First Test Results

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J

jaycub85

Member
Oct 11, 2023
12
Katy, TX
Pool Size
14632
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Aquapure 1400
Good morning. I just completed my first test results with Taylor K-2006Salt kit. Here are my results:
image0.jpeg

I believe it is recommeded to adjust TA first and looking at the pool math app it says to add 6lbs 7ozs of Baking Soda. Would it be best to add a little at a time and retest vs dumpming in the whole 6lbs? I am guessing adjusting my CYA right off the bat isn't that critical with my high FC? I have also set my SWG to 0% for the time being. I will retest chlorine every day until it gets back in range. Any other suggestions?
 
jaycub85 said:
Good morning. I just completed my first test results with Taylor K-2006Salt kit. Here are my results:
View attachment 548769

I believe it is recommeded to adjust TA first and looking at the pool math app it says to add 6lbs 7ozs of Baking Soda. Would it be best to add a little at a time and retest vs dumpming in the whole 6lbs? I am guessing adjusting my CYA right off the bat isn't that critical with my high FC? I have also set my SWG to 0% for the time being. I will retest chlorine every day until it gets back in range. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
One suggestion for the FC is to use the 10ml sample instead of the 25ml. TFP only assume 0.5ppm accuracy anyway so there’s not much point in getting down to 0.2 unless you’re just super curious, and it’ll save you some reagents and make your kit last longer.

I might try doing the TA test again and make sure of the result. Keep adding drops until the color stops changing. Sometimes it’s tempting to stop the test early because it looks red enough but adding another drop will make it go more red. The process is to keep adding drops until the last drop doesn’t noticeably change anything. Then you just don’t count that last drop. It’s way easier to do that with a smart-stir device cause the change is almost instant.
 
Bperry said:
One suggestion for the FC is to use the 10ml sample instead of the 25ml. TFP only assume 0.5ppm accuracy anyway so there’s not much point in getting down to 0.2 unless you’re just super curious, and it’ll save you some reagents and make your kit last longer.

I might try doing the TA test again and make sure of the result. Keep adding drops until the color stops changing. Sometimes it’s tempting to stop the test early because it looks red enough but adding another drop will make it go more red. The process is to keep adding drops until the last drop doesn’t noticeably change anything. Then you just don’t count that last drop. It’s way easier to do that with a smart-stir device cause the change is almost instant.
Click to expand...
Thanks and definitely appreciate the advice. I was defintely curious on the FC on this first test which is why I did the 0.2 but going forward I will stick with the 0.5 approach. I will retest TA and report back.

Update: retested TA and it ended up being 50 instead of 40. I am going to look at buying the smart stir to make my life easier.

Screenshot 2024-01-07 at 8.27.23 AM.jpeg
 

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jaycub85 said:
Thanks and definitely appreciate the advice. I was defintely curious on the FC on this first test which is why I did the 0.2 but going forward I will stick with the 0.5 approach. I will retest TA and report back.
Click to expand...
Also, I probably would go slow on adding the baking soda if it really is 40ppm cause TA is fine at 50-60ppm. If you add your pool details to your signature it’ll help with advise as well cause I can know if it’s a spa or a pool, and how big it is which makes a huge difference in whether 6lbs of baking soda is appropriate or not.

If you’re using pool math, you can click the gear icon and scroll to the bottom and enable the sharing option which will share your pool math results with the forum. That helps people see trends in your water testing that could help solve problems you may have in the future. (Assuming you’re using the paid subscription)
 
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Not sure of the pool volume or your pool type (plz fill out your Signature)
But any ta 50 or above is ok, so aim for 50 when adding baking soda.
We recommend cya of 60-80 for pools with a swcg so if you’re sure you don’t have an algae problem you can increase your cya in steps. (50/60 is fine for the winter but 70/80 is recommended for the summer)
Do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out algae first.
Do you have a water softener?
Do you cover the pool?
 
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jaycub85 said:
Thanks and definitely appreciate the advice. I was defintely curious on the FC on this first test which is why I did the 0.2 but going forward I will stick with the 0.5 approach. I will retest TA and report back.

Update: retested TA and it ended up being 50 instead of 40. I am going to look at buying the smart stir to make my life easier.

View attachment 548774
Click to expand...
Ok, that’s good. Then just keep an eye on the TA every so often and bump it back up to 50/60 if it goes down. You can help it not go down by letting your pH stay around 7.8 and only lowering it when it gets over 8.

One more I see! Your CYA is either 30 or 40. The test isn’t a linear measurement between the measurement lines and so it’s not very accurate to estimate between 30 and 40. In addition to that, all of the FC advice is the same for CYA=31 all the way to CYA=40. So there’s not much point in testing between “decades”. That test is waaaaaaay easier if you just fill the tube up to the first decade line and look down to see if the dot is visible. If it’s still visible, just fill the tube up to the next line and check again. Then keep doing that until it disappears.

If you try adding drops one by one to see when the dot goes away you’ll drive yourself mad. Also the tolerance on that test is easily +\- 10ppm so it doesn’t matter all that much if you are 10ppm off one month and then off the other way the next month.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Not sure of the pool volume or your pool type (plz fill out your Signature)
But any ta 50 or above is ok, so aim for 50 when adding baking soda.
We recommend cya of 60-80 for pools with a swcg so if you’re sure you don’t have an algae problem you can increase your cya in steps. (50/60 is fine for the winter but 70/80 is recommended for the summer)
Do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule out algae first.
Do you have a water softener?
Do you cover the pool?
Click to expand...
Will definitely do the test tonight. I do have a water softener but the pool autofil isn't tied into it. The pool is also uncovered outside.
 
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jaycub85 said:
Will definitely do the test tonight. I do have a water softener but the pool autofil isn't tied into it. The pool is also uncovered outside.
Click to expand...
How does the pool look?
Any visible algae (dead or alive)?

If you have high ch fill water you may want to consider using softened water for your top offs when replacing water lost to evaporation as well as taking advantage of calcium free rain water whenever possible to prevent the ch from climbing further.
Here’s more info on that 👇

Calcium Hardness - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Mdragger88 said:
How does the pool look?
Any visible algae (dead or alive)?

If you have high ch fill water you may want to consider using softened water for your top offs when replacing water lost to evaporation as well as taking advantage of calcium free rain water whenever possible to prevent the ch from climbing further.
Here’s more info on that 👇

Calcium Hardness - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Water looks crystal clear but this is my first pool and I guess I am not sure what to look for with Algae. But from what I can see, there isn't anything growing anywhere in the water.
 
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jaycub85 said:
Water looks crystal clear but this is my first pool and I guess I am not sure what to look for with Algae. But from what I can see, there isn't anything growing anywhere in the water.
Click to expand...
That’s great 👍🏻
Do the oclt just to be extra sure then you can just follow Recommended levels going forward & enjoy your trouble free pool!
 
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Mdragger88 said:
That’s great 👍🏻
Do the oclt just to be extra sure then you can just follow Recommended levels going forward & enjoy your trouble free pool!
Click to expand...
Appreciate the help. A few more questions. If the test comes back fine, do I leave SWG off until FC levels come down a bit? My variable speed pump runs 24 hours so I’d probably need to set at a very low level going forward in the winter. Also is the pool safe to use as is or do I need the FC come down a bit?
 
jaycub85 said:
If the test comes back fine, do I leave SWG off until FC levels come down a bit?
Click to expand...
Yep.
jaycub85 said:
My variable speed pump runs 24 hours so I’d probably need to set at a very low level going forward in the winter.
Click to expand...
Likely.
jaycub85 said:
Also is the pool safe to use as is or do I need the FC come down a bit?
Click to expand...
Our experience and recommendation is that your pool is safe up to SLAM level FC. Here is the way to figure that out...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

You should round your CYA up to a number that ends in 0. In your case 40. SLAM level FC is 16, for CYA of 40.

Should you not swim if your FC is 1.5 higher than slam level? Probably not going to matter. I would be more worried about swimming in 54 degree water.
 
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PoolStored said:
Yep.

Likely.

Our experience and recommendation is that your pool is safe up to SLAM level FC. Here is the way to figure that out...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

You should round your CYA up to a number that ends in 0. In your case 40. SLAM level FC is 16, for CYA of 40.

Should you not swim if your FC is 1.5 higher than slam level? Probably not going to matter. I would be more worried about swimming in 54 degree water.
Click to expand...
Good info, thanks! Yes, agree swimming would be difficult in that temperature. It would be firing up the hot tub.
 
With FC >10, the pH test is invalid. With cold winter weather, it will take a long time for the FC to decrease (I'm losing less than 1 FC/day).

Don't add any baking soda. With a non-trichlor pool, you will likely never need to add baking soda. Let the pH naturally drift up into the high 7s, which will help your CSI.

What's the TA and CH of your fill water? I have very high TA fill water (330) just north of you. In the summer, my MA demand is high since so much TA is being added to the pool via fill water.
 
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pjt said:
With FC >10, the pH test is invalid. With cold winter weather, it will take a long time for the FC to decrease (I'm losing less than 1 FC/day).

Don't add any baking soda. With a non-trichlor pool, you will likely never need to add baking soda. Let the pH naturally drift up into the high 7s, which will help your CSI.

What's the TA and CH of your fill water? I have very high TA fill water (330) just north of you. In the summer, my MA demand is high since so much TA is being added to the pool via fill water.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information. I'll grab a sample once this weather passes and give it a test.
 
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pjt said:
With FC >10, the pH test is invalid. With cold winter weather, it will take a long time for the FC to decrease (I'm losing less than 1 FC/day).

Don't add any baking soda. With a non-trichlor pool, you will likely never need to add baking soda. Let the pH naturally drift up into the high 7s, which will help your CSI.

What's the TA and CH of your fill water? I have very high TA fill water (330) just north of you. In the summer, my MA demand is high since so much TA is being added to the pool via fill water.
Click to expand...
Finally got around to testing and CH was 120 and TA was 200.
 
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My FC is coming down (finally at 9.5ppm) I was able to get a good pH test. With my additions of CYA to try and slowly raise it, my pH is sitting around 7.0-7.2. Should I add some borax to increase to 7.4ish and retest in a week?
 

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