My water is a mess, I don't know where to start

[PoolDoc]

Ok.

1. Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) kit.
2. Start adding PLAIN 6% chlorine bleach at the rate of 2 gallons per 10K gallons, each evening. Test with the OTO kit: if the result is dark yellow to orange, skip dosing that evening.
3. The kit you have is compatible with the K2006, but not an adequate substitute. You can save the NEW reagents in the K2006 (inside, in the dark) and use the existing ones where they match. But, you still need the K-2006.
4. Leave the pool uncovered at night, and as much as you can during the day. Some of the stuff you are breaking down gives off gasses that need to be released. Also, solar UV helps break down things (when chlorine is present) that otherwise would stick around.

OK. Now the kicker. Pool years here seem to have themes, and this year's theme is, "Bacteria ate my pool's stabilizer and filled it with ammonia poop!"

Bacteria can degrade CYA several ways, some innocuous. For reasons we don't understand, sometimes ammonia is the end product, rather than say, nitrogen gas. This year, EVERYBODY's go no CYA and HIGH ammonia.

There's good news and bad news.

The good news, cleaning up ammonia is really, really simple: just raise the pH to 7.6 or above with borax, and add bleach till your FC level is at least 3x your CC level AND your FC levels drop less than 1 ppm overnight.

But, there's bad news. You will have to add bleach in HUGE quantities. We don't know how "huge", nor when you'll be done. You do NOT want to try to add it all at once -- you could end up with 50 ppm FC in your pool . . . no stabilizer . . . and a white liner, no matter what color it was before! So, you just have to add 10 ppm nightly till your done. On large pools, it's possible to have 100 bleach bottles when your finished.

Do NOT use dichlor or trichlor for this. But if you have a sand filter and access to cheap cal hypo, you can use that. Ask me first, because if you use it like it says on the label, you'll end with extremely high calcium levels, and then you'll have to clean up those.

[mel.hoffman]

I have no idea what cal hypo is. I just planned to get borax and bleach at the store tonight. I won't add the huge amounts all at once, even though I don't have a liner to turn white I was planning on 6 gallons since I am closer to 30,000 gallons, is that okay or should I just do 5 and 3/4?

[PoolDoc]

+ cal hypo = granular calcium hypochlorite. The good stuff will show a percentage of 65% or HIGHER.

+ 6 gallons is fine; that would be about a 12 ppm dose.

[mel.hoffman]

Okay, got the borax in, going to wait about an hour and then hit it with the bleach. This is a total newbie question, I know that you told me to get a K-2006 test kit, does this kit allow you to test higher levels of chlorine? The kit that I have only allows testing up to 5 ppm and that was the best they had in the store. So as of now, I won't be able to tell if my FC and CC are at the right levels. Any suggestions until I can get a good kit delivered?

[Watermom]

I know that you told me to get a K-2006 test kit, does this kit allow you to test higher levels of chlorine? The kit that I have only allows testing up to 5 ppm and that was the best they had in the store. So as of now, I won't be able to tell if my FC and CC are at the right levels. Any suggestions until I can get a good kit delivered?

YES! That is why we like it so much. The Taylor K-2006 allows you to test high chlorine levels up to something like 50ppm if I am remembering correctly. You need to order one ASAP!

Until you get it, you can force a cheaper kit to read a little higher with a dilution method. It is not super accurate and is not meant to replace having a good kit. Read about it here: Testing Without a Good Kit

[mel.hoffman]

Thank you Watermom! I will go read that now and get my kit ordered asap. I know having an accurate reading isn't critical for tonight since this process can take a very long time to complete, so I will probably try that in the morning. It's getting dark here and I am a mosquito magnet!

Update on the pool: I added the bleach when the pH was at about 7.2. I know the pH will continue to go up as the borax has more time to circulate through the pool. 6 gallons of bleach in, bottom of the pool was brushed and only 1 pair of shorts and a t-shirt ruined. I am going to leave the cover off overnight as Ben suggested and test again in the morning. Tonight the pool was still a blue-green color, with what looks like a gross, slimy, white-ish film on the top. I can see down about 4.5-5 feet and then the water is too cloudy to see further.

Thanks for all your help!

=====================

Kit ordered!

[PoolDoc]

6 gallons of bleach in, bottom of the pool was brushed and only 1 pair of shorts and a t-shirt ruined.

Not ruined; converted to "pool care clothes"!