slimy, gelatinous strings of goo ruin a good dip.........

[BigDave]

With the CYA test, you add drops of the pool water / CYA testing reagent mixture until the black dot disappears. Then read the CYA level from the marks on the from of the test vial.

[heyred52]

Readings this morning:

I have repeatedly done the CYA test with the same results! The dot becomes invisible when only about 3/4" solution is added. The line on the back of the CYA test tube says 1.8

Ph 7.2
Free chlorine 3
Combined chlorine .5

I have read the posts on the staining and am gathering the incredients.
---Kem-Tek 338-6 Metal & Calcium Eliminator Pool and Spa Chemicals, 1 Quart
---Kem-Tek 311-6 Pool and Spa 60-Percent Concentrated Algaecide, 1 Quart
---Now Foods, Ascorbic Acid Powder, 2#

Is this sufficient to deal with the problem? I am just not sure of amounts to buy. Thanks.

[aylad]

I'll have Ben check back in and make sure that you have everything that you need...

Janet

[BigDave]

...The line on the back of the CYA test tube says 1.8...

I found the line you're talking about! It's molded into the side of my comparator as well. It's actually a measure of ml, mine reads 1.8, 4.5, and 9. Trouble is, this is well short of scale for CYA, you probably can't even see the level on the front CYA scale.

This indicates that your CYA is much higher. You can use the dilution method to get an approximate measure of high CYA. Dilute one pool water with 2 parts tap water (1/4 Cup pool water and 1/2 Cup tap water) perform the CYA test on this diluted sample and multiply the result by 3. If you're still above 100 CYA with the dilute sample, try 1/4 Cup pool water with 1-1/4 Cups tap water and multiply the result by 6.

[waterbear]

Those lines are ml measurements for doing dilutions with the DPD test. They must use the same comparator mold for all the 2000 series comparators so those lines are probably on all of them. With the DPD test (not the FAS-DPD test you can fill the comparator to the 4.5 ml line with pool water and then to the 9 ml line with distilled water for a 1 to 1 dilution which means the DPD test results are doubled. By using the 1.8 ml line and then filling to the 9 ml lline with distilled water the DPD test results ar multiplied by 5 to give an estimation of chlorine levels up to 25 ppm but with limited precision.

The CYA scale is the ppm scale on the front that goes from 30 to 100 ppm (or the molded scale on the OTHER side (the inside, not the outside) that goes from 30 to 100 ppm if you have a K-2005 comparator.)

Since you are lining up at the 1.8 ml mark you CYA is off scale. The 4.5 ml mark is about80 ppm CYA so your is MUCH higher. You are going to have to do the dilutions as BigDave suggested.

[PoolDoc]

Hi Red;

1. Go ahead and add a SINGLE dose of HEDP -- use whatever dose the label says.

2. Is the slime all gone, now? (Your borax is getting high enough, to help with that, by the way. If you've added over 12 boxes, you should be in the 'will make a difference' zone!)

3. To manage chlorine levels, with your CYA as high as it is, you'll need a K-1515. See the test kit page linked in my signature. The Best Guess page (also in my sig) will explain why. The alternative is to drain and refill, which I don't particularly recommend.

4. If the slime is all gone, you need to let your chlorine drop. But, with stabilizer that high it would also be to add a dose of polyquat, every 3 days. A quart contains 1.4lbs of polyquat (100%) so it has 1.4 x 9 = 12 ppm for your pool. 2 - 3 ppm doses are effective, or about 1 cup at a time. Depending on how quickly we can proceed, you may need another quart, since you can't have chlorine in the pool at the same time you have ascorbic acid.

5. Once the chlorine is below 0.5, and the HEDP and polyquat are both in the pool, you can add the ascorbic acid. Start with a 1lb dose, and see if that lifts all the stains. If it does, you can begin rechlorinating slowly. But continue to use polyquat till you have the chlorine up to Best Guess levels.

6. If you are going to use the CuLator to remove the iron from your pool water, you can put it in now, UNDER the skimmer sock. (The HEDP only holds it in the water -- as the HEDP breaks down, some of the iron will end up on your filter, and be backwashed out. But, some may re-stain your pool.)

BUT, before you start trying to add ascorbic acid, the slime MUST be gone, you must have a reasonable idea of what your CYA levels are, and you must have a K-1515.

Good luck

[BigDave]

3. To manage chlorine levels, with your CYA as high as it is, you'll need a K-1515.

PD, HeyRed got his k-2006 in post #28. FC is also very low at present. I didn't advise moving it because you are working into stain / metals removal.

[heyred52]

dang, I wish I listened in chemistry class. This is confusing!

#1---the slime is GONE
#2---pool water is best I've ever seen
#3---stain is my only issue

What is K-1515 Ben?
And when you say with my "stabilizer that high" I need a dose of polyquat. What is the stabilizer?
I understand the polyquat dose as you suggest it.
How much HEDP?
Do I need a skimmer sock or can I just put this in the basket?
Can I wait until the end of summer to do all this?

forgive what may seem like idiotic questions. Thanks. Leyla


Question: Can I wait until the end of summer to remove the stains?

[jwhouse]

Stabilizer is the CYA levels. It will affect how quickly your CL will be broken down by sunlight and general effectiveness of CL sanitization. Generally recommended to keep that at 40-50ppm level but because yours is REALLY high, you will have to keep your chlorine levels much higher to be effective.

If you have read the best guess chart, you will see that your chlorine levels must remain between 8 and 15 at all times to prevent algae and other nasties from growing.
CYA LVL
100 - 200

CL MIN
8ppm CL

CL MAX
15ppm CL

SHOCK LEVELS
25-100ppm CL

Caution: red levels (the high end of the shock levels) are can be irritating to skin, can
damage hair, lighten pool liners and are very damaging to swimwear. Additionally, at these stabilizer levels, chlorine will drop VERY slowly. This can make the pool unusable for a long period.

[BigDave]

Hey, heyred; sorry about the masculine pronoun - I presume Leyla is feminine, no?
I can field a couple of you questions:
The K-1515 is the stand-alone Taylor FAS-DPD test kit.
Stabilizer is another name for CYA - so is conditioner.
...
...
The skimmer sock is to protect the CuLater packet from getting fouled by pool goo, shortening it's useful life.
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