ps234 first results...looking ugly

[vinouspleasure]

fc .5
cc 0
tc .5
ph 7.2
alk 40
cal 120
cya 0

28,300 gallon ig gunite pool
where should I start? water actually looks pretty clear, brown stains along rim of pool, steps and bottom.

thanks,
jd

[prh129]

You could start by adding some bleach to put you around 3 ppm. If you haven't downloaded the BleachCalc program yet it is here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~mwsmith70...achCalc262.exe

Next, add some stabilizer either through the skimmer or in a sock hanging in front of the return jet. This will take several days to dissolve and the BleachCalc program should give you an idea of how much you will need. Shoot for 30 ppm to start.

You could also add some baking soda to bring up your alk to the 80-125 range. It looks like for 25000 gallons (a little less than what you have) you would need 14 lbs to move the alkalinity up by 40 ppm. Start with about 10 lbs and see where that gets you then adjust accordingly.

Overall though, not that ugly.

Peter

[vinouspleasure]

thanks!

- should I let the kids swim in it as is?
- will raising the chlorine help with the brown stains?
- should I do it in the order you list, wait to get the right chemistry and then move to the next step?

[prh129]

I don't see any reason not to let the kids swim. You can add the bleach in when they are done.

I would try brushing the stains after you add the chlorine to loosen up as much as possible and let the chlorine do its thing. Keep the chlorine level up and keep brushing if that looks like it is being effective. You can also look in the Stains threads for more info on what to do. If you don't see what you need, then post a question in that thread.

The baking soda you can also add after the kids are done swimming. The CYA you can do right away if you want. No need to do this in steps. The baking soda will dissolve quickly, the CYA will dissolve slowly.

Peter

[waterbear]

The brown staining might be iron...easy way to test. Hold a vitamin C tablet on the stain and see if it disappears...If so report back your findings. If not the stains probably are not iron so there are other things that you can try. If they are organic in nature then chlorine might do the trick.