Thank you! My algae is almost gone!

[nefretrameses]

Auntphibian,

The chlorine test (and the tests for TA & CH) offer 2 options - a 10ml sample or a 25ml sample. The marks are on the side of the test vial. If you use a 10ml sample, each drop = 0.5 ppm for FC. If you use the 25ml sample, each drop = 0.2ppm for FC. (10ppm and 25ppm respectively for TA & CH) The 25ml sample will give you a little more accurate reading, but the 10ml sample is probably good enough for routine testing.

If you used a 10ml sample for your test then your calculation for FC is correct (3 x 0.5 = 1.5) but your CC result would be 2 x 0.5 = 1.0.
When you do the test, you should keep adding drops until the color is COMPLETELY clear - not even a hint of pink - or you are not done (have not reached the endpoint of the test). Check out the demo videos on the Taylor website.

You do not need 2 scoops of powder for either the 10ml or 25ml sample - one is enough.

The CYA test takes a little getting used to. After you do the test, you can pour the solution back into the mixing jar and then repeat the test. Lighting is important here. Check out the Taylor demo video.

If your CYA is over 100 and not zero, you will need to add chlorine. Check out the best guess chart under PoolDoc's signature for you CYA level.

Doc, hope you feel better soon.

[dansdad]

Sorry to even mention this Ben with your Lymes and all ( hope you're much better soon). I have the same prob as the OP but I was away and the weather was cool but all of a sudden weather turned from cool to mega hot in 2 days and you guessed it.......GREEN... I brushed for 2 hours and got most of it, now I have a gallon of liquid conditioner I'm going to put in tonight along with 2 gallons of 12% chlorine. Does that seem like an idea? Next year it will be different. I wont give it a chance. Just wanted your input. Please take care of yourself!!!!!! Dave Gale

[PoolDoc]

Do *NOT* add conditioner. At summer's end, odds are your CYA (conditioner, stabilizer) is already too HIGH.

Instead. add your 2 gallons of 12% bleach, and then go to Walmart (or other big box) and purchase 15 gallons of PLAIN 8.25% store brand bleach. The store bleach is much more likely to be full 8.25%, than the pool bleach is to be 12%. We can check that, later.

Begin adding 3 gallons of 8.25% bleach *late* each evening. Continue dosing like this for 3 days after no visible algae remains.

Use your K2006 to accurately test your CYA level; report that, along with a full set of other results, here.

-- I'll probably spin this off into it's on separate thread after your next post --

[dansdad]

Ben, after checking the k 2006 the cya is at 30 ( cant read below that) following are my findings

ch1.0
ph 8.0
ta 100
<30 cya


Unfortunately I went to the pool calculator and did what it said by adding 24 oz muratic, 20 oz liquid conditioner and 2 Gallons chlorine, but I will go to WM and get the 15 gallons this morning

[PoolDoc]

You will need stabilizer, but while dealing with an algae outbreak is not the best time to add it. No real harm done, however.

[dansdad]

thanks for getting back Ben, after adding 2 gallons CH, I'm seeing 2.3 on the CH..... 7.4 on ph .....100 alky..I added 1 more gallon of CH. My cya still read ,<30 no prob. CH is coming up, I'm watching it....No fun though....I swept the pool for 2 hours yesterday and got IN the pool and while there swept for 3 more. Question .....when you sweep is it necessary to get ALL the light green off before filtration takes over? Found out while being in the pool my Barracuda MX8 for the second time quit running...gears must be shot again I don't know what other sweeps might be better or maybe just do it by hand. Thanks again...Dave

[JimK]

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I was been running a fever with a fairly bad headache and severe fatigue and joint pains from Saturday till Thursday AM early . . . and pretty mentally destroyed as well. Turns out I probably either have an acute Lymes infection, or West Nile. Since antibiotics appear to be helping, it's probably Lymes.

I'm still tired, but hopefully my IQ is back into the 3 digit range!

(Did you know that you could be bitten by a nymph-stage deer tick -- about this size => . <= when fully engorged, and ready to drop off -- and never even notice the bite, but still be infected? Yep!)

Anyhow, back to your CYA level.

=> When you mix R0013 to your pool water and the sample remains CLEAR, you have ZERO or very low CYA
=> When you mix R0013 to your pool water and the sample becomes so cloudy that the black dot is obscured BEFORE you reach the 100, your CYA level is MORE than 100 ppm.

So . . . mix 1/2 cup of POOL water with 1 cup of TAP water. Use that mixture for your CYA test, and re-run the test. Multiple the result by THREE (3), and that will be your approximate CYA level.

AND . . . do not worry about your alkalinity level -- it's not a problem on a vinyl pool with a CH=100

Yikes!

Hope your better soon!

[auntphibian]

Thank you. I will do just that. Funny, my sister had an issue with her scalp that turned into a burning she could not stand and went to the ER. This was 2 months ago. We found out she was symptomatic for Lyme Disease, just like you! She started on antibiotics and got better. Thing is, if they test you for Lyme Disease in the early stages it will not show up in the test, you have to go by the symptoms and whether or not the antibiotics are working. Weird that you and my sister both got Lyme Disease in a short period of time. Where are you? She's in Northern Florida. She's been concerned about visiting my new place, because there are ticks, she never thought she would have a problem with something she never saw. So, yes, I am quite familiar with the tick situation! I'm glad you are feeling better.

An update: I can see much deeper into the pool than every before! I still cannot see the bottom, but it's clearer. I'll check the CYA tomorrow and see what happens. Thank you for the info! Get better!

[auntphibian]

Okay, I trudged to the pool in the pitch black and redid the CYA test, as you said. The reading is exactly the same. It does not read. Now what?

[singingpond]

Okay, I trudged to the pool in the pitch black and redid the CYA test, as you said. The reading is exactly the same. It does not read. Now what?

Do you mean that you diluted one part pool water with two parts tap water (as suggested by Pool Doc), and that the resulting mixture was still so cloudy that the black dot at the bottom of the tube disappeared very quickly -- i.e. with the water level lower than the '100' marking on the tube ? If that's the case, it would mean you have a LOT of CYA in your pool water.

Hopefully you had a decent amount of ambient light for reading the test -- going to the pool 'in the pitch black' doesn't sound promising for reading test results somehow