New to BBB

[AnnaK]

Since you mentioned dilutions, might this be a good time to reiterate the shot glass method? CarlD or Poconos invented that, I think. It's bailed me out a couple of times when the test kit I had wasn't adequate.

[CarlD]

Dilution of OTO test kits is nothing new and I didn't invent it, nor do I think Poconos did.

But I came up with the Shot Glass Method as a catchy phrase and a simple and convenient way to EXACTLY measure distilled water and pool water in small, manageable amounts. Since a shot glass is glass, it's inert.

[rkelly]

OK....pool is clear......

FC - 1
TC - >3
PH - 7.8
TA - 80
CA - 20 (between 0 and 30)
Water looks pretty good right now

[Watermom]

I don't think your chlorine readings are right. FC + CC = TC. Always. If you had a TC reading greater than 3 and your FC was 1, then your CC reading would be over 2 (which would be a bad thing) and your pool would most likely be green, not clear. Retest the FC and TC again and then repost.

Also, by CA, are you referring to CYA (stabilizer level)?

[rkelly]

Yes, I was referring to CYA. I will check chlorine again. For some reason I dumped about 1/2 gal. of clorox in and then checked????? I will wait till tomorrow to check again.

Thanks.......

[rkelly]

How often do you shock with the BBB method. I usually did every Sunday night using shock. Do I need to shock the same way?

[Watermom]

Honestly, if you are diligent about keeping your water levels in check, you don't routinely have to shock the pool at all. Or, at least not very often. I seldom shock my pool because I spend the 5 minutes per day (at most) testing and adding bleach or Borax if necessary. Since I don't let the cl level in my pool get too low, I know there is nothing growing in there. Thus, I do not routinely need to shock. I might shock if we have had a lot of rain that dumped a lot debris in my pool (leaves, dirt, etc.) or if I have had a bunch of kids swimming.

But --- if you feel more comfortable routinely shocking the pool, go ahead. It isn't gonna hurt anything to do so.

[aylad]

. I usually did every Sunday night using shock. need to

Remember, shock is something you do TO your pool, not an ingredient you put in it. If the "shock" you're talking about is pre-packaged dichlor, then I would stop using it, because everytime you use it, it raises your CYA....it won't be long before you're going to have to up your base chlorine level to compensate for the higher CYA levels. That's one of the problems with the pool-store version of shock--they sell you packaged "shock", which raises CYA, which raises base chlorine requirements, but they don't tell you that--so when your pool gets cloudy and green because the chlorine is too low, they sell you more "shock", and raise the CYA further. After several cycles of this, people usually find their way to this forum and realize that the "shock" they keep adding is the problem. (It also contributes to low pH problems). If you'll use bleach or liquid chlorine both for shocking and for regular chlorination, it will not drive up your CYA,will not drive down your pH, and will save you lots of time and aggravation in the long run!

Janet