opening pool - water test results

[mike_311]

what about the ph, is it ok at 7.4 or should i raise or lower it a little?

[Watermom]

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.

[mike_311]

ok, i 'll see where the alkalinity is after i refill, that number was based off the old water.

[mike_311]

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?

[Watermom]

Yes. Keep your chlorine between 3-6. If it drops below that, you risk an algae bloom.

[mike_311]

so is there an easier way to test my chlorine daily (strips?) or do i need to use the drop kit to check it?

[aylad]

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.

[mike_311]

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.

[PoolDoc]

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.

[mike_311]

thanks, i'll look into it.