New pool owner, trying to get my chemicals balanced

[mitchryan912]

I am now a subscriber. Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

1. Get a K2006, so you can test it yourself. It actually sounds like you may be one of the very few who have found a pool store that tests water accurately . . . but the only way to know is to DIY. http://pool9.net/tk/ (Please ignore the booklet and wheel in the kit, at least till this fall!).

2. Transported samples of pool water may not have the same TA or pH as the same water in the pool, due to heating / cooling / aeration. See http://pool9.net/alk-step/ for an (indirect) explanation. Basically, if you want an accurate test of pH you must collect the sample in a bottle leaving ZERO head space (ie, cap it underwater) and (b) keep the sample temperature stable.

3. Depending on how they tested, the testing error for CYA levels at the low end can range from plus-minus 10 ppm (K2006 with experienced user) to plus-minus 50 ppm (eye-balled test strips). I don't know your pool volume, so I don't know what your CYA should have been after you added 5# . On a 30k gal pool, 5# would add 20 ppm. BUT, it dissolves slowly. People often 'lose' it backwashing before it dissolves. This most often happens when your pump is timer operated.

Next time, dissolve it in a sock in the skimmer OR use dichlor (9 ppm CYA for ever 10 ppm FC). (I know that doesn't add up; not going to explain while I'm behind on new users.)

. . . membership updated.

[Watermom]

Maybe I'm wrong but when I read your posts I got the idea that testing and making chemistry adjustments were things that were both happening periodically but not regularly. If that is the case, that isn't going to work. You have to tend it on a regular consistent basis like daily for now. After you learn how your pool behaves, you may be able to go a day or so between testing and adjusting but not now.

Welcome to the Pool Forum and thanks for the subscription!

[mitchryan912]

Maybe I'm wrong but when I read your posts I got the idea that testing and making chemistry adjustments were things that were both happening periodically but not regularly. If that is the case, that isn't going to work. You have to tend it on a regular consistent basis like daily for now. After you learn how your pool behaves, you may be able to go a day or so between testing and adjusting but not now.

Welcome to the Pool Forum and thanks for the subscription!

Thanks! Yes, I've been checking it was a cheapo $10 OT/PR test kit every day, but since I'm new to understanding how much of each chemical affects the system (notably high chlorine & pH), I've been doing my own tests PLUS making trips to my pool store every 3-5 days to have them do a full workup. All the gas plus unneeded chemicals adds up to making a K2006 worthwhile, so I'll be getting one of those to check levels daily.

That said, is there a sticky for intervals between adding a chemical and when it's either A) safe to swim or B) your test kit will be accurate in its measurement? My father-in-law used to shut the pool down for the day whenever he'd add anything, but now that we own the house (and have kids that want to use it!), we don't really want to have down days unless it's a rainy or cold day.

[Watermom]

Trust your OTO/Phenol Red kit over the test strips. Order the Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy) from the link that Ben provided above as soon as you can. It will make things much easier.

As long as you have a pH reading between 7-8 and some chlorine in there, you can swim. We'll need some numbers that the K2006 can provide to better be able to advise you on needed levels. Chlorine is dependent on CYA readings. Take a look at the chart at this link for more about this relationship:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

With your OTO kit, if your chlorine is over 5ppm, you can use this chart to interpret off the scale colors:> http://pool9.net/oto-chart/
Your pH will be inaccurate if your chlorine is over 5ppm (or over 10ppm with the Taylor kit). So, if you have high chlorine, you can dilute your test sample 50/50 with pool water and distilled water and then test pH with that mixture.

[PoolDoc]

Trust the cheapo OTO/phenol red drops kit. Ditch the AquaCheck strips.

=> *ORDER* the K2006; we've still never heard of a pool store carrying these. (Why would they stock a kit that will tend to put them out of business.)

=> Any pool store that tells you to add calcium to a vinyl pool is not to be trusted: they are selling you chemicals that are worse than useless in your pool, since they have NO benefit, but can cause problems.

=> If your pH is between 7 and 8 --AND-- your chlorine is greater than 1.0 OR 10% of the CYA level, whichever is higher --AND-- you haven't added any funky chemicals like foamy algaecides, mustard algae treatments or non-chlorine shock . . . it should be fine.

=> Wait time after adding chemicals is often 5 minutes, but it depends on your pool, where you added them, what you added, and how the pool circulates. If you want a safe number that's pretty much arbitrary, but almost certain to be safe, then go with "1 hour after chemical additions WITH THE PUMP ON and CIRCULATING".

[PoolDoc]

Ugh. Another simul-post!

[Watermom]

Hey -- getting two answers is better than getting none! And, at least we pretty much said the same thing!

[mitchryan912]

Thanks! Just ordered the K2006 through your Amazon store/link. I won't get it in time to measure for this weekend's pool parties, but the store I'm using is willing to perform 5 free tests, so I used the last one today. Thankfully they said that my levels went from (and to) this over the past few days:

0 to 15ppm stabilizer (I added 5 lbs of CYA)
0.5 to 5ppm TC (I added 2.5 gallons of 12.5% hypochlorite)
7.6 to 7.2 pH (I added 2 quarts of muriatic acid, 31.25%)
100 to 110 TA (I added 4 lbs of baking soda after I *thought* that I added 1 quart too many of acid)
160 to 160 CH (didn't touch this)

Trust the cheapo OTO/phenol red drops kit. Ditch the AquaCheck strips.

Yeah, those strips were showing my pH at 6.8, but I think they could be handy for stabilizer and/or TA until I use them up.

=> *ORDER* the K2006; we've still never heard of a pool store carrying these. (Why would they stock a kit that will tend to put them out of business.)

So it turns out that the store I've been going to DOES indeed carry the K2006. They're all behind the counter, so I never noticed them until today. However, I called them yesterday afternoon and asked for it (specifically), but they asked if I had a commercial pool or not. When I said no, they suggested another kit instead. They totally missed out on a sale of ANYTHING because of that! Granted I saved $20 by buying it from/through you guys, but the impatient side of me would have thought it was worthwhile to get it and not have to wait for the K-2006 to ship here.

EDIT: Either way, it's good to know they have the kits AND all the replacement vials, should I run out or need to replace some of the test chemicals next year (I assume some chemicals in the Taylor kit are only good for one season?)

=> Any pool store that tells you to add calcium to a vinyl pool is not to be trusted: they are selling you chemicals that are worse than useless in your pool, since they have NO benefit, but can cause problems.

I mentioned that today when they said I have a vinyl lined pool, but they said that my 160 ppm CH was fine, but they I don't want it to drop too low (it was 120 ppm when the pool opened, so I'm not sure it's going to get too low?)

=> If your pH is between 7 and 8 --AND-- your chlorine is greater than 1.0 OR 10% of the CYA level, whichever is higher --AND-- you haven't added any funky chemicals like foamy algaecides, mustard algae treatments or non-chlorine shock . . . it should be fine.

My father-in-law added algaecide when we opened the pool, but I think it was some standard, good quality stuff. Nothing funky. IIRC, it was a blue liquid that he walked around the whole pool.

=> Wait time after adding chemicals is often 5 minutes, but it depends on your pool, where you added them, what you added, and how the pool circulates. If you want a safe number that's pretty much arbitrary, but almost certain to be safe, then go with "1 hour after chemical additions WITH THE PUMP ON and CIRCULATING".

That sounds good. That sounds reasonable, or at least much more reasonable than "I added [insert chemical here] today, so you can't swim," which is what we used to hear when we wanted to swim here when my in-laws owned this house (before we bought it last year.)

[Watermom]

Just a couple of quick comments for you:

Actually, the test strips are terrible at giving an accurate CYA reading.

Your pH at 7.6 was fine. No need to have added the muriatic acid.

I have a feeling the pool store had a K2005 kit and not a K2006. They are not the same thing and you don't want a K2005. The reagents should still be fine next year.