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

[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.

[aylad]

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

Absolutely!!

Keep up the good work, you're making some progress--don't go too high with the chlorine, but keep it in there at 5 ppm or below. Keep the filter running, and we'll go from there. You probably now need to go test for chlorine and add some if it's 0. You don't want it going all afternoon without chlorine in it....

Janet

[CarlD]

You are doing great! Tell your hubby "Real men don't hire pool services, they do it themselves!" (J/K)

[swamp mistress]

You are doing great! Tell your hubby "Real men don't hire pool services, they do it themselves!" (J/K)

I think I'll wait until he finishes the landscaping around the pool before I lay THAT one on him!

He's been digging, leveling & hauling rock all afternoon for a surprise "lounging area" for us girls. With the exception of an hour floating in the pool with a beer, all I've heard today is, "this $160 pool has cost me $800 and four days of my time." But Boy! that beer felt good........

[docsobeck]

congratulations: you've reached a crucial point in pool ownership - drinking beer in your pool. next thing you know, you'll have a floating cooler like us, and the good times will follow.

i've learned that if you use the pool store method of pool care, you need lots of money. if you use the pool forum method, you need patience. one day you'll look back at this and wonder why you were so panicky at the beginning.

[swamp mistress]

congratulations: you've reached a crucial point in pool ownership - drinking beer in your pool. next thing you know, you'll have a floating cooler like us, and the good times will follow.

That's another thing I don't think I'll mention...it IS after all supposed to be a KID'S pool. All I need is a bunch of old men with coolers floating around the yard all day! Hey! wait a minute..that could be fun! but then, when will all the WORK get done? Oh well, being a GUY...I'm sure he'll figure it out on his own.

7 AM results (6-way hth)
CL: 3
Ph: 7.2

actions: flushed filter, cleaned skimmer, added 3 cups bleach & checked CYA sock (seems to be dispensing nicely.)

notes:
water appears "less green" than yesterday, maybe even "clearer" too. I didn't remove cover all the way, just enough to test. I'll know more later if we get in, supposed to be 95but with 30 mph winds, oh boy!

questions:
#1) with the testing strips (they came with the kit & no, I'm not using them!) it says, "read after 30 sec...after 40 sec, etc" is there an amount of time I should be waiting to read results after using the DROPS? I noticed when I initially read this mornings result, the CL was at 3ppm, then I got busy with other things and when I looked at it again (10 min) it had lightened to .5 Just want to be accurate.

#2) while it's getting progressively better, any ideas why our water has such a sticky (brownish/black) residue collecting in the skimmer? Once you get it on your hands (or anything else) it takes a degreaser to get if off. Bro-in-law says he's never encountered anything like it and wonders if we're like the Beverly Hillbillies with oil in our water?

[aylad]

Once you add the drops and mix it well, go ahead and read your result. That is going to be your true number. Don't worry about what it looks like after being allowed to sit. Regarding the residue, I'm not sure what that could be except maybe some of the iron or other "stuff" in your water collecting there. You mentioned that your DH had been doing some landscaping, it's possible that some of that debris has blown into the pool and collected in the skimmer. I occasionally get a dark-grey to blackish line inside mine, but that's from dirt, suntan lotion, sunscreen, sweat, and all the other gunk that gets introduced from the kids. Usually a baking soda/water paste and a sponge will get it off, though.

How did the filter look this morning?

Janet

[swamp mistress]

Janet, I've kept the CL around 4-5 all day as I knew at some point we (mom & dad) were going to HAVE to get in...kids keep asking, "when are you coming in?" And it didn't look so scary today...it looked like lime gatorade, and was quite refreshing actually.

7pm (6-way hth test)
CL: 1.5
Ph: 7.2

I added 4 cups bleach, rinsed filter again, made sure the sock with CYA is near intake & will let pump run all night. Can't wait to see what color water we have tomorrow!!