Help Deciphering My Taylor Test Results

[aylad]

Keep it at 20 for another day and see if you can knock out the rest of that CC. What is your current CYA?

Janet

[labdi01]

Hi Janet.

CYA is 50 - sorry forgot to post

[aylad]

yep, keep it at 20, no higher than 25 til the CC is burned out.

Janet

[AnnaK]

How is the pool, Dianna?

[labdi01]

Hi Anna - thanks for checking.

Unfortunately, I ran out of Chlorine reagent and won't have any for probably close to a week. Last I checked (yesterday morning), I still had 1 ppm combined chlorine. I'm operating in the dark, right now. I know my free chlorine was well above 7 ppm this am, because I ran out of reagent after 14 drops - but still had a very pink sample.

The closest pool store (30 mins away) only does CL and TC - and the last time they did it - it was way off from my Taylor test, so I"m not even going to bother.

My pH was 7.4 and my CYA was down to 35. My calcium was about 240 yesterday, so I switched to bleach (was using cal hypo because my calcium was down around 50 - I know it doesn't really matter in a vinyl pool - but figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone).

I added about a half-gallon of 5.25% bleach this am, presuming my CL was down around 15-17 and may still have that 1 ppm cc.

I hate not knowing what's going on in there! ;oP

Is it OK for my kids to swim in it, you think?

[AnnaK]

Using cal-hypo in a vinyl pool makes very little sense. Your calcium level at 50 was just fine; at 240 it's total overkill (those poor birds, waste of a stone ) You could easily wind up with calcium scale along the water line and, worse, cloudy water and that could be a bear to get rid of.

It's curious that your CYA is dropping. If I remember correctly you had tested it at 50 ppm at one time. Do you have a lot of splash-out which requires refilling? That might account for the dilution. Or maybe your testing procedures are getting better.

I completely sympathize with the longish drive to the pool store. The Leslie's nearest to me is about 30 minutes away. They do carry Taylor reagents and I've bought refills there in a pinch. For the most part I stock up by shopping online at Amato Industries. There are, of course, many other online sources for Taylor refills.

You can work "blind" for a few days, especially since your pH looks good. Be aware though that the accuracy of pH measurements decreases at FC concentrations above 10 ppm.

According to the Pool Calculator you need to add 160 oz of 5.25% bleach to raise the FC from 15 to 20 or from 10 to 15. That 1/2 gallon you poured in will keep chlorine in the water but not at the levels needed to knock out the CC you're fighting.

Stock up on your DPD and FAS test reagents and make it a point not to run out again. Oh, and stock up on bleach and never mind the cal-hypo. We want to get you swimming in a clear, clean and sparkling pool, not be out there killing birds

[labdi01]

Hi Anna.

Someone mentioned to me in an earlier post to keep using cal-hypo - so I did. I've since switched to bleach. Hopefully, I don't get scaling!!! I don't need anymore headaches!

I was testing around 50 for CYA. I'm not sure why it's dropping either. No one's been in the pool at all until today (hoped it was OK), so it's not splash-out. I'll test what I can again and repost.

I ordered lots more reagents today!

I have 4 gals of bleach on hand. I'll pour more in when the boys get out.

[Watermom]

I skimmed back through this thread and Al did say early in the thread to use cal-hypo. But, I don't think he was suggesting that cal-hypo SHOULD be used but rather that your CH reading was low enough that you COULD use it. I'd stick with bleach. No chance of the bleach clouding the water up like cal-hypo might.

[labdi01]

Switched back to bleach on Sunday! I'm just blindly adding it right now, until I get more reagent (it's on its way).

But I did finally swim in it last night for the first time.

[labdi01]

Finally got my reagents today. I was nervous about what might be going on in there, while I couldn't spy.

My chlorine is really high (42.5)!!! I haven't added any bleach since Monday - 1.5 gals. The rest of my numbers look OK

pH - 7.2
CYA - 35
CC - 0

So I finally got rid of the CC - but what can I do about the high chlorine, other than leave it and hope for a sunny day? I haven't been using pucks, either.