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7snorkel,

Welcome to the forum. :wave: Read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School....it's really important.

agreeing with what Richard already said......BR is bromine and you do not test for it.....you test for chlorine.

That said, your very first priority is to get your pH down into the mid 7's.....soon.
 
my current readings indicate that I should add 37oz of Muriatic Acid to get PH to 7.6, BUT the TA readings want me to get PH to 7.2. . .

to do that I'll need to add 80 oz. of MA to get to that level.


However, my CH is so high, it recommends draining pool by 42%....

Should I add MA and see how other numbers read after this?

IF so, how long should i wait AFTER adding MA to get another reading?

many thanks.

P.S. my daughter is really enjoying this chemistry project?
 
Your first order of business is to get PH to hold below 7.8. I would add about half a gallon of MA and retest 15 minutes later and add again until it holds. With pump running, of course. Once you get PH to hold below 7.8 you can work on lowering your TA following this, Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity

It is up to you whether you want to partial drain to lower CH. I would not drain, but higher CH makes it even more important to keep your PH at 7.8 or lower to prevent calcium scaling. Pool School - Calcium Scaling
 
pooldv said:
Your first order of business is to get PH to hold below 7.8. I would add about half a gallon of MA and retest 15 minutes later and add again until it holds. With pump running, of course. Once you get PH to hold below 7.8 you can work on lowering your TA following this, Pool School - Lower

Total Alkalinity

It is up to you whether you want to partial drain to lower CH. I would not drain, but higher CH makes it even more important to keep your PH at 7.8 or lower to prevent calcium scaling. Pool School - Calcium Scaling
Click to expand...

Got the first reading on PH. 7.8

Added more MA to finish off 1 Gallon.

will get another reading in 30 min.

ALSO, My SWG showed 2500 this morning, so I have turned it off.

i want to re-implement the SWG when i get other chemicals correct.

Didn't want to add Salt, if Draining the pool was gonna be a factor.

Just wanted to keep that in mind, as I can always get bleach in the meantime.


Thanks for all your patience... and help.
 
Good news on the PH holding at 7.8. Pool looks good! Nice flowers on the diving board.

Test your tap water for PH, TA and CH. Then we can decide whether to drain or not. I am leaning toward not draining. Your CYA isn't bad, I keep mine at 80 normally. CH of 600 isn't too bad either. I expect CH in the tap water to be under 300.

Using bleach in the meantime is great. I'm still using bleach too, my pool needs some salt too.
 
got the PH reading last nite after adding the total of 1 gallon.

PH-7.2

Pool Calculator suggested 7.2 given the TA levels.

I forgot about the Hose Water testing. We did a good bit of planting those flowers all afternoon.

Awfully tired last nite as a result of it. . .


I will get our daughter to test this afternoon.

will do a full test of pool water as well.

i will post updates this afternoon.
 
Here's an update right before the 2 inches of rain that fell. . .

FC- 7.5
PH- 7.2
TA- 200
CH- 620
CYA- 70

Not sure what to do about the CH level at this time.

All the other numbers don't look bad, right?

thanks.
 

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7snorkel said:
Here's an update right before the 2 inches of rain that fell. . .

FC- 7.5
PH- 7.2
TA- 200
CH- 620
CYA- 70

Not sure what to do about the CH level at this time.

All the other numbers don't look bad, right?

thanks.
Click to expand...
Too late now, but I always like to pump water out before a rain. That way I lose the Calcium-saturated stuff and replace it with Calcium-free water.

You're good for now, but expect pH to climb again with the high TA and the aeration the rain causes.
 
Hello, all.

today I turned on the Jets to the spa and let them run a good part of the day. (6-7 hours)

took a reading tonite.

PH - 7.5
TA - 120
CH - 350-375

I also got a test for the tap water

PH- 8.2
TA 150
CH- 175.

I feel I am making progress, but the Calcium in the pool will have to come down.

we are expecting a couple of inches of rain this Sat-Mon.

should i drain a little of the pool this weekend and let the rain re-fill it.

Which readings will the rain water benefit?

Also, looks like i will need to add another gallon of MA, as i plan to run the jets again tomorrow.

Am i on the right track here?

thank you.
 
We're getting some wet stuff right now. :) A good TX rain will help to lower CH a bit, and could also lower CYA. Just depends on how much overflow and water exchange you receive. Your pH of 7.5 is fine for now, I wouldn't mess with that at this time. Maintaining the proper FC based on your current CYA is always the most important daily chore - besides cleaning the skimmer. :)

Be careful about draining ahead of time. If your weatherman is anything like ours, it will be bright and sunny this weekend. :)
 
just an update on my pool.

We received 5 inches of rain this past weekend (Sorry, Houston. We feel for you). This has helped plenty in replenishing my pool water without have to drain some of it. Our overflow does that for us.

Current levels tested yesterday

FC - 5
PH - 7.2
TA- 80
CH - 350
CYA - 60

My CYA is still a little high, but I'm thinking it will come down with water replacement over the Summer.
Shouldn't I be trying to keep my FC level in line with my current CYA level?
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

With another rain event expected early in the morning, how should I approach adding bleach. A little each day to account for the rain replacement? OR wait out this next rain, and then add.

My PH is a little low, right now. Should i add a little soda to bring it up to 7.6 or so?

I'm still learning how the rain water adjusts my chemical levels and want to be pro-active when necessary, but not OVER-reactive.

i'm getting the hang of this new way of pool care, and I do like it.

Also, at times, the calcium on the tiles will seem to go away(during the rain event), but starts to return afterward.
How do i address this?
I think my CH levels aren't too bad now.

one more thing.
My CSI levels are finally better as well.


thanks everyone.
 
Comments in Blue.
7snorkel said:
just an update on my pool.

We received 5 inches of rain this past weekend (Sorry, Houston. We feel for you). This has helped plenty in replenishing my pool water without have to drain some of it. Our overflow does that for us.

Current levels tested yesterday

FC - 5
PH - 7.2
TA- 80
CH - 350
CYA - 60

My CYA is still a little high, but I'm thinking it will come down with water replacement over the Summer.
Shouldn't I be trying to keep my FC level in line with my current CYA level?
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart Yes

With another rain event expected early in the morning, how should I approach adding bleach. A little each day to account for the rain replacement? OR wait out this next rain, and then add. Why add bleach that will just get washed away?

My PH is a little low, right now. Should i add a little soda to bring it up to 7.6 or so? No. Rain splashes tends to aerate the pool, which drives pH up. Again, why add chemicals that will just get washed away?

I'm still learning how the rain water adjusts my chemical levels and want to be pro-active when necessary, but not OVER-reactive.

i'm getting the hang of this new way of pool care, and I do like it.

Also, at times, the calcium on the tiles will seem to go away(during the rain event), but starts to return afterward.
How do i address this?
I think my CH levels aren't too bad now. It's just because it's wet. Acid, elbow grease, and maybe a pumice stone will remove it. Wait until it's warm enough to get in. It's much easier working at eye level than on hands and knees reaching over the side.

one more thing.
My CSI levels are finally better as well.


thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
 
Pool looks good! My PB fixed some similar looking grout issues last summer with 2 part pool putty, he mixed white and black to get a gray that sorta matched and mooshed it into the cracks. It is mostly holding up well so far. The best thing you can do to stop that movement is irrigate around the pool year round. A lot of movement happens in winter when the soil contracts. I have a hose timer and a Mister Sprinkler set up from Lowes. Cheap and easy.
 

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