No idea what I'm doing!!

[sadiesue517]

Was given an intext 15x42 pool w/o instructions. Filled it, and have tried to treat it, but water is cloudy. Pump runs 24 hours, new filter every 2 weeks.

I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, I honestly thought I could "fill it and forget it". NOT SO MUCH!

So many questions..do they make a pool for dummies book?

1) how many gallons does this hold
2) to measure out chemicals - do I used a baking measuring cup?
3) what is ph, ppm fre chlorine, ppm total alkalinity, ppm stabilizer? if my levels are low, do I have to purchase separate chemicals to bring them up, or is there one that will do the job
4) does the filter need to run steady or can it be shut off
5) pool is vacuumed daily

[PoolDoc]

Hi Sadie;

I honestly thought I could "fill it and forget it". NOT SO MUCH!

Yep, not so much. (ROFLLMAO!)

Ok.

• Gallons: about 3,300. PF:36 (ie, 1lb of stabilizer raises your CYA level 36 ppm)
• PPM = parts per million. 1 lb of stabilizer in pool with 1,000,000 lbs of water (120,000 gal) increases CYA by 1 ppm.
• Filter must run 24/7 when pool is cloudy; at least 8 hours per day otherwise.
• Cartridges can be replace with all season cartridges that will filter better -- but they have to be cleaned.
• You only have to vacuum when there's stuff to remove.
• Set of plastic measuring cups for the pool is a good idea!

Meanwhile. Add 2 cups of PLAIN 6% household bleach, ASAP, and then EACH evening, to keep your pool unslimed, till you can figure things out a bit more.

I'm going to post some info from a new sticky, that applies to you.

Good luck!


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+ When we say "Walmart", we don't necessarily mean Walmart. You can find most of these products elsewhere. But, WalMart is a known quantity, and other stores are not so much. For example, other stores have been selling store brand bleach at concentrations other than 6%, mostly lower. And, the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit -- an excellent starter kit -- is (AFAIK) available ONLY at Walmart, and not all of those.


+ Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)


+ Having a good test kit makes pool care easier for EVERYONE. A good test kit means a kit that can test chlorine from 0 - 25 ppm, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and stabilizer with reasonable accuracy. Test strips (AKA 'guess-strips' ) do NOT meet this standard. Some pool store testing is accurate; most is not. The ONLY way you'll know whether your pool store is accurate or bogus, is by testing accurately your own self. On the other hand, pool store 'computer' dosing recommendations are NEVER trustworthy -- ignore them. They are designed to sell more chemicals than you need, and WILL cause many pool problems.


+ We recommend the Taylor K-2006 test kit, which meets the requirements above, for many reasons. The HTH 6-way drops kit is a great starter kit, and is compatible with the K2006 (it's made by Taylor). There are a few alternatives; for example Lamotte makes an FAS-DPD kit that's OK -- but it costs 3x as much. But, we're not aware of any test that is better, and since we are all familiar with the K-2006 (and can help you with it) we recommend it exclusively ( Test kit info page )


+ If you have a freshly filled vinyl pool, you can generally get by for awhile without the K2006, as long as you have an OTO kit (not: 'guess-strips'!!). However, there are three cases where you need a K2006 ASAP:

• You have a concrete pool, with scaling OR corrosion.
• You have a problem with metals or staining.
• You have a SWCG (Salt water chlorine generator) and possible scale build up.

In most cases, until you have a K-2006, all we can do is help you keep it from getting worse.


+ Pool stores often tell you MUST do this or that, right away. But, with few exceptions, there are only 3 chemical "MUST-FIX-NOW!" situations:

• Low chlorine, and
• pH above 8.0 or below 7.0
• Pool freshly filled with metal containing well water

Otherwise, ignore their "you must do X, or your pool will become a nuclear hazard site!" type warnings.


+ Pool stores, test kits, pool books, online pool guides, iPad apps, The PoolCalculator, and even Taylor's K-2006 instruction booklet ALL have 'recommended' pool chemical levels. Some of these recommendations are usually wrong; some are mostly wrong; a few are ALWAYS wrong. If you do not have one of the "MUST-FIX-NOW" conditions, do NOT follow recommendations to 'fix it', until you've talked to us. If you do, you will almost always waste money, and frequently, you will make the problems harder to fix!


+ There are 3 critical pool chemical levels: chlorine, pH, and stabilizer. If you don't know your stabilizer level, we won't be able to help much till you do. Read the Best Guess page ( poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html ) for more information.


+ Buy some plain 6% household bleach, about 10 gallons per 10,000 gallons in your pool. You can switch to other products, later. But bleach will work, in almost any sort of pool mess, without complicating side-effects.


+ If you need stabilizer, and have access to a Sams Club, buy their 24lb pack of 1# bags of 100% dichlor shock. Each bag will add about 7 ppm of chlorine, and about 6 ppm of stabilizer, per 10K gallons of water. Otherwise, order dichlor from Amazon:

Kem-Tek Dichlor 22 lbs

We do NOT recommend buying dichlor locally, otherwise, at least until you are an EXPERT reader of chemical labels. The chlorinating pool chemicals sold at Walmart, Kmart, Costco, and most other local stores are diluted blends, sometimes with copper and other products with bad side-effects.


+ Do NOT add pool store goop -- phosphate removers, clarifiers, flocculents, metal 'removers' & sequestrants, and especially, algaecides -- without instruction from us, or at least, a VERY specific reason for doing so. All of those products have side effects that you probably don't understand yet. Most are sold to pool owners who do NOT need them. Many will make things worse if over-used. Some (algaecides, phosphate removers) usually make things worse if used at all. Rarely, you may actually NEED one of those products.


+ It's much easier to answer your questions, when we have the details about your pool in one place. We often 'waste' the first few posts back and forth collecting information. So, please complete our new Pool Chart form -- it takes about 30 seconds, but will save much more than that.

Pool Chart Entry Form
Pool Chart Results

+ Chlorine is the strongest algaecide you can buy . . . but occasionally, you may need a different one. Almost the only alternative algaecide we recommend is polyquat -- poly [oxyethylene (dimethyliminio) ethylene (dimethyliminio) ethylene dichloride] . This product is a GOOD clarifier and a moderately good algaecide, with almost no bad side effects. We often recommend it for use when you are going on vacation, or when you need to lower your chlorine, to prevent remove stains. It has become quite difficult to purchase locally at the normal full strength 60% concentration. If you find it locally, at a 60% concentration, that's fine. But be SURE to check the chemical name. If you need to buy it online, here's an Amazon link:

Kem-Tek 311-6 Pool and Spa 60-Percent Concentrated Algaecide, 1 Quart

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[SafetyBob]

Welcome to the forum.......first thing, follow PoolDoc's links for a Taylor 2006C test kit, order it TODAY. While you are waiting for it, watch the videos on the Taylor website then when you get it in a week or so you will be familiar enough to be comfortable using it. Just follow the directions on the lid. Yes, it's almost THAT easy. Knowing where you chemical levels are critical to pool enjoyment and it's not that bad once you get the Taylor kit. Post the results and PoolDoc and others will help you along the way.....they have made ALL the diffence this year in my pool....I am finally enjoying it...ALOT!!

Got a cover yet for your pool. I strongly recommend one to keep the crap out of the pool and I believe your filter pump uses the small Intex filters so cleanliness will be critical to your enjoyment of not having to change filters all the time. Consider getting a couple of Unicel filters to see how much they work/last than the Intex ones. Yes, due to cost you will pull them out, soak them in bleach, then reuse them.....they are of far better quality than the Intex filters.

OK, so get the Taylor test kit so you can give us your exact numbers and a couple of bottle of Clorox, go to Sams to get your stabilizer stuff for now.

Bob E.

[sadiesue517]

Me again..
Still having troubles with cloudy water. Filter is the Krystal Clear Model 637R that came with the pool. Should I maybe upgrade to something else, and if so, what are some recommendations. The kids don't mind the cloudy water, but drives me NUTS!

[PoolDoc]

What are your test results, and what test kit are you using? How have you been adding chlorine?

If the problem IS filtration, then getting these cartridges will help:

Get TWO -- these cartridges are MUCH higher quality than the OEM models. And CHECK first, to make sure you use the Intex "A" or "C" cartridge. If not, tell me what you use, and I'll try to find the right cartridge. Let me do it, though - most of the "Unicel" cartridges being sold on Amazon aren't actual Unicel.

Unicel C-4607 Replacement Filter Cartridge (Easy Set Size A or C) @ Amazon @ Amazon
Unicel C-5315 Replacement Filter Cartridge for 15 Square Foot Intex B Filter @ Amazon