Rain = Bad water. Please help

[brandon1]

My pool water was good and then we got nailed with a ton of rain and now my pool looks like i havent used it in years.
Free CL of 3.46
TL CL of 4.79
PH of 7.6
ALK of 226
Cal Hard. 324

I am assuming that my Alkalinity is high and I need to lower it and is why it's the way the water is? What do I use to fix this? I have an inground pool with about 35,000 gal of water

 

[ewkearns]

I'm going to make some assumptions.....

First and foremost, you need your OWN test kit. We do not trust the accuracy of pool store testing. Your TA is off the charts and so is your CH, because you are using pucks and powdered chlorine/shock.

Get a good test kit like the Taylor K-2006C and post all of your numbers. Until we can tell factually where you ARE, it is impossible to tell you what direction to take...

 

[brandon1]

That is using my own test kit. Am I not supposed to use pucks and powdered shock? I use liquid chlorine so should I use liquid shock as well?

 

[jblizzle]

Must be a colorQ. We don't recommend them either.

You did not post a CYA number which determines the required FC level.

 

[brandon1]

Ya its the ColorQ PRO 11. I take it the ColorQ PRO 11 is junk?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

That is using my own test kit. Am I not supposed to use pucks and powdered shock? I use liquid chlorine so should I use liquid shock as well?

Hi brandon1

When you report water test results, use the following format -

FC
CC
TA
pH
CH
CYA

We don't care about total chlorine and prefer if you use your DPD-FAS reagents to measure FC and CC separately. If you format it like that (and mention that you used your K-2006 or TF-100 Kit), then the experts around here will not question your test results. Other formats look too much like pool store test printouts so it raises eyebrows when they're presented that way. And you only need to report chlorine values to the nearest 0.2 or 0.5ppm. Using more significant digits than that is also a dead give away of pool store testing.

In all honesty, the rain doesn't really affect chemistry UNLESS you stop test and adjusting water during the rains. A lot of people (including me) slack when the weather is not sunny and that is what typically causes water to go south.

Your CCs are high at 1ppm and you report cloudy water. Therefore you need to SLAM Process your pool.


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[JVTrain]

Ya its the ColorQ PRO 11. I take it the ColorQ PRO 11 is junk?

They aren't junk, but are not nearly as reliable and cost effective as the TF-100, which is the best kit you can buy for home testing of your pool. The Taylor K-2006 is passable as well but you'll need to order reagents sooner with that kit. The TF-100 from tftestkits.net is worth the investment as a proper home test kit is the most important tool for maintaining your pool and dealing with problems. You'll have much less problems with a good test kit and TFP methods.

You need to be able to accurately measure CYA, FC and CC in order to deal with cloudy water and to properly SLAM the pool. Spend a little time in Pool School, starting with ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and review the links in my signature as well.

 

[ewkearns]

That is using my own test kit. Am I not supposed to use pucks and powdered shock? I use liquid chlorine so should I use liquid shock as well?

No, we do not recommend powdered chlorine... and you shouldn't need shock, at all. (At least, "shock" in the PS sense.) You likely don't have enough chlorine, but we can't tell because you didn't post your CYA level. If you have been using powders, it is likely your CYA is off the charts, too..... and that means you are WAY low on chlorine. I'm guessing that you have to fight your pH due to the high TA. The CH could be an issue, depending on your pool type...

Powders and pills drive your CH and CYA through the roof. Elevated CH can cause scaling and elevated CYA virtually assures that you won't have enough "active" chlorine and the inevitable result is cloudy or green water... (all it takes is heavy rain to start the ball rolling)

Some test kits just aren't accurate and that is documented on this forum. Absolutely none of the test kits can analyze chlorine accurately to 2 decimal places......

 

[brandon1]

What about using WaterLink Spin Lab as a pool tester?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What about using WaterLink Spin Lab as a pool tester?

Same problems as a ColorQ. None of those electronic test kits are recommended and none of them will work when you need to SLAM your pool water.


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[JVTrain]

If the test kit is not on this list, it's not recommended here and experts won't give much credence to your results. Pool School - Test Kits Compared

 

[brandon1]

I was looking for something digital as I am not very good with matching colors on the testers :/

 

[EVChargeGuy]

What about using WaterLink Spin Lab as a pool tester?

That product carry's a hefty price with a street cost around $1000. Save your money and get one of the recommended kits along with a SpeedStir

 

[JVTrain]

The only test that are color MATCH in the recommended kits are the total chlorine and pH tests. The rest of the test are color CHANGE tests. FC and CC are from pink/red to clear. TA from green to red. Etc. The important tests for dealing with pool problems are all color change. The daily check tests of TC and pH are the only color match tests.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I was looking for something digital as I am not very good with matching colors on the testers :/

The tests, for the most part, use titration (drop counting) and color transitions (pink to clear, green to red, purple to blue, etc) that are fairly easy to read. I have mild color blindness but I am still able to see the tests clearly if I am in good lighting. The only color matching test is pH and, if that is really a problem, you can often find cheap electronic pH testers for ~$50.


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[jblizzle]

You don't have to match colors for the recommended test kits except for pH. You count the drops until you see a color change. For the CYA, you liquid until a dot disappears. There are videos you can watch to see the tests.

 

[brandon1]

Ordered a TAYLOR K-2006C. I will post results once I get the kit. Thanks for all your help We need more good ppl like you in this world

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Ordered a TAYLOR K-2006C. I will post results once I get the kit. Thanks for all your help We need more good ppl like you in this world

Look up SpeedStir (and SampleSizer, all by Taylor Technologies). It makes doing the tests a lot easier. Totally not necessary or required to do any of the tests, but if you like gizmos, they're fun to have.


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[Agent99]

I have to admit that I thought the SpeedStir was a bit gimmicky but once I started using it, I found it nearly as important as the TF-100 test kit.

I even made room in my case to store it nicely and polish it nightly.

 

[JVTrain]

I have to admit that I thought the SpeedStir was a bit gimmicky but once I started using it, I found it nearly as important as the TF-100 test kit.

I even made room in my case to store it nicely and polish it nightly.

I considered getting my SpeedStir bronzed but I didn't want to inadvertently add copper to my samples. LOVE IT!