Necessary Chemicals for Maintaining Intex-Style Pool?

[dchannes]

Thank you so much!
I don't have at pressure gauge on the pump.
There HAS been some clearing in the last 2 days. I can hold the skimmer to the bottom and still see the blue outline of it.
Btw, the pool has been closed for 4 days now and until further notice or until I get this thing figured out!
And I rinsed the filter about 30 minutes ago and white water DID come out of it.

So I guess right now, until I acquire the proper stuff, I need to just keep it from getting worse.
The hth 1" Trichlor tabs don't have the in-active ingredients listed anywhere on the bottle. I called them but they were closed...which is weird. It says they are open 8 to 10pm eastern time and it's only 7pm there now.

Again, thanks. And I will continue my studying. I printed out bunch of stuff on the Intex pools from Ben. I'll post again tomorrow.

[Watermom]

Also, please read the using muriatic acid safely page linked in Janet's signature above.

You should also get a gauge on your filter. They are cheap. When you buy it, also get some Teflon tape.

Adding my welcome as well!

[dchannes]

Yes Ma'am! I WILL be careful! It is useful, but dangerous. I've used muriatic acid before and the gas is dangerous to breathe as well as the liquid. It can really hurt you. I appreciate the warning. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Where do I put the gauge? At the bottom of the filter canister there is an 3/4" threaded outlet. But it's before the pump, so I assume it could only measure suction. After the pump, there's a flex hose, 1 1/2" in diameter that comes up and outlets into the pool. To put a gauge there would require some plumbing modification but I guess I could figure that out. Is that where it needs to go?

Thanks for the welcome! I never thought about this before now, but I'm beginning to realize that this pool game is a serious hobby. Actually, MORE than a hobby for you all. What? A passion? I'm glad it is. I appreciate the tiresome help.

[dchannes]

Oh, another thing, I can't navigate to anything in here under anybody's signature. It won't let met me!

[aylad]

There should be a place for a pressure gauge--you shouldn't have to do any modifications to make it work. Do you still have the directions for the pump/filter?

You'll be able to follow the links in the sigs right now by logging out and then accessing them from a post either Watermom, Ben, or I have made in any thread. Once Ben upgrades your registration, though, you'll be able to follow them without logging out. It's a temporary inconvenience, but part of a system Ben has put in place to discourage spammers/hackers from the forum. We're trying to keep this as safe a place as possible.

Did you try the bucket testing on your water to see about removing the calcium?

Janet

[dchannes]

My line of work for many years was housing construction. Everything from the foundation on up including electrical and plumbing. I also has worked as a sales clerk in a couple different plumbing supply stores. I wish I could post a picture link to show you the pump. My dear wife has misplaced the directions for the pump. However, I have closely inspected the unit and there is no visible threaded port to accept a pressure gauge. That said, I DO think I can find the parts necessary to install on inline on outflow side of the pump.

Mdw said she remembers reading that the pump is rated at 1000 gal/min.

I vacuumed the pool today and had to rinse the filter about 6 times. That's the first good vacuuming it's had. The water was almost totally clear when I started but in the process stuff got stirred up and it's cloudy again. I put a cleaned filter in and have the pump running.

I've have the chlorine level today at (according to the 6-way hth), between the 3/6 and 5/10. I super shocked it yesterday with the hth cal-hypo and put 4 1'' tablets in the filter basket. I added 2 1" tabs an hour ago the others were gone. I'm letting the kids get in later to keep things stirred up and will clean the filter after. I plan to then let the pump run til bed time and in the morning vacuum again.

You guys have given me hope about this 4600 gals of water. I don't have the borax yet. We live 12 miles from Walmart and don't get to town everyday.

The pH is hovering at 7.2 But the hardness is 350. I checked the water right out of the tap and it was 310. I thought that was strange. I read this was ok for vinyl pools.

My thought was to keep the TC high until I get the pool clean then back off. You think that's okay?

My house is campaign headquarters right now for a friend who is running for Congress and it's crazy here.
Thanks for the help.

David

[aylad]

The cal-hypo is probably what raised your hardness. With it that high, I wouldn't use any more cal-hypo, because of the milky water problms it can cause. The tabs will eventually add CYA, but it's going to take a long time--you might want to consider adding CYA (stabilizer) separately so that your chlorine will be better protected from the sun. (WalMart sells it in the spa section--check the ingredient label--you're looking for cyanuric or isocyanuric acid).

A pH of 7.2 is okay for now, just make sure the trichlor doesn't drive it down. You're not using a lot of it, though, so I don't think it'll be a problem for you. If this were my pool, I would pick up a few gallons of plain, unscented ultra bleach while you're at WalMart and use that for shocking, rather than the Cal-hypo. Your plan to keep the TC high for now is good.

What is your TA? Sometimes, if the milkiness is due to calcium, bringing the TA down a bit will help, if it's high....

Janet

[dchannes]

Dern. I didn't check the TA today but on a whim, my instincts told to put 1/2 cup of muriatic in the water... so I did. I will stop the cal-hypo. Tomorrow I will to town and get the CYA and 20 mule team borax. Thanks, Janet. I can't imagine how tedious this must be for you. This is an art form apparently!

[dchannes]

OK, I went to Walmart and the only product I could find that had cyanuric acid in it was a 4lb bag of "hth 3-in-1 startup" for salt pools. The ingredients list is as follows:
1,3,5-TRIAZINE-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-TRIONE (Cyanuric acid) 77%
Hexametaphosphate - 17%
Aluminum Sulfate - 5%
MAGNESIUM CARBONATE - 1%

I also got the @0 Mule Team Borax and have the liquid bleach for shock. However, I did see some straight trichlor shock, but I didn't buy it yet.

The readings are: TC: 1-2, pH: 7.2, TA: 290, TH: 360, CYA: still see the eye clearly.

Any suggestions?