Newbie - Green Pool

[Watermom]

Call the pool people and tell them NOT to come!! You do NOT need to change your sand. As Peekaboo said above, get the cl up to 20 and try and hold it there. The more times per day that you can test and hit it with bleach again, the faster this will clear. In your pool, each gallon of 6% bleach will raise the cl by 3ppm. Everytime you test, add however much bleach you need to get back to 20. When you get to the point where you can go from sundown to sunup without losing more than 1ppm of cl, then you can let your cl drift back down to between 5-10. NEVER let it go below 5 or you'll have algae again, though.

Take care of the algae problem first and then we can help you with the high alk problem.

You need a good kit. Take a look at this thread for more info on getting a Taylor K-2006. You need it and it will make taking care of your pool so much easier.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10006


BTW -- Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us!

[CarlD]

Oh, Pony! I sure hope you listened to Watermom and canceled those guys because you have been "pool stored"! (We all have--that's why we are here)

I would NEVER add 20 lbs of baking soda to ANY pool! It caused your total alkalinity to shoot up to 190--which is luckily OK because you have a vinyl pool (it would have added to your problems if you had concrete or plaster). However, it is NOT the best way to raise pH (which, at 7.3 is FINE, especially since you are fighting algae).

Sand lasts forever unless you gunk it up--and about the only way to do that with a chlorine-sanitized pool is add all the junk pool stores gleefully sell you that doesn't work when you have algae!

'Mom has you on the right track. She's giving you simple, unambiguous instructions of things to do RIGHT NOW. They WILL work, and work well.

Later on, we can address WHY 'Mom says never let your chlorine go below 5ppm.

But for now it's the old "alligators in the swamp" situation!

[ponytailhair]

Thanks for your help everyone. Quick and/or dumb question for you. It looks like the Taylor K-2006 only tests chlorine up to 5.0 ppm. How do I know if I've got the level up to the recommended 20 ppm?

[Watermom]

The Taylor K-2006 is a complete FAS-DPD kit which will let you go much higher than 5.

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/pr...PDDropTest.pdf

[CarlD]

The K-2006 actually includes TWO chlorine tests: The FAS-DPD drop test we all recommend, and a simpler OTO test that uses a standard Taylor OTO/pH cell. The OTO side only goes to 5ppm for Chlorine but the FAS-DPD test doesn't use the cell at all and measures FC up to 50ppm.

I think that's the source of your very understandable confusion.

We are all going to have to remember that for the future! It's so automatic to all of us we don't even think about it anymore.

[waterbear]

The K-2006 actually includes TWO chlorine tests: The FAS-DPD drop test we all recommend, and a simpler OTO test that uses a standard Taylor OTO/pH cell. The OTO side only goes to 5ppm for Chlorine but the FAS-DPD test doesn't use the cell at all and measures FC up to 50ppm.

I think that's the source of your very understandable confusion.

We are all going to have to remember that for the future! It's so automatic to all of us we don't even think about it anymore.

You are confusing the K-2006 with the kit that Ben used to sell. The K-2006 does not include the OTO/pH small comparator (which is actually the Taylor K-1000 OTO/pH kit) and uses the large pH comparator with acid and base demand tests.

[CarlD]

You are confusing the K-2006 with the kit that Ben used to sell. The K-2006 does not include the OTO/pH small comparator (which is actually the Taylor K-1000 OTO/pH kit) and uses the large pH comparator with acid and base demand tests.

Hmmm....Looks like you are right AND I am wrong (What? Did the planets allign or something??? )

So the question goes back to Ponytailhair: Why did you think that the K-2006 only goes to 5ppm for Chlorine?

[waterbear]

Thanks for your help everyone. Quick and/or dumb question for you. It looks like the Taylor K-2006 only tests chlorine up to 5.0 ppm. How do I know if I've got the level up to the recommended 20 ppm?

I think you are confusing the K-2006 with the K-2005 since the K-2006 does not use a comaparator but is a drop counting test.
The k-2005 is the testkit that is usually carried in stores since it is a bit less expensive (the kits are identical except for the chlorine tests.
The chlorine test in the K-2006 is far superior and easier to use so this is the kit you want. In most areas of the country it is not stocked so you will most likely have to order it online.