"Green, Cloudy, Disgusting Pool?" Why yes, thanks for asking....

20 x 40 Vinyl IG
Chlorinator (One of those big inline tubes that you put the pucks in)
I am trying to Chlorinate using Bleach.


Here are my first set of numbers for the season.... I hope they are right... This is my first attempt with my test kit... I bought the AquaTrend Service DPD Pool and Spa Test Kit.... I bought it at the end of last season.... Can I still use it?

Anyway here are the numbers:

FC > 5
TC > 5
PH < 7
TA 175
TH 250-275
CYA: 1-1.5

The FC, TC and PH are either < or > some value because the reading went off the scale... That is, for example on PH, it was a lighter color than the minimum on the PH scale....

As a comparison, I just bought some AquaChek 5 Test Strips.... These are the numbers I got with one of those strips....

TC: > 10
FC: > 10
TA: ~ 40
PH: ~6.2
TH: > 500

Some variation there, huh.

One note... I have been putting about 5-6 gallons of Clorox Bleach in the pool every 3 - 4 days in an attempt to clear it up. I guess that would have been more effective had I balanced the water first.

So I guess my question is.... what do I need to add to balance the pool?


If I understand things correctly... (Going by the first set of #s)

I have > 5 ppm Total Chlorine and > 5 ppm Free Chlorine. Since these seem to be close in level, does that mean I have minimal CC, and therefore my chlorine is not doing it's job?

My PH is too low, so I need to add Borax to bump it to somewhere in the 7.4 - 7.8 range?

TA is 175, so that is too high right.... Can I leave it, or do I really need to lower it.... How do I lower it... lower level of water, add water, etc?

TH is 250-275 ... no clue....




Thanks,
Ed

Your most immediate problem is that low ph. Any reading below 7.0 is acidic and can damage your pool. You must add some Borax ASAP and get that ph above 7.0. Anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is OK, but 7.4-7.6 is ideal. Add it slowly through the skimmer and break up any clumps. Let it circulate awhile and then retest and redose until you get in the desired range.

Your cya reading is probably inaccurate. Try testing it again. If you still can't get a reading, you may have to let a pool store test it for you. Just don't let them talk you into buying anything.

To make your chlorine kit test higher, you can dilute your sample. Take one part pool water and one part distilled water, test as usual and then multiply the results by 2. If that doesn't get high enough to figure out your chlorine level, you can dilute it further. One part pool water, two parts distilled water, multiply by 3, etc. Once you can figure out how high your chlorine level is and what your cya level is, we can better help you clear the water.

Don't worry about your alk for now. And, your calcium hardness reading is OK, but don't use any cal-hypo for your chlorine source. It will raise the calcium level further and a vinyl pool doesn't need it. Stick with bleach.

BTW -- You want your FC and your TC readings to be the same. That means your CC is 0 which is the goal.

What does your water look like?

Repost with more accurate chlorine and cya readings, and someone here can advise you further.

How much Borax per unit of ph? Or is this one of those things where you add, test, add, test, etc.?

Ed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Watermom

Your most immediate problem is that low ph. Any reading below 7.0 is acidic and can damage your pool. You must add some Borax ASAP and get that ph above 7.0. Anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is OK, but 7.4-7.6 is ideal. Add it slowly through the skimmer and break up any clumps. Let it circulate awhile and then retest and redose until you get in the desired range.

Your cya reading is probably inaccurate. Try testing it again. If you still can't get a reading, you may have to let a pool store test it for you. Just don't let them talk you into buying anything.

To make your chlorine kit test higher, you can dilute your sample. Take one part pool water and one part distilled water, test as usual and then multiply the results by 2. If that doesn't get high enough to figure out your chlorine level, you can dilute it further. One part pool water, two parts distilled water, multiply by 3, etc. Once you can figure out how high your chlorine level is and what your cya level is, we can better help you clear the water.

Don't worry about your alk for now. And, your calcium hardness reading is OK, but don't use any cal-hypo for your chlorine source. It will raise the calcium level further and a vinyl pool doesn't need it. Stick with bleach.

BTW -- You want your FC and your TC readings to be the same. That means your CC is 0 which is the goal.

What does your water look like?

Repost with more accurate chlorine and cya readings, and someone here can advise you further.

---

In a 30,000 gallon pool with ph who knows how far below 7.0, I'd start with a whole box of Borax. See what that does for you. When the ph starts to rise, you can then begin to adjust your doses depending how how much change you are seeing. It may take a lot of Borax if you are really, really low -- especially in a pool that big. Wait 4 or 5 hours after each addition and then retest.