What have I done?

[timmie]

where did you buy your borax?? I am not sure we have it in Winnipeg..............

[wollypog6]

Marlene, I forgot to mention that you will need about 8.5 litres of 6% bleach to get into the proper range. Then keep testing frequently to maintain as close to that level as possible.

[MarleneK]

Timmie, Try Walmart or Home Hardware. I've seen it both those places, as well as The Super Store or Save Easy.

Wollypog,
Thanks for that tip. Should I take the Chlorine pucks out of the chlorinator until we get things under control?

[MarleneK]

ok, I got my TAylor test kit today, and I have a couple questions. When testing for Alkalinity, is the water suppose to go from green to red and stay red, or just flash red and go back to green? If that's the case, I have that reading, if it's not, I have to go back to the drawing board so to speak. When I tried testing for Calcium Hardness, the test liquid sunk to the bottom, and stayed blue. Even after adding the other chemical. So now what do I do there?
Here are my numbers:
FC 2
TC 3
CC 1
PH 7.4
CYA 50

I know I have to get my chlorine up. I haven't been around to doctor it unfortunately. I'm going to add bleach in a couple of minutes. I still have a cloudy pool. Do you think that it will brighten up when I get my chlorine levels up?
Thanks for letting me pick your brain!
Mar

[Watermom]

The alk test should go to red and stay red. On the calcium test, did you swirl it to mix it up? Shock your pool and try and hold your chlorine at shock level. Letting it yo-yo up and down won't clear the water. Also, run your pump 24/7.

[MarleneK]

Ok, I'll have to try that test again. The red one. The Calcium hardness test, I did swirl the water, but the blue chemical just stayed on bottom. It looked like a dot on the bottom. I'll try that one again as well. My pump has been running 24/7 and I'm not seeing anything like dead algea on the bottom of the pool anymore.

[MarleneK]

I'm 99 % certain that the algae is gone. Nothing dead in the pool, nothing coming out of the back wash. I still have a cloudy pool
Here are my latest numbers:

water temp 70
FC 6
TC 5
CC 1

Ph 7

ALK 80

Cal Hardness 50

CYA 50

I know I have to get my Ph up, and my Calcium Hardness, but which do I take care of first? Is it going to be harmful to my pool if I don't get my hardness up? I have an 18 x 33 AG with sand filter.
Thanks,
Marlene