you have a freshly filled pool.

Do you have the drops-based 6-Way kit or the 6-Way test strips! (Fingers crossed that you have the drops-based!)

[nymxracer]

That link keeps saying I don't have permission but I followed the 7 day start up plan for intex pools that's posted in this forum. Yes I have the drops test kit. Oh and the filter has been running since yesterday morning.

[nymxracer]

I just logged out to see that link. Yes, the Super simple is what I followed which called for the bleach and borax dosing

[Watermom]

The best way to follow the SS recipe is to use the dichlor. (It also gives you the option to use bleach initially while you get some dichlor.) But, while you are only using bleach, you'll have trouble keeping a chlorine reading as you are finding.

Do you have a Sam's nearby where you can buy Dichlor? Dichlor has CYA in it along with chlorine. The reason you can't keep any chlorine in the pool is because you have no CYA in there. (Cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer. Kind of like 'sunscreen' for your chlorine. Without enough in the pool, your chlorine is quickly lost to the sun.)

[nymxracer]

We don't have any Sam's clubs around me and I was afraid to buy it from Target because of the warning saying it might not be pure. This is the one they sell .
http://m.target.com/p/kem-tek-3-inch-tablets-24/-/A-14491644

[Watermom]

Yeah, don't get it from Target. If you don't have a Sam's club, order the Dichlor from Amazon.

http://astore.amazon.com/poolbooks/179-3236168-9649237?_encoding=UTF8&node=15

[nymxracer]

Yeah, that's what I thought. I was going to drive to Sam's Club in new jersey this evening unless you say I can get away with waiting for Amazon to deliver. Thanks again for all your help.;)

[Watermom]

You can just use bleach for a few days until you can get some dichlor but you may have to add bleach a couple times per day since you don't have any CYA in the water. (I don't know how far of a drive it would be for you.)

If you have Amazon Prime, you can get things delivered within two days and free shipping. I think the yearly membership for that is $99. Definitely worth it for me since I order from them a lot. Gets me my stuff fast and no shipping. I definitely get my $99 back and then some. ;)

And, by the way --- you are very welcome!

[nymxracer]

I didn't make it out of work in time for Sam's. So I joined prime and I'll have everything tomorrow. I dosed with bleach last night 4 x 3/4 cups and I'll do it again later today. I'm hoping that will be enough to hold me over until tomorrow. Again, many thanks!

[Watermom]

Good deal.

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership updated.

WaterMom wouldn't have known it, but because I keep up with the Kem-Tech line, I can tell you that if Target is selling EXACTLY the product pictures in the link you provide, that would be fine. But, it's trichlor, not dichlor, so you'd have to buy a floater to put the tabs in.

If you do go to Target, check the label when you get there and make sure it shows at least 89% available chlorine. If it does, they are selling the correct product.

If you go to Sams, this is what you want: http://pool9.net/sams-dichlor24/

. . . membership updated.

[nymxracer]

Thanks Ben. I actually have everything listed except muriatic acid. I even have the 2006 test kit so I'm ready to go. :) My current readings are.....
Chlorine 5
Brom 10
Ph 7.2-7.4
Alk 40
Hard 90 ( it didn't turn red after the first 5 drops so I'm not sure if this test is accurate)
Cya 40 ( honestly I could still see the black dot at the bottom of the test tube so im not sure if this is accurate)

I was going to add 1/2 cup dose of dichlor and borax this evening as it seems like the 3/4 dose was too much for the 4k gallons. I would love to hear if I'm on track or did I derail and I just don't know it yet? Thanks again for the help and setting up this awesome site. Now if I could only figure out a way to cure my color blindness. ;)

[PoolDoc]

+ You're fine.

+ Watch the K2006 videos, especially the hardness and CYA videos:
http://pool9.net/tk-guide/
http://pool9.net/tk-interfere/

+ Don't think about bromine -- ignore any bromine results or calculations.

+ On an Intex, hardness doesn't matter, unless it's too high: your hardness is not too high.

+ You don't have any CYA, unless you have ALREADY used some dichlor or trichlor, or added stabilizer directly. (Watch the videos!)

+ All the tests, except the pH test, look for a major color change, rather than reading a tint. You *can* get a pH meter, if you really need one:
http://pool9.net/ph-meter/

+ Relax! If the water's fairly clear and not green, and the sides aren't slippery/slimy (an early sign of algae) -- you'll be OK.

[nymxracer]

Ok, cool. My water is crystal clear and no signs of anything slippery. How long do I continue to dose at night with Dichlor and borax? Is it just for the first 7 days?

[PoolDoc]

I need to edit that page -- but here are the two lines that describe what you do AFTER start-up:

+ At the first sign or algae, or slippery sides of the pool (pre-algae) add 4 doses of bleach in the evening, IN ADDITION to your regular dichlor dose.

+ Test the chlorine and pH each morning; if chlorine is below 2 ppm, add 1/2 dose of dichlor; if the pH is below 7.0, add 4 doses of borax. If the pH is above 8.0, skip borax additions till it goes below 7.4.

[nymxracer]

Ok, got it. Thanks again for all the help. ;)

[PoolDoc]

You're welcome.

[nymxracer]

Just wanted to check in and make sure I'm doing ok.
10 ppm fc
0.4 ppm cc
7.2 ph
80 Cya
50 Alk
30 Hard
.9 saturation index

Are those good numbers? According to the wheel in the Taylor 2006 test kit, my saturation index is too high. Happy swimming!

[PoolDoc]

I'm going to be making some of my own videos for the Taylor kit -- and one of them is going to be demonstrated the correct use of that stupid wheel . . . by tossing it in a trash can.

If you have a heater or a concrete pool, you might -- rarely -- need to use that beast. If you have a SWCG (salt system), and had high calcium, you might want to use it. Otherwise? It's distracting to the point of being worse than useless.

Your numbers are perfect -- for you and Intex pool. Just remind yourself occasionally, that the goal is a safe, clear pool that's pleasant to swim in, and not good numbers!

[nymxracer]

Lol.... I'll toss it.

Cool, thanks. So far the pool has been crystal clear and doesn't smell like it even has chlorine in it. Thanks once more for the info and prompt response.

[PoolDoc]

you're welcome.

[nymxracer]

Quick question. ... i bought two filbur filters and was gathering supplies for the cleaning solution but the link for TSB from Lowes was not working. Can I use this one? http://m.homedepot.com/p/SAVOGRAN-1-lb-Box-TSP-Phosphate-Free-Heavy-Duty-Cleaner-10611/202967451/
.... and if so how much should I add to the 5 gal bucket that I plan on soaking the filter in? Also, not sure if it matters but I planned on leaving the filter in there for the 2 weeks between rotations.

[Pappy]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SAVOGRAN-4-5-lbs-Box-TSP-Heavy-Duty-Cleaner-10622/202935862
or equivalent is what you want. Real Trisodium Phosphate. NOT "safe" or "phosphate-free" or "TSP Substitute".

[nymxracer]

Cool, thanks!

[PoolDoc]

Did you get the Filbur cartridges from Amazon? Were they sold by "Filters Now"? Could you verify that they were ACTUAL Filbur cartridges?

[nymxracer]

I got the genuine Fibur cartridges from Amazon. I'm not sure if it was Filters Now because it's showing temporarily out of stock. Anywho, here's the link I ordered from. Hope that helps, if not let me know and I'll dig through the receipts.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007F8T4KW/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[PoolDoc]

That helps; no need to dig through.

Thanks!

[nymxracer]

Another quick question. ..... my cya was 100+ and water looked a little cloudy. From what I understand those cya levels don't allow the chlorine to do its job effectively so I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve so to speak and prevent an algea outbreak. I believe i made a mistake using Dichlor to maintain the chlorine levels instead of bleach. I didn't use Dichlor all the time to bring up the chlorine levels but apparently I did use it too much. So I drained 3/4 of the pool and am going to stop adding Dichlor when I get to about 40 - 50 ppm and then switch over to bleach. I know if my cya drops I need to dose with Dichlor but i wasn't clear on what the ideal chlorine level should be. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything else and I get it right. Thanks in advance.

[CarlD]

You need to check our "Best Guess Table" for the CYA/FC relationship. Normally, when CYA is 100, the maintenance level of FC is 8-15ppm, and, if I remember correctly, shocking level is 25ppm (may be 30).
if CYA is 50, again, from memory, maintenance FC is 3-6ppm and shock level is 15....but check the table.

[nymxracer]

Ok, I'll check that out. Thanks for the quick response. ;)

[Watermom]

Here is the chart Carl referred you to:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

[nymxracer]

Got it, thanks for the link watermom. :)

[Watermom]

You are welcome!

[nymxracer]

Hi Folks,
I had a quick question regarding fc levels. Unfortunately or fortunately for me, my wife let me sleep late not realizing I needed to do water tests. Anyhow, I just tested my water at 1230pm my readings are
FC 14
CYA 55

According to the cya chart, 20 would be shock level and 7 the ideal FC. So my question is..... can I put my 5yo in the pool with those numbers? Btw, my FC is high because I saw algae on the bottom so I dosed with bleach x4 over the last two nights.
Many Thanks!

[Watermom]

Yes. He/she can swim but might want to wear on old swim suit.

[PoolDoc]

Effectively removing algae requires not only higher chlorine, but also physical disruption of the algae with brushing.

[nymxracer]

Got it, thanks a bunch. :)