Brand New Pool Owner wants to start off on the right foot!

[sturev]

Get a drops based test kit and post a full set of numbers so we can see what's what for sure...

Here's a link to a post I just put up, but you can find this kit in some stores also... (and of course, other places online)
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=9788

[StuckiTribe]

Thank you. I was worried about buying online and waiting the days for the shipping. Maybe I'll try to find one in a store somewhere that I can use today to at least get me through until one could be shipped here. I was planning to order the same one you did. Thanks!

[sturev]

I hear that Wally World has inexpensive 5 way drop kit that works and might be good to have as a backup also...

[StuckiTribe]

Ok, went to WalMart & got a drop kit. Here are my results (remember, this is a new pool & the only thing we have put in are 2 gallons of muriatic acid....nothing else.)

TA = 70. I checked it twice
pH = 6.8
TC = .05 (it was completely clear, no yellow tinge at all)
total hardness was negative - didn't turn red
CYA - I don't know if I did it wrong, but it never turned cloudy.

So do I need to add chlorine & raise the pH a little?

[Watermom]

I wish I had seen this thread before you added all that acid! That was way too much. As I knew it would, it made your pH plummet. You are reporting 6.8 but that is as low as test kits will go so it is most likely much lower. Any reading below 7.0 is acidic and will damage your pool. It is CRITICAL that you get that pH up ASAP above 7.0. I hope you have some 20 Mule Team Borax. If not you need to go back to Wally World and get 3 or 4 boxes. (Look in the laundry aisle --- used to be a green box but they recently they changed it to white.) Start with adding one box slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running, breaking up any clumps. Let it circulate for a few hours, retest and redose until you get it to 7.4-7.6. (After the pH starts to move, add smaller additions instead of a full box at a time.)

Go ahead and buy some plain bleach at Walmart. In your pool, each quart will raise your cl by just about 1ppm. I'd probably add two of the 3-qt. jugs. That should take you to between 5-6. You'll most likely need to test and add bleach at least twice a day until you get some cya in there. Do you know about cya or do you need some direction in that regard as well?

Lesson learned ---- never add too much of anything at one time. Better to do gradual additions and sneak up on a target or risk overshooting the target like happened with your pH.

Another lesson --- Follow the guidance and direction from this forum rather than a pool store. Pool stores are in the business to make money and will gladly sell you something else to fix the problem caused by what they told you to do in the first place. (Anyone with pool knowledge would have known that that much acid was going to significantly affect your pH. I bet they didn't even mention that to you, did they?)

Remember, Borax ASAP. Come back here with more questions if you need to. Also, just go with bleach and forget the Pristine Blue.

By the way -- Welcome to the forum. Hope this helps.

EDIT -- funny thing is ---- they told you to add all that acid to lower your alk. Now, your alk is actually a little too low. Don't worry about that for right now. It isn't way off. Right now just worry about pH. After pH is in range, you can add a little baking soda to bring alk up to 80-120 range.

[StuckiTribe]

I totally agree! Scary to think I could have added 5 gallons before bringing my water back to test which is what the pool store told me to do!! After reading here, I thought I'd check it & was shocked to see how much it had lowered...and no, they didn't say anything about lowering the pH, but I figured it would from reading here. Just didn't know it would be so much! So, I'm heading back to the store for bleach (quarts, not gallons?) and Borax. I hope you don't mind me posting again this evening after I test again. I am so afraid of the chemical thing since we are so new at this!! It's truly overwhelming (and not as easy as the pool store implied!). Lol! Thanks!!

[sturev]

Get the best deal you can find on Bleach (make sure it's just plain old Bleach, not the "No Spill" or anything special). It's usually 6%, but you'll want to check so you know how much you're actually adding! If you get Chlorine from the pool store sometime it's 12%, so just check. Post as many times as you need to; that's what I do