Small Pool, Cloudy Water

[drako4]

Hi,

I am also in the process of setting up a 1700+ gallon 12 x30 Intex pool for my kids.. It also has no skimmer. Once I fill the pool am I going to be at a disadvantage as far as maintaining the pool as a result of this. Have a 530 gal/hr pump and cartridge. Hopefully this does an adequate job????
I am not really in favor of paying the $170 for the Taylor test kit up here in Canada. Only reason being, the kit is more than the whole set up. Can anyone recommend another way or test kit that may be cheaper and do close to the same thing as the Taylor... Maybe I am dreaming!
I had no idea this whole pool thing was going to be such a hair puller!

Cheers,
Carrie

[sturev]

Hi Carrie, in your other post there were some alternate kits mentioned, did you check on those? I wish there was something we could do to get you the good kit at the USA cost... How far from the boarder are you? Do you have any friends/family in the USA?

The Intex pools are notorious for not having adequate filters/pumps, but since it's a pool that will only last a few years it's probably going to get you by... You'll just need to NEVER let it get fouled up as there will be no way for you to quickly clean it up with that setup. That's one of the main drivers for you getting a good test kit! You could easily end up spending a lot more than the kit cost trying to fix an issue if you get algae or something else.

[mja351]

a knee highstocking works as well as a skimmer sock just let it dry after use and brush the dirt off and re use next time

[mikemerritt]

The stocking may work , thanks.

"Are you ever going to 0 chlorine level during the day?"

I don't think it ever goes to 0.

Here are the latest tests.

PH 7.2

FC 2.4

CC .6

TA 100

CYA 27


EDIT by Watermom: Cyanuric Acid is CYA not listed as CA. Need to be consistent so your readings will be clear to other readers who are trying to help. CA could be confused as meaning calcium. So, the reason I edited, was to change it to CYA.

[Watermom]

Thanks for posting the CC reading. Go ahead and shock the pool again up to 15. Test several times today and each time, take the cl back up to 15. We'll see how the numbers look tonight. Also, keep the pump/filter running and watch your filter pressure. When it increases by 8-10psi over normal clean pressure, backwash. Hope this helps.

[mikemerritt]

Update on this little pool. I managed to get the water crystal clear without changing the water. I didn't change the water so I could learn how to deal with it. I'll have a larger pool next spring and changing the water would be expensive.

As I said earlier the problem was dead algae settling in the bottom and no way to get t all out. I replaced the bag on the little cheap vacuum with a hose and ran the hose out to the ground. Now when the stuff has settled the vacuum picks it up and takes it out of the pool. I find the filter to be OK because I think it gets all the tiny stuff. It won't act as a skimmer or get the small stuff that settles but once everything is under control the little filter does a great job.

Now I would like input on nut grass that grows right through the bottom of the pool. I have only had one get through but I easily could have had a crop of it. I also have crepe myrtle and some kind of small apple tree that is subject to put up a sucker off of a root at any time.

The other thing is the incredible heat we have around here. It gets to around 100 everyday with an index of 110. The water is so warm you don't want to get in it. I was thinking of trying a silver colored tarp to reflect the heat back.

I use about 6 ozs. of 6% bleach every other day. I have been cutting it down every day to see just how little I can get by with. This is where the test strips really have a purpose. They are cheap, fast and accurate enough for this.

I will do a Taylor kit test now that all is well and post the numbers.

Thanks for all the help. If any of you ever search the internet for help with painting, wallpaper or small engines you will probably run into me and we will get you going in the right direction.


MikeMerritt

[aylad]

Congratulations on getting your water back to clear--great job!

I wish I could help you with the nut grass, and if you find a solution that works, by all means post it here. I have an 1100 gallon koi pond next to my pool and am forever spraying the nut grass that grows up through the rocks around it. When they installed the pond they put down a very thick (1/8" or so) black matting under the liner, and so far the stuff hasn't grown through it, but it grows around it like crazy. Don't know what to do other than keep spraying it at the surface, but I know that's not doing anything for underneath.

As far as cooling your pool water, you might want to consider a fountain of some sort and running your pump at night. Here in Louisiana we're getting the same temps/heat index you describe, and my pool water currently is at 94 degrees--feels more like a hot tub than a swimming pool. We keep the slide running during the day while the kids are in the pool, so it's getting cold water refilled from the house and it does a fair job of dropping the temp a little, but aerating the water at night will help cool it off a little, as well (watch your pH, though, because it will rise due to the aeration).

Janet

[aylad]

Hi Carrie, please keep all the info regarding this problem within your other thread--when people post the same question in multiple places it makes it hard for the people trying to help, and makes it kind of tough for us to keep the forum organized.

Thanks!!!

Jan

[mikemerritt]

Ok, this is where I am on this little pool. After the super dose of bleach the other day the pool was perfectly clear the next morning. What I do have a problem with to some degree is the what I assume is dead algae. Without a proper vacuum I think I am stuck with a little of the debris from the algae bloom. If I keep it stirred and the filter clean it gets maybe 3/4 of it but never all. Probably should have changed the water as Watermom suggested and may yet.

The main reason I am in here tonight is for help with the Taylor 2006 kit. There is a link below to a copy of the instructions. In Step 1 there is a reference to using one of two amounts of water for the test. This confuses me. The next thing is in Step 4 in particular the line.... Multiply drops in Step 3 by drop equivalence (Step 1). I also have the same basic question about Step 7....Multiply drops in Step 6 by drop equivalence (Step 1). I think I understand the rest on the chlorine test. I haven't even ventured into the other tests yet.

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/pr...er&Number=5138

This is going along fairly well and would like to thank Watermom and the rest of the forum for helping me.

Mike

[Watermom]

What they mean on the chlorine test is that you can either run the test on a 10ml or a 25ml water sample. After you put in the R-0870 powder, you then add the R-0871 drops one at a time and swirl after each drop. Count how many drops you have to add to turn it clear. If you used a 10ml water sample, then you mulitiply the number of drops x 0.5. With a 25ml water sample, multiply the number of drops x 0.2. This will be your FC reading.

On the next part of the test (finding CC) again, you count drops and if you used the 10ml sample, multiply the numbers of drops x 0.5 and for the 25ml sample, it would be number of drops x 0.2.

Hope this helps.