Need instructions on opening a pool

[littleHeidi]

In order to kill the algae, you're going to have to raise your Cl to 10-12, and keep it there--if you let it yo-yo up and down, you're just going to have a harder time killing it. You need to test in the evening, add whatever amount of bleach is necessary to bring your Cl up to 12, test again in the morning and add whatever you need to bring it back up, and (if possible) test and add again in the afternoons. Do this until the algae dies and turns gray. YOu also need to make sure that your pump is running and that you're backwashing as necessary during the process. Do not add any Borax to your pool, your pH is too high already, but you can go ahead and add the baking soda to raise your T/A.
Good to see you too!
Janet

If I add baking soda, won't that also raise the pH? Or am I thinking of it backwards again and BORAX does that? I am backwashing and the pump has been on nonstop since yesterday. I'm out of bleach today but I'm going to get some first thing in the morning. How many jugs of bleach and boxes of baking soda do you suggest I buy? If I'm using the alkalinity option in the calculator correctly, it says I need to add 18 pounds to get up to 115 ppm. That sounds like an AWFUL lot!!

[waterbear]

If I add baking soda, won't that also raise the pH? Or am I thinking of it backwards again and BORAX does that? I am backwashing and the pump has been on nonstop since yesterday. I'm out of bleach today but I'm going to get some first thing in the morning. How many jugs of bleach and boxes of baking soda do you suggest I buy? If I'm using the alkalinity option in the calculator correctly, it says I need to add 18 pounds to get up to 115 ppm. That sounds like an AWFUL lot!!

you previusly posted that your ALK was 55 ppm. if it is still the same the directions on the Arm and Hammer baking soda box say you need to add 6 lbs per 10000 gal to get your ALK to the proper range. How big is your pool and what is your current ALk reading?

[littleHeidi]

22,000 gal IG Alk 55. I just added 8 lbs. of Baking Soda and 2 gallons of bleach. Will test in 2 hours or so and post back IF there's any change. Water is still green but most of it settled in the bottom. Too cloudy to see TO the bottom but I can make up where it starts to slope down. (Lighter shaded area than the dark green areas.) I also brushed it down again. Now I guess I just have to keep the Cl at 3 until the water clears up and vacuum out the algae. Do I have this correct so far?

[waterbear]

don't rush the Alk. wait 24 hours and then retest!. You are probably in the ballpark of where you need to be right now...What is the target alkalinity you are shooting for?
For vinyl 80-100 is fine.
IF the pool is green you need to get the Cl up to about 15 ppm and keep it there until it holds. test that every couple of hours

[littleHeidi]

don't rush the Alk. wait 24 hours and then retest!. You are probably in the ballpark of where you need to be right now...What is the target alkalinity you are shooting for?
For vinyl 80-100 is fine.
IF the pool is green you need to get the Cl up to about 15 ppm and keep it there until it holds. test that every couple of hours

I already added the baking soda per Janet's instructions. She's never let me down yet. I only added half of what the calculator told me to, just in case. I thought the target alk was 120 because of the post rom our dear Ben on lowering alk.



22,000 vinyl inground Greensboro, NC

[waterbear]

I already added the baking soda per Janet's instructions. She's never let me down yet. I only added half of what the calculator told me to, just in case. I thought the target alk was 120 because of the post rom our dear Ben on lowering alk.



22,000 vinyl inground Greensboro, NC

that was right on the money!. I think you will find that if you give it 24 hours and retest you will be in the ballpark like I said before

[littleHeidi]

Yay! I think I'm getting the hang of this. I hate that I almost had a handle on it last year and now have forgotten it all. Isn't there a chart somewhere on what the different chems. do? for example:

Borax- raises alk along with pH
Bak Soda- raises JUST the pH
Muriatic Acid- lowers alk and pH etc, etc. Did I get that right?

[waterbear]

Check out the sister website http://www.poolsolutions.com
Lots of info on there. read everthing on it that you can access!

[littleHeidi]

When I got up this morning the pool looked like it had quite a few patches of light foam. I emptied the skimmer basket and backwashed. The water's still too cloudy to see to the bottom. (How long will it take until THAT clears up?) I tested the cl and it's FINALLY high enough to kill of the algae!!! The pH is still a little high too but I'm guessing that's because of the bleach I put in last night. My alk is now at 110!!! YAY!!!! Thankfully, it's supposed to be cloudy today so I don't have to worry too much about the sun eating up all my cl while I'm gone. As soon as we get back, I"m going to test again to see if I need my bleach and keep an eye on the pH. Thanks so much to all of you for helping me!

[littleHeidi]

I've been adding bleach like a fiend when it needs it to keep it at 3. The water is still light green and cloudy. How many more days should I keep this up until it finally clears? Or does that mean there's another problem I should be dealing with? (ie should I add clarifier at this point?)