first complete test - does this sound right?

[duraleigh]

Hi, Kevin,

Chlorine - No problem on the 2.25 gal.....that was fine. Your pucks were the issue. Keep that Cl up around 16. It wouldn't hurt a thing to bring it right back to 16 before dark if you don't mind testing again....it'll speed up the process. Next, for sure bring your Cl up to 16 again tomorrow morning. Do this daily 'til your water clears. Keep your pump running 24/7. vacuum when you can and backwash if your pressure builds say 6-8lbs on your filter guage.

pH - No problem at 7.0 for what your doing. Keep a close eye on it, tho. Bring back to 7.2 - 7-8 after your alk comes down.

CYA - get that tested as soon as you can. Since you have dropped 15ppm since yesterday, I suspect you either have very little CYA or quite a bit more "bugs" than we may have thought.

Time - Keep the faith. I just refilled my pool from the pond (yuk) and it took a ton of Chlorine for 6 days straight before it got blue. However, that's ALL it took. No Floc, No Clarifier, No polyquat....just Chlorine, filtering and keeping my autovac hooked up 24/7. You will get the same results if you follow the method.

Alk - I don't think the temp will have any affect on your Alk reading.....the Alk is not significant in clearing your pool (in this case) anyway. My Alk test drops are big, too.

[haeffnkr]

My pool is very clear now.

I ran my areators over night...problem was the wind blew hard overnight and lowered my pool below the skimmer and the pump was sucking air this morning. So I had to add about 6 inches of water today!!
The tap water at my house appears to be high in Ph and ALK? Does that sound right? Cause my PH and ALK are not going/staying down.

My numbers just now are -
FC about 2
PH 7.5
ALK 160
CAL 200
CYA up to 29 (from 20)
temp 67

So I am adding more bleach - about 2.5 gallons per calc. Is the pool really supposed to be using 13 ppm per day?
About 30 oz of acid to lower the ph to about 6.9 per calc.

What should I get the CYA up to?

How is the Cal number for my fiberglass pool?
I think the first few times I did not get the color of the cal test up to a real blue - how blue should it be - the first time it was kind of blue with tiny red flakes in it?

thanks Kevin

[duraleigh]

Hi, Kevin,

So I am adding more bleach - about 2.5 gallons per calc. Is the pool really supposed to be using 13 ppm per day? This is your big issue. I think you're consuming bleach due to organics still in your pool. When that gets straightened out, you'll consume 2-3ppm per day or so. You may need to take your Cl back to shock level but let's see where you are tomorrow evening. Another post of your Cl will be very helpful......other tests not really necessary.

About 30 oz of acid to lower the ph to about 6.9 per calc. You seem to have a good handle on managing your water so 6.9 is okay but you're borderline....keep a very close watch on it

What should I get the CYA up to? 30 - 40 works well for most bleach users

How is the Cal number for my fiberglass pool? Not an issue. disregard it.

I think the first few times I did not get the color of the cal test up to a real blue - how blue should it be - the first time it was kind of blue with tiny red flakes in it? Mine turns blue within a drop or two (plus or minus) ....you're close enough not to worry about it.


Kevin, the only other thing i would emphasize is I feel your Cl should be your real focus. Your Alk is somewhat off but not enough to draw you attewntion, IMHO. I would concentrate all my effort on pumping the Cl in there until you get an overnight reading where your Cl doesn;t move much....say, not more than 2-3ppm. The Alk can be fine tuned later and will have little to do with the clarity of your water. (sorry about the "shouting" text...I'm experimenting)

[haeffnkr]

Dave and all,
About the CYA - I plan on using my SWG when I get the rest of the numbers stable. Last year I had good luck with running the SWG - it made my maintance very easy. So should I still shoot for 30-40 with a CYA?

My water is very clear now...I can see all the screw ups in the deep end and all over when my builder TRIED to patch in some gell-coat last year when the pool was drained - I believe the patch has all disolved away...anyone else have an American Fiberglass pool?

My PH rose to 7.2 in 3 hours and my ALK went to 160 tonight - yippeee...Per Ben that is the way it is supposed to work...when all the water stays in pool I guess. I just put more acid in so I will try to check it in the morning.

My CL is apparently getting used up...with my water pretty clear now hopefully the usage will slow down.

Thanks for the help and I liked the reply text too!
thanks again Kevin

[duraleigh]

Hi, Kevin,

Nice work....good numbers.

Poolsean, the SWG guru, recommends 60-80 CYA for their equipment. That seems to be sort of a consensus but I would call Tech Support for your SWG and follow their advice.

Enjoy your pool.

[CarlD]

Ok, in a F/G pool, with a T/A of 160, stop worrying about T/A. Like a vinyl pool, anything below 180 is effectively normal. If your pH is in the 7.3-7.8 range, you are done (re: T/A). If your pH is 6.9-7.2, aerate to raise pH back over 7.3 without raising T/A, but that's all.

Now worry about the other stuff...

Pretty much nothing else to add to Dave S's recommendations.

[haeffnkr]

Carl - Dave and all,

Now I find out my alk is OK - but I got it down anyway...haha.
My numbers now are
FC 8.5
CC 0
PH 7.2 -7.3
ALK - 130

So my Alk is down and my Cl is holding better only used about 6 ppm in 24 hours - my water is very clear now.

I truly thank all for the help, I have learned so much.

Kevin