I think I made a mistake

[Anonymous 1]

For my kids birthday present- they are both in july -, I decided to buy a small above ground swimming pool. They both love the water so much and it seemed so perfect. Its basically like a glorified kiddy pool. Before I bought one, I did some reading about them and based on what I read, they seemed fairly cut and dry when it comes to maintenance. I thought it was a piece of cake. I buy the pool kit, it comes with pretty much all I needed- nix the chlorine-, and then I buy the chlorine and make sure to test the water regularly and shock the pool at least once a week -or as needed-. Seems simple enough, right?--------- Well, it isnt! I dont know what the hell Im doing wrong but I have had to change the pool water 3 times in the past 2 weeks. My kids have been in it once since we got it because Im afraid of bacteria and them getting sick.

The chlorine levels are good right now, but Im still not convinced its okay to swim in. The hardness, PH are still too high and the stabilize is consistently too low, as of this morning. Although the chlorine is in the sweet spot, the free chlorine is on the lower end of ideal. Its says its good but at the lower end. I called one of the local pool supply stores and I plan on going up there tomorrow, when my husband gets home because I dont understand a word of what the man at the store was explaining. My kids are itching and begging to go swim in it today, but Im unsure its safe.

This is not what I expected

[Deleted User 670]

You should take a sample of your pool water with you when you go to the pool store. They should be able to tell you from the water what it needs. Good luck.

[Anonymous 1]

You should take a sample of your pool water with you when you go to the pool store. They should be able to tell you from the water what it needs. Good luck.

Thats a good idea!

[Fullxbusymom]

As long as cholorine is in good level it is safe to swim in. Let them swim and stop panicking. Take it to a pool store though they will help you and ease your nerves.

[Anonymous 2]

it's sooo frustrating, isn't it?? we have had an above ground pool for 20 yrs. the last few have been the worst trying to maintain clear water for some reason! i suggest to keep adding shocking packets and algaecide (if that's an issue..that's what we had to do) until the water clears up. but like someone else mentioned, take it to a pool place to get the water tested and they can also tell you what to do/what else to buy. when the water is good, it's sooooo worth having a pool! ya don't have to deal with a bunch of strangers like at a public pool and you can just float and swim around whenever you want! good luck!!

[Anonymous 3]

As others have suggested, take a sample to a pool store and have them test it. Hopefully that will put your mind at ease. The chlorine level is the most important part and it sounds like that's good, so it should be fine to swim in.

[Anonymous 4]

Good Luck, I just swim in the pool. My boss pays a pool company to take care of all that.