No kit yet -- Opened Pool -- What Should I do?

[duraleigh]

Hi, Anna,

I think you should add just the acid for now. Sooner rather than later. That'll get your pH in line.

Yes, get your CYA tested at the pool store and post back as soon as you can.

It wouldn't hurt to put the Cl in there now but the most effective dosage will be after we know your CYA.

If it's gonna' be days before you get your CYA results, go ahead and put the Cl in anyway....you need some preventative sanitizer.

[AnnaE]

Hi Dave,

We put in another jug of chlorine this morning (96 ounces) and have the pump running. I will run to Home Depot to buy the acid and stop at the pool store to get my water tested.

Is there a calculator to figure out how much acid to put in my pool (approximately 15,000 gallons) and how much chlorine I should be putting in also?

Thanks so much!

Anna

[duraleigh]

Search for a post by mwsmith2....there's a handy calculator in his signature.

Post your CYA test as soon as you can....probably 0 but post it up.

[AnnaE]

Thanks Dave.

It's been raining two days solid with temps in the 40's. We've just kept the pump running about 6-8 hours per day and added one jug (96 ounce) of chlorine.

Still hoping to get my kit soon. But, since today is Saturday and I don't have to work, I will take my pool water to be tested at Leslie's pool supply. I promise I won't buy anything!!!!

Anna

[duraleigh]

Anna, if they test CYA @ zero, get three lbs from them and put it in your pool. This should bring you to about 30ppm and will help you keep Cl in the pool. If they test higher than zero, buy enough to bring your CYA up to 30-40ppm (you have 13,500 gallons in your pool).

Your gonna' need some more Cl. Buy some bleach while you are out and we'll help you on quantity when you post some test results.

[AnnaE]

I brought a sample of my pool water to Leslie's and here are the results:

Free Chlorine: 0
Total Available Chlorine: 0
Water PH: 80
Total Alkalinity: 110
Calcium Harness: 210
Cyanuric Acid (CYA): 0
Total Dissolved Solids: 550
Copper/Iron: 0
Phosphates: (150) -- I don't know why this is in parentheses?

Per Leslie's Sales Manager, I added 1 pint of muratic acid. 4 hours later, I added 4 gallons of bleach.

I will add 3 pounds of CYA tomorrow.

Water is still very clear and I will test the water again in about 3 days. Any suggestions as to what else I should do?

Thanks in advance for all your help!!

Anna

[Watermom]

Keep working to get your ph in the range of 7.4-7.6. Wait a few hours after adding doses of muriatic acid to let it circulate. Then retest and redose til you get it down.

It will take about a week for the cya to dissolve. Add it to the skimmer (don't broadcast it across the pool like some containers tell you to) and then don't retest for it, add more or backwash for a week. Until you start to get a cya reading, it will be tough to keep any chlorine in your pool. You'll need to test morning and evening and each time, add enough bleach to take your FC back up to about 5. (In your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will raise your cl reading by 1ppm.) After the cya begins to dissolve, you'll be able to just test and dose it with bleach in the evenings. (Adding 4 gallons of bleach was way too much for your pool. In a 15,000 gallon pool, 4 gallons would take your cl reading up to 16 which is way too high when you have no cya. I hope it doesn't bleach out your liner!)

Hope this helps.

[AnnaE]

Thank you Watermom.

Per Leslie's Sales Manager, I added 1 pint of muratic acid. 4 hours later, I added 4 gallons of bleach.

Sorry, it was 2 gallons of bleach -- typo. I was typing too fast and typed 4 gallons instead of 2. I hope 2 gallons was still okay.

Thanks and I will do as you suggested and will let you all know how I do.

Anna

[Watermom]

2 gallons would have taken it up to around 8ppm which is OK. I'm glad it wasn't 4 gallons!

[AnnaE]

Hi all,

I got my kit yesterday and took my first test with Ben's kit this morning. Here are my results:

FC 3
CC .5
TC 3.5
PH 7.5
Alk 150
Cal 200
CYA Below 20, I'd probably say 10 or 15? It was getting harder to see the black spot, but I was still able to see it at 20.

I put in 3 pounds of CYA last Tuesday evening while watching American Idol. It looks like I could use more CYA. Should I wait another day and retest or should I go ahead and add more CYA?

Thanks.

Anna

P.S. When I use the calculator to figure how many gallons of water is in my pool, does it take into consideration that you don't fill the pool up all the way? It only goes up to the top of the skimmer, some days it's a little lower and some days it's higher. (Call me anal.........)