Will this work?

[HOF-City]

So its been a few days of adding borax and chlorine through the skimmer. I also would add extra chlorine when the FC was below 2. This morning I tested, and for the first time the FC was higher than the CC. Here is what I had:
-FC=5.2
-CC=1
-PH=7.0
-Alkalinity=130
The pool is slowly becoming less cloudy, but the color seems the same. Still has a sea foam blue-green color, but I can see the entire shallow end for the first time today. I can also see deeper into the deep end, but not to the floor yet. The orange-rusty color keeps coming back on my steps. Usually after a day or 2. Should I continue with the routine I have been doing, or do you suggest anything different? Thanks for your help.

[Watermom]

Stay the course. Sounds like you're making progress. That pH is a little low. Bump it up a bit with some Borax.

[HOF-City]

This is getting frustrating. I was seeing a noticeable improvement, and could see the entire floor of the pool. One day goes by where I'm unable to return home to add bleach in the evening and it gets cloudy again. Not 100% cloudy, but worse than a few days ago. My Chlorine level really did not even drop. I have had it steady at 3 for a while now. Maybe it regressed for some other reason, but im not sure what that may be. We opened the pool on April 30th, and 20 days later it's marginally better. Any other ideas? Also, my girlfriend was trying to do me a favor when I told her I was out of bleach today, and she ended up purchasing 12 bags of "poolLife" TurboShock from a pool store for me. It is 78% Calcium Hypochlorite and 22% other. Will this be OK to use, or should I return it. Thanks.

[waterbear]

The poollife is better than the burnout you were using. It is stronger.

[PoolDoc]

Hi HOF;

Actually, the TurboShock will work well for you -if- you meet the following conditions;
(a) have DE tested your filter to make sure that *pool* DE will NOT blow through your filter. (If it does, your filter needs repair. Do NOT use brewery or other non-pool DE for this purpose!)
(b) do not have ANY chemicals of ANY sort from your skimmer to your filter. This includes chlorine feeders, mineralizers, ionizers, chlorine skimmer tabs or anything else of the sort.

Again, provided you meet the conditions, adding the TurboShock DIRECTLY to your skimmer will help clear your pool. (Adding directly to the pool will CLOUD your pool!) But, you MUST be sure that the cal hypo does NOT touch any other undissolved chemical, except borax.

Also, I may be overlooking it, but I don't see a report of your calcium level. It may, or may not, be relevant but I can't tell without the numbers. So, please check your pH, alkalinity and calcium and let's see what they are.

[HOF-City]

Thanks guys. I will test my water and post results tonight. What exactly would I need to do to run a DE test? Just add some DE through the skimmer? Also, how difficult is it for a rookie to change out the sand from my filter? I have no idea how long it's been since it was replaced. Thanks!

[aylad]

To DE test your filter, you simply put a cupful in through the skimmer, and then watch to see if it blows out the returns. If not, check to see if it raised your psi at all. Changing out the sand in a sand filter is very labor-intensive, but not at all hard....but there's no reason to do so unless you have something broken that needs fixing, or have just been through a baq conversion or used some chem that gunked up the sand. Sand never really gets too old to use. In fact, each of the other 3 mods is over 10 years with the sand in their filters, and I would be, too, if I hadn't replaced my filter a couple of years ago....

[PoolDoc]

What exactly would I need to do to run a DE test? Just add some DE through the skimmer?

Yes! What you are looking for, is whether the DE goes THROUGH the filter or is caught. If it goes through the filter, your filter needs servicing. Please note you MUST use pool DE for this purpose. Other grades of DE may be so fine they will go through a working filter.

Also, how difficult is it for a rookie to change out the sand from my filter? I have no idea how long it's been since it was replaced.

It probably doesn't need to be replaced, but if a lot of sand is missing, it probably DOES need to be supplemented.

Adding sand is not hard, once you get the filter open. Getting the filter open may be easy, or hard, depending. Take pictures -- phone pictures are OK for this -- of your filter and the surrounding pipe, send them to poolforum@gmail.com, and I'll tell you how hard or easy it will be to get inside the filter.

[HOF-City]

Cool. I will test DE through the filter tomorrow. I just got done testing my water. Here are the results.
-Alkalinity= 130
-PH= 7.2
-FC= 7.5
-CC= 1
Calcium= 400-420
CYA= 47
-I'm guessing with the Chlorine up over 7 that I should not add anything tonight? I also took out the chlorine tablets from the skimmer.
-So, pool still cloudy with a green-blue color. Noticeable stain on steps and flat portion of the shallow end floor that looks like burnt orange color.
-Thanks for all the help.

[PoolDoc]

With those numbers, adding the cal hypo through the skimmer will help with several things if the calcium dust stays on the filter. (If your filter passes the DE test, the calcium will stay). Also, with your numbers, you wouldn't want to add cal hypo to the pool: your calcium is already high.

==> Just make SURE that there are ZERO chemicals of ANY kind between the skimmer and the filter!! <==