help with first results of the season, ps234

[vinouspleasure]

here are my results:
Ph 6.8
FC .5
CC 1
TC 1.5
Alk 100
Cal 150
CYA 40

would love to hear your suggestions.

tia,
jd

[waterbear]

here are my results:
Ph 6.8
Get this up to at least 7.2, particularly if you have a vinyl pool, first! Use borax to do this.
FC .5
CC 1
Shock the pool to get rid of the CC and get your FC up
TC 1.5
Alk 100
Cal 150
CYA 40
These numbers are fine for vinyl pools. If your pool is plaster get the Cal up to around 250-300, if your pool is fiberglass then get it up to 225-250.
would love to hear your suggestions.

tia,
jd
hope this is helpful.

[vinouspleasure]

thanks.

- to shock the pool, what is the recommended chlorine level and how long should I maintain it?
- post shock, what should the target be for fc?
- the powder in the kit for the chlorine test has gone gray, is there a place I can order a replacement?
- do I have to shop for calcium at a pool store or is there an equivalent?

thanks for all the help!
jd

[Watermom]

With a cya of 45, you should shock up to 15ppm. Test a couple times a day and each time, bring your chlorine level back up to 15. After your pool is clear and you are no longer getting a CC reading, your chlorine level should be maintained between 3-6 all the time. If you drop below 3, you risk an algae bloom.

I'm going to let someone else answer your question about where to order refills. As far as calcium, what type of pool do you have? If it is a vinyl pool, you don't need calcium.

[vinouspleasure]

thanks for all the great info! its a gunite pool, so I definitely need cal. also, my cya is 40 not 45...the actual reading was 38 but I rounded it off.

thanks again,
jd

[waterbear]

thanks for all the great info! its a gunite pool, so I definitely need cal. also, my cya is 40 not 45...the actual reading was 38 but I rounded it off.

thanks again,
jd
It's not possible to get a CYA reading of 38 with the PS234. Just call it a bit below 40. Your CYA is fine where it is. Shocking to 15 ppm is still fine.
As far as refills, if your DPD powder is only grey it's probably still good. The titrant is the one to worry about. If it is NOT clear but has any kind of color (like pinkish or orange) then it is bad and needs to be replaced. You can order refills from Taylor Technologies (http://www.taylortechnologies.com/learnmore_faq.asp#buying) or from TF Test Kits (http://www.tftestkits.com/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=3).

[aylad]

How does your water look?

Janet

[vinouspleasure]

the water was very cloudy to start but I've been shocking the pool and now its clear but not crystal clear. I was using pool shock rather than chlorine since its a little more convenient and I had some leftover from last year.

the bleach calculator says I need about 7 gallons of bleach to reach 15ppm. I typically shock the pool once a week after heavy use or heavy rainfall, so thats a lot of bleach to keep on hand. I guess I've seen a split of opinion in these forums on whether one needs to shock regularly if the chlorine readings stay in acceptable range.

[Watermom]

Unless you have a CC reading over 0.5, you shouldn't need to shock. It isn't hard to keep your chlorine level between 3-6 if you just are diligent about testing and adding bleach. I very seldom have to shock my pool because I very consistenly maintain my chlorine levels.

[waterbear]

If your CC is less than .5 ppm you do NOT need to shock. Most people do NOT need to shock weekly. Remember, shock is a verb, not a noun. It a procedure, not a product.

[aylad]

- the powder in the kit for the chlorine test has gone gray, is there a place I can order a replacement?

jd


I have also ordered from this place and found the product and the shipping to be much cheaper(sometimes up to 50%!) than Taylor.

www.spspools-spas.com


Janet

[vinouspleasure]

thanks for the help, I've started acting on the recommendations:
- added 8 gallons of bleach
- added 4 pounds of borax with more to come
- added 10 lbs of calcium with more to come

water is very clear now, will test again tomorrow and hoping to swim this weekend.