phosphates high? ph low

[mrszaff]

15x32' rectangle 19K gal IG vinyl pool
We opened the pool today and the water is crystal clear, I am running the filter and I haven't put anything in it yet. The pool store told me the phosphates are high and i should put Leslies(store brand) Phosfree and conditioner (to raise CYA) and also 5LBS Soda Ash
here are my numbers I will follow your instruction. In years past, we have had a metal issue so I hesitate to put too much bleach in at once.
FAC .5 TAC .5 calcium HARDNESS 80 CYA 0 TA 110 PH 6 BASE 8 PHOSPHATES 1000
THANKS!

[CarlD]

Hi,
I'm not the metals guy but I can tell that Leslies tells EVERYBODY they need phosphate remover and that EVERYBODY's phosphates are high. It's mostly a meaningless way to get you to spend money.

Chlorine levels of .5 are low, but, without a test for copper and iron, I'm not sure where you should go.

But your pH is terribly low ans you'll need to add several boxes of Borax to bring it up over 7.0. Below 6.8/6.9 for a vinyl pool can really damage it.
Not sure what "Base 8 " means.
CYA definitely needs to be raised but....be sure the CYA contains ONLY CYA. Branch Brook Pools in my area last year was selling it mixed with either baking soda or borax, basically doctoring it.
TA is fine for now. it WILL rise when your pH goes up.

You need to get your own test kit and test your water yourself.

[mrszaff]

thank you, I will start with the Borax tonight and add a bottle of bleach one day at a time I guess. I have a taylor test kit, I just needed to replenish it which is why I went to Leslies. As long as the phosphates dont matter, I wont do anything about it i guess. They told me algae would bloom if I didn't add the phosfree. I will get the cya at leslies if its good.
thank you

[Pappy]

You can probably find CYA at Home Depot/Lowes/Walmart at a better price than Leslies.

[mrszaff]

Hi, I am replying to this old thread I posted last summer because I cant seem to post a new one and the question is similar....15x32' rectangle 19K gal IG vinyl pool
My question is about CYA of ZERO, how much should I add and do you recommend any from amazon?
My other levels are FC 2; TC 2; ALK 50; Ph 7.4; copper 0; iron 0 phosphates 500; Cal hardness20

[CarlD]

Any CYA powder that's 100% Isocyanuric or cyanuric acid is fine.

The question isn't how much you should add, but what level of CYA do you desire. Usually, in a location like yours, something between 30 and 50 ppm is a good target.

[FormerBromineUser]

.
An additional thought: Consider adding less CYA than you think you need so you don't overshoot your goal. You can always add more in a later if you need to. CYA levels don't naturally lower that much over time.

I undershoot with all my additions except chlorine. Call me over-cautious if you will...