1st Readings of the season :)

Up here in the north it's been super cold and we are just opening our pool and trying to get it looking great!!

Right now it's an aqua green color and I can almost see the bottom but not quite. 24ft Round AG Vinyl.

Readings:

CYA - <30 the test I used only went to 30
CL - 0
PH - >8.2 it was just slightly darker than what the test reads at 8.2
ALK - 50

I'm going to go out and add some bleach and brush the bottom but what else should I do next. Do I need more CYA, should the ph come down and should the alk go up? Which should I do first?

Thanks so much. It's wonderful to know I can be gone for a season b/c of all the snow!! and come back and get my questions answered :)

~Ellen

Welcome back! Not sure what to tell you about your cya. Without knowing what the actual reading is, can't recommend what you need to do. A reading anywhere between 30-50 is good in my opinion. Yes to adding bleach. Yes to raising alk. Use baking soda and try and get it to around 80-120. You'll need to lower your ph with some muriatic acid. Aim for 7.4-7.6.

As for order: Go ahead and add some bleach. Then work on ph.

Thanks :)

I added 3 big jugs of bleach and brushed the sides a bit a few times yesterday. I also added some tabs to the skimmer. I usually use those at the beginning of the season to add CYA. That should also bring down my ph as well right?

Anyway tested again this morning and there was no bleach. So the algea is eating it right up. Added more and then left for the better part of the day and again it's at 0. We just added more. We've been backwashing as well. It's still really cloudy and aqua colored when it settles.

Is this what I need to just keep doing? I don't need to add anything else to get the cloudyness to go away?

Thanks so much. I can't wait to actually be able to swim. Doesn't seem like mother nature wants to cooperate though.

If you have a CYA around 30, and you have algae, then you need to add enough bleach to get the chlorine level up to 15-19 ppm and KEEP IT THERE by testing and adding more bleach 2-3 times daily. The more consistent you are about keeping the chlorine at shock level, the faster the water will clear. Also, you need to have the pump running 24/7 during the process, because the chlorine will kill the algae but the pump/filter is what will remove it. You're right that the trichlor pucks will lower your pH--but you still need to add baking soda to up your alk. Watch the CYA though--you don't need for it to get much higher.

Janet