Swamp Water

[Watermom]

It's not too late to clean up a pool. Like Janet asked above, find out if the pump/filter is operational. Report back and then somebody can try and help you go from there. I would also suggest having them to go ahead and order a good test kit. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (see the testkit page in Janet's signature above) but it is only available online so they'll need something to use while they wait for it to arrive. 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.)

It's much easier to answer your questions, when we know something about your pool. 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.

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Hope this helps a little. You are a good neighbor to try and help them.