Ugh! Still murky after a couple weeks

[mikora7]

Dh is on board ~ he'll do whatever you tell us to do. I cannot give you specific numbers for any of the water tests except for the test I had done at the pool store a week ago. (A new test kit is in transit.)

Since my original post, we have been keeping the chlorine levels high, higher than our current test kit can measure. It dropped down into the swimming range long enough for the kids to swim and then I shocked it again using the remaining bag of shock that we had. Since then I have been adding laundry bleach to keep it high. Today it is cloudy (can't see the bottom at all) but definitely looking clearer ~ no green today. The ph test came out just a smidge dark than 7.2 but definitely not as high as 7.5.

Our temps have been in the upper 80's and for the next few days will be soaring back into the mid-90's. We did add stabilizer (the pool store indicated it was at 25 and the range was 30-150?) and have had no problem keeping the chlorine levels up since. So where do we go from here? The test kit won't arrive for possibly another week so I'm kind of flying in the dark. Will it clear without using a clarifier? The filter is not showing any green anymore after running for a few hours.

One more thing: I did fill out the pool chart entry form as requested and submitted it but I'm afraid I wasn't able to find any information on the pump. It's the standard pump that came with the pool when we bought it this spring.

[PoolDoc]

Get a cheap OTO kit, and use it. An OTO kit is ALWAYS a good back up.

Keep your chlorine in the DARK yellow range all the time, till you get a K2006.

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+ 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.)

[Spensar]

mikora7, bit of moral support for you. When I started with the pool, I didn't really get it until I thought of the algae as weed. If you pick the top off a weed in your lawn, but leave the roots and some of the plant, it will grow back. Same with killing off algae, if you back off the chlorine without the algae being dead, dead, dead, it will bounce back. To quote PoolDoc "If you don't have adequate chlorine in your pool . . . NOTHING else is going to go right."

Green to cloudy is the normal progression, so you are getting there, the key is to not let the chlorine level come down. I opened my pool really late this year, and it was dark green with water bugs and a blooming eco system. Adjusted the ph, pounded it with chlorine, and it was clear in a few days. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes less.

[mikora7]

Thanks Spensar.

Today we can see three of the four steps on the ladder so we are making progress, but I didn't realize it would take so much time to clear. Since I've started working on it aggressively last week the chlorine has not dropped below the maximum safe swimming zone on my test kit (3 on the hth oto chlorine test) and was at 5 this morning. Is this a good range to keep?

I do have another question: since we can't see anything at the bottom of the pool since we can't see the bottom, how do I know if I should be vacuuming it? Should I be vacuuming and hoping I'm getting stuff up and out? Or wait until stuff settles further so we can see better?

[PoolDoc]

how do I know if I should be vacuuming it? Should I be vacuuming and hoping I'm getting stuff up and out? Or wait until stuff settles further so we can see better?

+ If you can vacuum to your skimmer, then just systematically cover the bottom of the pool . . . and clean the cartridge after.

+ The correct chlorine level is determined by your CYA level -- do you know what that value is?

+ The OEM cartridges in Intex / Summer Escapes / etc. filters are not high quality. The Intex manuals recommend replacing them completely every 2 weeks. A BETTER option is to replace them permanently with 2 - 3 Unicel cartridges, and rotating them through a cleaning solution. Properly maintained, the Unicel cartridges will last all season AND will filter better. So even though they cost more per cartridge, they cost less per season! Learn to maintain them, by reading this post, Cleaning-your-Cartridge-Filter-wiithout-Damaging-It!

But, purchasing them is tricky. Amazon does not consistently stock them, and some of the 3rd party sellers are charging high prices and/or high shipping. So, check the Amazon link, but watch out for the prices and shipping costs.

It would be nice if you could just buy them elsewhere, but many of the online pool stores are listing Pleatco or other Asian made low quality filters, as "Unicel C-4607 type" or "fits Unicel C-4607". So shop carefully!

Here are the Amazon links:

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

[mikora7]

Thank you for your quick reply. We will discuss this as I think we only have one more filter remaining in the shed to get through this summer. Normally we are closing the pool up by mid-September but with the extreme heat this summer I do think it'll be up a bit longer. By the way, this morning I could see the bottom when up close to the pool and the kids are very excited as they can see progress as well. Thanks again!

[PoolDoc]

Keep in mind, that if you get (3) Unicels now, and clean them properly (read the guide!), they should ALSO last you through next seeason.