Fine Tuning a Salt Water Pool

[polyvue]

This sentence does not appear to be correct information. This is something we are currently investigating so that we can provide accurate information for our members who have a SWC. Clarifications will be posted shortly.

I should cut back on my nightly dose of cyanuric acid... drinking it hasn't helped my neurons one bit. In my pool (SWG chlorination), I try to maintain a rough minimum FC level of 5% CYA. My understanding, despite what I said above, is that non-SWG pools do better to target 7-8% minimum Free Chlorine. With CYA of 50 ppm, that's 2.5 ppm FC for SWG pools, 4.0 ppm FC for non-SWG pools.

Thanks for catching this!

[BigTallGuy]

I should cut back on my nightly dose of cyanuric acid... drinking it hasn't helped my neurons one bit. In my pool (SWG chlorination), I try to maintain a rough minimum FC level of 5% CYA. My understanding, despite what I said above, is that non-SWG pools do better to target 7-8% minimum Free Chlorine. With CYA of 50 ppm, that's 2.5 ppm FC for SWG pools, 4.0 ppm FC for non-SWG pools.

Thanks for catching this!

Polyvue, LOL amen on the nightly dose of CYA it is worse than diet soda. Your post struck a cord with me and I can't thank you enough. On Memorial Day, we had all the kids in the "New" pool. CYA was 50, FC was 5.0+, pH was 7.6, Salt was 3300. Everyone agreed there was slight eye irritation. I have cut my FC down to be more in line with your numbers. I will keep you posted.

[polyvue]

Polyvue, LOL amen on the nightly dose of CYA it is worse than diet soda. Your post struck a cord with me and I can't thank you enough. On Memorial Day, we had all the kids in the "New" pool. CYA was 50, FC was 5.0+, pH was 7.6, Salt was 3300. Everyone agreed there was slight eye irritation. I have cut my FC down to be more in line with your numbers. I will keep you posted.

Interesting.... When you state that FC was 5.0+ this implies that you're utilizing an OTO (yellow) test that only measures to 5 ppm chlorine. I've had occasion to swim in water with greater than 5 ppm Free Chlorine but did not experience any eye irritation. Are the combined chloramines (CCs) testing at .5 ppm or less? The 3300 ppm salt should further alleviate eye irritation because a salt level up to ~7000 ppm is closer to the typical salinity in tears.


Note for the humor-impaired: Do Not Drink cyanuric acid. I was joking.... as was BTDG. Stick to diet soda.

[BigTallGuy]

Hi Polyvue, I think my tester is even older and cheaper than that. It only goes to 3.0 and says that 1.0 - 1.5 is "IDEAL". The 5.0 readings come from the BTDG's best guess or the Pool store. I have been looking for a new tester but haven't found anything in the pool stores that go over 5.0, Which makes me wonder how some of these members are measuring readings like 7.0 etc. I am convinced as you stated in your previous post that FC levels between salt water systems and traditional chlorine systems are apples and oranges.

I went for a swim last night with a FC reading of 1.5 - 2.0 and had no eye irritation for the first time in probably 3 seasons. The bottom of the pool did feel slippery, which rather surprised me. I had turned my SWCG settings to 5 hours at 50% and was seeing 2.5 - 3.0 FC, so as an experiment I tried 5 hours at 40% which is what I swam in last night. Sooooo, assuming that the slippery bottom was a result of too low of a reading, I turned the setting back to 50% and will see what happens tonight.

I am not sure how to test for CC's, however the TC and the FC have had the same reading since I re-filled the pool on May 7th.

[Watermom]

Hey, Son!

Do yourself a big favor and order a Taylor K-2006 or 2006C. That way you will be able to test higher cl levels and CC. Can pick one up for under $50 at:

http://www.amatoind.com/taylor-k2006-test-p-555.html

Other places have it, too, of course, but this seems to be the best price anybody has found this spring that I have heard of so far.

Mom

[polyvue]

Listen to Mom.

You don't want to have to lay down by your dog bowl again, now do you?

- - -
I've purchased various chlorine/pH tests over the years but Taylor's K-2006 is, IMO, the very, very best. Its FAS-DPD chlorine test is idiot-proof, accurate and can test ridiculously high levels of chlorine. The others tests are great, as well. If you're like me (a bonafide testing fanatic) consider the 2 oz. reagent size of the K-2006C. Otherwise, the K-2006A will work just fine. Pool stores sell what sells the most -- and most of their customers have no idea what's important so just shop on the basis of price alone. That must be why so few (none in my area) stock the K-2006. Get it on-line, cheap, and be worry-free.......

[aylad]

l. If you're like me (a bonafide testing fanatic) consider the 2 oz. reagent size of the K-2006C. .

If you find yourself short on some of the reagents, you can always buy the ones you use most in bigger amounts....that's why I like spspools-spas website.

Janet

[BigTallGuy]

Listen to Mom.

You don't want to have to lay down by your dog bowl again, now do you?

NOOOOOO not the "Go lay by your dish" thing! LOL. I'll be a good dog.

I did a little reading in my faded out instruction sheet in the test kit. The test kit instructions refers back and forth between Total Chlorine and Combined Chlorine as being the same thing.

I have one of those Testers that says to fill with water and drop a tablet marked #1 into the tester, shake well and read the scale. Then drop one tablet marked #3 into the same solution and compare the readings.

Well, doing this, I determined that there is no difference.