First time test results...

[freddyttt]

Using my new Taylor K-2006-

11,000 gal. Vinyl inground temp 70.

Ph just below 7.0

needed to add 28 drops of 0006 to bing it up to 7.2
----------------------

Totel Alk 50

---------------------

Calcium Hardness 100

----------------------

Acid test 100

----------------------

Now on my free Chlorine test i was a bit confused.

I used the 25ml mark and needed to add 60 drops x 0.2 gives me a 12

my Combines Chlorine is 1


Im a newbie so Id appreciate a little advice....

thanks-

[freddyttt]

Doing some back reading iv decided the best thing to do first is Raise my PH.
iv addded 1/2 box of 20 mule team Borax.

ill re-test PH and report back.


PS. my water is v. clear.

[freddyttt]

Not sure if anyone is following but if you are id appreciate some input;)

Added about 1 1/2 boxes of 20 Mule and my PH is now about 7.0.

it took 14 drops of 0006 instead of 28 drops for a 7.2 to 7.4 reading. so the 20 mule is definitely doing its thing....


Ill let it sit for 24 Hrs re-test and add more Mule if needed.
then re-test all the numbers.


any thoughts?

[Water_man]

Hi,

I’m a newbie too, but since none of the experienced people have responded yet I’ll try to help you from
what I’ve learned here so far.

1. What have you been using to chlorinate so far? Did you shock recently? How and when?
FC level of 12 indicates a recent shocking.

2. Check your CYA and report it here. This is a very important number!

3. Raise your pH and TA to the optimal level gradually. Your desired pH is around 7.5.
TA is about 80 for vinyl, but double check here.

I found the Pool Calculator http://www.poolcalculator.com/ very useful.
Never add the calculated amount at once. Use between half and two thirds at one time. Wait 12 hours of pump action before reapplying. When I change water chem I let the pump go 24/7.

4. If CC is consistently 1 ppm you may need to shock. Double check with the experienced guys here. The amount of FC needed depends on your CYA level. Consult the sticky of Ben’s Best Guess and chem geek’s chart. The CYA test may be tricky. Better do it twice and have two people view the disappearance of the black dot. I also consult my wife for the pH test. Women are supposed to be better at color matching.

5. You can save reagents for FC and CC tests when your FC level is high by using 10 ml samples instead of 25 ml. Don't forget to change the factor to 1 drop = 0.5 ppm.

[freddyttt]

Thanks-

my CYA level seems to be over 100....

black dot disappears before the 100 mark is reached.

please advice?

[Watermom]

If it were my pool and the cya level was 100, I'd drain half and decrease the cya level down to 50 which is much more manageable. Don't drain half all at once. Do a couple of partial drains instead of one big one.

[freddyttt]

Thanks however id rather not drain 1/2 the water.

any other choices?

what does a high CYA level mean?

thanks-

((pool is crystal clear)

[aylad]

High CYA level means that you'll either have to drain some of the water and refill to lower it, as Watermom suggested, or raise your minimum free chlorine level to compensate, in order to keep your pool clear and free of algae. I strongly suspect that you're using trichlor pucks to chlorinate, which will both raise your CYA and lower your pH....if that's the case, you need to stop using them at this point and use either cal-hypo or bleach to chlorinate. If you raise your CYA much higher, I'm not sure that you'll be able to maintain a high enough chlorine level to stop the algae.

Janet

[Watermom]

As Jan said, if you choose not to do a partial drain, you'll have to run higher chlorine levels all the time or you'll have a green pool. Take a look at the chart at the following link.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365

[freddyttt]

As Jan said, if you choose not to do a partial drain, you'll have to run higher chlorine levels all the time or you'll have a green pool. Take a look at the chart at the following link.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365


Thanks.

so if i never do a partial drain my CYA levels will never fall?

[Watermom]

You will lose some through water splashout and water replacement which will dilute it some but this won't be significant. Some people, me included, typically lose all their cya over the winter and have to readd each spring. But, I would doubt that with a cya reading of 100 that it would be likely to drop to 0. That being said, unless you do a partial drain, you will most likely continue to have a cya reading of 100. Some people decide to just live with it and maintain the higher chlorine levels and do just fine. It is just a matter of preference. At any rate, no more trichlor tabs in your pool or your cya level will just continue to rise. Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to do.

[freddyttt]

new numbers as im still trying to figure this out.

FC - 11.5
CC - 0
pH - 7.0
CYA - 90
TA - 50
Calcium - 90

[Watermom]

FC, CC, calcium look fine. I would suggest raising your alk and ph a little. Aim for 7.4-7.6 for ph and 80-120 for alk.

[freddyttt]

FC, CC, calcium look fine. I would suggest raising your alk and ph a little. Aim for 7.4-7.6 for ph and 80-120 for alk.



good Morning.....

should i add 20 mule and baking soda at the same time raising ALK and PH.

or do one at a time.

thanks-

[Watermom]

Good morning back! You can do both at the same time. I do both all the time with no problems. Just go with small additions and add them slowly to your skimmer while the pump is running, breaking up any large clumps. Then, wait a few hours to let it circulate and then retest and redose as needed until you get them where you want them. Easier to go slow and add more rather than overshoot your target and have to lower them. Hope this helps.

[CarlD]

Looks like you are doing fine. Your FC MAY be a little high if your CYA is 80, but I wouldn't worry about it--if it's actually 100, as you posted before, FC of 11.5 is perfect.

T/A and pH were low--again, blame those Tri-Chlor pucks. Not only do they add CYA, they add acid and drop pH. This CAN be good (such as with a new concrete/gunite pool that's curing--the pucks add needed CYA and fight rising pH) but isn't always.

Bleach and LC are, were, and will be the simplest and least side-effects way to add chlorine. (OK, SWGs are great, too, even easier). You need to stick with that or Cal-Hypo. But if you use Cal-Hypo, check your Calcium levels regularly. Or you could get an SWG.

[freddyttt]

Hi and thanks for everyones help.
its a pretty day in Jersey;)

new numbers-

FC - 13.5
CC - 0
pH - 7.2
CYA - 100
TA - 130
Calcium - 100


so we went up on ph from 7.0 to 7.2
and up on TA from 50 to 130
a little up on FC and Cal...

ill go with another 1/2 box of 20 mule.

thoughts?

[aylad]

I think I would leave the pH alone for a day or two and see if it stabilizes there. 7.2 is a pretty good level.

Janet

[CarlD]

Yes, it is a pretty day in NJ. But the clouds keep covering the sun and it's a bit breezy. The kids and I were in and out and back in again...

[freddyttt]

After a backwash and a few inches of fresh rain here are my new numbers.
first set is the old -------- new.

the only big difference i see is my CH, from 100 to 70?



FC - 13.5 ----------- 13
CC - 0 -------------- 0
pH - 7.2 ------------ 7.4
CYA - 100 ---------- 100
TA - 130 ------------ 140
Calcium H - 100 ---------- 70


Thoughts?

[Watermom]

Everything looks fine. How does the water look?

[freddyttt]

Everything looks fine. How does the water look?


crystal clear;)

[CarlD]

"By George he's got it! I think he's got it!"

Congratulations!

[freddyttt]

FC - 11.5---------------------6
CC - 0------------------------0
pH - 7.0----------------------7.2
CYA - 90---------------------100
TA - 50-----------------------100
Calcium - 90------------------100


new numbers-

my FC fell to 6 i guess because i ran out of Puck(tabs)3 days ago....

my TA also went from 50 to 100.

should i hit it with some bleach then add my chlorine pucks?

also how to lower my TA?

thoughts.

[aylad]

I really think you should hit it with some bleach and forget the pucks. Your CYA is already almost uncontrollably high, and will only get higher with each puck you use. Your pH is also very low...in fact it's too low for you to drop your alk. The good news, though, is that your alk is fine--I'd leave it alone.

If you insist on using the pucks, you're going to have to drain/refill about 1/2 your water, otherwise by late july you're going to have algae problems that won't clear up because of your CYA levels.

Janet

[freddyttt]

If I stop using the Pucks, how many gallons a week do i dump in...

im confused on that!

[aylad]

In an 11K gallon pool, 3 cups of ultra bleach will raise your Cl by 1 ppm. With a CYA that high, you need to maintain no less than 8 ppm, with a max of around 15 ppm. That means that you need to add enough each night so that by the end of the day the next day, you still have greater than 8 ppm. The good news is that with stabilizer that high, the sun won't eat the chlorine up as fast as it does at lower levels, so if you get it high enough, you probably won't have to add it every day. It will take daily testing for awhile to figure out how much and how often you'll need to add the chlorine, but you'll eventually get a feel for it and won't have to test quite as often. The higher chlorine levels are why we advised you earlier to drain about 1/2 your water-- but if you're diligent about it, you can compensate with the higher chlorine levels.

Janet

[freddyttt]

added 1/2 box Borax mule and about 1/2 gallon clorox bleach 6%...


raised my PH to 7.6 and my FC is now 10..



wife also picked up 3, 1.42 Gallons of clorox 6% for about 8.00....

im now officially done with Pucks;)

[aylad]

im now officially done with Pucks;)


NOW......he's got it!!!:D :D

Janet

[freddyttt]

*****UPDATE******

all numbers are the same except my FC...

its dropped below ..03

iv just backwashed and added 2 gallons of Bleach.

pool size 11,000.... ill run the filter and re-test.

anything else i should do?

(pool still clear although maybe not as it was when FC was above .11

[aylad]

Nothing else to do except go swimming! Just make sure that you keep the chlorine level up. If your water starts getting hazy or greenish looking, shock it. Otherwise...enjoy!

Janet