intex 22' x 52' round

hello all, i am a new pool owner. i have the filter pump that came with this pool, and i added the salt water system to it.
we put the pool up and ran the fliter pump, then added 5 bags of salt to the pool. let the filter pump run for 24 hours. then i turned on the salt water system. set that for 4 hours.

i tested this morning with the strips that came with the pool, all seems fine. the copper color is 0.1 (which the strip says is in the ok section). the free chlorine is 2 or 3, total alkalinity between the 120-150, both in the ok section, but the ph is a red, which doesn't even show up on the chart.

i have a couple of questions: how many bags of salt should i have put in? i did try to figure it out, but the math was beyond me. i am wondering if i should trow another bag or two in there.

and i am not sure about the filter pump's runnng time. i now have it set on the 4. so does that mean it will run every four hours, or it will run for four hours every so often? that every so often i have no idea what that would be.

one last thing (for now LOL) i can see perfectly down to the bottom of the pool, but it is not crystal clear, there seems to be a green tint to the water. i have well water. when we were filling it up, it was perfectly crystal clear. the water is not a green yucky, can't see the bottom look, but a green tint.

i hope i have given all the info needed for this. and thanks so much for any help in this.

Well water sometimes causes some metals issues. Your clear green water is indicative of metal in the water. I am going to ask Ben to advise you on your start up. What kind of filter do you have?

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

the owners manual says, krystal clear model 633t filter pump. and i also have the krystal clear saltwater system model cs8110. and that is the perfect way to describe the water, clear green, well really a tint.

but i now have another problem. the saltwater system gave a low pressure warning and went into sleep mode. i am not sure why this is. the pump was pushing the water out really nice, nice pressure. but for some reason that has stopped. water is still pumping thru, but not as powerful, and i guess not powerful enough for the saltwater system, hence the warning code.

i have not been able to fuss with it today as it rained here all day.

i just went out there, my water is still a crystal clear green tinted water. even after raining all day yesterday. so i took the filter cartridge out to take a look. ewww, ugly. i rinsed it off and put it back into the pump. tried to turn it on but it will have to wait til my electric outside dries up. when it rains it trips my circuit. but i am thinking the dirty filter was the problem as to why i wasn't haven't the same amount of pressure. i read in another post about putting a sock over the filter. how big does this sock have to be LOL my filter is pretty big and round, not sure i have a sock big enough.

Sounds to me like your filter is clogged.

Hi Eagles;

Your thread is moved into the correct section, so you can post again. There are some other new threads that cover dealing with metals in Intex pool fill water.

since i posted things seemed to be fine. i bought a vacumn and cleaned the bottom, also brushed the bottom. well the next day, my pool was green, just horrible. unfortunately, we went away for 3 days for a camping trip. when we got back home the pool looked like a swamp. really ugly. had to wait for payday (i have 8 people to feed, plus bills), anyway, i bought 3 bottles of 6% bleach. these i think are larger than gallon size. they are 182 fl oz bottles. i dumped 3 of them in last night, so 546 fl oz of 6% bleach. i also have the salt water system, i disconnected that, and just hooked up the pump. let the pump run all night. this morning the pool is much better looking. the green is gone. but i am not at the crystal clear stage yet.

i do not have the taylor kit (again a money issue). i have the intex 3 way strips and the one strip for copper. i just tested (which i know is not a good thing with these strips, but it is all i have at the moment. the free clorine seems to be around the 2 or 3 based on color. the ph is a red, which is not even on the chart. so i can't tell if its too high (which i am assuming it is) or if its too low. total alk, again i can't really tell if its too high, but it was a dark green, just not sure how dark. yes, by my description, i understand the need for the better kit!

as for right now, i am not sure which way to go. do i hook my salt water system back up, do i add more salt? do i leave the salt water system disconnected. add more bleach? will adding more bleach make the pool clearer?
i added in the beginning "c" tabs, which turned my clear green pool, to a beautiful clear blue pool. so i am also wondering if maybe i should add the "c" tabs.

out temps are expected to rise again starting today, into the 90's. the kids are ..well.. they want in the pool lol. please, advise me what i might beable to try next. at least to get it to where i can let these kids in. there must be an educated guess as to my next step. i will order the taylor kit, but again, it will take a few days to get here.

i also have already filled out that form. thanks so much for any help.

Eagles, once you get that Taylor kit, then everyone here can start to really help you. Without it, we like you are only guessing. Next, what pool do you really have? 22' sounded strange to me and sure enough a quick search on the Intex site revealed no 22' pool. I assume you have the 24' x 52" pool.....which by the way is a nice pool.

Reading the owners manual to the saltwater system should have told you that you needed 310 pounds for the 24' x 52" pool. So you need a little bit more salt if you want to use the saltwater system. Personally, since you blew the money on it, put the required startup salt in it, turn it on and enjoy it. If you haven't figured out yet by surfing this sight, you will need stabilizer to keep the chlorine in the pool and not be burned off by the sun.....so you will need some of that soon.

Someone will chime in with a daily amount of Chorox you need to pour in just to keep things as they are until you get the Taylor test kit in. It will take a couple of weeks for you to get it together and get the chemistry right for you pool, after that is will be fairly routine and methodical.

So, your assignment is to ensure you really have the 24' Intex pool and find the owners manual for that saltwater system. Once the test kit comes in, the real work will begin. Also, if you don't have a cover for your pool, I highly encourage you to get one (I think Intex makes one for the 24' pool), it will keep alot of crap out of the pool and eliminate changing cartridges alot.

Bob E.

yes, it is the 22' x 52' round. i know the intex site doesn't show that one. it was purchased thru walmart. it shows up on their site. even the salt water manual does not list this pool. so i guessed on how much salt to throw in. i believe we used 6 bags in the beginning. since then we have added 1 more bag. it says 10,500 gallons of water.

hubby started to drain the pool, so a lot of water was drained out. hence why i was thinking i need now to add more salt. however, i don't have the salt water system hooked up since last night. just the pump.

i have read so much that i am confused now on the chlorine/stabilizerr and ph levels, its just not funny.
i think if i have read right, that chlorine is bleach. which i poured in last night. and since it worked last time, i went ahead and threw in vit c tabs. i did not count them, just took a bunch, 10 or so? i did that this morning, it doesn't look any different.

the pool now is blue, but not crystal clear blue. not really what i would call cloudy either.

so, till that kit is ordered and arrives???? would a best guess be to add more bleach? add more salt and hook the system back up? i just don't even know which way to go now.

and that ph thing, is really confusing me. like i said the test strip shows a red, which is not even on the chart, so i really don't know if its too high. and if too high, to i add the stuff that lowers it? is that the acid or the baking soda, and does this then take away the bleach?

see i can talk myself in a circle. lol

oh also, i don't see any covers for this size pool. its in the middle of a back yard, no trees or leaves or anything like that gets in it. about the only thing that does are the bugs. that is it.

You would be doing yourself a favor to leave the SWCG off for now, get the water balanced, and THEN turn it back on and use it for maintenance. They are much more efficient at maintaining chlorine than they are at clearing up water issues. The problem right now is that we are just guessing at your water parameters with strips, which isn't going to get us/you anywhere. Try going to WalMart and see if they have the hth 6-way drop kit that sells for around $20. If they have it, get it, run a set of tests, and post your results here. If they don't have it, then get the cheapie ($6 or so) OTO kit (it uses red and yellow drops for pH and chlorine) and test with that and let us know the results. If all of those aren't possible, then take a water sample to a reputable pool store and have them test your water, give you a printout of the results, and then come post those here. Resist the list of stuff they're going to tell you you have to buy--just smile and tell them that you already have it at home. Once we have a set of water test results to look at, then we can give you helpful advice. (Make sure they actually give you numbers for your test results--not just "good", or "low", or "high".

In the meantime, you need to keep some chlorine in the pool. How much to keep is really dependent on your CYA level, which is why it's crucial to know what it is--but at least try to keep 4-6 ppm of chlorine in there until we have some definitive answers. I calculate your pool's volume to be around 13,500 gallons. In that amount of water, each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach you add will raise your FC by just over 2 ppm. So..I would add a gallon of bleach every evening until you get test results, and then we can help you go from there.

ok thanks, i will go to walmart today and try to find a kit. but, about that pool volume thing, if my pool holds 10,500 gallons of water, wouldn't your 13,500 be over? i do infact have a
22'x52" round intex pool. it holds 10,500 gallons of water.

and i feel like a real duh moment here, the pool CAME with a cover. so i can stop looking for that now. geeez, sometimes i wonder about me. LOL

alright i just tested using the hth 6 way kit. i have never done this before so i am not sure if i did it right. but here goes for my results.

total chlorine/total bromine test: i added 5 drops of the yellow. results, nothing. no color change at all.
ph test: added 5 drops of the red. it looks darker than or very close to the 8.2
total alkalinity test: added 5 drops of the first bottle, then ended up adding 25 drops of the other bottle. so from green to red it took 25 drops. it says to multiply that by 10. so 250
total harness test: added 5 drops of the first bottle, then added 23 drops of the second bottle. so from red to blue it took 23 drops. it says to multiply that by 10, so 230
cya: this water after adding the drops was suppose to turn cloudy? it did not. i was suppose to add this cloudy water to the view tube til i could not see the black dot. well i poured the whole amount and could still see the black dot.

so those are my results.

If you fill a 22' pool to 3.9 ft, you'll have 11,080 gallons . . . so your 10,500 is likely about right. I think Janet may have used the overflow depth (52") which gives 12,800 gallons.

Yeah, I missed the stated volume in one of the earlier posts in this thread...sorry. Too many similar threads makes my head spin!! :)

Anyway...

Your test results tell me that your pH is too high (needs to be brought down to the 7.4-7.6 range by using muriatic or dry acid, which will drop your TA at the same time). You can find the method to lower your alk using muriatic acid "stickied" at the top of the "Dealing with alkalinity and calcium" subforum from the Poolforum home page.

Your test results also indicate that you have zero chlorine and zero CYA, which are both not good. You need to keep at least 1-3 ppm of chlorine in the pool at all times until you get your CYA (stabilizer) levels up to where your SWCG manual says they need to be. As your CYA levels rise, so must your chlorine levels (see the best guess chlorine chart link in my sig for more info there and the chart). In the meantime, in a 10,500 gallon pool, each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach you add will raise your chlorine by 2.9 ppm, so you can use that as a guide to figure out how much you need to add at any given time.

If the pool is still cloudy from the previous algae killing, keep the pump/filter running, and clean the filter as your pressure indicates. It will just take patience to filter it all out. But don't let your chlorine levels fall to zero, or you'll have a new algae bloom to deal with.

thanks aylad, but i don't see a sig for your post to find the best guess chlorine chart. i will search around and see if there is a sticky for that or another thread.

but just a real quick: you say i need 1-3 ppm in the pool. 1/2 gal 6% will raise by 2.9ppm. does this mean i only need one(1) half gallon? or is this per gallon of water. i am so confused and sucked at math. lol

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ok i just read and reread all the stuff about the acids and the best guess chart for chlorine. please help! i have no idea what i just read. LOL yes its been a long day and a hot one. i am confused as to how much bleach to add. i have 6 bottles i think sitting outside. just not sure how much to add. i don't want to waste it by not adding enough, but i don't want to add too much.

now about that acid stuff to lower my ph, can i just buy that ph minus from walmart? the acid kind of scares me.

thanks so much for the help. once i get the hang of this i will be good (i think), or at least not as dumb as i am right now.

1/2 gallon of bleach will raise your pool's FC level about 3 ppm.

+ I'm assuming you won't see this till Sunday AM. Add 1 gallon in the AM, and 2 gallons in the late evening tomorrow.
+ Run your pump 24/7
+ Continue to add 2 gallons of bleach each evening, but only 1/2 gallon each AM . . . till your pool is clear.
+ Do NOT worry about your other figures just yet.
+ Get some dichlor, which will add BOTH chlorine AND stabilizer:

24 lbs PoolBrand bagged shock @ Sams Club
Kem-Tek Dichlor 22 lbs @ Amazon

+ Read the Intex recipe sticky, here: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?17055

thanks again. yes i did not get this til sunday morning.
i took a guess last night and threw 3 bottles in the pool. i should have maybe measured better, because these bottles are more than a gallon. this morning my pool is now cloudy and the clorine test results well, they are really, really high. it a bright orange. no where near the yellow as shown on the kit. so i can't even give a number to this.
i am guessing that right now i don't need to add any more chlorine. or do i, since you mention to continue adding til the cloudy water is clear?

Don't add any more chlorine right now while the test is orange, but test it again this evening--I suspect it will be low enough to register on your test, and may even be low enough that you have to add a little more. Keep your pump/filter running to help clear up the cloudiness.

Janet

when should i connect my saltwater system back up? and when should i add the salt to this?

Start the SWCG, after you've got your pool all cleaned up and ready to go. But, you can add the salt anytime, unless you think you might have to drain some water.

You can go ahead and be adding your salt, but don't use the SWCG until you get the pool cleared up and ready for maintenance.

If you plan to use dichlor, use one of the ones Ben mentioned above. When buying it locally, it is hard to find it without a bunch of unwanted stuff blended in there. That's why we suggest either Sam's Club or Kem-Tech as we know those two are ok to use. If you didn't find the Best Guess Chlorine Chart Janet wanted you to read, it is in my signature below.

tested last night: back to no chlorine again. i did add the salt. did not read "not to connect the salwater system" yet part. so i did turn it on this morning. but it shows too high salt. so i drained some and am adding more water right now.

just tested again. finally have a reading of .5 for chlorine. so at least i am on the scale now. but the ph went back up. its at the 8.2 level now.
so do you think the chlorine level will continue to go up the longer the salt system runs? or do i still need to add 1/2 gallon of bleach each night?
i am going to test again tomorrow morning.

one thing i have noticed is that while i still have cloudyness going on, the color is ..how do i say this...prettier? the color looks clearer, wow hard to describ.

Add the bleach, until you find your chlorine is staying TOO high.

Read the muriatic acid guide, linked in my signature, and then lower your pH to 7.6 or so.

I'm not seeing that you have a test kit: it's NOT option, IF you want your pool to run well. Once you're experienced, you won't use it much . . . but you are NOT there yet!

HTH 6-Way Test Kit @ Walmart
Taylor K2006A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon
Taylor K2006C (2 oz bottles) @ Amazon

thanks pool doc,

yes i have the 6 way test kit. p
osted the first set of numbers in these post somewhere. but was told to worry about my chlorine levels. so that is what i have been focusing on. i need to get more bleach. i have gone thru 7 to 10 bottles of bleach so far.
i am out right now, will get to store today and buy some more.

added 96 oz bleach last night. waited a while and decided to add another bottle. this morning i was at cl 5. the ph still above the 8.2 color. i vacumned yesterday and got some greenish gunk out. will vacumn again today. water is blue, but cloudy. pump has been running 24/7 for at least 4 or more days.

i thought i was begining to understand all this, but now i feel more confused than before.


i think, i need to keep my cl levels up (shock?) for an extended time, 1-2 days? but what about the ph level, should i be trying to bring that down? AT the same time bringing up the cl level? if so, then i can start working both. but i am so confused.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PoolDoc

Add the bleach, until you find your chlorine is staying TOO high.

Read the muriatic acid guide, linked in my signature, and then lower your pH to 7.6 or so.

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You will need to keep your chlorine high-ish, till you get a good handle on pool chemistry . . . and that takes a little while. You need the dichlor I suggested; the sun is going to burn through the bleach like crazy. You *can* add stabilizer manually, but dichlor is easier.

And, you need to lower your pH, like I suggested.

Our instructions for easy pool care only work when you follow them. ;)