just got good test kit. HELP PLEASE

Hi Shub;

Different strokes, and all that. For some of our users once the wife lays down the law, the discussion's over.

OK, you've added a bit of information I didn't have before (maybe I overlooked it?). Anyhow, it is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL for a pool that's being used regularly to get cloudy overnight if the chlorine drops to zero the preceding day, ESPECIALLY when you have heavy lotion users, using the pool. To prevent that, you MUST keep the chlorine above the minimum level shown in the Best Guess chart -- if you haven't read that page, you really should do so -- for YOUR CYA level, whatever it is.

Currently, with your CYA at 100, that means the MINIMUM allowable level is 8 ppm.

Without considering your wife's preference, here's what I would recommend you do:
+ Hold your current levels for 2 days AFTER the last trace of any algae. (You may already be past that.)
+ Once you've gone 2 days with NO algae, and no slipperiness on the sidewalls, let the chlorine drop to 10 ppm.
+ When the chlorine drops to 8 - 10 ppm, add 2 gallons of plain 6% bleach that evening. Test chlorine daily (for now) and repeat the 2 gallon dose in the evening of each day you see a level below 10 ppm FC.
+ Meanwhile, use muriatic acid to drop your pH to just below 7.0. Let it rise to 7.4 (it will); repeat the acid dose when it reaches 7.4. This will gradually lower your TA.
+ If you want to do so, you can ALSO raise the borate (borax) level in your pool to 60 ppm or so. This will make your pool more resistant to algae, but NOT to lotion / urine / body oil based cloudiness. Let me know if you want to do so -- it will take 16 boxes of 20 mule team borax and around 4 gallons of muriatic acid if you want to do this.
+ Do what you can to eliminate peeing in the pool - for a lot of boys, it's as simple as giving them permission to "pee behind that bush over there"! Urine really does use up a lot of chlorine.

past steps 1 and 2
If i havent killed the invisable algae problem will i get another bloom quick if i drop below 10ppm, say 5 by accident
I dumped 4gl of acid now to begin aerating.
Havent lowered yet so no added borax
Do i need additional acid and borax to increase borates after im done aerating and returned normal to PH
Hope i dont sound like too much of an idiot. I stress alot over the pool. And am impatient. Thanks for your help

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Originally Posted by shub_31

If i haven't killed the invisible algae problem will i get another bloom quick if i drop below 10ppm, say 5 by accident

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It's certainly possible. Usually, when people drop below what they should, they get lower than they think, for longer than they think. What I've told my commercial customers for years, that if the chlorine gets below 0.5 ppm (on pools with CYA=30), the pool WILL be cloudy the next day. Usually, it is.

In warm weather, pools need to be EFFECTIVELY chlorinated 100% of the time; not 95% or even 99% of the time.

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I dumped 4gl of acid now to begin aerating.

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Use the dilution with distilled water method to check your pH NOW!!

You do NOT want to get below 6.0 at ALL. It WILL damage your liner. If it is low, go get 10 boxes or so of borax, and add 2 to start, and then 1 every hour till you get back up above 7.0. (You have to go above 7 because your kit can't distinguish 6.8 from 5.8!)

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Do i need additional acid and borax to increase borates after im done aerating and returned normal to PH

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Yes. Acid use to lower pH from borax is separate from acid use to lower TA. However, any borax you've added this season for ANY purpose counts toward the total.

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Hope i don't sound like too much of an idiot. I stress a lot over the pool. And am impatient. Thanks for your help

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Nah, pretty much normal for a nervous pool owner.

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Originally Posted by PoolDoc

For some of our users once the wife lays down the law, the discussion's over.

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Only some you say? What's wrong with the rest of them?? I can't figure that one out!


Shub --- never add a big dose of anything at one time -- except bleach when you are shocking the pool. Of everything else, it is always better to use smaller doses and gradually get to targets than risk overshooting them.

Snort!

Ok. Added 1 1/2 box of borax. Took ph to 7.0. Still aerating with 50ppm reduction in TA based on 250ppm earlier. Pretty much no sun today, sum, 91F. Check FF with dilution and appears to be 28-30ppm. It may be holding. Crossing fingers.

Good!.

im trying to upload some picture for you to see but not having much luck. best i did was profile pic

i figured it out. I posted pics in the gallery titled pics for everyone who helped SHUB Please feel free to move them here if u can thanks

Email them to me - the vBulletin attachment function loses pictures every time I upgrade, and I'm sick of it.

Sent them to poolforum AT gmail DOT com