Yay!!!New pool!!!

[jo3ponies]

I don't have a light near the pool but being rural I get a few of those, too. I don't mind those and clean them out with no trouble. The bugs I don't like are the ones that want to take up residence in my pool....water bugs. They are too fast to catch with the net and they bite you when you're swimming. Hoping the they are gone before the weather warms back up.

[jo3ponies]

New day....new reading...new problems. I tested this morning and my Chlorine is low, 1 on the test vial. Ph is 8.5...way too high. Water is clear and inviting but I don't know if it's safe to swim at this time. What should I do next? The temps are back in the 100s and I'm ready to swim!

Over the weekend I got tired of waiting for those silly 3" tablets to dissolve and poured some bottled Clorox in (2) to raise chorine levels and shock the water bugs.

[BigDave]

Did you get the K-2006?
1ppm FC is probably too low and you should get some more bleach in there as soon as you can.
Please post a full set of reading from your K-2006 - maybe skip CH.

[jo3ponies]

Haven't gotten the K-2006 as yet but am using the 3-way (drops) test kit for right now. Sorry. I'm rural and don't make the drive to the big stores often. Will add more bleach for now and get the test kit as soon as possible. Thank you. Is it safe to swim? When I make the trip to get test kit is there anything else I should get at the same time? (since my trips are few and far between it helps to plan ahead).

[BigDave]

The K-2006 has to be ordered - you won't find it in a store.

I don't remember how it worked out with the tabs / dischlor from Sam's.

have you put any stabilizer / trichlor / dichlor in the pool? How much?

1ppm FC won't last long at CYA levels low enough that 1ppm FC is safe for swimming.

[jo3ponies]

Have ordered the K-2006 and it will arrive 7/25-7/30. Tabs are 99.9% tabs so what do I get for stabilizer and where do I get it? FC....I'm assuming (since I'm new to all this) that that is Free Chlorine and have no idea what the CYA levels are so I don't know if you're telling me Yes, it's safe for swimming or No, it's not. I'm sorry I haven't learned all the lingo yet. I've been reading as many previous posts as possible to learn as fast as I can. Please bear with me. I will have Muriatic acid by this evening and need to know how much to add for a 20' round x 48" deep vinyl pool, to lower the ph. Water is still crystal clear and very inviting and I can't wait (since temps are in the 100s today) to get in there.

[BigDave]

Have you used any of the tabs? How many.

I don't know how you get pH of 8.5 - does your test kit go that high? Is that the top of the kit?

[Watermom]

You won't be able to buy the test kit in a store. Must be ordered online only. You can find it through this link:> http://pool9.net/tk/

You will also need to buy some muriatic acid to lower your pH. Read this:> http://pool9.net/muriatic/

[jo3ponies]

Okay, watermom. Just made my first purchase on Amazon.....frightening. Estimate is 3-5 days (although there is usually an extra day or 2 since I'm rural). I added 2 Clorox gallons to pool but did not add Borax with it this time. As you probably read...my ph is 8.5 this morning, it's going to be 101 deg today and I'm dying for a swim. I'm having a friend pick me up some muriatic acid today so will have that to add by this evening to bring that ph into the right range. Awwck, the pool is so crystal clear and inviting that I want to just jump in now! Is high ph harmful?