Sudden cloudiness

[Watermom]

Since your chlorine dropped so low, I think you should shock your pool up to about 10. In your pool, every quart of 6% bleach will add a little under 1ppm of cl. So, I'd suggest adding about 2-1/2 gallons of bleach this evening. (Your volume is probably around 17,500 gallons.)

You'll need to test the water several times per day and each time, add enough bleach to get back to about 6. You don't want the chlorine to go lower than 3. Once you get some CYA in there, you'll be able to test and dose in the evenings only.

Go ahead and buy about 5 lbs. of stabilizer. Put it in an old sock and hang it in front of a return jet. Give it a squeeze once in awhile to help it dissolve faster. it will take a few days. Don't test the CYA level until at least a week after you add it so you don't waste your reagent. Any brand of stabilizer is fine as long as the ingredients are cyanuric or isocyanuric acid. If you can get it in there tomorrow, if you're lucky, it will have dissolved before you leave town.

Is your Dad going to test the water for you or only add bleach?

[Barry J]

Can't I use the shock instead of the bleach or is the bleach better, I've never put straight bleach in my pool before. So, just pick up regular bleach at the store.??
My dad does not usually add or test anything else accept the chlorine, I try to make it as easy as I can for him.
Thanks
Barry

[aylad]

The shock you have is sodium hypochlorite, 12.5 %. Regular ultra bleach is sodium hypochlorite, 6%. So yes, you can go ahead and use the "shock" that you have--it's the exact same thing as "straight bleach", only twice as strong.

Janet

[Barry J]

How much shock should I use?? Tonight

[aylad]

in 17,500 gallons of water, 1.5 gallons of 12.5% chlorine will add just over 10 ppm. I would start with that tonight, give it time to circulate, then test for chlorine after sundown. Test again in the morning before the sun hits the pool, and if you've lost any chlorine overnight, you need to maintain that shock level until you're no longer losing chlorine during the night when the sun is off the pool.

Janet

[Barry J]

It's the next morning , and here is what I did last night.
I put in one gal of shock , 4 lbs of stabilizer (3lbs in a sock hung in front of the return, and the rest thru the skimmer), and I also put in 6 lbs of baking soda.
I have not check on it yet, but will in ten minutes.
I ordinally do not run my filter all night, I hope I do not have to , to much longer, my electric bill is going to hurt this month.
Barry

[Barry J]

Just teted (5am)..chlorine is up to 3, and ph is still hovering around 7.0,maybe a little less.
Questions:
Should I put more baking soda in?
At what hours should I be running my filter(on normal days)?
How offer should I be putting in granular shock?
and last, how often should I be putting in stabilizer?
Thanks
Barry

[waterbear]

I ordinally do not run my filter all night, I hope I do not have to , to much longer, my electric bill is going to hurt this month.
Barry

THIS is why testing your water on a regular basis and keeping it balanced is so important. It saves a LOT of money in the long run.