HUD "Protected" Pool - Lots of Problems, please Help!

[PoolDoc]

How do I know I have a correct reading with a high chlorine level?

Buy some steam distilled* water at the grocery store. Mix your pool water with distilled water 1:2 (1/4 cup pool water + 1/2 distilled water). Test both pH and chlorine levels in the mix. Multiply your chlorine reading by 3; take the pH reading as is.

* MUST be distilled water, not spring or 'bottled' water!


+ Do NOT raise the pH above 7.0 - 7.2 till you are sure the metals are gone
+ Be SURE to add the metal magic type products mentioned earlier -- Jacks Magic Pink Stuff, if you can get it.
+ Brush (stir up!) the bottom of the pool as much as you can -- this will kill algae and lower chlorine)
+ Buy and use an overdose of polyquat (www.poolsolutions.com/gd/polyquat.html) once the chlorine level drops.
+ Tell us what you HAVE (and HAVEN'T) done, so I / we don't have to keep reminding you.

[Rocket Man]

Pretty much everything in this thread is what I have done and not done. I bought quite a bit of salt but have no plans to put it in until we are done getting the algae out of there. Going to put the new pressure gauge on tomorrow. Chlorine level still super high. I guess while I am out getting the gauge I will get the metal treatment as well.

I have only been brushing the pool twice a day. I guess I can put my sons to work brushing it more often.

[PoolDoc]

I'm surprised at the high chlorine level, when algae still remains. Have you added more chlorine? Have you tested pH with distilled water? What does the pool water look like (color / clarity)

[vinper]

Why wouldn't you just drain and power wash and start over with new water?

[PoolDoc]

Draining a vinyl liner pool like his often destroys the liner.

[Rocket Man]

We now have some modicum of success. I had to go out of town for the weekend and knowing I would not be there to backwash the filter I shut it down and did not add any more CL. When I returned today (60 hours later) the pool had about six feet of visibility (and blurry to the bottom of the deep end about 10') and a massive die off of algae in the bottom. This made me note a number of wrinkles in the liner in the shallow end. Most of the wrinkles extended from the corners making me think that the pool had likely been drained fairly low. In the good news arena the pool volume dropped almost zero while we were gone and since there was no rain that means there is most likely no leaks.

CL registered zero and the PH was still around 7.2. We vacuumed most of the algae to waste, pulled several of the fencing staples out of the bottom of the pool and dumped some more CL in the pool.

As we got into the deep end this stirred up a lot of debris and repeatedly clogged the filter (pre-filter really) clouding up the water quite a lot.

I am thinking that this means we are getting close at last. Some questions remain:

- What is the best way to add salt? Is there any kind switchover procedures?

- Is it possible to fix the wrinkles? If not is this a problem? I don't care so much about the aesthetics. I won't buy a new liner if it is not otherwise a problem.

- The plastic stairs that meet the pool deck have no grout or caulk around them. It seems to me they should to keep water from getting in behind the steps. Should I caulk/ grout it?

- Should I add stabilizer? There is none in the pool right now.