New User First Test - Help

[psteward]

I have a 20x40 vinyl pool ~32000 gal. Sand filter. Pump 24x7

Waiting for test kit I dumped MANY gals of bleach. 2 2lb boxes of Borax and 8 lbs of Stabilizer.

5/22 First Test
FC .5
CC 2
pH 7.2 Hard to be sure
Alk 30
Cal 50
Cya <20
Temp 70
Added: Gallons and gallons of bleach
8 lbs of stabilizer
Using Smart Sticks (Sanitizer) in skimmers. (Trichloro-s-triazinetrione)
Rained .6in the 23rd

5/25 Last Test
FC 0
CC 0
pH 7.2
Alk 90
Cal 160
Cya 40
Temp 76
I intend to add 4 more gallons of bleach tonight.
Water is cloudy I can just see the drain in the 8' end.

Questions:
How do I get the Chlorine up?
I would like to store the test kit in an outside closet. Will heat hurt the kit?
I would like to continue using Sanitizer tabs in my skimmers. What should I use?

Thanks for your help

[duraleigh]

Good work on running your pump 24/7...that's a big help. Backwash when necessary.

Double your Cl input tonight...8 gal is barely enough to bring you to shock level. 9 would be better...gallons, not jugs. Tomorrow AM, test again and bring your Cl back up to 15-17ppm. Repeat process 'til your water clears...bringing your Cl up to at least 15 each time. This will clear your water but if you tiptoe up to it by adding 4 gal here and there, you will fight cloudy water for a long time.

Once your Cl holds with little loss overnight (say 2ppm) let your Cl drift down to around 3-6ppm and keep it there by adding Cl daily or as needed.

Don't store the test kit outside. Nothing good will come from that except some minor convenience in exchange for replacing your chemicals much sooner than you want.

Tabs will continue to add CYA to your water....convenient now but you'll pay a price later....too much CYA that you can't get rid of. If you just can't stand to use bleach, you could get by this Summer on Cal Hypo but your calcium levels will eventually become excessive and cause you further problems.

Remember, get that Cl in there tonight!!

[psteward]

Thanks for the help. I actually added 7.5 gals of bleach and this morning the FC was 2 and the CC was 1.
I added a heaping (not level) scoop of the powder, is this correct?

Also, with my size pool should I add a gallon of bleach every night, and always shock with eight gallons of bleach once a week? I don't know where the levels shoud be, say at 3:00pm when the pool would usually be used.

I'm paying $2 a gallon for bleach at WM. Any advice on finding a less expensive way to do this?

[duraleigh]

Thanks for the help. I actually added 7.5 gals of bleach and this morning the FC was 2 and the CC was 1.

I added a heaping (not level) scoop of the powder, is this correct?

What kind of powder?

Also, with my size pool should I add a gallon of bleach every night, and always shock with eight gallons of bleach once a week? I don't know where the levels shoud be, say at 3:00pm when the pool would usually be used.

Reread my info above on Cl. It tells you normal levels and where to keep your Cl while your clearing your pool

I'm paying $2 a gallon for bleach at WM. Any advice on finding a less expensive way to do this?

Nope. it's a lot cheaper than going to the pool store

[psteward]

Sorry, Dave - not use to this yet.
In my ps234 test kit I add a scoop of powder to the pool water then add drops of solution to determine free chlorine. The instructions say add a scoop. My question is level scoop, heaping scoop, does it matter?

[duraleigh]

Ok, I gotcha' now. I couldn't make the connection. Short answer is it doesn't matter much.

I use a level scoop simply by tapping it on the side of the jar as I take it out. It's one of the few tests where absolute accuracy is not as critical. That said, I try to use the same amount each time for consistency.

Does the Cl level you're shooting for make sense? Post again if it doesn't connect and everyone here will help you get it right.

Most importantly, how does your water look?

[psteward]

I thought I was clear on what I wanted untill I read some other posts. What I think I need from an expert to get me started is more of what your first reply did for me.
I think what you said was to shoch with 9 gals and get it up to 15.
If it is 13 in the morning, let it drift down to 3 or 4.
Then??
Add bleach nightly to keep it there?
When to shock again? Or how often to shock
Should I run a higher Ph and stabilizer to help keep the pool balanced.

As you see I don't know very mush yet. Thanks for your help

[duraleigh]

P,

I believe everything to be fine in your pool except for Chlorine. It's a consumable (pH, Alk, Ch, and CYA generally are not). It is consumed by organics in your water or sunlight....you can't do anything about the sunlight...(you're CYA level helps protect it from the Sun but it still gets some of it.)

Your goal is to get the organics sterilized and out of your pool. A high Cl level (shock value) will do that for you.

So, bringing your Cl up into the 15 range is "shock" level. You should try to keep it there until your water clears. To protect from loss of the Sun (to an extent) it is most effective to add Cl after dark....saving some bucks. However, the most effective idea, would be to add it during the day as well....speeding up the process but perhaps wasting some money.


So, if you bring your Cl up to 15ppm at dusk, check it again before you go to bed if you can and add enough to bring it back up to 15pp. Next morning, test again and add enough to bring it right back to 15ppm. You are not only killing bugs, but you are ridding your pool of the CC's that showed up when you tested....another indicator of "bugs" in the water.

Do this 'til your water looks really good....vacuuming and filtering the whole time. Once your water is satisfactory, let your Cl drift down on it's own (may take a few days) and then simply add enough every now and then to keep it in the 3-6ppm range. You will soon discover how frequently you need to do this (Ben says, "Listen to your pool") and you probably will stop testing daily 'cause you know what it's going to be.

You'll need the "powder test for Cl over the next few days cause you're testing for high levels of Cl and looking for CC.

When your water is nice, you can drop back to using the Cl test combined with the pH test (it's the S-200) because it's easier, quicker and you need to keep a close watch on your pH (7.2 - 7.8)

Lastly, leave all your other results right where they are....you're fine. Focus on your Cl and you'll have great water before you know it.

Put a tight lid on those "Smart Sticks" and put 'em up. They may help you when you go on vacation. More on that after your water is where you want it.

That's the longest post I think I've ever made....hope you get something out of it.

[psteward]

Thanks for all the help. The water looks great.
I'm now steady Ph - 7.2, cya - 40, alk - 90.
cl went 10 - 5.5 - 2.5 - 1.5 - 1.5 in the last 5 days with 0 fc.
The last 2 days I've added .75 gals and 1.5 gals to try and get the cl to 3.
Should I shock again, or keep increasing the dose to raise the cl to 3

[duraleigh]

As long as your water looks good, simply maintain your Cl level around 3-6ppm. You will soon find that you may use a gallon a day or so of Cl to keep that range. Don't let it slip.

Only need to shock the rest of the summer is if you smell a lot of Cl around your pool....that'll indicate the presence of CC's and the shocking will get them out.

Nice work!