Overwhelmed

[wilsol4]

OK, here are my pool readings.....any advice is appreciated

Free Chlorine 6.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
Combined Chlorine 0.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
pH 7.4
Calcium Hardness 40ppm

Please advise.

[wilsol4]

After watching the videos on YouTube, I was later able to follow instructions on lid. It was just at first, like reading hieroglyphics for some reason! The Videos were a GREAT HELP!

[CarlD]

OK, here are my pool readings.....any advice is appreciated

Free Chlorine 6.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
Combined Chlorine 0.4 ppm (two readings to confirm)
pH 7.4
Calcium Hardness 40ppm

Please advise.

Have you gotten a stabilizer reading? (also called CYA). Your Free Chlorine's effectiveness depends on your stabilizer level.
Your pH is fine--don't try to adjust it.

You really only need to measure your FC and CC using the 10ml mark, not the 25ml one, which wastes your reagents.

Without the CYA, I can only guess what you should do, which would be to shock the pool to get rid of the CC. But, without the CYA level, I'm guessing at how much.

But, for future reference: 1 gallon of 8.25% bleach will increase your FC by 11 3/4 ppm. 1 gallon of 6% bleach will add about 8 1/2 ppm of FC. If you want to add only 4ppm, use a half-gallon of 6%. etc.

[wilsol4]

I am a newbie. I am testing with the K-2006. What is CYA?

[Watermom]

CYA is cyanuric acid, also called isocyanuric acid or sometimes stabilizer or conditioner. It is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. If you don't have enough, then your chlorine is quickly lost to the sun. Your needed chlorine level for your pool is dependent on what your CYA level is so it is an important reading for us to know to give you good advice. The CYA test is not one that you need to run very often unless you are either adding CYA directly or are using a stabilized form of chlorine such as trichlor pucks or dichlor shock powder. If you haven't already done so, take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature below. Hope this helps.

[wilsol4]

I will test my stabilizer, CYA, when I get home, if it isn't storming. Is the CYA test part of the K-2006 kit? I don't know why I would have done it if it was listed. Maybe bc I didn't know what CYA stood for.

Why do I want to get rid of CC, combined chlorine?

I have been using a combo of Dichlor and Bleach. Some one day, some another.

What is the function of Borax?

Thanks a bajillion for all the help from all of you!

[Watermom]

The CYA test is part of the K2006.

You want to get rid of CC because in simple terms, it is chlorine that has already been "used up" and is no longer available to sanitize your pool.

It is ok to use dichlor for awhile if your CYA level isn't too high since it adds CYA as well as chlorine. This is one reason we need to know your CYA level. It is also acidic so if your pH drops below 7.2, you'll want to raise it by adding some Borax.

Don't worry about asking so many questions. That's why we are here!

[CarlD]

OK. CYA or Stabilizer is like sunscreen for Chlorine, BUT it slows Chlorine's action down. So the levels are a balance.

Yes, you have a CYA test in your K-2006 It consists of a small squeeze bottle with a line in the middle and a line near the top, a tall thin tube with a black dot on the bottom, and a bottle of R-0013.
You fill the squeeze bottle to the lower line with pool water,
fill to the upper line with R-0013.
Then shake for 30 seconds.
Now hold the tube with the black dot at your waist or belt and face the sun.
Look down into the tube and slowly squeeze the fluid from the squeeze bottle into it.
Concentrate on the black dot at the bottom as you add fluid.
When the dot disappears (the fluid is cloudy if there's CYA), stop.
Now read the level on the side of the tube.

If you aren't sure, carefully pour the fluid from the tube back into the squeeze bottle and do the test again.
You can do it as many times as you like without using more pool water or R-0013, until you are pretty confident.

CC is irritating to the skin and eyes, and gives your pool that "chlorine smell". It also doesn't sanitize any more.

Dichlor adds chlorine and CYA. Bleach adds only chlorine. That's the difference.

Borax raises pH, making the pool less acid. It doesn't have as much effect on "total alkalinity" as do other pH raisers. You can use pool store "pH Up!" or other brand names to raise pH but you'll be paying $3 - $4 a pound for what is basically Arm&Hammer Washing Soda (NOT, NOT, NOT Baking soda!) and costs about $1/pound.

But most of us prefer to use Borax to raise pH.

For now, don't worry about total alkalinity. Just worry about FC (and CC), pH and CYA.

[PoolDoc]

Cyanuric acid = "stabilizer" = CYA = "conditioner" (mostly in Calif.)

Solar UV, or high powered UV 'sanitizer' systems rapidly degrade free chlorine into salt via photolysis. Cyanuric acid greatly reduces the rate at which this happens.

[wilsol4]

My CYA is 40