First time Startup of 24' AGP

[PaPoolNewB]

Did my first "overnight" test to see how the Chlorine and PH were holding up. Only tested CL and PH both last night and this morning. Reading last night about an hour after I added 1 1/3 cups of the Kem-Tek Dichlor was:

FC - 5
CC - 0
PH - 7.4

This morning the readings before the sun came up and I added morning dose of 2/3 cup Kem-Tek Dichlor are:

FC - 4.5
CC - 0
PH - 7.4

So only lost .5ppm overnight which was unexpected. Thought with so little CYA in the new water would have lost more. I plan to test again in about an hour so I can see how much I am losing from the AM to the PM just to keep track. I do not plan on doing the CYA test until the reading from the Post PM and Pre AM dose are identical. Is that correct or should I be doing CYA test sooner ? Should I be running the full battery of tests(CL, PH, Alk, CH) each time or is just keeping an eye on CL and PH fine for now ?

I have set up a timer to the pump and am no longer running 24/7 at this point. Running pump 2.5 hours on and 3.5 hours off for a total of 10 hours a day. The Filter states that it has a 3750GPH rating so from what I read it should take less then 4 hours to turnover pool but you want to double that so at least 8 hours of run time. Once CYA is correct and other numbers are in line I plan to switch to 2 hours on 4 hours off schedule. Hopefully that will be ok, what are initial signs to look out for if not running pump enough ?

I do believe there is a Solar Cover in basement, not sure of the condition of it but I will pull it out today and take a look. What do I look for to know whether or not it is functional ? Has probably been down there for a few years unused as the home owner does not live here and was vacant for long time. Will check the condition of the bubbles and hose it off. Hopefully is able to be used, rather not have to buy another. From what I have read it is best used when outside temp is lower than pool temp and overnight to help prevent excessive heat loss. Have a pool thermometer on order so not sure pool temp currently but definitely is brisk.

Sorry for the multiple questions but I know you are all very busy and figured better to ask all at once then the back and forth all day. Thank you once again for the guidance. Everyone's help is greatly appreciated.

[PoolDoc]

So only lost .5ppm overnight which was unexpected. Thought with so little CYA in the new water would have lost more.

CYA protects chlorine from sunlight (UV photolysis) -- there's usually not a lot of sun at night , so low CYA does't affect OVERNIGHT chlorine loss, only daytime chlorine loss.

I plan to test again in about an hour so I can see how much I am losing from the AM to the PM just to keep track.

AM to PM testing detects loss to sunlight. There's no need to test TA, CH, CYA every time.

Once CYA is correct and other numbers are in line I plan to switch to 2 hours on 4 hours off schedule. Hopefully that will be ok, what are initial signs to look out for if not running pump enough ?

Cloudy water -- even though there's adequate chlorine.

I do believe there is a Solar Cover in basement, not sure of the condition of it but I will pull it out today and take a look. What do I look for to know whether or not it is functional ?

Brittle plastic -- you don't want 10,000 blue plastic flakes in the pool! And, clean it off before you put it in the pool!

[PaPoolNewB]

Well the Solar Cover is shot so that was a let down but least I knew what to look for. Would have been a mess if I placed it in the pool. Thanks Ben for the tip. So used the pool most of the day and did a CL and PH reading after finally got out. The FC dropped from 4.5 in the AM reading to a 2.0. PH remained the same and still 0 CC. Is that a normal amount of drop or more than usual do to the probably still low CYA count? I plan on adding the usual 1 1/3 cup of the Kem-Tek tonight. Should I increase that dose or will that raise the CL count significantly. I have not yet fully grasped the ppm raise with X amount of Chemical. Definitely have more reading to do. If any really good posts you could direct me to for that I would appreciate it.

Had a Solar Cover question. I can get a really good price on a 18ft Solar Cover. The 24ft covers are much more expensive. I do not own so I do not want to invest to much but would be willing to spend a little if it helped. So would a cover that does not completely hide the water surface still increase the water temp effectively or would the remaining exposed pool area negate the covered areas increases? Probably already know the answer to this but figured was worth asking anyway.

Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

Roughly speaking, if you cover 50% of a pool, you'll get 50% of the effect. (18' round sft is about 56% of 24' round sft).

[PaPoolNewB]

I have been adding the Kem-Tek All in One Granules that I purchased off Ebay for 5 days now at a total of 2lbs a day. My FC level has ranged from as little as 2ppm Night reading after a medium day of usage to as much as 8ppm in the AM before sun comes up. Even at that high of level I have still been adding the 2/3 cup Dose in the AM and the 1 1/3 cup Dose in the PM as I am in process of getting or trying to get CYA up. Did first CYA test this morning and the Black Dot never fully disappeared. The water was a little cloudy but I could still make it out. So from what I read obviously the level is below 30ppm still at this point. Am attaching a link to the Kem-Tek Chlorine I purchased from Ebay. I just want to confirm this the correct Chlorine with Stabilizer. The container makes no mention of the Stabilizer anywhere that I can see on it. Want to be sure that the level eventually will come up as I continue adding with this Chemical. If I purchased the wrong thing then I will order Pure CYA at this point to start adding if necessary. Here is the link, thank you for your help.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o02_s03_i00

[PoolDoc]

The KemTek product you linked is fine.

[PaPoolNewB]

Today is 1 full week of adding the Kem-Tek Dichlor. I did a Full panel of tests including CYA. I added the final PM dose of 1 1/3 Cup last night at 9pm. This reading is exactly 12hrs later with having run the Filter for approximately 3.5 hrs during the night.

Temp - 75
FC - 11
CC - 0
PH - 7.4
TA - 80
CH - 40
CYA - 40

Did not add any more of the Dichlor and now I believe I can switch to the BBB method for rest of pool season. Also wanted to point out that I believe I made a mistake in the size of the pool. I do not have measuring tape that is long enough and was basing the size on some old documents I found in basement. I walked the pool using one foot directly in front of the other and came up with 27 steps. I am a size 13 so that roughly one foot each step. Know that sounds ridiculous but should be somewhat accurate. So I need to make all calculations based on a 27' X 4' Round AGP.

Do I need to add Borax and Baking Soda to Increase the TA and PH or are the levels fine where they are? From what I have read I think I need to add 1.4lbs of Borax to bring PH to 7.6 and 2.2lbs of Baking Soda to increase TA to 100.

What should the TA and PH be in regards to my other readings and are they fine at the current level they are at?

Is there a way to calculate dosages properly for future reference. I am having hard time locating the PPM level change for X amount of either Bleach, Borax, and Baking Soda based on my Volume which should now be 17132 gallons.

Pool water is still clear and have had no issues with any type of smell, slimy walls or cloudiness. Running the pump on a cycle of 2.5 hours on and 3.5 hours off continuously for a total of 10hrs a day . Have not needed to Backwash the Filter at all as of yet. The Psi has only increase by 1 for the week according to gauge on pump. Right now the FC is high but will not add bleach till necessary. Would just be nice to know how much to add to increase 1ppm. Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

I walked the pool using one foot directly in front of the other and came up with 27 steps. I am a size 13 so that roughly one foot each step. Know that sounds ridiculous but should be somewhat accurate. So I need to make all calculations based on a 27' X 4' Round AGP.

. . . .

What should the TA and PH be in regards to my other readings and are they fine at the current level they are at?

. . . .

Is there a way to calculate dosages properly for future reference. I am having hard time locating the PPM level change for X amount of either Bleach, Borax, and Baking Soda based on my Volume which should now be 17132 gallons.

1. You might get a more accurate measurement, by measuring AROUND your pool, and then dividing by 3.14 (∏)

2. In a vinyl pool, CH is not important. TA only matters if you are having problems controlling your pH. If your pH is reasonably stable, I wouldn't bother with any TA adjustment.

3. Trying to calculate doses for pH change is NOT a good idea. If you really need to do that, use the K2006 acid or base demand reagents, and their dose tables.

Otherwise, that's what the PF does. Your PF is 7.8, which means that it is 1/7.8 of a 1,000,000 lb pool (~120,000 gallons). When you add 1lb of a 100% chemical, like stabilizer, you will increase that level by 7.8. So, 3lbs of cyanuric acid in your pool will increase your CYA level by ~23 ppm (3 x 7.8). Plain 6% bleach has about 0.5 lbs of chlorine gas in it, so each gallon will add about 4 ppm of chlorine to your pool (7.8 x 0.5). Dichlor is about 55% chlorine & about 50% CYA (no, I didn't make a mistake; no, I won't explain: trust me, you don't wanna know -- has to do with old water treatment custom!). So 1lb of dichlor in your pool will add about 4.3 ppm chlorine and about 3.9 ppm CYA.