Another Newb to Pool Care

[TimmyR]

Hi! I've had a pool for several years and we just converted to salt last year. I've somehow missed this site and have not ever worried too much about testing. I've trusted the strips and kept the tabs in the filter baskets and shocked when needed and my pool was clear. All seemed OK on the Test Strips (I know they are not accurate now).

I now have a SWG. Last year the Guess Strips seemed to indicate all was fine and we had no issues I knew of. This past week, I was advised to shock my pool periodically (pool maintenance guy) and realized we had some algae in the pool. I added 5# of Mega Shockl(calcium hypochlorite) and the pool clouded up, took about a day to clear and I vacuumed. Today I took a test using a strip and showed the following:

Hardness 250​

Total Chlorine 0​

Free Chlorine 0.5​

pH 8.0​

Total Alkalinity 180​

CYA 30-50​

Reading came up the same three times. I am ordering a proper kit today (just trying to determine best for my pool). SWG was set to 75% now set to 80%. Pool pumps were running 10-hours, now set to 12-hours. I tried to include all pertinent details of my pool in my signature. Salt is 2900 ppm. Weather here was hot for a few day but otherwise pretty mild and my pool is around 77F at the moment.

Thanks for any advice and help. I leaning towards the TF-100 or TF-Pro. Do I need the saltwater version?

Cheer,

Tim

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Ditch the strips, get the TF-Pro Salt. It has all you need to test and includes the spinner tube device (that spinner thing is WONDEROUS help). Yeah, it costs a bit more than strips but gives you hardcore exact numbers you need for proper prevention and care. It will last you a couple years (assuming you aren't fixing a green pool?) and reagents avail on sale each spring or fall on TFTESTKITS.net
At least that' s the one I use and swear by. YMMV.

Maddie

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Pool Care Basics
Test Kits Compared

 

[TimmyR]

Pool Care Basics
Test Kits Compared

Thanks Maddie for both replies. I did read both links. I'll get crackin' on a test kit order.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[TimmyR]

Ditch the strips, get the TF-Pro Salt. It has all you need to test and includes the spinner tube device (that spinner thing is WONDEROUS help). Yeah, it costs a bit more than strips but gives you hardcore exact numbers you need for proper prevention and care. It will last you a couple years (assuming you aren't fixing a green pool?) and reagents avail on sale each spring or fall on TFTESTKITS.net
At least that' s the one I use and swear by. YMMV.

Maddie

Test Kit ordered. Looks like their Smart Stir may be out of stock so they ship with a different one. I'm headed to pool store today to at least see what their test says.

Question, is my pool unsafe or at risk? Is there anything you recommend while I await my proper test kit?

 

[mknauss]

Question, is my pool unsafe or at risk? Is there anything you recommend while I await my proper test kit?

No need to get water tested at pool store. We do not use that data for any guidance.

I would add 1 gallon of 10% liquid chlorine today and then keep the SWCG running as is. The pool should be fine to swim in if you can see the bottom of the pool. The pH might be a bit irritating to the eyes.

 

[TimmyR]

No need to get water tested at pool store. We do not use that data for any guidance.

I would add 1 gallon of 10% liquid chlorine today and then keep the SWCG running as is. The pool should be fine to swim in if you can see the bottom of the pool. The pH might be a bit irritating to the eyes.

Thanks. We've always been told a clear pool is OK, but I've seen other opinions here. I'll seek out some liquid chlorine and do just that. I should have a a TF-Pro Salt at my house in a few days. Thank you for your help.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Deb04]

When I need liquid chlorine, I get it at Ocean State. $5.99 for 12.5% gallon. It’s always fresh and they always have lots.

 

[TimmyR]

I have received my TF-Pro Salt and completed my first real test. Below are the results. I can post this in another category if that is more appropriate.

FC 0.5​

CC 0.5​

pH 8.2​

TA 120​

CH 325​

CYA 0​

Salt 3200​

Now what? I understand my target values (from "Recommended Levels" article) are:

FC ~3.0​

CC ??​

pH 7.6-7.8​

TA 60-80​

CH 350-550​

CYA 70-80​

Salt 3200​

I am assuming perhaps first add muriatic acid (not excited for this part) and then liquid chlorine? Perhaps then add stabilizer into the skimmer basket? I have the Pool Math app on my iPhone and have looked at the linked on on my computer.

Thanks much for any help!

Tim

 

[Deb04]

To confirm the test for CYA, you filled the tube all the way to the top and could still see the dot? If so, then your CYA is very low. (Sometimes new ppl get that test backwards, which is why I’m asking). Was it at all cloudy? If it was a little cloudy, you may have a little CYA in there, but not enough.

You need to get some liquid chlorine and Stabilizer in there ASAP. With the Sun and heat we’re having today, the FC will burn right off without some stabilizer. If you don’t have any stabilizer, get some. WalMart and Ocean State carry it. (Just don’t get the AquaMate brand at Ocean State. It’s mostly filler.). Use the sock method to get 10-20 ppm granular stabilizer dissolved. Sock method. Should dissolve in about 20-30 mins. Squeeze the sock after it’s been soaking for about 15 mins. It won’t show up on test for a day or 2, but you know it’s there. Ultimately you want 30 ppm of CYA to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. When you pass that, then you can bring CYA to 60. In NH, we don’t need it to be higher, generally. I keep mine 50-60.

After fC and CYA, work on pH, like tomorrow.

 

[TimmyR]

To confirm the test for CYA, you filled the tube all the way to the top and could still see the dot? If so, then your CYA is very low. (Sometimes new ppl get that test backwards, which is why I’m asking). Was it at all cloudy? If it was a little cloudy, you may have a little CYA in there, but not enough.

You need to get some liquid chlorine and Stabilizer in there ASAP. With the Sun and heat we’re having today, the FC will burn right off without some stabilizer. If you don’t have any stabilizer, get some. WalMart and Ocean State carry it. (Just don’t get the AquaMate brand at Ocean State. It’s mostly filler.). Use the sock method to get 10-20 ppm granular stabilizer dissolved. Sock method. Should dissolve in about 20-30 mins. Squeeze the sock after it’s been soaking for about 15 mins. It won’t show up on test for a day or 2, but you know it’s there. Ultimately you want 30 ppm of CYA to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. When you pass that, then you can bring CYA to 60. In NH, we don’t need it to be higher, generally. I keep mine 50-60.

After fC and CYA, work on pH, like tomorrow.

Yup..it was zero and yes tube filled to the top at my waist and I could see the dot. It coincides with my AquaCheck7 Guess Strips. I'll loaded a sock with 1200 g of dry stabilizer I purchased yesterday after days of test strip measurements showing < 20 ppm and that made sense with the rapid drops in my chlorine. I will also add the remaining 1/2 gallon of liquid chlorine. I'll also leave the pumps running all night to facilitate the stabilizer dissolving. Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[Deb04]

Is your SWG working. With the help of the liquid chlorine, you might be able to get the FC up to about 4 or 5 with the SWG. (Might need another bump from some liquid.) It will need to be higher when you raise the CYA after you pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss test.

 

[TimmyR]

Is your SWG working. With the help of the liquid chlorine, you might be able to get the FC up to about 4 or 5 with the SWG. (Might need another bump from some liquid.) It will need to be higher when you raise the CYA after you pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss test.

You ask the exact same questions I've had. I have no reason aside from the low chlorine in my pool to suspect that the SWG is not working. Since I now understand the pool company does not add stabilizer to the pool, I think I need to rule that out first then see what the SWG is doing. Needless to say I have a lack of trust in the pool company that we've used since I've been here. Thank you for your advice. I have the sock of CYA in the skimmer basket and the pump running. More to follow tomorrow.

 

[TimmyR]

Is your SWG working. With the help of the liquid chlorine, you might be able to get the FC up to about 4 or 5 with the SWG. (Might need another bump from some liquid.) It will need to be higher when you raise the CYA after you pass the Overnight Chlorine Loss test.

More to your point. Yes, SWG is working and set to 80%. Pump and system are now running continuous to ge the CYA to dissolve. I added another 1/2 gallon of LC last night. I'm headed out for two more gallons of LC today. I am using PoolMath if you care to see any of my progress. Thank you!

 

[sande005]

The PoolMath app has an "Effects of adding" where you can get an estimate of what a particular setting and pump run time for your SWCG might do to change the Cl level. It is an estimate. You could also do an Overnight Gain test - test at dark, leave the SWCG running, and test at dawn. Only meaningful if you have passed a recent Overnight Loss Test. Then you can compare actual vs theory to gauge how well the SWCG is performing.

My guess - the T-15, although rated for up to 40K gallons, has a lower max output than some other brands. So you may have to run at 100%, and maybe even then increase your pump run time even longer, during this part of the summer (longer days). More so the higher you bump your CYA level.

 

[TimmyR]

Good morning,

CYA almost fully dissolved. Quick morning test resulted in the following.

FC 7.5
CC 0.5
pH 8.2
CH 200
CYA 0
Salt 3000

Regarding the CYA test. I think I am doing it correct but since you asked @Deb04 I fill the little bottle with pool water to 7.5. Then add CYA additive (kit not handy) to 15 ml. It pretty much does not cloud at all. That also matches my Test Strip FWIW.

 

[PoolStored]

I'll loaded a sock with 1200 g of dry stabilizer

1200g will likely not be noticeable on the CYA test...will add 14ppm of CYA.

It may take 24-48 hours for CYA changes to show up in the test.

 

[TimmyR]

1200g will likely not be noticeable on the CYA test...will add 14ppm of CYA.

It may take 24-48 hours for CYA changes to show up in the test.

Thanks and that's a great point. I figured I'd need twice that. I"ll probably load another sock today and put it in the other skimmer basket. I'm also planning to add acid today to start to bring down the pH.

 

[PoolStored]

Use muriatic acid to lower pH.

 

[TimmyR]

Use muriatic acid to lower pH.

Thank you. That's the plan. I've read a lot of the articles here and am planning to glove & goggle up and go add the muriatic acid here shortly.