Hiya! First time pool owner

I guess being a newbie, I'll start with my background info. :) I purchased an above ground Intex Easy Set pool (15'x42", about 3200 gal) earlier this season and have mostly been enjoying it. I also installed the Klor-in inline chlorine feeder but unfortunately it does not seem to be functioning properly. :( When I first set up the pool, I took a water sample into our local Leslie's Pool for a test. He told me to shock the pool, to add alkalinity up, and to add hardener and conditioner (CYA). I added those items in the order that the told me to, different days, etc. I took a sample in again a few days later and they told me the chlorine was so high they couldn't accurately read the levels of anything else because it was bleaching out. At that point all I had done was shock the pool, but mostly left the cover on while not in use. So I removed the cover to let some of the chlorine burn off. The third time I guess they could figure it out and my CYA seemed to be good but they said alkalinity was still low. I continued trying to increase that and got my pH a little higher too, according to them. I put chlorine tablets into the in-line feeder, but a week or two later the feeder had no water in it and the tablets were hardly dissolved. I tried opening the valve more, but it didn't seem to make a difference. I ended up taking a sample to a different pool store because I the pH was still too low based on what my ePool monitor was telling me (6.8), yet Leslie's was telling me it was 7.2. The new store's test said 6.8, so I increased the pH some more and was happy with the reading on the ePool after that.

I read that you should shock the pool once a week, so I started doing that. We went out of town last week for three nights and I thought the shock beforehand would keep it good, and I thought the chlorine feeder was working to keep sanitizer at a good level. Unfortunately it was hot and sunny and the shock burned off fast and the chlorine dropped. Then we had a couple of good thunderstorms with lots of rain. By the time we got home the pool water was cloudy. I dumped some more shock in, about 1/2 lb. The next day I noticed some green slimy stuff growing around the edges. I dumped the other 1/2 lb of shock in that I had, and then later 16 oz of bleach. The pH was reading right around 7.2 so I tried to raise that a bit too by adding some baking soda and then alkalinity up. It raised to 7.5. A couple days later, after reading about fighting algae, I knew I needed to get some more shock and from what I read I needed to double shock the pool to get rid of it (along with lots of vacuuming, pump running, etc.) So I did that, with the second shock treatment last night before bed. This morning the pH on the ePool is reading 7.9 and it said I needed to add muriatic acid. I decided to let it stabilize a little more and by the time I got home this evening it was reading 7.6 so I guess I'm okay there now.

So anyways, am I on the right track with everything? Is it true the shock/chlorine works better at the higher end of the acceptable pH range than the lower end? I've just received the replacement inline chlorine feeder and will likely put it on tomorrow, hopefully with better luck. Does anyone actually use these with reasonable success?

Thanks for the wealth of info I've seen on here so far. Off to do some forum searching and reading now. :)

Bump for anyone?

Sorry I somehow missed this yesterday. Do you have test kit? We need a complete set of water testing results? One of the readings we need is CYA. What is the ingredient of the shock you are using?

I'll have to take a sample in later today then for complete test. I shocked with 52% calcium hypochlorite.

It is ok to use cal-hypo for awhile but it does cause the calcium hardness reading to increase. If it gets too high, it can cause cloudy water issues.

You really need to get a kit so you don't have to rely on the pool store for testing. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want. If Amato isn't listed, wait a day or two and try again. They seem to restock pretty quickly when they sell out.

At the very least, pick up the 6-way test kit at Walmart.

The inline chlorinators can be used with reasonable success, IF you understand what the trichlor is doing to your water. First of all, it's lowering your pH. If you have high pH fill water, that's fine, but if your fill water is lower in pH, you might find yourself fighting that battle as long as you use the trichlor. Second, it's raising your CYA. YOu say you put CYA (same thing as conditioner) in it, but you never gave us a level....and you need to keep in mind that as your CYA level rises, so must your minimum chlorine level (see the Best Guess Chlorine Chart linked in Watermom's sig for more info on that). So..you can use it until you get tired of fighting the pH, or until your CYA gets to around 40 ppm or so, then you'll need to stop using it. Many people that do successfully use them are the ones that turn the flow rate very low, and supplement their chlorine levels with bleach. Inline chlorinators get people into trouble pretty quickly sometimes; that's why you need to understand what it does to your water, then taylor your use of it to your pool's needs.

Warning: if you're using a trichlor feeder, do NOT add cal-hypo directly into the skimmer. YOu can pre-dissolve it into a bucket and then pour it slowly into the pool if you want to, but you do not want cal-hypo to come into direct contact with trichlor, EVER.

But as WAtermom requested, please get a drop-based kit, or as a last resort go to a pool store that uses drop-based testing, and get your water tested and post your results here and we can help you from there. DO NOT let them sell you phosphate remover, algaecide, calcium to add to the water, or any other chemicals. Just smile and tell them you already have them at home.

Ok, I got my water tested today at Leslie's. I last shocked the pool two days ago, and we had a hell of a thunderstorm that night too.
FAC: 5+
pH: 7.2
TA: 110
CYA: 60
Ca Hardness: 160
TDS: 400

He said all my levels were fine, not to add anything else right now but to keep the filter running to continue clearing it up. It is looking much better than it was. I did get in there and brush up all the algae on Wednesday, and that's when I shocked it again after. Unfortunately after the storm we had, I have some other debris I need to vacuum out now. :( But looks like it's supposed to be sunny and mid 80's for the next week or so, yay!

+ If you've got a Leslie's guy who said your numbers are fine, and didn't try to sell you something . . . GO BACK TO THAT GUY!
+ If that guy continues to be available to you, you can probably get by with him, but if you want to be sure, go ahead and get the K2006 and learn to use it!
+ Put the ePool in your attic or garage sale. ORP does NOT equal chlorine level, so there's no way to maintain calibration. Ph electrodes drift over time -- in labs, they are re-calibrated weekly or even daily. If you can force yourself to ignore the pH and chlorine readings, it would be OK to keep it. But most likely you won't, and if you don't, it WILL get you in pool trouble.

So far the pH readings on the ePool have been consistent with readings at two different pool stores (another Leslie's location was pretty far off), on several different occasions during the last month and a half. It doesn't give a definitive chlorine level actually, just <1, ~1, >2, so I'll just test specifically for that myself once I get the water clear again. The last time I shocked the pool was with a dichlor instead of the cal-hypo and I did notice a drop in the pH (although minor). I have bleach and borax on my shopping list for later, so I'll probably start supplementing my chlorine levels with bleach instead of relying on the chlorinator. I see that has contributed to an increase in the CYA as well.

I'm not saying they are always wrong -- though in time that will happen -- I'm saying they are never RELIABLY correct, and they can be WAY off, with little or no warning.

I used to be a dealer for pH / ORP controllers for large commercial pools, and am very familiar with the 50 year old sensor technology involved. The electronics just adds a layer on top of the sensor output; they cannot compensate for the intrinsic limitations of the sensors themselves!