Have a small above ground pool, please help

[rastoma]

DOH! Thanks!! No, I'm much more used to U.S. measurements

[rastoma]

I added 6% bleach, best guess amount for shock yesterday.

Using shot glass method, CL is still at 10-11. I added the same amount this morning for shock level, tested this evening and no change in CL.

I also added some borax yesterday, PH is about 7.5 now up from almost 7.0.

Alkalinity has risen to 200ppm.

stablizer is still at 50. No hardness detected.

Should I keep adding bleach? How long should it take the shock to run the CL down?

The water looks a little better. It wasn't super cloudy before, just slightly. Now it's just somewhat hazy.. hard to explain... it's just not sparkling clear like it should be and chlorine is still way high and you can still smell chlorine.

Have been running the filter for 12-14 hours a day.

[medvampire]

With out a free chlorine test its hard to tell. I would continue to run at shock levels untill the pool clears. The strong chlorine smell may be because of combined chlorine. I would run the filter as much as posable cleaning the filter as needed. If you have a pool store see if you can get the water tested. While you are there check to see if they have a free chlorine test kit. Back in the spring I found a kit that was tablet based for about $6 for 20 test. You can use the tablet for free chlorine and OTO for total chlorine. I used that method for a month before I got a better test kit.
Steve

[rastoma]

YEAH!!!!!

Chlorine finally dropped!!

Still a little guess here since my test kit doesn't specifically do FC.

But based on what the test called just CL showed before I started using bleach, it's always been at 10+. Been putting bleach in a best guess shock levels (maybe even a little more) for the last 3 days and this morning CL shows 0, pefectly clear after adding the required 5 drops of OTO to the vial.

I have a 6 way test strip (which I know isn't very accurate but it's close to the numbers for everything compared to my drop tests) and it has a CL and FC reading and FC shows OK/LOW and it too shows CL at 0 or LOW/NONE.

been putting borax in for about a week and alkalinity got pretty high but it's fallen down to 150ppm and PH had been low but is now up to 7.8. I know PH is a little high. Should I worry about dropping it now or do you think it would be ok to let it go a day or so and see if it falls on it's own?

Stabalizer is at 60 now (was 50 previously). Is this too high? And I haven't added anything but bleach and borax. I thought stablizer had to be the only chemical you had to buy a pool store? How did it raise?

So do I need to still add bleach and keep CL at a certain level? I've been too busy reading on how to drop CL from the 10+ range that I need to study on if CL needs to stay 0 and FC needs to be in an acceptible range (have to go back and look what that range is).

Water look very good, but not sparkling still. It's not hazy anymore but seems to lose a little clarity, which I'm judging from looking at the print on the bottom of the liner. Maybe it's my eyes

But numbers look better, yes?

[rastoma]

I hope this thread doesn't get lost since it's two pages.

[aylad]

I would stop adding the Borax and give the pool a couple of days for everything to "settle out" and then retest....7.8 is a little high but not enough to cause you any problems.

Stabilizer does have to be added separately...the difference in readings is probably due to difference in testing (different light, different background, letting the water/reagent sit a different length of time, etc.). It is a very subjective test and only really gives you a ballpark, anyway. If you haven't added any more, then just go with 50-60, and that will give you an idea of where your chlorine needs to be. At 60, keep your Chlorine at minimum of 3 and max of 6. You do need to keep adding bleach to keep it at that level--don't let it get below 3.

Janet

[rastoma]

Great, thanks for the continued advice everyone.