startup chemicals

[BrianD]

Thanks for the help Ben. I do not hav a softener and my toilet tank is not brown. I do have green deposits in my shower tho, I have always been told that means lime? So, I need to follow your recommendations in your first post, correct?

[PoolDoc]

Lime deposits are scaly. If they are colored, the color came from something else.

It could mean copper, but probably won't be a problem for your pool. Go ahead and follow the original recipe, but when you add your first dose of chlorine, use only 1/2 and watch for any color change in the pool water. If there's no change after 30 minutes, go ahead and add the 2nd 1/2.

However, if you have a skimmer, add the bleach through it. (Pump running!)

[CarlD]

We've had an unusual spate of new Intex owners filling with iron-laden well water so we are all a little sensitive to it. I figured with all the bleach you added and no report of brown water, you might be one of the lucky ones. Looks like it!

Happy swimming!

Carl

[BrianD]

I guess I am lucky (for once) my water is crystal clear. I got a sock with cya and have been adding bleach to keep my chlorine level within range but my ph and alkaline are not even registering. I'm still using the cheap 3 way test strips. What is next?
Is the test kit on Amazon worth the extra money? Walmart has a kit for about $15 the Amazon kit is $50. What is the difference?

[Watermom]

The kit is definitely worth it. It will test chlorine levels up to 50 I think whereas the cheap kit from Walmart will only test levels up to 5. It will also test for CYA. Most cheap kits do not. Test strips are unreliable and inaccurate.

If you truly have no pH reading because it is so low, then you are most likely damaging your pool and possibly equipment. Readings below 7.0 are acidic. You must get your pH above 7.0 ASAP.

At the very least for today, go to Walmart and pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit (yellow and red drops.) It will not replace having a good kit, but at least with it, you can get a pH reading which you desperately need ASAP.

[BrianD]

I bought the cheap oto kit and my ph is 6.8, chlorine is fine. I have been adding bleach twice a day.

[PoolDoc]

You need to continue adding borax till you get a pH above 6.8!