New pool owner

[PoolDoc]

Alk 400
Hardness 370

Ouch! Keep your pH low!, as in 7.2 or lower. You'll need to read the muriatic acid page linked in my signature, and then get some. Your pH is going to constantly tend to drift up.

You also may want to do a metals bucket test
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?16946
to see if you hit a home-run (high TA, high TH, AND metals).

+ Do NOT use any calcium hypochlorite based chlorine.
+ Do NOT add pH Up (soda ash, washing soda), or Alkalinity Up (baking soda)
+ Do NOT let your pH get above 7.4
+ Do use dichlor, to chlorinate (info below)
+ Do NOT add large dose of chlorine all at once.
+ If you are not on a tight budget, do get some polyquat (info below) and use it to allow you to run lower chlorine, till we work out a plan.

Your pool water is very 'twitchy', and will turn to 'milk' if you don't follow the guidelines above. If you don't also have metals, we can just lower your TA, and then you can go about things pretty much as usual. If you DO have metals (iron!) in the water, then you've got some work to do.

Ben
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+ If you need stabilizer, and have access to a Sams Club, buy their 24 pack of 1# bags of dichlor shock. Each bag will add about 7 ppm of chlorine, and about 6 ppm of stabilizer, per 10K gallons of water. Otherwise, order dichlor from Amazon:

Kem-Tek Dichlor 22 lbs

We do NOT recommend buying dichlor locally, otherwise, at least until you are an EXPERT reader of chemical labels. The chlorinating pool chemicals sold at Walmart, Kmart, Costco, and most other local stores are diluted blends, sometimes with copper and other products with bad side-effects

+ Chlorine is the strongest algaecide you can buy . . . but occasionally, you may need a different one. Almost the only alternative algaecide we recommend is polyquat -- poly [oxyethylene (dimethyliminio) ethylene (dimethyliminio) ethylene dichloride] . This product is a GOOD clarifier and a moderately good algaecide, with almost no bad side effects. We often recommend it for use when you are going on vacation, or when you need to lower your chlorine, to prevent remove stains. It has become quite difficult to purchase locally at the normal full strength 60% concentration. If you find it locally, at a 60% concentration, that's fine. But be SURE to check the chemical name. If you need to buy it online, here's an Amazon link:

Kem-Tek 311-6 Pool and Spa 60-Percent Concentrated Algaecide, 1 Quart

[PoolDoc]

note correction to polyquat paste-in . . . NOT the same as in the emailed version of the post.

[Gomez5693]

We do have access to Sam's, but it will be a couple days before we can get up there. The Chlorine and Shock that we have from Wally are both 47.6% calcium hypochlorite
I'm not sure if I saw a different bucket test or just didn't read it right; as I was filling the pool I put 3 gallons of water in a bucket with a 1/4 cup of bleach and it stayed clear for over 24 hours, I'll have to do the other way as well.
We just got out of the pool and noticed the floor and walls feel a little slimy.
Would some water softener salt dissolved in a bucket then added to the pool water help?

[PoolDoc]

We just got out of the pool and noticed the floor and walls feel a little slimy.
Would some water softener salt dissolved in a bucket then added to the pool water help?

Salt won't help. Add BLEACH tonight!

Post EXACT brand and label info from the shock, so we can figure out if you can use it, or have to flush it.

[Gomez5693]

OK, I got the Dichlor from Sam's (Sodium Dichloro-s-triazinetrione hydrated 99%) and added 5 ounces per the super chlorination instructions. Actually, I should have used 4 ounces. Anyway, current readings are Cl 5ppm, pH 7.8 and the water is clear. I still need to find the muriatic acid.

[Watermom]

Since 5ppm is the limitation of the chlorine tester in your kit, your chlorine could be 5 or higher. Use a dilution method to get a better reading. Testing Without a Good Kit

Repost after you do this.

[Gomez5693]

The last paragraph of the link talks about Phenol Red, which in my test kit is for pH?
Anyway, with the OTO yellow I ended up getting a reading of 3 at a 3:1 dilution; or 12ppm if I'm doing this right.
Note that the pool water just barely has a chlorine smell, if that is any indication at all.

[PoolDoc]

May not need muriatic.

Continued use of dichlor should drop the pH. Also, if you have algae, use double doses of dichlor till you do NOT have algae.

Ben