First Time using Taylor HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mroll]

Filled pool week ago then shocked with liquid shock from Leslies and been using Chlor-Brite dichlor 1 ounce a day. Pool holds 5700 gallons. Today used Taylor for first time.
FC .4 and CC .4 so basically no chlorine. PH 7 TA 40 PPM AND CAYA SEEMS TO BE zero.
So I need to add stuff and FAST.. Have all necessary ingredients (Bleach, Baking Soda and Borax!)but not sure HOW MUCH of each.
Thanks...
Marcy

[Watermom]

If you've been using dichlor, then you have some CYA in there, but apparently just enough to be detected yet. It has to be at 30ppm before it will show on the test.

In your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will add about 2.5ppm of chlorine. So, go ahead and add a 2 qts. Also, add a cup of Borax slowly to the skimmer, wait a couple hours, retest and redose until you get the pH around 7.4-7.6, although anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is ok. You can also add a lb. of baking soda, then test it a few hours later and add more til you are around 80-100. Add it in the same way as the Borax. By the way, you can add bleach, borax and baking soda one right after the other with no problems.

Are you going to continue using dichlor or switch to bleach?

By the way, use the 10ml sample instead of the 25ml so it will make your reagents last longer. The multiplier will be 0.5 instead of 0.2.

[mroll]

If you've been using dichlor, then you have some CYA in there, but apparently just enough to be detected yet. It has to be at 30ppm before it will show on the test.

In your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will add about 2.5ppm of chlorine. So, go ahead and add a 2 qts. Also, add a cup of Borax slowly to the skimmer, wait a couple hours, retest and redose until you get the pH around 7.4-7.6, although anywhere between 7.2-7.8 is ok. You can also add a lb. of baking soda, then test it a few hours later and add more til you are around 80-100. Add it in the same way as the Borax. By the way, you can add bleach, borax and baking soda one right after the other with no problems.

Are you going to continue using dichlor or switch to bleach?

By the way, use the 10ml sample instead of the 25ml so it will make your reagents last longer. The multiplier will be 0.5 instead of 0.2.
THANKS..but I'm bad..Couldnt wait.. Added 3 oz of dichlor..Waited 4 hours of running filter then just added 16 oz of borax. Just pool calculator. Think I should add baking soda too since TA low BUT should I wait and retest??
Also, as far as dichlor or bleach...I now have loads of both so WHAT should I do???
BTW pool water looks great...Just got out!
Marcy

[mroll]

BTW Just paid to join..Is my response to you ...still in moderation?
OK I'll repeat it...Before I got your answer I added 3 oz dichlor..Let filter run 3 hours and added 16 oz of borax. Used Pool calculator...Should I test before adding baking soda??15 oz too much?
I hope I didnt mess up by not waiting for answer. Thats WHY I subscribed!!
Have bucket of dichlor and 6 big jugs of Clorox here so I can go either way now. What should I do?

[Watermom]

Since your CYA is low, go ahead and use your dichlor for awhile but monitor the CYA level. When it gets to 50, switch to bleach only.

Wait a couple hours after you added the borax, retest and redose if needed. You can go ahead and add a little baking soda.

Did you buy a K-2006 kit? If not, you really should. It will make your pool care much easier on you.

Thanks for the subscription!

[mroll]

Since your CYA is low, go ahead and use your dichlor for awhile but monitor the CYA level. When it gets to 50, switch to bleach only.

Wait a couple hours after you added the borax, retest and redose if needed. You can go ahead and add a little baking soda.

Did you buy a K-2006 kit? If not, you really should. It will make your pool care much easier on you.

Thanks for the subscription!
YEP All these levels i got from the Taylor 2006..Will switch to the 10ml instead of 25 as you suggested...
THANKS
PH normal now..little more baking soda and TA should be too. Hey this isnt hard....

[Watermom]

[B] Hey this isnt hard....

You're right! Once you understand the basics, it isn't hard at all. The key is to be consistent. If you maintain your chemistry consistently, you won't have water problems!

[mroll]

OK So HOW often do I use the Taylor testing? and How often do I use the regularly cheap one? and one last question (hopefully for now)when would you suggest I do the CYA again...after how many days of using dichlor..cause once its normal I'll go to beach???
THANKS
Oh I hope I dont 'eat' those (Hey this isnt hard) words!!!!!

[Watermom]

While you are adjusting things and learning how to use your new kit, use it daily for a few days. Then, you can switch to using your OTO for daily testing and use the good kit once a week or so. I'd check the CYA weekly while you are adding dichlor. There is only enough reagent for 5 or 6 tests I believe. One thing to remember that may help you judge how much CYA you are adding is that for every 10ppm of chlorine that dichlor adds, it also adds 9ppm of CYA. Once the CYA is around 50, go to using bleach.

[mroll]

While you are adjusting things and learning how to use your new kit, use it daily for a few days. Then, you can switch to using your OTO for daily testing and use the good kit once a week or so. I'd check the CYA weekly while you are adding dichlor. There is only enough reagent for 5 or 6 tests I believe. One thing to remember that may help you judge how much CYA you are adding is that for every 10ppm of chlorine that dichlor adds, it also adds 9ppm of CYA. Once the CYA is around 50, go to using bleach.
How do I know the ppm of chlorine I'm adding??? I add the dichlor by the ounce. I think I need to up the amount then test in a few days for the CYA. Right now the FC goes from 0 to 1.5 and the CC from 0 to 1...This is getting frustrating.. I take back the ay part. Especially since pool water looks so good!

[aylad]

In 5700 gallons, each 2.5 ounces of dichor should add roughly 2 ppm of chlorine to your pool.

Janet

[BigDave]

Have you kept track of the amount of dichlor you've already added? Each pound of dichlor should add about 11ppm CYA to your pool. no need to test for CYA until you've added about three pounds.

You do need to keep your FC higher, letting it fall to 0 invites an algae bloom. Please review Ben's Best Guess Chart (http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html); it provides Free Chlorine target ranges for varrying CYA ranges. Never let the FC fall below the minimum for you CYA.

If you've used less than a pound of dichlor then you should be in the first target band(0-10). When you've used about a pound of dichlor, start targeting the second band(10-20) and when you're into your third pound, move to the third band(30-50).

Test your FC and pH as often as you can at the beginning, the sun will burn off FC fast in a pool with little CYA. Be sure to keep an eye on pH as dichlor will cause it to fall (add Borax when it gets to 7.0).

[mroll]

WHOA...I only added about 8 ounces of dichlor so far. FC is 2 this morning! Thing is I need to get this stablized before we go away in 2 1/2 weeks. That way my son could just add bleach while I'm gone (1/2 gallon perday????)
So perhaps I should put in 2.5 ounces of dichlor per night instead of 1 ounce??? Getting confused..............
OR Should I buy I separate stabilizer, dump it in and then just use bleach??
I realize there are many questions here but I REALLY appreciate all this help.. THANKS

[aylad]

If you want to have a substantial amount of stabilizer in the pool in 2 weeks, then you'll need to add it separately. However, if adding a couple of ounces of dichlor in the evening is holding your chlorine all day, then you can just have your son do that. Either way works, it just depends on what's easier for you.

[BigDave]

I'm a little concerned that you've reported FC of 0. You may be losing all your FC each day.

Are you available to test / dose more often during the day? If you can, I'd recommend you dose 2oz to 3oz of dichlor at a time (a little overshoot won't hurt) and never let FC fall below the Best Guess minimum. If you can only test / dose once a day, I'd recommend you keep increasing the dose until you still have the minimum FC when you test again.

[aylad]

Adding information from another post regarding this same situation to this thread in an effort to keep it all in one place. mroll, please continue this thread with your testing/chlorine issue so that you don't have responses to the same situation scattered out over the forum. I'll delete your other post.... thanks, Aylad
__________________________________________________ _________________

Using Taylor for 4 days now... I should mention first that the water is beautiful. HOWEVER, I cannot get Free Chlorine up. It went from .4 to 1.5 to zero!! Perhaps I test at the wrong time of the day. I test around 5 pm right before I add chemicals and run filter. Is this wrong?????
PH is now normal..TA a little low at 70. (Just added baking soda) Two days ago CYA was non-existing too. Been putting in 1 ounce of dichlor a day but just now put in 1 1/2 ounces. Want to get these numbers in line so I can start using BBB. THANKS...
So glad I joined. this forum is wonderful................

[aylad]

As long as you don't have stabilizer in the water, the sun is going to deplete your chlorine. Try adding your dichlor tonight, then measure your chlorine after the sun is off the pool. In the morning, measure the chlorine before the sun hits the pool. This will tell us if there is something in the water eating the chlorine, or if the sun is consuming it during the day. If the loss is to the sun, then you simply need to add chlorine at some point during the day so that it never goes to zero. Once you have some stabilizer in the water, then you can dose the pool daily and should be able to maintain the levels you want. If the loss is overnight, then you have something in the pool that needs to be killed, and that's accomplished by shocking the pool.

[mroll]

FC levels are about 2-2.5 in morning now. TA going up finally around 80-90. Tested CYA again yesterday. STILL
No reading yet.. everything else is fine..Strange?

[BigDave]

How much total dichlor have you added so far? You won't be able to get a reading until you work your way up to a total of about three pounds. Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying throw 3lbs in, remember what aylad said
In 5700 gallons, each 2.5 ounces of dichor should add roughly 2 ppm of chlorine to your pool.

[mroll]

Well, only about 1 lb so far. At this rate ( 2 ounces per evening) will hit 3 lbs. when I'm on vacation. Should I have my son continue with the 2 ounces per night. Then when I get home it will have had bout 4 lbs of dichlor total put in. Will that make the CYA too high or normal range? Thanks so very much.

[BigDave]

Do you have FC at the end of the day, before you add chlorine?

[mroll]

Do you have FC at the end of the day, before you add chlorine?
Been checking in the morning only before burns off. Today was FC 3; PH 7.2 TA 80-90..Will check again late afternoon before put in dichlor again. thanks.

[BigDave]

"Burns off" is what I'm getting to. If you can, test and add dichlor(if needed) more often to keep it from ever getting to the minimum reccomendation of Ben's Best Guess Chart (http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/best-guess-swimming-pool-chlorine-chart.html).
If you can only test / dose daily, please test before adding chlorine and increase the amount you add until you do have an FC residual the next time you test.

[mroll]

I guess I'm not understanding the Best Guess Chart. I thought I was within range considering my CYA is under 30.
By a FC residual, you mean when I etst at night I still have chlorine registering?
Sorry when I had a pool years ago didnt test like this...BUT spent an awful lot on crappy chemicals!!

[BigDave]

Yep, You should always have Free Chlorine in your pool. When I say residual, I meant still some left after it's been used by sun and swimmers.

You are on the Best Guess Chart (good) in the morning when you test. I highly suspect that the sun depletes all your chlorine pretty quickly however.

I'm asking you to test several times a day because you are in start-up mode, with very little CYA in the water and we want to you maintain FC to keep the pool sanitary and clear. Once we know that we're holding FC throughout the day, we can back off to daily testing.

If it's not possible to test several times a day, then I'll ask you to use larger and larger doses of chlorine until you do have enough FC remaining at the end of the day.

[mroll]

OK FC at 8 am 2.5; at 2pm 2.0; 4;30 pm 1.5 so it maintained more than half; putting 3 oz of dichlor in now instead of 2 oz--Is that enough FC at end of day??? THANKS...............

[Watermom]

I'd try for 2-3ppm left at the end of the day with CYA less than 30. You want to not let it be lower than the minimum level on the Best Guess Chart at the end of the day, so that will rise as your CYA rises.

[BigDave]

Sounds like that might do it for you, we'll know tomorrow afternoon when you test. I'm glad you're not dropping to 0.

As you now have used about a pound of dichlor, your CYA should be over 10ppm moving you into the second band of Ben's Best Guess Chart and setting your new minimum FC target to 2ppm.

Was the weather cloudy today? Is your pool in shade? It seems like a pretty low FC loss for ~10ppm CYA.

[mroll]

I'd try for 2-3ppm left at the end of the day with CYA less than 30. You want to not let it be lower than the minimum level on the Best Guess Chart at the end of the day, so that will rise as your CYA rises.
AND when do you suggest shocking? Only after rain or once a week??

[mroll]

Sounds like that might do it for you, we'll know tomorrow afternoon when you test. I'm glad you're not dropping to 0.

As you now have used about a pound of dichlor, your CYA should be over 10ppm moving you into the second band of Ben's Best Guess Chart and setting your new minimum FC target to 2ppm.



Was the weather cloudy today? Is your pool in shade? It seems like a pretty low FC loss for ~10ppm CYA.
ACTUALLY HOT AND SUNNY TODAY...Pool in sun till about 6pm!! ummm maybe my CYA is higher but not registering yet???????????

[BigDave]

How sure are you of that 1 lb value? If you're sure, I'm sure. Provided there is no other source of CYA.
Let's just be sure we keep enough chlorine in the pool is little too much is fine, too little - highly ungood.
Shock: When you have consistent CC above 0.5ppm or when you have algae, or when someone has an accident in the pool.

[mroll]

How sure are you of that 1 lb value? If you're sure, I'm sure. Provided there is no other source of CYA.
Let's just be sure we keep enough chlorine in the pool is little too much is fine, too little - highly ungood.
Shock: When you have consistent CC above 0.5ppm or when you have algae, or when someone has an accident in the pool.
Ok I'm sure I added in about 18 ounces dichlor since filling pool. ALSO after filled added 1 gallon Shock from Leslies.. Bottle says Sodium Hyprochlorite 10% and 'other ingredients 90%..WHATS that about???
Today tested 8 am with cheap tester TC 3+, tested again 2 pm with Taylor FC 2.5 CC less than .5..(Both times sunny)Will test again at 6. It is cloudy now.
BTW...What is 'consistent" CC above .5...several days?
Just want to get to point where I can use the beach.......
THANKS SO VERY VERY MUCH

[Watermom]

On the liquid chlorine, it is 10% sodium hypochlorite and the other 90% is probably water. Regular bleach is 6% sodium hypo and 94% water.

When you do the CC (combine chlorine) test, ideally you want the result to be 0, but up to 0.5 is ok. When you have readings that are higher than that, it means you are fighting something in the water and thus the need to shock the pool.

[BigDave]

10% sodium hypochlorite is just fine, it's strong bleach. Ultra bleach is usually about 6% sodium hypochlorite, there is some economy bleach that's 3% (it's usually not economical). Pool stores sell Liquid Chlorine / Liquid Shock at 10% sodium hypochlorite or 12.5% sodium hypochlorite. It's OK, the 90% is water and a little salt.

FC of 2.5ppm is getting uncomfortably close to your target minimum of 2ppm. I would add chlorine if I got that close. How about we increase your dose to 4oz dichlor and see how we fare. Please put it in as soon as you can but wait to test until later.

Yep, consistent - a couple days where you're reading CC at 0.5ppm or more. If you have CC in one test then gone the next it's not a concern.

I'd be more comfortable if your FC was staying well above the minimum, let's dose a little more aggressively with 4oz at a time until that gets to be too much.

[mroll]

OK cheap tested at 6pm..Got 3..seems to be holding but put 3 ounces dichlor. Oops should of put in 4 as Dave suggested.
Tested again now at 8pm..FC 5!!! CC .5....
Will test twice tomorrow then increase to 4 ounces in you still think its necessary.
I just want when I go on vacation in less than 2 weeks, my sons to be able to use a few cups of bleach each day and not worry about Taylor testing..sigh..................
M

[BigDave]

5ppm FC is fine, no need for "!!!". 5ppm is in your nomal range - a little overshoot is OK but hitting the minimum is cause for immediate action.

No reason to sigh, we now know that you can maintain FC dosing only once daily:). Your FC will last even longer after a few more days of dichlor. Do you think your sons will be able to do the OTO test daily?

[CarlD]

Bleach/LC is made from brine, salt water as salt is NaCl--sodium chloride.

I just tested Namco LC, listed as 12.5%. Came in at 10%. When I buy 12.5% from Sun Pools in Greenbrook, NJ, it tests at 14% or better. Just sayin'....

[mroll]

5ppm FC is fine, no need for "!!!". 5ppm is in your nomal range - a little overshoot is OK but hitting the minimum is cause for immediate action.

No reason to sigh, we now know that you can maintain FC dosing only once daily:). Your FC will last even longer after a few more days of dichlor. Do you think your sons will be able to do the OTO test daily?
Am getting frustrated with these numbers....
At 9 am today the FC is 3.5, CC was bewteen .5 and 1...perhaps since we added about 2 inches more of our hose water to pool yesterday???. I will test again late afternoon before I put in dichlor and will put in 4 ounces tonight, RIGHT?

My sons are adults and one is majoring in chemistry so they better be able to do the OTO test :) Now whether they will, is another question. But when that time comes I need to know how much bleach they should put in. Bought 6 gallons of Clorox..was on sale 3 for $5..Leslie Shock is 2 for $10.
THANK AGAIN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[BigDave]

I'm sorry you're frustrated, I don't see why.
Municipal water is often sanitized with monochloramine which reads as CC. This may be the cause of your CC but if it persists, we'll talk about shocking the pool.
I'm concerned that you lost 1.5ppm FC overnight. If you can, test at lunchtime today to be sure you're not getting to the minimum. Dose 4oz dichlor if you are below 3ppm.

[mroll]

I'm sorry you're frustrated, I don't see why.
Municipal water is often sanitized with monochloramine which reads as CC. This may be the cause of your CC but if it persists, we'll talk about shocking the pool.
I'm concerned that you lost 1.5ppm FC overnight. If you can, test at lunchtime today to be sure you're not getting to the minimum. Dose 4oz dichlor if you are below 3ppm.
OK rest of day around 3..I dosed with 4 ounces anyway around 5 pm and hour later was about FC 5..CC is back to zero.

[mroll]

Tested twice Early am with cheap kit TC was 3+today. just now FC 2.5 cc 0 TA 100 PH 7.2.. Can ph e low and TA high??? Put in 3 ounces dichlor I think I must be raising my CYA finally..I am running out of powder to test FC already..
Am I on the right track to getting this stuff right and hopefully testing once a day??????????
Can my FC be 2.5 or 3 and be fine?????????

[aylad]

Your TA and pH are fine right now. Don't worry about your TA at all. Worry about your pH if it gets below 7.0, but then just add some Borax to bring it back up (the dichlor is driving it down). Your FC of 2.5 or 3 is fine as long as your CYA level is less than 30 ppm. Once you get to the 30-50 ppm range, you need to keep no lower than 3 ppm of chlorine in the pool.

You can order new powder from several places, including Amazon, Taylortechnologies, or spspoolspas.

Janet

[BigDave]

I think you've shown that you're holding FC through the day so testing once a day is fine. But, please dose 4oz dichlor until the residual FC is at least 3ppm.
As far as running out of powder, you can conserve by using one dipper - if the sample turns pink, it's enough.
I think you're on the right track - just have to keep the FC above minimum at all times.
Are you uncomfortable with FC at 2.5ppm or 3ppm? I don't understand.
How much total dichlor have you used so far?

[mroll]

Janet, I f I order anything I will link through here!
Dave, A little less than 2 lbs so far of dichlor. I will throw in another ounce now. Put 3 in a little awhile ago.
NOT uncomfortable with FC at 2.5, 3...I didnt know the difference till I joined here!!! LOL
Once my CYA gets in 30-50 range and FC around 3, how much bleach per day would my pool take??

[Watermom]

In your pool, a quart of 6% bleach will add around 2.5ppm of chlorine. So, once your CYA is somewhere between 30-50 and you go to testing chlorine in the evenings only, you'll just use that as a reference to figure out how much to add to take your chlorine level back up to around 6. If you find that by the next evening, your chlorine level has fallen below 3ppm, then you'll want to add enough bleach to get to 7ppm. You'll soon learn how high you need to take the chlorine each evening to make sure you don't fall below 3 by the following evening.

[mroll]

OK Hopefully last question on this..Seem to be holding FC of 3 throughout the day and night. Adding 3 ounces dichlor at night. Will retest CYA on Friday. IF I'm up between 30-50 range, hopefully finally, and I'm maintaining FC 3, CAN I just add 2 cups bleach per night???
AND if I fall below the FC3 then add 2 ounces dichlor instead of bleach OR double the bleach to 4 cups???
Need to leave instruction for son after next week.
(If I'm still not in the 30-50 range I will continue with 3-4 ounces dichlor for another week)

[mroll]

OK Hopefully last question on this..Seem to be holding FC of 3 throughout the day and night. Adding 3 ounces dichlor at night. Will retest CYA on Friday. IF I'm up between 30-50 range, hopefully finally, and I'm maintaining FC 3, CAN I just add 2 cups bleach per night???
AND if I fall below the FC3 then add 2 ounces dichlor instead of bleach OR double the bleach to 4 cups???
Need to leave instruction for son after next week.
(If I'm still not in the 30-50 range I will continue with 3-4 ounces dichlor for another week)
OK same today so I really would appreciate guidance on how to continue. Thanks

[BigDave]

I didn't see your post yesterday mroll, I'm sorry.

Let me see if I understand: You are adding 3 oz dichlor every night after testing and every evening when you test your FC is 3. You are leaving Friday, July 20. If this is not true, tell me.

I recommend you keep dosing 3oz of dichlor a night after measuring FC, CC and pH.
If you read more than 4ppm FC, dose 2oz dichlor instead of 3oz.
Add Borax if pH gets below 7.2.

By next Thursday, you should have about 3-1/2lbs of dichlor in the pool with a calculated CYA of 40ppm.
Adjust pH to 7.4-7.6 before turning the pool over to your son.

While you're away, have your son do this every afternoon:
Test pool water with OTO.
If OTO shows 3ppm or less, add 6 Cups plain 6% bleach.
If OTO shows more than 3ppm, add 3 Cups bleach.
If your son has a pool party, add 8 Cups bleach before the party, test OTO ASAP after the party and add 3 Cups of bleach if OTO reads under 3ppm, repeat OTO test and 3 Cups bleach every 1/2 hour until OTO reads above 5ppm.
Have a great trip and don't worry about the pool.
Run a full set of tests when you return.

Keep us updated until you leave.

[mroll]

OH NO!! WHAT HAPPENED????????????
NOW today MY FC IS 4ppm CC .5ppm PH LOW AND CYA WENT TO 65...SO NO MORE DICHLOR, RIGHT? Just added borax..WHY did CYA go from nothing to 65?????????????oh just added inch or so of water to pool BUT did that last week too with no problems...

[aylad]

If your CYA is 65, then it's time to stop using the dichlor and switch to bleach. It's also time for you to keep a minimum of 5 ppm of chlorine in the pool at all times. Sometimes it just takes a few days for it to register. You've been using a lot of dichlor, so I'm not surprised it's risen a bit. If your pH is below 7.0, dose it with Borax to bring it back up to the 7.2-7.6 range.

Relax--it's just a pool!! :)

Janet