Pool chemical balancing?

[Carrie12345]

We just put up an above ground pool a little under 5,000 gallons. We lucked out b/c the fire department had just cleaned their tanks and refilled with spring water instead of the easier access pond water!

I used shock as per instructions Saturday evening, algecide on Sunday, and “ph up” one of those days, but I don’t remember which. Chlorine remained high and ph low, so I did a pound of baking soda yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon, and another this morning because ph was still pretty low, though not as low. I haven’t put a chlorine floater in yet because it’s still on the high end.

I still took a dip yesterday because I couldn’t resist. I do have pretty sensitive skin, but no reaction. (I didn’t go under, just in case.)

Should I just be satisfied where it is? It doesn’t smell highly chlorinated and wasn’t a bit irritating. Or should I keep aiming for the test strips’ ideal?

[prairiewindmomma]

You want your ph to be ideal because low ph causes corrosion to pool pumps, etc. (High ph damages the liner.) 

If you want to take a dip while you are balancing ph and your skin isnt bothered, great, but keep moving towards ideal. 
 

Too high chlorine will adjust with sun exposure and pool use fairly quickly, but there are also chemicals you can use. 

[Ottakee]

Can you take a water sample to your pool store and have them let you know exactly what you need?  I have a terrible time with the test strips for my hot tub.  I did buy a test kit with chemicals that is much more accurate.

[Heartstrings]

I always have my samples ran by the pool store because the strips are impossible to read.  I use the strips you can text a picture in to get the results read but even that is often not accurate, depending on lighting, background etc.  Once the levels are good I only need the store to run it every couple of weeks and can use the strips as a stop gap.  

You also only mention pH, you want to be looking at pH and alkalinity separately.   Baking soda brings up Alkalinity but has a minimal effect on pH. 
 

It can be perfectly safe to swim when the levels are off but you still want to bring them in balance.  

Edited June 18 by Heartstrings

[prairiewindmomma]

Edited: i see heartstrings answered above, but for pool/hot tub people generally….
 

Question for you “pool store” people. How often do you check your water? We test and rebalance at least weekly (sometimes multiple times a week depending on conditions). Do you have a pool service that just stops in weekly or are you really driving to the store that often?

I do agree the chemical kit (available on amazon) is more accurate than the strips. We kit once a month or so, and then test strip in between.

Edited June 18 by prairiewindmomma

[Ottakee]

1 minute ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Question for you “pool store” people. How often do you check your water? We test and rebalance at least weekly (sometimes multiple times a week depending on conditions). Do you have a pool service that just stops in weekly or are you really driving to the store that often?

I do agree the chemical kit (available on amazon) is more accurate than the strips. We kit once a month or so, and then test strip in between.

I am a spa person but run to the pool store every 4-8 weeks with a sample….sometimes just right after I fill it.  Then I use the chemical test kits in between.

[YaelAldrich]

Do they do this for free?

[Bootsie]

We usually simply test our pool and our hot tub with testing strips.  We don't find that keeping the water within a "good" range is difficult most of the time.  It is only when we have had difficult with our equipment not filtering properly or some extreme weather event (a number of days with bright hot sun, torrential rains, excessive pollen, or tree droppings) that it is hard to balance the pool chemicals.  Then we will take a sample to the pool store and get advice.  

If we need to pick up supplies, we will take a sample into the store.  Or if we are going to be using the pool heavily or if we are going to be out of town, we will take a sample by the pool store just to double check.  There is a pool store not far from us that is "on the way" to many other place we go; it is seldom that taking a sample in would be an additional trip out for us.  The nice thing about taking a sample in is that it is recorded in their computer system so we have a reference over time and can see trends and patterns.  We have never found that our test strips are inaccurate, in that we haven't ever had a significant deviation in the strip testing and the pool store testing results.  The pool store result are more accurate and more precise, but as long as the water is in a good range, the exact measure in one sample at one point in time isn't really important.  

[prairiewindmomma]

30 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Do they do this for free?

Mine does. They just use the same pool kit you get from amazon. It’s helpful if you dont have the phone app to do the calculations of precisely how much of x chemical to add (or dont just do the math in your head).

The app Pooli is free. Pool math is decent. Clorox also has an app.

[YaelAldrich]

I have a pool similar to a baptismal pool. I just filled it a couple of weeks ago and it's been cloudy since I filled it. I have shocked it. I've been checking the chemicals and everything is within limits on my test strips. 

I'm not sure what else to do!

[Bootsie]

26 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

I have a pool similar to a baptismal pool. I just filled it a couple of weeks ago and it's been cloudy since I filled it. I have shocked it. I've been checking the chemicals and everything is within limits on my test strips. 

I'm not sure what else to do!

Check your filtration system; make sure the filter is clean and that the system is working properly.  Often when we have had cloudy water it is due to suspended particles that are too small to be flitered.  You can get liquids that are water clarifiers that will cause the particles to coagulate and then be filtered.  It is amazing how much difference a bottle can make in water clarity.

[prairiewindmomma]

If ph and alkalinity and sanitizer are all normal, filters are clean, pipes are purged regularly during water changes and the water wasnt contaminated by body products (lotions that werent fully removed by showering beforehand, conditioner residue, etc.),  then I’d bring in a sample and photos to see if they have any thoughts.
 

If the water used started as rainwater (trying to be delicate here), I’d investigate if a clarifier could be used. I really dont know the guidelines around this well. Some are tinted blue, but I have seen a clear one. 

 

 

[Heartstrings]

10 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

Do they do this for free?

Most pool stores will run your chemicals for free.  My local mom and pop pool store technically charges $10 but that’s waived if you purchase something for $10.  I almost always need something so it’s basically free.   

[Heartstrings]

10 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

I have a pool similar to a baptismal pool. I just filled it a couple of weeks ago and it's been cloudy since I filled it. I have shocked it. I've been checking the chemicals and everything is within limits on my test strips. 

I'm not sure what else to do!

Usually baking soda will clear it up if it’s just little cloudy.  If not I usually find that algaecide and clarifier will get it clear.   If it’s really cloudy you might want to use flocculant then vacuum.  

[wintermom]

Balancing the chorine levels is always a challenge. Any organic matter that falls in the pool is going to impact the balance. Leaves, sticks, bugs, birds, chipmunks, etc. all contribute to the mix. 

Also, the air temperature is an important factor, along with the type of chorinating system you are using. In hot climates, which we were pretty close, we found that chorine pucks didn't evaporate as quickly as other methods. 

I also wanted to share a PSA about "Hot Tub Lung," which can also be an issue with swimming pools. It's scary! There are multiple resources available online depending on your source of choice. It really pays to keep the water clean!

 

Edited June 20 by wintermom