KillyPumpkin

I started off the year using chlorine tabs in my pool. Last year I did the BBB method but this year my pool is bigger so I thought it woud be fine. (It's an intex metal frame 12X30). It wasn't. Within a week I had cloudy water. I assumed this had to be from overstablization. Switched back to BBB and using bleach water cleared up within a few days. Since i can finally see the bottom of my pool I noticed some white stuff on the bottom. figured it was sand. Gave it a push with teh skimmer it's tiny pieces of chlorine tab. When I push it around instant cloud again. Any ways to get this to just dissovle already???

Alrite it's worse then I thought. I honestly have no idea what my test kit is. I know I drop drops in and match colours. It only reads for chlorine and PH. My water was fine last year with this. I also got 6 way test strips so I dug them out. Chlorine- Either 10 or above. Juding by the smell coming off my pool...above. I"m suprised I still have fingers. PH- hot pink and off the charts. Usually this is LOW at 6.8 DAILY and I have to put PH plus it it. I have no idea what these mean.... Hardness- 200 Alkalinity- It's blue and off the charts it says it should be some shade of green so my guess is it's high? CYA- 30-50 I should add that in a moment of desperation/ stupidity I'm guessing I added 1/4 more of shock then I was supposed to.

Thanks again everybody. I have a birthday party this weekend and I'm trying to get there before Sat. withOUT draining...because my tap water is C O L D. I was going to go buy the bleach now but I just tested my water to do the calculator and it's off the charts for chlorine. It's orange. And very very cloudy. So I would have no idea how much to add. I'm guessing I wait for it to come down THEN add the bleach? If they're this high why is my water still so milky?

Unscented right???

Thank you. I've considered this but assumed the sun would just eat it. I'm staying stuck at 1ppm...I cannot get it higher. I'll give that a try tomorrow. I think all the shocking made the water cloudier. :/ I know it's just an easy set but hte point is I can't be draining it every other day.

The paper pool in the filter isn't enough to filter out a LEAF. The pump just isn't big enough for the pool. I don't even think it's the metal in your water. I think it's just the pump not being enough. I posted about cloudy water yesterday. I now cannot see the bottom. It's milk..and has a green tint. I have a 3" chlorine tab in my skimmer and 5 1" in my floater, and have shocked twice. Nothing. The sun eats teh chlorine faster then I can put it in. Stabalizer doesn't touch it. I was reading somwhere that you can dump 1/4 cup of DE into the skimmer basket- run the filter- then hose it off after an hour...repeat. I'm about to try this. If it works I will let you know. If not either way I have to drain. I have a feeling I will be draining a lot this season. Biggest waste of money EVER.

I'm a bit confused at what you're asking. I have the same pool. As we speak there is a savings account growing for a "real" pool next year. This pool is nothing but hassle. By the end of the season you will have spent double what you paid for the pool in chemicals not to mention your water bill. And if your kids wear sunscreen forget it. I live in Philly and we def. have chlorine in our water. I can smell it and still my strips read zero. It's not enough to register on the strips. Shocking your pool is not teh same as "adding chlorine". Daily chlorine is diff. then shock. I have two boys and you pretty much are going to HAVE to add chlorine or you pool WILL turn green within days. The pump they give you...it's a joke. I run mine 24/7 and still have to hand skim the whole pool daily. I shock once a week, AND add chlorine daily. Yes, you can use unscented bleach but I have disocvered the sun just eats this and it's gone in a matter of hours. I use a chlorine floater. I put tabs in it adjust it and let it do it's job throughout the day. If my 2 year old is in teh pool I remove it. People say different things for levels some say between 2.0-5 some say 3.0-4.... I keep mine a bit on the high end because of the kids and everything at 3.0. You can also buy chlorine granuals to just dissolve and dump in but if you do this you will have to do it daily like hte bleach as the pool is so small the sun eats it even WITH stablizer. Stabalizer in a pool this small is pretty much useless I've discovered. Youre PH is good you want to keep that around 7.2ish. Your alkalinity is kind of high...must be your water. My water has a VERY low nat. PH. I would try to get that alkalnity down or it's going to mess up your PH. So... Bring alkalnity down. Get yourself some type of chlorine. Try about 1 cup of unscented bleach if you'd like to give it a try. Wait a bit and test and get your chlorine up if you have to add more to aruond 3.0. Or get some tabs and a floater or granuales whichever you want to give a shot at. It's hard to tell with these pools. I'd rec. shock once a week with two kids. Esp. if they swim daily like mine do. Shock and swim works good enough for a small pool. I test my water daily first thing in the mornign and make my adjustments. But if what you are asking is do you NEED chlorine the answer is YES.

THANKS. I knew there was a product that floated and removed oils. I will pick it up at my pool store this week. I couldn't remember the name though. I shocked it today and it's a LOT better. I don't think it's at hte point where it's "too bad", but yeah if it gets that way I will just drain it. I try to avoid that because of temp and my tap water is awful as far as water balance.

Hi! I have one of those awful Intex pop up pools. You know, the ones that cost more to maintain then the pool itself? Yes! That one! Anyways, it's only about 1,700 gallons. So 3 people in it with sunscreen turns the water CLOUDY. The pool has been cloudy since the day it was filled. I HAVE To use sunscreen as kids are in it..without it they will burn so showering before hand is not an option here. As far as I know my water is okay. Chlorine is at 1.2 PH is 7.2 and alkalinity 110. Is there ANY way to keep hte water clear of sunscreens? Something to add to it or something that floats? Anything? Also I'm having trouble with my floater and the amount of chlorine to keep it going. I'd like it a big higher then 1.2 as it gets a lot of activity for a small pool. I always have to add granuales in the morning and they are disolved via sun in an hour. How many tabs do I place in my floater and what size? This pool is a pain. Next year we're getting a real pool. Tahnks in advance!

Hi! I have one of those awful Intex pop up pools. You know, the ones that cost more to maintain then the pool itself? Yes! That one! Anyways, it's only about 1,700 gallons. So 3 people in it with sunscreen turns the water CLOUDY. The pool has been cloudy since the day it was filled. I HAVE To use sunscreen as kids are in it..without it they will burn so showering before hand is not an option here. As far as I know my water is okay. Chlorine is at 1.2 PH is 7.2 and alkalinity 110. Is there ANY way to keep hte water clear of sunscreens? Something to add to it or something that floats? Anything? Also I'm having trouble with my floater and the amount of chlorine to keep it going. I'd like it a big higher then 1.2 as it gets a lot of activity for a small pool. I always have to add granuales in the morning and they are disolved via sun in an hour. How many tabs do I place in my floater and what size? This pool is a pain. Next year we're getting a real pool. Tahnks in advance!