what about the ph, is it ok at 7.4 or should i raise or lower it a little?
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what about the ph, is it ok at 7.4 or should i raise or lower it a little?
Depends on if you are going to try and lower your alk or just let it stay where it is. Go back and read the "lowering ak" link I put in post #8. Alk of 180 is a little high, but not super critical on a vinyl pool. You can decide whether or not you want to lower it some. Generally, 80-120 is what we suggest.
If you are going to try and lower it, you'll want to drop your pH per the link I mentioned. If not, then 7.4 is OK.
ok, i 'll see where the alkalinity is after i refill, that number was based off the old water.
ok, the pool has been drained and refilled and here are the water test results:
CYA - between 35 and 40ppm
PH - 7.6
AK - 48ppm as calcium carbonate
calcium hardness 32ppm as calcium carbonate
i just put 3 qts of 6% bleach in and its stirring around now, do i still want to be between 3 and 6ppm chlorine?
Yes. Keep your chlorine between 3-6. If it drops below that, you risk an algae bloom.
so is there an easier way to test my chlorine daily (strips?) or do i need to use the drop kit to check it?
Strips are going to answer the question "is there any, or no, chlorine in the pool". They won't reliably tell you how much. You can get a cheap OTO kit (Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, or anywhere else they sell pool stuff) that uses red and yellow drops for pH and chlorine--they usually measure up to 5 ppm and you can dilute the sample to read a little higher if you need to.
i already have the $50 drop kit that Taylor makes, but it is a PITA to check the chlorine with that EVERY day, since i am using bleach. plus i dont think I'll have enough chemical to make it through one season.
i was wondering if there was a quicker/easier to check the chlorine daily and them formally drop check the water every few weeks for the other values.
Once you have your pool chemistry on a steady routine, you won't need to test so much.
Also, if you got an OTO kit like recommended, you can use that in between DPD-FAS tests -- it's not as accurate, but it's FAR more accurate and reliable than test strips.
thanks, i'll look into it.