Shall I drain water after adding 6 lb Dry Acid to 2.7K gal saltwater pool?
- Thread starter Stacy-MissionViejo
- Start date
This is so helpful, @PoolStored. Thank you very much. I will follow your instructions and report back.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,640
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
I have no idea. where does the white pipe come from? Is there a waste function on your pad? Post a picture of the pad. No idea where the funnel looking thing goes.
I drained and refilled the pool yesterday. Today's readings:
- FC = 6
- pH - 7.8
- TA = 120
- CH = 230
- CYA - 30-50 via test strip, I am low on the liquid reagent and will test with liquid tomorrow
- Salt = 3500
- CSI = 0.09 at 80.6 F
I have a question regarding the calcium level. Shall I increase it from 230 and, if so, by how much? A few things I am trying to understand:
1. Before using dry acid, the surface did not have any visible problems and looked perfect to my eye (the pool is only 2 yrs old). The surface appearance changed significantly during the 3 days from Sunday morning when I posted the question to Wednesday morning when I was finally able to drain. In general, I see uneven discoloration of the surface, which is especially noticeable in the spa. I am not quite sure if this is scale, deterioration, or both. At a closer look, I see two patterns. The surface itself has a somewhat uneven distribution of pebbles (probably due to workmanship, it was so before we moved in). In areas with a higher density of pebbles, I see a dense white "scale" around the pebbles which looks like contouring. It is noticeable up close but does not contribute that much to the discoloration seen when standing tall near the pool. The second pattern appears in areas where pebbles are spaced further apart. The plaster between the pebbles is lighter in those areas. In unaffected areas, the plaster is dark grey, whereas in affected areas it ranges from light grey to almost white. This contributes significantly to the overall visible discoloration.
What makes me think this may be deterioration is that both "scales" didn't form much on pebbles but only on the plaster. Is the plaster supposed to be the same color throughout, or is it dark gray only on the surface? I assume if it is dark grey throughout the layer, this is likely scale, right? What also makes me think it may be scale is that I tried to pressure wash it in a few small areas, which cleaned the surface noticeably, producing white dust. I also got scaling on tiles, which fizzes when applying MA.
If this is scale, should I try to keep the SCI negative, brush, and see what the result is? How should do it properly with minimal damage to the plaster? What SCI should I target for, and for how long can I keep it this way? In this case, shall I increase CH to the recommended 350-550 ppm? Can I use low calcium as an advantage to make it easier to keep negative CSI for now?
For general understanding, is that correct that the plaster won't corrode as long as you keep CSI higher -0.3 even if the calcium itself is lower than recommended?
2. I typically see different CH levels recommended for spas and pools. Is that because different temperatures contribute to CSI? If I have my spa combined with the pool, which level is recommended?
Thank you in advance for the input.
- FC = 6
- pH - 7.8
- TA = 120
- CH = 230
- CYA - 30-50 via test strip, I am low on the liquid reagent and will test with liquid tomorrow
- Salt = 3500
- CSI = 0.09 at 80.6 F
I have a question regarding the calcium level. Shall I increase it from 230 and, if so, by how much? A few things I am trying to understand:
1. Before using dry acid, the surface did not have any visible problems and looked perfect to my eye (the pool is only 2 yrs old). The surface appearance changed significantly during the 3 days from Sunday morning when I posted the question to Wednesday morning when I was finally able to drain. In general, I see uneven discoloration of the surface, which is especially noticeable in the spa. I am not quite sure if this is scale, deterioration, or both. At a closer look, I see two patterns. The surface itself has a somewhat uneven distribution of pebbles (probably due to workmanship, it was so before we moved in). In areas with a higher density of pebbles, I see a dense white "scale" around the pebbles which looks like contouring. It is noticeable up close but does not contribute that much to the discoloration seen when standing tall near the pool. The second pattern appears in areas where pebbles are spaced further apart. The plaster between the pebbles is lighter in those areas. In unaffected areas, the plaster is dark grey, whereas in affected areas it ranges from light grey to almost white. This contributes significantly to the overall visible discoloration.
What makes me think this may be deterioration is that both "scales" didn't form much on pebbles but only on the plaster. Is the plaster supposed to be the same color throughout, or is it dark gray only on the surface? I assume if it is dark grey throughout the layer, this is likely scale, right? What also makes me think it may be scale is that I tried to pressure wash it in a few small areas, which cleaned the surface noticeably, producing white dust. I also got scaling on tiles, which fizzes when applying MA.
If this is scale, should I try to keep the SCI negative, brush, and see what the result is? How should do it properly with minimal damage to the plaster? What SCI should I target for, and for how long can I keep it this way? In this case, shall I increase CH to the recommended 350-550 ppm? Can I use low calcium as an advantage to make it easier to keep negative CSI for now?
For general understanding, is that correct that the plaster won't corrode as long as you keep CSI higher -0.3 even if the calcium itself is lower than recommended?
2. I typically see different CH levels recommended for spas and pools. Is that because different temperatures contribute to CSI? If I have my spa combined with the pool, which level is recommended?
Thank you in advance for the input.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,787
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
No need to add calcium at this point.
What is the pH, TA and CH of your fill water?
Review your signature and list the correct number from your test kit - there is no "Tylor K2500" test kit.
What is the pH, TA and CH of your fill water?
Review your signature and list the correct number from your test kit - there is no "Tylor K2500" test kit.
Fill water:
- pH > 8.2, I think it is around 8.5
- TA = 130
- CH = 170
My bad. It is Tylor K2005. Corrected in the signature.
- pH > 8.2, I think it is around 8.5
- TA = 130
- CH = 170
My bad. It is Tylor K2005. Corrected in the signature.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,787
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Taylor K-2005 is missing the all important FAS-DPD chlorine test.
You need to add the Taylor K-1515 FAS-DPD test.
Also, since you have a SWG, the drop based Taylor K-1766 salt test is also warranted.
Yes, I've actually ordered K-1766 and K-2006. They are coming next week. And this is when I plan for OCLT suggested by @PoolStored. Using what I have on hand for now.
