Yet another "how much bleach" question

[SecondMonkey]

I have a 4,000 gallon AG pool that I set up about 3 weeks ago. I haven't had time to get all the various chlorine supplies I need, so right now it's full of nothing but green tap water. I have ordered some supplies but they won't be here for at least a week.

Anyway, today I scrubbed the sides and bottom so all the green stuff is suspended. How many gallons of 6% bleach should I add to shock it? I don't have any kind of test kit yet...

[rferrel1]

Okay - I'm a bit of a newbie - but for what it's worth - if all you've got is tap water, then you have NO CYA (cyanuric acid or stabilizer) so whatever chlorine you put in will not hang around for long. Based on going for a shock of 10ppm - you can start with 1 gal of Bleach but remember it's not going to last long with stabilizer and you need to keep it there until you kill all the algae. Get some CYA and/or some stabilized chlorine pucks and a floater. Got to www.poolsolutions.com and READ everything. That will at least get you started.

You also need to get a decent test kit - info about that at poolsolutions.com too. I'm sure you'll get more knowledgeable information if you just hang around for a while.

[dawndenise]

Hi SecondMonkey,
I am also a newbie, but at 2 months worth of pool ownership, am getting less "new" each day. rferral1 has given you some good starting tips.

If you truly have only tap water in your pool these last 3 weeks, then you need to get chlorine in there NOW, about .7 gallons of 6% bleach. Whatever chlorine you had in your tap water initially is long gone, as evidenced by your green water color.

Chlorine is added using plain, unscented bleach - no flower scent, no rain scent, just plain bleach. Most is either 5.25% or 6%, check the label, although generic brands can be lower strength. Still OK to use, but it will make a difference how much you put in. A Bleach Calculator is posted as a sticky at the top of the "Testing and Adjusting Water Chemistry" section.

I would go out and buy a supply of bleach and at least a basic testing kit. Wal-mart, or a similar store, usually has a $12-$15 kit that will test for pH, chlorine, CYA (stabilizer/conditioner), alkalinity, and hardness. Skip any kit that has test strips, you want a drops-based kit.

Test your pool water and post your numbers back here and everyone can then help you get that pool back to blue! Also let us know what "supplies" you've ordered and are considering using.