You must test more carefully.

On Sunday, your pH was 7.7 now 8.2, that's a testing error unless you added something to your pool.

On Sunday, your CYA was 25, now it's 50, please check your results.

The FC will always be dropping. How much Chlorine are you adding each day?

The PH is hard to tell as it really does not match any of the colors. It's more purple/pink. I even had my daughters check it for me.

I am adding about 1/4 of the 10% liquid chlorine every other evening.

Hi aa,

Colors are difficult for some of us and waterbear gave the formula in 'words' to go with the level. I have always found it helpful and perhaps you will, too. Here it is:

above 8.2 purple
8.0-8.2 purplish red
7.8 pinkish red with a hint of purple
7.6 red
7.4-7.5 red with an orange cast
7.2 orange
7.0 yellow orange
6.8 and below yellow

Using this, I find that I like orange, red, and orangie-red. Anything else needs to be adjusted in my pool.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Butterfly. I am glad I am not alone. I will try this tomorrow.

Well, it looks like 7.8 pinkish red with a hint of purple . My FC still goes down to 1 every 36 hours or so.

Also, I want to start getting the pool ready for winter. We usually cover it but leave the filter, etc. connected, just take the ladder out.

What chemicals do I need to use before we cover it? Do I need those chlorinators? How about algae?

With the Bacquacil, we checked it every month, put in the chemicals and run the filter a couple of hours every week.

What do I need to do different? I checked the poo school but it mostly talks about the equipment.

Thank you.

You shouldn't let your FC drop to 1. That is too low. Once the FC level drops to your minimum, add chlorine to get the level back to your target FC level. Try and keep your FC level at your target number, even if it means to check every night.

Travis is correct - you need to test and add chlorine before the FC drops below your "min" level for your CYA. Letting it get to 1 is risking an algae bloom.

You can do the same thing with a chlorine pool, just run the filter an hour or two a day, monitor your levels. IF the water temp is very cool you should be able to go several days at a time without having to add chlorine. You'll have to re-learn your pool's habits - this means testing more often at first and as you determine the usage levels you'll establish a routine. I wouldn't make any assumptions at first though.

I added 1/4 gallon of 10% chlorine last night and this morning FC is down to 2. The PH is still pinkish red, 7.8.

This weekend I plan to clean the pool and the filter and cover it for the winter.

Is there an algae product that I should use before covering it? How about those chlorinators with the tablet? Is that a good idea once we cover it?

You want to get the PH down before you winterize, try down to 7.5.

Did you test last night after adding chlorine? I think you need to do an overnight FC loss test.

Assuming there are no live organics in the water, all you "need" to do is shock it, winterize, cover. Some folks use a Polyquat 60 algaecide after shocking as an added insurance. That's optional. But only PQ60. We don't recommend anything else.

Thank you. It's raining quite a bit today (for Southern CA!) I'll do the overnight FC loss test tomorrow.

By "winterize" you mean just the PQ60 or other chemicals? Sorry I sound stupid but I don't understand this at all... Thank you for all your help.

I bought some shock for vinyl above ground pools so I can use that.

I will also add muriatic acid for the PH. I'll check the calculator to see what I need.

Sorry, I re-read your post and I think winterize means by Pool School.... Clean, run pump 24 hours, equipment, etc.

Is that right?

Winterize I mean circulate the chems for 24 hours and drain down if necessary, blow out the lines (antifreeze if desired) and then cover.

Here are my test results from last night and this morning after an overnight FC loss test.

Last night:

FC= 5

This morning:

FC=5
CC= 0.5
PH=8
CYA= 40


So does this mean the FC goes down because of the sun then?

Well, your overnight test looks good BUT, you still need to lower your pH to around 7.5-ish FIRST and then (as frustratedpoolmom stated) winterize.

If you have any q's, please post back.

I put muriatic acid like 2 days ago, per the calculator and is still high.

My FC this evening, same day is 1. I don't know why it goes so low during the day. I have to add chlorine every evening.

Okay, aa, something is not right here. Are you saying that you are losing 4ppm FC during the day?

My suggestions:

1. About your pH, use Jason's Pool Calculator and get it under control ( around 7.4 - 7.5 ish) within a few hours. In other words, test, add MA, circulate for 30 mins., RE-test, and adjust. Repeat until you reach your goal of 7.4 - 7.5. Do this first!

2. Please post a full set of numbers.

Butterfly thanks for all your help.

Yesterday I checked Jason's calculator for the PH and it said I needed 15.9 ounces. I added them and like you said waited 30 minutes and retested. Nothing. I did this 4 times and eventually went down from 8 to 7.7.

I also vacummed, brushed and cleaned the skimmer. We had some rain and wind last week. The water is very clear.

Last night I also added 1/4 gallon of chlorine after a low test of 2 and brought it up to 6.

Here are this morning results:
FC=3.5
CC= 0.5
CYA= 40
PH= 7.7
TA= 200
CA= 300

I had a big FC drop which I usually don't have. Is it because of all the MA?

Again thanks.

Hi aa,

What % MA are you using?

You should still nudge pH down to 7.5-ish before closing.

Reading back, I see that you do not run your filter at night. Now I am wondering if your high FC loss is possibly related to a baq contaminated filter?
When you ended your conversion, did you toss that filter and replace it with a new one?

When you post a FC loss, please tell us the time period between tests. I'm still unclear if your loss is daily or not.

Other members will be along with their ideas.

MA is 14.5%.

I replaced the filter after the conversion.

I run the filter about 5 hours daily. We have not used the pool for about 2 months.

Time is usually 12 hours. I normally check it when the sun goes down around 7:00 PM and early morning, before the sun comes up, around 7:00 AM

I checked the PH again this morning and is still around 7.7 (pinkish) after another 16 ounces last night.

Frustration...

Do you have the correct % listed on the Pool Calc when you make the calculation? That could be why you aren't seeing the desired affect.

You tested the chlorine level 30-60 minutes AFTER your last addition? Are you certain you reached 6?

If you went from 6 to 3.5, then you have organics consuming the FC.

Once you get the PH under control, you'll need to shock the pool and continue shocking till the FC holds overnight, and then you can proceed with closing.