Did a really stupid thing Friday

But hopefully learned my lesson. It's all about learning about this pool. After two pool parties with kids in and out for hours ... the pH of the pool went thru the roof. To bring down pH you add acid. I bought a powdered pool acid but it does not dissolve quickly so sits on the bottom eating away the plastic ... or at least the color.

I didn't buy a floater but those are usually used for Cloro tablets. So I made an acid floater out of a yogurt container. A bunch of ice pick holes in the bottom, put some powder in and enough water to float it upright. The mistake came when I checked it the next day, opened the lid with my face about a foot away. It nearly knocked me down with the fumes. I didn't feel it in my lungs but coughed for half the day and I'm sure it brought on the allergic type cold I had for two days.

So now I read that with a really high pH you are probably better emptying 1/2 the pool or all of it and starting over. I'm also reading that a pool can be maintained with cheaper and easier to use products like; sodium bicarbonate, muriatic acid and bleach and if I can't maintain a balance with them then empty the pool and start again. When the rains start the battle should be constant.

pH and Cloro test

The Pool Revisited

I had first put the pool on smooth dirt, so I thought. Trouble came with the weight of the water bringing small rocks to the surface while compacting the soil. Sure enough, two small puncture holes next to each other that the kids found.

Emptying a pool that size is not fast or easy and I hadn't thought where the hose connector should be placed. Started draining just with a hose stuck in the pool like you would siphon gas from a car. As the water level goes down, so does the pressure so the flow slows. After running it into the street I remembered the grey water septic so the rest of it went there.

Brought in a half load of sand so now it has a 2.5 inch sand bed. Patched it and filled it yesterday and last night we filled it with bodies. Slowly learning the PH and Cloro balancing with a test kit and chemicals I bought at Home Depot last week.

Kids from 3 families