My test kit is here!

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Wheelie

0
May 24, 2015
81
Sydney, australia
It finally arrived (the Taylor K-2006). I'm going to start testing tomorrow. Is it okay to follow the instructions here : Extended Test Kit Directions rather than the booklet which I find rather confusing.

Where it mentions the chlorine test cell do they mean the test tube thing? The kit comes with a bottle but no test tube. Is the bottle for getting water out of the pool or am i supposed to use something else? I bought a stirrer kit so I have a text tube type thing with that.

I feel a little lost right now!

We had an algae bloom last week so I've been adding quite a large quantity of liquid chlorine at the end of each day - it seems to be under control but the FC drops massively in 24 hrs. Should I wait 24 hours from last adding chlorine before testing?
 
Yay Wheelie and welcome back!

Yes it is fine to follow the extended test kit directions. You should have in your kit a colour comparator for measuring pH with two clear tubes. You use the tube with the 10ml mark for FC on the right not the semi circular smaller one on the left which you use for measuring your CYA. But did you know that the concise instructions are on the inside of the lid which are fairly straight forward to follow? There are also videos on You Tube for how to administer each of the tests.


You need to prepare to SLAM the pool by the sounds of it so read up in Pool School on how to conduct it.

In the meantime ask any questions you may have and try and keep everything here on the one thread.
 
Thanks guys - that video was just what I needed. I've done my first tests and here's what I got:

FC: 4.4 ppm
CC: 0
pH: 7.4 (I added one drop of base demand and it went up to 7.6 - I assume that you don't do both the acid and base demand tests? Acid demand if the pH is high and base demand if it's low right?)
TA: 110 ppm
Calcium: 130ppm (I have a vinyl pool but I did this anyway - assume I don't need to in future?)
CYA: below 30 - the black dot disappears when i hit the top of the tube which has no marker. I knew the CYA was low as we've been burning through chlorine (it's been hot here too) but I've been waiting for the test kit. Last Sunday I added 250G of CYA which was only a half dose to raise it by 10. I guess I need to add more since it's been six days. How high should I aim for given it's summer here?

the pool is 26 degrees today but usually sits closer to 30 as we keep the cover on when not in use.

So from the recommended levels for vinyl pools:
with Bleach
FC 3-7 (See chart)
pH 7.5-7.8
TA 50-90+
CH 0-350 (Don't add)
CYA 30-50

So I'm guessing the FC is slightly high because I added a batch of liquid chlorine last night. I'm going to test this again this evening to see how much it has dropped by.
What do I do next?

It seems that I need to raise the CYA and the pH and lower the TA. I also need to SLAM. What's the best order to proceed?

Thanks!
 
Just re-reading the SLAM info. I think with the hot weather we have right now I'd be better off getting the CYA up to 40 before doing the SLAM. Do you agree?

So let's say I'm at 25 and I want to get to 40. I need to add 675grams of stabiliser. How about if I add 500g using a sock in the filter thingy?
 
Leave it all right were it is right now. Your set up is purrfect for a SLAM.

You do not want your CYA very high when you do a SLAM as that will mean you need to use more bleach to get to your target FC.

The PH is where it should be for a SLAM.

TA will the very last thing you dial in

SO now to the SLAM!

Look up at my first post on this thread. Go to the SLAM link, bookmark it and even think about printing it out!

Add enough bleach to go to your SLAM FC. Test again within an hour to see what happened. If it went down fast and hard (5 ppm or more) you know you will need to stay on top of it every hour. If it went down but by only a point or two you can move to every two hours.

Brush often. It really helps to get the algae out and about for the bleach to kill.

Run your pump 24/7.

If you want to swim that is okay. It is safe to swim when your FC is just under the SLAM level for you CYA. Once every one gets out put your FC back up to SLAM level.

Once you start the SLAM do not bother testing anything else for a while.

Keep a log of your times and FC levels so you can see a pattern.

Kim
 
What Kim said- just a couple of other things

-Use the 10ml sample when measuring FC and then count the drops as 0.5 -this will save your precious R0871. This is sufficient for our purposes.

-Your SLAM level is 12 for a CYA of 30- try and always make sure that you are always at this level and its not a bad idea to target slightly over -say 14FC when you are measuring out your liquid chlorine for additions.

-Have you got plenty of liquid chlorine readily available or can you get it quickly because your likely to need a fair bit!

Good luck- we're here to help you through.
 
You keep the cover off so it can outgas the yucky stuff. (how is that for technical?)

Yes you will lose to the sun BUT if you do not SLAM it as close to 24/7 as you can you will lose more to the algae.

Hit it and hit it hard and often and you will have a fast SLAM.

Kim
 
I don't mean to sound like I am disagreeing with our huggy friend Kim, but...

I don't slam except for opening and closing, so my experience is low. However, since I have a low CYA, I cover and then open for 2-3 hours a day to out-gas.

Different strokes, and each pool is different too.

You do need to MAINTAIN shock levels like Kim said, no matter what you do with your cover.
 

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Okay it's been a bit up and down but at 8.18 pm I had FC 8 and CC 3 so I added more chlorine. I tested again at 9.30 pm and the FC is at 14 and CC at 0.5. So I guess I can now leave the pool overnight and test in the morning?

Do I abolutely have to leave the pump running all night?
 
Yep keep that pump running till your SLAM is complete. Watch the pressure on your pump. Once it goes up by 25% you need to backwash. With that high Cc it means that things are ticking over well.
Your night reading indicates that your good for the night.


Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk
 
Okay will leave it on for tonight.

The pressure gauge hardly ever seems to go up on our pump - is that normal? Plus it sits at 142-3 so 25% would be a huge hike on our gauge.

We had a pool guy come out when we first moved in - he was an install guy as opposed to a pool shop guy. He said to just backwash every six weeks or so.

Thanks - this is massively helpful :)
 
Does your gauge go down to 0 when the pump is off?

You are doing a great job already! For your cc to move from 3 to .5 already shows you are hitting it hard!

Another reason I say keep the cover off when you SLAM is I worry about the effects of the higher FC over time on the cover. I know they are made for it but why take the chance.

Kim
 
As others have said keep that pump running until it's crystal clear. As Kim and a few others have mentioned your CYA is great for killing things up it later. I'd keep the cover off as they degrade rather quickly at the chlorine levels you need to maintain. Gauge is broken if it doesn't move, cheap/easy fix.

Poolmaster 36670 Pressure Gauge - 1/4" Bottom-Mount Thread Amazon.com : Poolmaster 36670 Pressure Gauge - 1/4 Garden

That's more than likely what you need. If yours connects at the back instead of the top you need something like this

Poolmaster 36672 Pressure Gauge - 1/4" Back-Mount Thread Amazon.com : Poolmaster 36672 Pressure Gauge - 1/4 Garden

They are all pretty standard.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
replacing the gauge is very easy. If the replacemtn comes with the fitting on it, then its a 1 for 1 task. Screw old one out, screw new one in and you're done.
If the fitting is included on the new gauge, then you'll swap that from the old gauge to the new. Easy easy in any case though.

the tftestkit glycerine filled gauge is the bomb, but shipping to Australia would probably be prohibitive. The glycerine in it prevents moisture from getting in and condensating or fogging up. You might be able to find something similar locally though. Most pool pressure gauges go much higher Bar than you actually need. If you can find one that goes maybe 1/2, you can more easily tell what your pressure actually is. Here is a pic of the one I got from tftestkits



Wheelie said:
No the gauge doesn't move when I turn it of....that would suggest it's broken right? Is that an easy fix?
Click to expand...
 

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