First pool, might be our LAST...name says it all!

[aylad]

I typed my previous post while your last one was waiting to be modded in, which is why they're in reverse order. Anyway.......

It's good that you're seeing some improvement. You may need to add some more of the metal out until the water starts clearing. In the meantime, keep your chlorine at the 2-4 range, your pH on the low side, and keep changing your filter as needed. (You're right, add some more bleach!)

You don't need to test for CYA again until about 4-5 days after you've added stabilizer. You can get it at WalMart in a 4 lb container. I don't remember if it's labeled "balancer", "conditioner", or "stabilizer", but the important thing is the active ingredient is cyanuric or isocyanuric acid. Follow the label directions for the amount to take your pool to the 40 ppm target, but then only add about 1/2 that amount, because it's much easier to add more later to get to your target than it is to have to drain/refill water if you overshoot. Because you're having to constantly change your filter, I would add it by putting it into an old sock or knee hi hose and hanging it in front of a return. It dissolves slowly, so don't add more or retest for it for about 4-5 days after you add it. The stabilizer will protect your chlorine from sunlight, so that it can be more effective against stuff in your pool. You should be adding chlorine a couple of times a day to keep a chlorine residual in the pool--once the stabilizer is in the water, then you won't have to add it as often.

Janet

[swamp mistress]

Janet, WOW! you're awesome!

I added more bleach tonight (5 cups!) and will also add some more metal out and let the pump run over night again. It was very windy here today, does that help drain the chlorine? because I was very surprised by the reading.

I'm printing out your instructions, hubby will run to the store in the morning for the Cyanuric/Isocyanuric Acid.

Thank you!

[CarlD]

Don't worry about T/A or hardness for now. Keep your pH in the 7.2-7.5 range and keep up your CL level.

Because you may have a metal issue, Jan doesn't want you to raise your CL too high. Otherwise, we'd be telling you to hammer the pool with chlorine.

Meanwhile, keep hosing down those filters! While I know Intex filters aren't too expensive if you change 'em every 2 weeks, but every day can be. Meantime, if you think one's ready to chuck, try soaking it in electric dishwasher detergent, like Electrasol. The people with large cartridge systems where the filters cost triple digits do that all the time. I'm not sure of the amount of detergent, but you can do a search on our forum to find it.

Meanwhile, if Chem_Geek pops in, he is a cart filter owner and can probably suggest how to get more life from your filters.

[chem geek]

I have an oversized 4-cart filter (a Jandy CL350) for my 16,000 gallon pool and that lets me clean it just once a year, but I have a pool cover that keeps the pool relatively clean. I still clean it the filter the same way as others, hosing them off and then soaking in detergent. I just replaced mine recently after about 6 years, mostly because the straps were coming apart -- something I could have manually fixed but decided to just get new filters.

[swamp mistress]

Good Morning! (or afternoon..I'm in Nevada on Pacific time)

Thank you CarlD & Chem geek...

I stayed up until 1:30am soaking up as much of this forum as I could, I took 5 pages of notes and learned alot from others mistakes/questions/answers...so hopefully I can fall into line quickly.

7am (6-way HTH test kit)
CL: 2.5
Ph: 7.2
Alka: 180 ppm (tested before reading CarlD's post...I'm assuming that's what TA means,
Total Alkaline)
Hardness: 100 ppm

Pump ran all night, I flushed the filter with water again and scrubbed the skimmer basket clean (used Greased Lightning degreaser and rinsed with water..worked fabulously, it also cleaned up the pump which was horribly stained with my fingerprints...might discolor with time, it contains Alkaline and Surfactants ? I wouldn't use it IN or ON my pool, so don't think that!) then added 2 cups bleach (slowly, into skimmer) ...see, I learned something last night.

This morning when I ran my hand through the water I noticed I could SEE MY HAND! (pauses to measure arm length...) THAT'S 27 INCHES!!! It's getting better folks!
But then, why do I think you knew that would happen....

The neighbor who stopped by yesterday (he's had an 18x48 Intex for 2 years) confirmed that his water looked exactly the same upon filling (we're on the same well water field.) He proceeded to tell me everything I needed to do..but when he pulled out his test strips I immediately TUNED HIM OUT! hehe I did however perk up when he said a stablizer cleared his water. At Aylads' suggestion, my husbands in town picking some up right now (cyanuric or Isocyanuri acid.)

I'll post results again tonight...thanks all!

[aylad]

Great job!! There's an awful lot of information here on this forum, but it really will make you a happier pool owner if you can take the time to try to digest as much of it as you can.

Just want to clarify--adding stabilizer will not clear up the pool. Chlorine clears up the pool, aided by metal sequestrant to keep the iron out of the way. What stabilizer does is keep the sun from depleting your chlorine, thus giving the chlorine more time to work on "gunk" in your water. Keeping stable chlorine numbers is what will get the water clean, but it's easier to keep them stable with stabilizer in the water. Make sense?

I'm glad to see you're using a drop kit and NOT relying on test strips--that's a huge lesson that people have a hard time learning, but you seem to have a pretty good grasp on what's going on.

Hang in there, keep filtering, and keep us updated!

Janet

[swamp mistress]

I wasn't going to post until this evening BUT I'm so happy right now i could STING myself!

I removed the pool cover at 11:am, the water has CHANGED. It's no longer swamp mud brown...it's clear greenish/yellowish (hard to discribe) but not milky, clear...WE CAN SEE THE BOTTOM PATTERN ON THE LINER & THE LADDER FEET TOO! Whooot!!!!!!

While it's far from "crystal", it's definitely a change in the RIGHT DIRECTION! and good enough to stop hubby from saying, "I'm gonna call a pool guy come look at it." He actually said, "maybe now I'll get in it." One thing has helped, he's been at work so much he hasn't had time to interfear with my (your) maintenence schedule.

Ok..12 noon the Stablizer/Balancer in a sock (1/2 cup..I started low) went into the pool.

Aylad/Janet..I understand (after reading posts) that the neighbor didn't know WHAT actually cleared his water...he just knew that after adding stablizer it got better, it was the combination of things he was lucky enough to have tossed in the soup mixture. When he tested our water with his strips and chlorine didn't register he said, "oh, mine never registers either...." duh?

If I've come away with anything from this forum..it's KEEP CHLORINE (BLEACH) AT CORRECT LEVELS, everything else will fall into place.

[swamp mistress]

side bar - I felt inside the pool, the walls don't feel slimy just nice and clean.