new to pool stuff

[Red Gate Zoo]

We bought a house last year that had been vacant for a couple years & the pool had frogs & tadpoles in it. We had it drained, acid washed & re-filled. Had the filter cleaned & all the equipment was working. We had no idea how to maintain the pool & never got algae under control. Finally gave up & let it go green again over the winter. I started dumping "shock" in it this spring with little results. Went to the pool store & they sold me a 25lb. bucket of "shock" & said to dump the whole thing in. It made a significant difference. Then I did some serious internet study & found the BBB method. It makes so much sense! I went to Leslie's & bought a DPD test kit- #2004B. The 1st time I tested I got 1 FC, 2.5 TC, pH 7.4, & added 256 oz. 6% bleach. Next 3 testings appeared to be less than .5 FC, 1 TC, pH 7.3. CYA test: dot in tube never disappeared, so less than 30? Help please.

[Watermom]

How does your water look now? What was the ingredient of the shock you put in? What is the volume of your pool? What kind of filter do you hae and what size of pump?

We usually recommend that people buy a Taylor K-2006 kit but since you recently bought a DPD kit, you can buy an add-on for the FAS-DPD test which you will need. You can find it on the test kit page in my signature below. The kit you want to get is the K-1515. Do this ASAP because you will need it to help you get this cleared up.

Re-post with the requested info and someone here can help you.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[Red Gate Zoo]

I can now see the bottom in the shallow end. Water still has a slight green tint. Shock was calcium hypo. 34,000 gals. DE filter (Nautilus Plus SP), pump 2.20 hp. I tried to order the K-1515 kit but it said I am not authorized to go there. A web search found a K-1515A kit. Is that the same one? Is it something I might find locally in the Dallas area? Thanks for the help!

[PoolDoc]

Hi Debbie;

I check addresses, when upgrading memberships and . . . Google Maps has a very impressive picture of your green pool. If you haven't seen it, you might want to take a look.

If you would, please post your pool info here:

Pool Chart Entry Form
Pool Chart Results

It makes it easier for us to check the record, and make sure our answers are on target.

[Watermom]

I tried to order the K-1515 kit but it said I am not authorized to go there. A web search found a K-1515A kit. Is that the same one? Is it something I might find locally in the Dallas area? Thanks for the help!

That is the same kit. And, I doubt you would be able to find it locally. Try the testkit page again and if it still doesn't work, report back and I'll ask Ben to see if he can figure out why.

[PoolDoc]

She probably tried before I upgraded her membership.

[Red Gate Zoo]

Yup. I ordered it now. Thanks.

[Red Gate Zoo]

I'm trying to get control of a swampy pool (Dallas, TX area). Concrete, 34,000 gal. Running DE filter 24/7, backwashing 3x/day. Running Polaris 3900 10-12 cycles/day, cleaning out green goo each time. (It used to get plugged at 15 min. Now going 1 hr.) Adding between 3-6 gal. bleach nightly. Water is now fairly clear, can see the bottom in the shallow end, but still lots of green debris settled on bottom. I've been testing with Taylor2004B. Results have been in the following ranges: FC=1.5-5, TC=2-5, pH=8, cannot get CYA test to work. I received my Taylor K1515 kit today. At 5 pm, I used 25mL sample. It took 17 dippers of powder to get it to turn slightly pink, 1 drop of R-1871 to clear (.2ppm FC?), added 5 drops #3 reagent to turn slightly pink again, 2 drops R-0871 to clear (.4ppm CC?). What do you recommend? Do I need to add muriatic acid? I'm still confused by the testing numbers & what they tell me to do.

EDIT by Watermom:
Red -- I merged this new thread that you started this evening with your other thread where we have been helping you. It is better to keep everything all in one place instead of having two separate threads going.

[Watermom]

If you get no pink with 2 dippers of powder, then you have no chlorine. I hate that you wasted so much of your powder! Also, when you test, use the 10 ml sample instead of the 25ml sample so you'll save on your reagents. A 0.5ppm precision rather than a 0.2 is just fine.

If your pH is 8, then you do want to use a little muriatic acid to drop it down a bit. Please read the using muriatic acid safely link in my signature.

Have you added any CYA or any trichlor or dichlor since your last CYA test which you reported as being less than 30? You say that the CYA test didn't work. What do you mean by that? You should add pool water up to the 7ml line and then R-0013 to bring it up to the 14ml line and then gently shake it and let it sit for a minute. Then, hold the tube at waist level in good daylight and pour the contents slowly into the graduated cylinder stopping when you can no longer see the black dot. If the black dot never disappears, then you have a CYA level less than 30ppm. Does this describe what happened when you tested?

Go ahead and add 7 gallons of bleach this evening if you can. Wait an hour or so and test the chlorine level. Then, in the morning, test again within hours of sunrise and note how much chlorine you lose overnight and if you have any CC reading. Then post those results.

Here is an online demo from Taylor Technologies that may be helpful to you. http://www.taylortechnologies.com/pr..._slideshow.asp

[Red Gate Zoo]

Added 7 gal. bleach @ 10p. Here are my results @ 11:30p: FC=14, CC=1, Ph=8 (3 drops R-0005 brought pH=7.7). Results @ 8a: FC=7.5, CC=1, pH=8 (2 drops R-005 brought pH=7.4), TA=70, CH=275. CYA test was as you described, each time dot did not disappear. I have not added anything but bleach since my last post. Thank you for the links & the help!