Newly Registered-Lots of Problems

[crandies]

Should I start putting water in my pool. I am really lost here. We are in our 60's and do not have the strength or money to pay a pool company. I am unsure if any of my other post have gone through. I am not a computer person.

[PoolDoc]

Questions, then answers.

1. What *exactly* is the label name of the Clorox product you added to your pool?

I can't find "Clorox 3 X Concentrate" on the Clorox website. I need to find out what you've been adding to the pool. Regardless, do NOT put any more in your pool. It is not possible to have bleach that is 3X as concentrated as plain store brand 8% household bleach.

2. Is your pool vinyl, fiberglass, concrete or something else?

3. Have you drained it? If not, how full is it?

(Do NOT drain it, if you haven't done so already!)

4. Is the pump running now?

5. If it's not drained, what does the water look like, now?


OK. Answers . . . and instructions.

1. I can't offer much advice yet, till you answer the questions above. I'm rather worried about what you've put in the pool.

2. If your local Walmart carries it, please get an HTH 6-way drops test kit => http://pool9.net/tk-hth6/ But, don't use it yet.

3. Check and see if you have access to a Sams Club in your area, and if so, whether they carry the PoolBrand dichlor. I'm guessing you may not have any stabilizer in your water. If so, the dichlor is a good choice for you. http://pool9.net/sams-dichlor50/

[crandies]

The Clorox I am using is sold at Costco in a box of Three 3.78 qt (121 fl oz) . The box states "NOW CONCENTRATED 3 x 121oz = 3 x 182 oz. Sodium Hypochloride 8.25%". I did fill up what I had drained and started the pump yesterday. This morning it is raining very heavily. Thank you so much for your suggestions. When it stops raining I will purchase a better test kit and put them to use. Frustrated in Texas.

[PoolDoc]

OK, good.

But, that's just the standard bleach concentration these days -- identical to the store brand bleach at Walmart.

Do *NOT* wait for it to stop raining, to take care of your pool. For some reason, many -- maybe most? -- people seem to think that they can abandon pool care during rainy spells. This has led to the myth that rain brings algae, but it's actually the lack of care that results in algae, not the rain.

You MUST maintain appropriate chlorine levels, even when it's rainy. As I wrote on PoolSolutions.com many years ago now, "pools can be easy, but are not forgiving". If you neglect your pool, even for brief periods, you WILL end up regretting it.

[crandies]

Okay I have everything I need for now. Pool is a loverly shade of green. Pumps running. Here are my readings from the 6-way kit.
Chlorine - 0
Ph - 7.5
Alkilinity - 120 ppm
Hardness - 190 ppm
I am getting no rating at all on CYA

What next?

[crandies]

The Clorox is like the undiluted laundry detergents they make today. There is just less water in the jug and you are supposed to use less. A box of 3 are 8.29 at Costco.

[PoolDoc]

Sorry, but it's not possible -- chemically -- to have a 3x bleach (25%) concentrate using standard methods. If they tried to make it, it would break down before it arrived at the store!

This paper: http://www.powellfab.com/technical_i..._Pisarenko.pdf
describes a newly developed method of making 30% bleach that is transportable and will last up to a couple of weeks. But this is brand new technology.

To the best of my knowledge, NOBODY is selling bleach to consumers with more than 12.5% sodium hypochlorite. The industrial bleach I used buy in tanker loads was delivered within a day of manufacture, and arrived at 16 - 17% strength, though it was sold as 15%. If you spilled it on cotton rags, it would start a fire!

SO . . . I'm STILL not sure what you bought, but I AM sure it was not 24% bleach!

Please read the label and tell me what it reports, either as "X% available chlorine" or as "X% sodium hypochlorite".

[PoolDoc]

Sorry, I missed the previous post:

I am getting no rating at all on CYA
What next?

Purchase and use Sams Club dichlor if you can: http://pool9.net/sams-dichlor50/ This is undiluted dichlor (56% available chlorine) and will add 9 ppm of CYA for every 10 ppm of chlorine added.

[crandies]

It reads Sodium Hypochlorite 8.25% and available chlorine 7.85%
I do not know why it says "CONCENTRATED" right across the top of the bottle. I know very little (well okay nothing) about chemistry except not to clean your bathroom with bleach and ammonia at the same time. I did go out and brush the pool and it started raining again. It is green. the hardness is too high and my CYA shows no reading at all. Should I use the Borax (is this the stabilizer)? Or start with the bleach? Thank you.

[Pappy]

The easiest way to add CYA is the diclor PoolDoc referenced earlier. 1ppm chlorine also adds .9ppm CYA. Triclor tabs add CYA, AND lower pH. You can also get granular cyanuric acid at pool store/lowes/home depot/walmart.