1st time pool owner

[Watermom]

Yes, go ahead and add more chlorine.

Also, your ph is too low. Any readings below 7.0 are acidic and can damage your pool. Since most testers only register down to 6.8, your ph could actually be much lower than that. Add some 20 Mule Team Borax (from laundry aisle at Walmart) slowly into the skimmer, breaking up any clumps. This will raise your ph. I would probably start with 1/3 of the box. Then, wait 3 or 4 hours, and retest ph. Then, if it is still below 7.2, add some more. It may take several doses of Borax to bring you into range. (Anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is good, but while you are fighting algae, on the lower end of the range is best.)

Ignore the advice to not do anything but chlorine right now. It is CRITICAL that you get that ph level up ASAP. It is ok to add Borax and also chlorine now. But, don't add anything but those two things for now.
By the way, if the pool store tests your water until you get a good kit, that is ok, but don't buy anything unless you have advice from here that you need it. Pool stores often sell you stuff you don't need -- cuz they are trying to make money, of course!

Keep us posted how things are going.

[hamiltonmike]

well i added 10 litres of chlorine(10.3%) once the sun went down. ok, so borax is the equivelant of the chem i have called ph^ i will assume. right now i have quite a bit of ph^ left so first thing tomorrow i will go and buy a proper water testing kit and add ph^ until i reach 7.2-7.8(lower the better )

will i add the ph^ into the skimmer as well?
i was told by the "pro" to slowly pour it in front of the jet as i would chlorine?
the 6.8 reading should be correct as i took the water to the pool shoppe to be tested before i posted.

i can post a few pictures if that will help at all

i really REALLY appreciate the help


mike

[Watermom]

You can either pour it in the skimmer or in front of a return jet. The pool store may or may not have a system that has a ph scale that differentiates between 6.8 or lower. Many don't go lower than that. Hopefully, it is 6.8 and not lower.

The key to getting rid of algae is to sustain the high chlorine levels and not let it yo-yo up and down. It is best if you can test it at least twice a day and three times is even better and each time dose it back up with chlorine. Since you say that your cya level is around 20, you'll want to try and keep your chlorine at about 12ppm.

Glad to help. Keep us posted how it is going.

[CarlD]

pH Up (I assume that's what you mean by pH^) is sodium carbonate and will raise BOTH your pH and your total alkalinity.

Watermom suggested 20 Mule Team Borax because this will raise pH but not Total Alk.

BTW, when the pool store sells you the pH^ for some insane price, it's hard to believe it's the same chemical as Arm&Hammer Washing Soda (Not baking soda, but Washing Soda--in the yellow, not orange box)

And Total Alkalinity raiser is nothing but very, VERY expensive baking soda.

You will find that if one of the moderators contradicts another, that the contradictor is ALWAYS correct and saw something the contradictee missed or didn't know.

Edit: Let me be really clear about this: We mods trust each other completely, so when Watermom (Lisa) corrected me, my immediate response was "Oh! Lisa saw something I missed. Great! HamiltonMike will get the best advice that way!"

[hamiltonmike]

well i checked 2 walmarts and they only 2 way testers so i went to pioneer pools and bought what i thout was a 5 way tester but when i got home noticed it was 5 chemicals but only 4 tests; chlorine,ph,alk,acidity.

will this do for the time being while i order a proper kit or should i go and buy the 2006c for 119.99 :O

i got borax and bleach but couldnt find laundry soda at walmarts or sobeys grocery store


i tested the water this morning and got

chlorine 3+(test only goes to 3)

alk 80

ph just a shade lighter than 7.2 but darker than 6.8(if that makes sense)

so i added roughly a 1/4 of the box of borax to the skimmer

pool isnt looking much different than the past few days. the only time i noticed a change was after the initial shock(10l) but ive got a few more weeks until the temps are swimmable so hopefully it will be good to go by then

[chem geek]

BBB for bleach, borax and baking soda does not mean that you will be using all 3 of these chemicals on a regular basis. Bleach (or chlorinating liquid) is the primary product you will use regularly, adding it every day or two unless you have a pool cover in which case you might be able to add it twice a week. The Borax is used to raise pH and in your case is needed because your pH is low, but long-term you probably won't use it very often. The baking soda you may or may not need over time. BBB is more of a philosophy for maintaining your pool simply using store-bought chemicals when cheaper than pool store chemicals and using a good test kit to know what's going on in your pool.

You can get a Taylor K-2006 test kit at a good online price here (the "C" version you refer to is larger in size so is more expensive, but you can get that for a better price here) or the TF-100 you can get here with the latter kit having more volume of reagents so is more comparably priced per test. A comparison of these two kits is in this post.

Use The Pool Calculator to calculate dosages for adjustment. You usually add 1/2 or 2/3rds the amount and then retest in an hour so that you don't overshoot -- at least until you get comfortable with doing these adjustments.

[polyvue]

well i checked 2 walmarts and they only 2 way testers so i went to pioneer pools and bought what i thout was a 5 way tester but when i got home noticed it was 5 chemicals but only 4 tests; chlorine,ph,alk,acidity.

will this do for the time being while i order a proper kit or should i go and buy the 2006c for 119.99 :O

If you are keen on purchasing a K-2006C you should know that with typical once-a-week testing you're likely to have some of these 2 oz. reagents (especially some of the dye indicators) for a number of years. You're more likely to run through R-0010 Calcium Buffer, R-0013 CYA reagent and FAS-DPD Chlorine components (R-0871 and R-0870) in a short time.

Best pricing (exclusive of shipping) for the 2 oz. reagent kit:

Amatoind, Lincoln Aquatics, PoolCenter (all less than $100)

[Watermom]

While it is green, keep shocking the pool. A lot of people will shock the pool and then not add any more bleach until the chlorine level drops way down. This won't get rid of algae. You have to sustain the high cl reading to get rid of algae. Try and test at least twice (and three times is better) per day.

To make your test kit be able to test higher until you get a better kit, you can use a dilution method. Take one part pool water, and add an equal part of distilled water. Take some of this and fill your test vial. Then, multiply your test result by 2. If you need to go higher, mix one part pool water and 2 parts distilled water together. Test as normal and then multiply the result by 3. Etc. This dilution method is not as accurate as a better testkit will do, but it will do in a pinch until you get a better kit and will help you figure out how much bleach to add when you test to get back up to shock level.

[aylad]

And just to make sure that it doesn't get missed in the ton of information you're trying to process right now, don't worry about the washing soda--with the numbers you have, you don't need it.

Stay the course that Watermom, Carl, and Polyvue laid out for you---now that your pH is up into the 7.? range, concentrate on the chlorine and clear up the green. Once you do that, you'll find that your numbers are actually pretty good and it will just be a matter of maintenance from there. Keep the filter running, keep brushing daily, backwash as needed when your pressure starts to rise on your filter, keep the chlorine up, and it'll get there!!

Janet

[hamiltonmike]

i appreciate all of this info more than you can imagine. much more informative than the pool people.

i have been testing 3 times a day and keeping my ph at 7.2 or a bit above.


the distilled water is a good little tip as i have been scratching my head about my meter only reading up to 4ppm. i have been making sure that it is at least 4 or a bit more yellow. i will try the distilled water trick and see hoe that goes.


my alkalinity is staying right around 80-90ppm


today for the first time since i took the cover off i can see the bottom no problem. it is still a bit cloudy but definitly strides in the right direction!!!!(thanks to all of you )


i am thinking that the brushing the bottom is maybe why the pool stayed so cloudy for days?? i did not brush the pool and stir up the dirt yesterday and today it is much better!

should i vacuum the bottom now that i can see it, or should i wait til the pool is not cloudy anymore??



i am look at the 2006 test kits. i didn't realize there were 2 different models, hence the price difference from site to site. i will stop in at a few shops after work tomorrow and if they do not have it i will just order one and do the distilled water trick.



thanks again everyone