New Pool Owner with ?s

[one4irish]

We just put up our first pool (Intex 15x42 metal pole pool). After I bought the chemicals from Walmart (HTH) and test strips (then got the other testing kit) and started using them, I found this website. I have been trying to read as much as possible ,but still have questions.

Here are my questions..

1. When I test the CYA I get no reading at all. Is there something I need to add to the pool for this?

2. Do I need to shock my pool if the levels are looking ok? (I have not opened this package yet and if there is a better way I will take it back)

3. The directions from Intex website say to run our pump about 6hr per day and not to run it with people in the pool. We have been running it at night and it runs more than 6hrs, but when we go out to swim there is crap floating in the pool. Is there anything I can do to help this out?

I have already openned and use the PH -, chlorine tablets, test strips (which I have stopped using due to the fact they don't work!) and the 6 way test kits. I have the shock and clarifier that I have not openned yet.

We are on a limited budget, so any way to save $ on items would be great.

Thanks ahead of time!!

[Watermom]

First off, welcome to the forum!

1. CYA is either added directly or adding in a form of stabilized chlorine. What type (ingredients) of chlorine have you put in so far? How long has your pool been opened? It takes awhile for the cya to start showing up in your test.

2. You only need to shock when you have green or cloudy water or if you get a CC reading when you test.

3. A skimmer net. I'm not sure why they tell you not to filter while people are in the pool.

Don't open anything yet that you haven't thus far until you test with your drops-based kit and post your numbers here. Let someone take a look at your numbers and advise you. You may be able to take back some of the unnecessary stuff. Also, tell us what type of shock the gave you (ingredient).

[AnnaK]

Welcome to the forum! That sounds like a nice pool, 42' long, great for lap swimming.

1. When I test the CYA I get no reading at all. Is there something I need to add to the pool for this?

The CYA tests I've seen don't really produce measurable results until the CYA concentration gets close to 30 ppm. If you haven't put in any CYA (conditioner, stabilizer) separately then you likely don't yet have enough of it in there to be tested.

2. Do I need to shock my pool if the levels are looking ok? (I have not opened this package yet and if there is a better way I will take it back)

There may come a time when you might need to add more than just a maintenance dose of bleach but you do not need to shock your pool as part of your regular care and feeding of it. Using bleach or chlorinating liquid gives you much finer control than using what's sold as "Shock".

3. The directions from Intex website say to run our pump about 6hr per day and not to run it with people in the pool. We have been running it at night and it runs more than 6hrs, but when we go out to swim there is crap floating in the pool. Is there anything I can do to help this out?

This is a "CYA" statement (and I don't mean cyanuric acid ) on the part of Intex. It's an electrical safety issue. To clean the pool surface you could run the pump for an hour or so before you get in, or you could manually skim debris off the surface, which is what I do.

Have fun in your new pool!

[one4irish]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I got the hth shock n swim (active ingredients: calcuim hypochlorite 47.6%, other ingred 52.4% - not alot of info on package) and says it is for pop up pools. When I tested this am the PH had gone up from 7.5 to 7.8 and the CL was looked like it had gone down alittle. The test is the one where you add the drops and the water changes colors. The CL/BR was a strong 2/4 yesterday and this morning the color seemed to me to be inbetween the 2/4 and 1/2. We got the pool filled late Sunday and everything in the normal range by Tues. The kids have swam in it yesterday and today. (the water is still too cold for me 78-80 degrees) We have noticed the water starting to look alittle cloudy and I am sure because of sunscreen. So I was thinking of shocking it tonight unless there is something else I should do.

Thanks again

[Watermom]

Cal-hypo is not stabilized meaning it does not have cya in it. You can buy a small container of cya (cyanuric or isocyanuric acid, also called stabilizer or sometimes conditioner) and add a small amount. Aim for an initial reading of around 30. Probably the best way for you to add it is to put it in an old tube sock and hang it in front of a return jet. It will take several days for all of it to dissolve. After about a week, test your cya level. You don't want it too high. The only way to get rid of too much of it is to do a partial drain and refill so go slow towards your goal. Anywhere between 30-50 is good.

Until that time, you may need to add chlorine a couple of times a day because pool water without cya does not hold on to the chlorine very long. About a week after you add the cya, you can probably start just adding chlorine in the evenings. The level of chlorine needed in a pool is based on the cya level. Take a look at the "Best Guess CYA Chart" near the top of the chlorinating chemicals section of the forum to see the correlation. If you don't stay within the required cl range, you risk and algae bloom. Sometimes the first sign of one is cloudy water.

Have you tested the alk yet? Why don't you do that and post your reading. By the way, what all have you put in your pool so far?

[one4irish]

I tested for alk on Monday and it was at 180. I have not tested for it since. The only things I have added to the pool are PH- (total of about 13 oz) and gran chlorine (4 oz). We have a floater with chlorine tablets (put 2 in on Monday and just added 2 more today).

Is it ok to swim with the tube sock of stabilizer in the pool?

I have 7yr old triplets that will be very upset if I tell them they can not swim for a week!

And should I shock the pool or not to get rid of the cloudy look or would the stabilizer help with that too?

[Watermom]

Yes, you can swim with the sock of stabilizer in there but in this post you mention that you are using chlorine tablets. Those are trichlor and they ARE stabilized -- meaning have cya in them. So, if you are going to use trichlor tabs all summer, you might want to nix the idea of cya in a sock or you may end up with too high of a cya level building up. Another option is to only add a little stabilizer to get to maybe a level of 20 and then use the tabs for awhile but monitor your cya level weekly. When it gets to about 40, you'll need to stop using the tabs and switch to bleach or liquid chlorine which won't increase the cya further.

You can shock to help with the cloudy water. Stabilizer won't do anything about cloudy water.

BTW - do NOT let the kids play with the chlorine tab floater.

[aylad]

It never hurts to shock a pool. With no stabilizer in the pool, it's easy to let the chlorine drop to zero and not realize it, which invites algae to grow. There are many reasons for cloudy water, but impending algae bloom is one of the biggies. Shocking the pool will stop that. You might also consider increasing your filter/pump run time a little and see if that helps--if it is sunscreen, then your filter needs to be running long enough to get it out of the water. I have no idea why they told you not to run the pump with people in the pool--people never get in my pool except when the pump is running!!

Janet