First Results from PS234 Kit

[tnrick]

This is my first purchase from Pool Solutions. Just did the tests this a.m. Instructions were clear and straitforward.

FC: 4
CC: 1
TC: 5
pH: 7.2
Alk: 80
Cal: 110
Cya: 100
Temp: 83 F

Water is very clear and has been all season. Not sure what some of these should be (Cal, Cya).

Everything aok?

Tx, Rick

[duraleigh]

Hi, Rick,

It is certainly hard to argue with a clear pool but I notice a couple of things in your results that you may want to address.

1. The CC result of 1.0 indicates the presence of chloramines and ,generally, time to shock the pool.

2. With that VERY high result of 100ppm CYA it will probably take a chlorine level of 25ppm to shock the pool. How did it get so high...are you using pucks?

Again,hard to argue with a clear pool but both these issues will need to be addressed sooner or later.

[tnrick]

Dave S...thanks so much for your swift reply.

I'm new to this forum, obviously, and I'm also new to the idea of using chlorine bleach instead of pucks. I'm diligently combing through this web site to learn more.

Yes, I'm using pucks and have been since I opened the pool not quite 2-years ago. Having said that, although I find the test kit EXTREMELY helpful, the CYA test is a bit subjective. So I re-did it, and now I think that my results are more like 60 ppm.

At any rate, thanks for the tip on shocking...I'm probably overdue. And I'm fairly certain I'll be moving away from pucks, but want to make sure I fully understand the alternative, first.

Thanks, Rick

[tnrick]

I took Dave S.'s advice and shocked the pool. I used bleach and the calculator to figure out how much I would need. I put in 10 gal's of 5% bleach. My readings this a.m. are:

FC: 15
CC: 0
TC: 15 (OTO method off the scale)
pH: 7.2
Alk: 90
Cal: 110
Cya: 80
Temp: 82 F

It was great to see the CC shocked to zero. Other than letting my free chlorine drift down to a more normal level, does anyone see anything else wrong?

Tx, Rick

[waterbear]

Is your pool plaster, fiberglass, or vinyl? If it is plaster then you need to raise your Calcium up to about 200-300 ppm to protect the plaster. If you have vinyl or fiberglass then you are fine.

With a CYA reading of 80 you should be running your chlorine at 5-10 ppm for normal sanitation and shocking to 20 ppm or slightly higher. See this thread
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365

This is the probably the explanation for the amount of CC you had on your first test. At a FC of 4 ppm there just isn't enought available (and unstabilized) to handle the organics in the water.

[tnrick]

Thanks for your input Waterbear. I shocked it yesterday and it was my goal to get it above 20...I think I made it, as I tested it last night and got a reading of 20 but I'm not sure how well circulated the bleach was at that time (the pool had been running 4-5 hours since shock).

By the way, my liner is vinyl so all is well with my calcium.

Again, thanks for your experienced insight.

Rick

[duraleigh]

Hi, Rick,

Nice work. You have a quick grasp of what you're doing. Keep reading and posting....I think you'll enjoy the forum.

If you choose, you could consider Cal Hypo for a chlorine source as well as bleach. You Ch will rise slowly over the Summer...just don't let it get much above 400ppm. You would do well to wean your pool from the pucks...at least for this Summer.

[Watermom]

Also, keep an eye on the ph. You don't want to let it drop below 7.0 as that means the water becomes acidic and can damage your liner. If it does drop any, add some Borax to bump it up to 7.4-7.6.

[tnrick]

Thanks for the input, Watermom. But, how do I know how much Borax to add?

Rick