Time to replace sand?

[aylad]

I don't think the sun burned it up...more likely, it was eaten up by the ammonia from all the junk the pool store had you put into the pool. Ammonia can cause quite a huge chlorine demand, but it's going to have to be overcome in order to get your pool back under control.

If the pH reading you got was a solid 7.0, then I would go ahead and add another pint of acid. If it was any lighter, then I would wait until the pH climbs a little bit--but then I'm pretty conservative when it comes to acid use. Brushing the walls daily would be a good thing to do, but I wouldn't try vacuuming yet, since you don't know what's at the bottom, and it will just waste water that you're trying to adjust. You might try scooping anything you can off of the bottom with a leaf net, though.

Janet

[jonno]

The pH was a solid 7.0, so I'll add another pint of acid tonight and I'll start brushing the sides daily and scoop leaves that I'm sure are hiding on the bottom.

I'm sure you're probably right about the ammonia eating the chlorine Janet. I had dumped a gallon of cheap algaecide in the pool over several weeks when I opened the pool so I was also an agent of harm.

• Given the need to eat up all that ammonia should I add more bleach than the 6 gallons nightly that Ben prescribed?

Thanks again.

[aylad]

Asking Ben about this now...it would seem to me that the chlorine needs to be higher, but he may have a reason why he doesn't want to elevate it. Hopefully I'll either get an answer soon or he'll pop by and update this himself...

Janet

[jonno]

Here are tonight's numbers:
FC 0.0
CC 3.5
pH 7.0
TA 210

Added 1 pint acid, brushed walls and bottom for 20 minutes or so, then added 6 gallons of bleach. I can just make out the brushhead when it is on the bottom in the shallow end so the visibility is slowly improving. At first I wondered why the TA increased from 190 to 210, but then realized I had a slow trickle of water running in over the past three days to bring up the level about 3" as the skimmer had started to suck air after backwashing this weekend. I tested our household water and the TA = 160, pH = 7.1. Our source is a spring/cistern that runs through a calcium carbonate & magnesium oxide acid neutralizer.

Thanks Janet - I'll stand by for Ben's response. Stocked up on bleach today...

[jonno]

Morning report:
FC 0.0
CC 4.5
pH 7.2
TA 200
There's a small amount of airy foam on the surface for the past couple of days - I imagine this is from the return riffling the surface, but I mention it here in case there is a larger significance. Since the pH has risen, I'll get some more acid today to keep it at or below 7.0.

[Watermom]

The foaming could be from the algaecide you added. That is a common side effect. (Also one of the reasons that the only algaecide we recommend is Polyquat 60%.)

[aylad]

Ben's response was to stick with the 6 gallon bleach doseage that he initially recommended. With large amounts of ammonia to break down, you're going to have higher than normal combined chlorine to deal with, that can be very irritating and uncomfortable. So..his recommendation was to break it down slowly with the lower doses of bleach, until you start getting CC readings of 1 or 2--at which time you can up the doseage and go ahead and get rid of it. So...stick with the 6 gallon dose for now.

I agree with Watermom on the foaming--it's likely evidence of the algaecide breaking down. Stay the course the way Ben recommended--and we'll help you get it cleaned up!!

Janet

[jonno]

Roger that and thanks! I'll stay the course and keep posting my numbers.