Water Question

[pool_newbie76]

The water we use in our pool is treated water, they have a reverse osmosis plant where our water comes from, so how could our pool possibly show that it has no free chlorine in it?? And also I was told that I can use unscented 6% household bleach in my pool, is it ok to use the bleach in a pool with a vinyl liner??

[aylad]

I don't know the answer to the reverse osmosis question, except that the water probably does have chlorine in it until it gets to the pool--and then is used up by either stuff in the pool, or the Texas sun. Do you have stabilizer (CYA) in your pool?

It is fine to use the bleach in a pool with a vinyl liner--I've been doing it for years, as have many folks on this forum! What levels of chlorine you need to maintain will depend on your CYA level (see the "best guess chlorine chart" linked in my sig for more info there), and if you'll tell us about your pool here

Pool Chart Entry Form

we can help you figure doses.

[pool_newbie76]

Ok, I flled out the Pool Chart Entry Form, When I use the bleach in my pool, I should add it to the skimmer basket with my pump running right? And also should I just buy the Ph minus from Walmart to bring down my ph? And also will the stabilizer from Walmart work good for my pool? We dont have any pool stores around close, they are like 75 miles away, so Walmart is pretty much the only place I can buy all my pool stuff.

[aylad]

You can pour the bleach into the skimmer basket with the pump running, as long as there are no tabs or other chemicals in there, or you can just pour it slowly into the return stream where the water comes back from the pool from the pump. Either way, be careful not to splash it on you or the liner, and wear old clothes, no matter how careful you think you're being!

You can use pH minus to bring down your pH--but you don't list a pH reading--how high is it? You can use the stabilizer from WalMart--look at the dosing instructions on the label for your size pool, and shoot for 40 ppm or so. Add it either in the skimmer, slowly, pump running, to dissolve in the filter, or add it via old sock suspended in front of a return. It dissolves very slowly, so don't bother to add more or test for it for at least 4-5 days. And if you put it in through the filter, don't clean your filter for that period of time, because you'll just wash it all out and have to start over.

In 6000 gallons of water, each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach you add will raise your FC by 5 ppm, so you can use that as a reference to figure out how much you need to add. Is the water depth of your pool actually 48", or is that the total height of the pool wall?


Janet

[pool_newbie76]

My ph measured 8.2, which is the highest on the tester. The depth of the pool should be pretty close to 48 inches, but I dont know how close. I have it filled almost to the top of the fill line. And how many ppm do I want my FC to be at?

[aylad]

If it's reading the highest on the tester, it means it is 8.2 or higher. You can use dry acid to lower it, but it may take quite a bit.That's okay, you need it to be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Your FC level is based on your CYA, so you need a good number for your stabilizer level in order to determine where your FC should be. (See the "best guess chlorine chart" linked in my sig above for more explanation and the chart).

If you could run a set of test results, with a drop-based kit (no strips!) and post them here for us, it would be easier to help answer your questions. You definitely need to know your CYA level, though, and strips are useless for getting an accurate number.

Janet

[pool_newbie76]

CYA is Stabilizer right??

[aylad]

Yes, CYA is stabilizer (cyanuric or isocyanuric acid).

[pool_newbie76]

Ok, so the first step I need to do is to get stabilizer in my pool, then get my free chlorine in, and then ph level down??? Is that the correct order of my concerns?

[PoolDoc]

Add chlorine first. Always add chlorine first. Everything else is optional. Low pH may damage pools -- but low chlorine ALWAYS results algae and unsanitary pools.

Add 1/4 gallon doses of PLAIN 6% household bleach to maintain chlorine levels ABOVE 2 ppm 110% of the time! Once you've done that, read the muriatic acid sticky linked in my signature and go from there.