First test results in and I think I am OK, right?

[BigDave]

To add to what aylad said about Alkalinity; high Alkalinity will tend to contribute to CO2 outgassing and the pH rise seen in many SWCG pools. The fix for High Alk. and high pH is the same: add acid. Both pH and Alk. will drop. pH will rise on it's own through aeration and SWCG use. When it gets higher again, add acid again and so on until your Alk is where you want it.

Also to add to aylad's sanitary advice; you have a tiny pool. A little is alot in 1,200 gallons of water. Any sort of "dirty" especially from poo-sickness, I'd shock and close the pool for a couple days.

[SafetyBob]

Ok, thanks for replies. I am retesting right now as I write and I will put testing comments down as I test....

Chlorine Test:
Using 25mL for now for absolute accuracy while I get used to this stuff. Right off the bat, tonight, found part of my problem. I thought earlier my sample was initially a very light pink. I made sure two complete, even dippers were added. Much much more color now.

FC is 11ppm
CC is 1.6

Checked my fill water, it tested 180 ppm for total alkanlinity. Got 190 ppm this time for pool water.

So, everyone is out right now for the night. I will give it a bit of shock (again, my 1/4 cup) and see how she goes.

Janet, I will dial down my SWCG from 2 hours to 1 hour a day. Hopefully that should bring down the FC, which means that's why my pool today for the first time this season that I can recall, actually had a chlorine smell about it. The big question is, if CC really is 1.6 ppm, wouldn't it come down too when I dial back production from the SWCG? I don't understand exactly what you mean by saying that a high CC level of 2.0 indicates that what, there is an infection (algea or whatever) in the pool?

Also, is Aquachem stabilizer OK? I got it before really finding and digesting the info in the website. It does say 100% cyanuric acid.

And, one last thing, BigDave mentions acid to bring down Alkalinity and pH.....that does mean muratic acid, right? Is there a dry mixture I could use instead of the liquid. Not that I cannot control the chemicals, but I have a couple of small children and would prefer dry if at all possible......it's not like I am going to use it every day, right? I can store it safely, it will be at a distance, not close by the pool area. No problem, just asking if dry is ok, and if so, is it worth it (again, I am small, small scale compared to 99% of you), and what stuff do I need to purchase.

Thanks again,

Bob E.

[Watermom]

To save on your reagents, use the 10ml sample instead of the 25ml. Readings within 0.5ppm are good enough.

If you have a CC reading greater than 0.5, you need to shock your pool. (CC is Combined Chloromines. Basically, this means chlorine that is engaged in metabolizing something like algae, bacteria, etc. It gives chlorine its characteristic odor and can irritate eyes. The best way to get rid of it is to increase your FC (Free Chlorine), the good stuff. The ideal level of CC is 0.) So, with a CYA reading of 32 (not sure how you got 32??), the shock level for your pool would be 15ppm. You need to keep your chlorine at shock level until you can go from sundown one evening to within two hours or sunrise the next day without losing more than 1ppm of chlorine and without having more than 0.5ppm of CC. (By the way -- you don't want to use a SWCG to shock a pool. If you truly do have that much of a CC reading and need to shock, turn the SWCG off and just use bleach. This will increase the life of your cell.)

OR -- maybe you don't really have a CC reading of 1.6. You might want to try that test again and report back.

Regarding dippers full of powder --- you don't need to use 2. If one scoop turns it pink, that is all you need. No need to use more powder than necessary.

Lastly, the stabilizer is OK.
You can use dry acid (PH Down) if you prefer to use that instead of muriatic acid.

[SafetyBob]

Will test tommorrow again and pay close, close attention to everything again.

I got 32 ppm on the CYA test by interpolating the distance between the 30 and 40 mark. I did not report it again tonight, but I did another CYA test and this time it ran closer to the 45 ppm level (again, right between the 40 and 50 marks on the tester is were the black dot simply disappeared).

Again, practice makes perfect. Thanks for the hint on adding the correct dipper amount.

I did turn the SWCG down from 2 hours to 1 hour.

Bob E.

[Watermom]

Don't test the CYA too often or you'll run out of the testing reagent.

[SafetyBob]

Thank you all for the advice. Last night I shocked the pool with my "normal" amount using "Re-fresh +" which has 73% Calcium Hypochlorite and 27% Other Ingredients. I think before I found this sight, a recommendation was to only get a shock with Calcium Hypochlorite for small plastic pools. I think at this point I could use a good recommendation for a good shock to use. However, it does seem to be working because here are tonight's numbers....

FC - 19.5 ppm

CC - 0.50 or less (one drop and it went clear in a hurry)

pH - 7.6

I did not do CYA but did put the sock in to desolve the CYA I have....

So I guess my "infection" hopefully is over, will start testing morning and afternoon from here on out. Created spreadsheet to keep absolute track of all this.

Thanks for everyone's help!!

Bob E.

[Watermom]

How about just using bleach for your shock and for everyday chlorination?