Another testimonial to using bleach/spring cleaning

This year, we decided to not cover the pool over winter. We lowered the water level to below the return, covered the skimmer, disconnected the pump and filter and stored them indoors 'til spring. Done. I DID make a point of cleaning all the leaves and debris that flew into the pool last fall. (I tried, anyway). LOL! :o

The water froze over and just last week, while I was out of town (naturally), it finally thawed during an unseasonably warm spell. I got home and took one look at my pool and nearly fainted. OMG!! You should have SEEN the green GUNK floating around in the pool!

In a panic, I logged in to the PoolForum and started refreshing my memory on what to do first. Tested the water, here are my results:

CYA= 0 (no surprise there)
FC = 0 (no surprise there, either)
CC = 0
TC = 0
Alk = 100
Cal = 100
pH greater than 8.2

First things first. I added enough bleach to shock the pool, brought it up to 20 for a day. I let it slide back to 10 and have been maintaining it at 10 for the past two days. Just wanted to share some before and after photos. The before pics were taken on Thursday, 3/29. The after pics were taken this afternoon, Sunday, 4/1. What a difference!! I haven't even vacuumed yet!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSC00399.jpg http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSC00407.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSC00400.jpg http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...h_DSC00408.jpg

I know I need to lower my pH. I will add some muriatic acid as soon as I can get to the hardware store. How dangerous is it to my liner if the pH is up that high? Am I correct in using the muriatic acid to decrease the pH?

Thanks to all you pool gurus for your help over the past few years. I'm SOOOOO glad I found this place soon after we bought the pool.

*******************************
Karen
AG Kayak pool
12X24
8600 gal

It's amazing how well a little bleach works, isn't it?? Thanks for posting the pics, just another job well done by a follower of the BBB method.

You're right in using muriatic acid to lower your pH, although I think you need to retest the pH now that your chlorine isn't up so high--sometimes high chlorine levels can give you a falsely high reading. And don't worry, a pH of 8.2 isn't going to hurt your liner....it's by far worse to have it too low than to have it too high. Be careful with the acid..I don't know if you've used it before or not, but make sure you stay upwind of the fumes, and don't splash it on your skin or eyes...I STRONGLY advocate using gloves and safety glasses.

Congratulations on a clean, clear pool!

Jan

Wow!

You mean all this stuff we've been recommending all these years ACTUALLY WORKS????:confused:

J/K!:D

Congratulations on a perfectly executed plan and a clear, blue pool!