Where to start?

[Steve #1]

Let me start by saying how happy I am that I found this great forum with such knowledgeable people willing to share information.

Background info - I've been around pools a lot my whole live but never had to deal with the chemicals and such. I've had the pool about 9 months and have been winging it and keeping things pretty much in check until a couple weeks ago when I was super busy with work and my pump died and things went south with a major algae issue. I've been using pucks and the packages of shock. I got the algae killed off but now I have super cloudy water.

After reading the info here, I'm ready to switch over to BBB. I'd been using HTH test strips but went out to Wally-World yesterday and got the HTH 5 way test kit. I just need someone to hold my hand while I do this so I don't make a bigger mess.

The pool is an older in ground with cartridge filter. It's an odd shape, and I'm bad at math, but I figure it is around 9000 gal.

Heres what the test's I just did show.

Using the 5 way kit:
Hardness - 460
Total Chlorine - 2
PH - 7.2
Alkalinity - 120
CYA - only made it about half way to the scale that starts at 100

Using the test strips
Hardness - 400
Free Chlorine - 1
PH - 7.2
Alkalinity - 180
CYA - between 130 and 300

Also, I rigged up one of the pool coolers from the how to in the equipment forum (can't find the thread now) is it OK to start using it now, or should I wait until I have the other issues worked out?

Thanks for any help.

[Sully]

Shock your pool and keep it shocked.....still cloudy , your either on the end of a bloom or just about to start another.

Keep it shocked until your water is clear, then do another test and post those numbers.

[GraceByDesign]

you need to get a better number for your CYA so you know what your shock level is. Sounds like you might have a pretty high CYA, so seems to me shocking to 20 or 25 would not be out of line. I don't know what "halfway to the scale that starts at 100" means, so until you get better numbers, that's all the advice I have!

With a TC of 2 and FC of 1, that means CC of 1, so you need to shock until CC is 0

Is the pool plaster, fiberglass or vinyl?

[Steve #1]

OK, I had a little less than 3 gal of bleach around the house (even stole the one off the washing machine ). According to BleachCalc, that should get me close. Not sure how to test for a level this high as my little test kit only goes to 5.

The pool, I believe, is plaster.

[keithw]

If your CYA is 90+ you will have to permanently maintain your CL above what your current test kits is capable of reading and shock to well above what it can test. And since you have not definite grasp on your total pool volume, bleachcacl.exe can't be considerly wholly reliable for you. I would recommend that you quickly get a test kit that will test CL levels higher than 5ppm. A dpd-fas test kit. The Taylor K-2006 is very affordable $45ish, and readily available most and pool stores. It'll test up to 20PPM.

[Steve #1]

Is it acceptable to "cut?" the pool water with distiled water to be able to use the test kit I have now untill I get a better one?

[GraceByDesign]

yes, you may use 2 or 3 parts distilled to one part pool, and multiply your result by 3 or 4, accordingly. You lose some accuracy, but it will get you closer than "well, it looks dark brown"!

This is affectionatly known on this forum as "CarlD's shot glass method"

[knarf#2]

Just curious if you can accomplish the shot gun method by reducing the number of test drops required i.e. for FC my test kit tells me to add 5 drops. What if I only add 1 or 2 drops and multiply accordingly? If this method works it eliminates a step (adding distilled water) and saves on testing liquids.

[Steve #1]

Well, knarf, sounded like a good enough idea to me so I gave it a shot to see what happened. Used 1 drop instead of 5 and it was darker than 5 which would put me at 25 so I'm probably at about 30....... or this method doesn't work.

[keithw]

Doesn't work. You have to dilute the water with distilled water. But loses accuracy. Better to get a DPD-FAS test kit that test higher than 5PPM.