jtran69's New Pool

[jtran69]

Hi,

I'm also new and trying to take care of an Intex above ground pool, 12x24ft 52in, using salt water system filtration.
After adding salt from HomeDepot, it's been running for 2 weeks now -- 5 parts test stick is showing low in chlorine and free chlorine.
Pump capacity rating is 2000 gal/hr and it usually runs for 4 hours per day. Beside adding salt, I also added HTH Salt Saver Cell.
HOW CAN I BRING THE CHLORINE AND FREE CHLORINE LEVEL TO NORMAL?

[jtran69]

Anyone available to help me on this low chlorine issue in salt water?

Is the cell not working properly or do I need to run the pump longer than 4 hours/day?
Can I add chlorine to reach normal level?

Any comment is appreciated.

[PoolDoc]

Use bleach to get your pool going; there's a sticky on Intex start-up in the section I'm moving this thread to.

SWCG's (Salt Water Chlorine Generator) really only work well when everything is up to par; when it's not, you need to run manually.

[jtran69]

I see the thread, "Super Simple Pool Chemistry Recipe", and will follow it right away when I get home tonight.
The pool had been in that condition for more than 2 weeks and I'm hoping that it's not too late to start the recipe.
Ths much!

[jtran69]

I bought some bleach and borax at Walmart.
It does not have dichlor but has trichlor.
Adding bleach to pool water in a bucket did not change color so I poured about 1.5 gal in the pool.

Can I substitute HTH® Chlorinating Tablets (trichlor) f from Walmart for dichlor?
Here's the composition.
TRICHLORO-S-TRIAZINETRIONE 87-90-1 94.5 -
ZINC SULFATE 7446-19-7 3.5 -
Aluminum Sulfate 17927-65-0 1.5


please add this to my previous thread.
Homedepot has Pool Time 25 lb. 3 in. Stabilized Chlorinator Tablets having Trichloro-s-triazinetrione 87-90-1 > 99 %
Will this work same as dichlor since I can't get the real dichlor right away?
HOw about Pool Shop 4-Way Pool Test Kit from Homedepot while waiting for K2006 kit?

[PoolDoc]

The 4way OTO kit (really, 2 way!) is OK for now. Do NOT get either the of the tablets. The HTH tablets are a mess and 25lbs of trichlor is too much for your pool, at the end of the season -- you'll end up with a bunch of REALLY stinky tablets that you have to use up next spring.

Use bleach instead, till you can get some dichlor. And, then use bleach + dichlor occasionally, once your stabilizer level is up. Can't you get into a nearby Sams on a guest pass or go with a friend? The bagged dichlor keeps well.

[jtran69]

After 3 days of bleaching the pool, I noticed that the slipperiness on the side of the pool is hardly noticeable which is a huge turn around.

I've managed to find Kem-Tek dichlor at OSH nearby vs. Sam's Club at 50 miles away. Early afternoon, Poolshop test kit show that chlorine<0.6 and pH=7.6. Soon I added 1 dose (1.5cup) of dichlor, 1 dose of borax, and 4 doses of bleach to the pool while setting the pump to run for 3 hours. At 10pm, the good news was chlorine=3.0 and pH=7.6 and I was feeling a big relieve.

Please let me know what to do to continue improving the water quality.

Also my cat fish vac is not holding the charge long enough to clean the bottom of the pool. Is there such a filtering attachment between the brush head and the hose that I can use while waiting for the cat fish vac to charge?

Thanks much!

[jtran69]

What are your thought about adding a Intex Krystal Clear 1,600 Gallon Sand Filter ($129 at Walmart) in series to my existing pump+filter setup? I was thinking that in long term that it cost about the same for 10 filter cartridges.

[PoolDoc]

In series? No.
In parallel? OK, but you have to do extra piping. Keep in mind the cartridge pumps won't drive a sand filter, and putting pumps in series is hydraulically tricky.

[jtran69]

On the 5th day, Poolshop test kit shows that total chlorine=3.0 and pH=7.6
Should I continue bleaching, dichloring, and boraxing for 2 more days?