Raise your pH to at least 7.2 with washing soda from the laundry aisle. Or add borax and baking soda. Also, raise your FC. Do you need help figuring out quantities?
New here and need advice/guidance
- Thread starter joshua5438
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,751
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Nice! Now we can go to work. Going back to post #1, your water was clear, but perhaps a little cloudy right? Now we need to determine if a SLAM is required due to excess organics. Your CYA is high. Not to worst we've seen, but high. On a normal day with NO algae, you would need to maintain an FC of about 7-9 ppm - never below 6. If you have to SLAM, you will need to maintain an FC of 31. You have two choices:
1 - Drain some water now (maybe about 1/4 - 1/3) and replace to lower your CYA to about 60 or so before treating with any chemicals and/or SLAM
2 - Add bleach right away to an FC target of 9 ppm, then do an OLCT tonight to confirm whether or not a SLAM is required. If it is, you can decide on whether to maintain an FC of 31 for a few days, or drain at that time to reduce the CYA a little first.
I want you to understand both options so you can make the right call based on your situation and fill water conditions. Reference the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below) as needed. Right now you really need chlorine in the water (FC), so decide rather quickly. It is odd to have no TA which is probably why the pH is so low. PH can be raised in three ways: borax, soda ash, and aeration. Borax is available as 20 Mule Team® Borax Natural Laundry Booster. It is sold in the laundry detergent section of most larger grocery stores . TA can be raised with baking soda. You want your pH at about 7.2 for now, and TA at about 60 or so to start.
Let us know how you prefer to proceed and if you have any questions.
1 - Drain some water now (maybe about 1/4 - 1/3) and replace to lower your CYA to about 60 or so before treating with any chemicals and/or SLAM
2 - Add bleach right away to an FC target of 9 ppm, then do an OLCT tonight to confirm whether or not a SLAM is required. If it is, you can decide on whether to maintain an FC of 31 for a few days, or drain at that time to reduce the CYA a little first.
I want you to understand both options so you can make the right call based on your situation and fill water conditions. Reference the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below) as needed. Right now you really need chlorine in the water (FC), so decide rather quickly. It is odd to have no TA which is probably why the pH is so low. PH can be raised in three ways: borax, soda ash, and aeration. Borax is available as 20 Mule Team® Borax Natural Laundry Booster. It is sold in the laundry detergent section of most larger grocery stores . TA can be raised with baking soda. You want your pH at about 7.2 for now, and TA at about 60 or so to start.
Let us know how you prefer to proceed and if you have any questions.
Thanks for the info. My water is mostly clean but cloudy on the deep end. I do not plan to add any more CYA and was thinking it would lower during the season with backwashing and evaporation? Maybe that isnt the best way to look at it. What is an OLCT? What does holding the FC at 31 accomplish in helping the CYA or did I understand that wrong?
CYA only leaves by draining and replanting water. Evaporation does not have any impact of CYA or CH.
Here is the link to the OCLT (Overnight Chlorine Loss Test)
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
It is a good tool to see what is going on in your water if anything.
Kim
Here is the link to the OCLT (Overnight Chlorine Loss Test)
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
It is a good tool to see what is going on in your water if anything.
Kim
This will be my first time ever figuring all these quantities out so any input would be greatly appreciated. I will use the calculator but its always nice to have something to compare to until I get the hang of it.
I am still draining 1/4 water from the pool. I will start refilling tonight so I can plan for the OCLT test tomorrow night if it is still needed/recommended. I will post back once I get the pool back up and running. Once I get the pool back up and running do I need to go thru all the test again?
Okay. Since your fill does have some TA, I would go ahead and throw half a box of borax in there after you refill. Then let us know your new numbers after the water is circulated.
Yes, we do need your new results for pH, TA, and CYA. If you added any chlorine, then do the FC/CC too. Don't bother with the CH.
Just to keep everyone in the loop. It will most likely take me several days to get this pool back to full due to the fact that I am on a well. I have been reading up on filling a pool with a well and its recommended to only run it a little at a time and let the pump rest since they are not designed for constant long term use. I am only home in the evenings so this may take most of this week. I will post again once I get everything back to normal and update the test results. Thanks again for all of your help!
Update - I am getting closer to being back up and running. I still have about 2 inches to fill to be back to full. What will my first steps be once it is full? If I can get it filled up tonight should I let it circulate before I run the tests? What items and how much should I stock up on to be properly prepared?
Did you get one of the recommended test kits? If so, once filled your first job is to give us the test results: FC, CC, pH, TA, CH, CYA.
And since you had metals in the water before, run a sample down to the pool store and ask them to test for metals. Bring us back the results. If they want you to buy something, make it liquid chlorine or something cheap but don't yet buy any other chemicals there.
Add a gallon of household bleach to the new pool water and let it mix up until we see what else is needed. We're here to help, ok?
And since you had metals in the water before, run a sample down to the pool store and ask them to test for metals. Bring us back the results. If they want you to buy something, make it liquid chlorine or something cheap but don't yet buy any other chemicals there.
Add a gallon of household bleach to the new pool water and let it mix up until we see what else is needed. We're here to help, ok?
Thanks for the reply... I purchased the TF100 and also purchased copper test strips. My tap water tested at 0.2 for copper with a drinking water test kit and the copper test strips I purchased. I just wanted to make sure I could test the water as soon it I finish filling and not have to wait for it to cycle. I hope to have the test results posted up either late this evening or tomorrow afternoon. I will add the bleach right after I test the water.
Joshua, welcome 
I want you to get your FC up and your water balanced per the pool calculator and pool school before worrying any further about metals and the well, but will also be happy to share re same later on as I am also on well with metals and have experimented a great deal
At your current levels you are under the point at which staining readily occurs. I did not have much success with early versions of culator, but others have, btw.
One future reference point will be determining the iron level, as opposed to copper, in your raw well water. Your tap is likely on a water softener but your outdoor spigot is likely raw well.
The copper is most likely from plumbing (uncommon in actual well) but the iron can be quite high from well. And that will be something you will want to watch on refills.
So after you balance your water, please also post back and tell us:
A) which tap you tested, eg interior or exterior
B) if you have a water softener
C) difference between pool outdoor fill spigot iron and in-house spigot iron (some folks on well like me will plumb and outdoor faucet to the water softener system)
- and then I can help give you some tips for managing levels, sequestrant, etc.
Cheers and enjoy your new pool...soon!
I want you to get your FC up and your water balanced per the pool calculator and pool school before worrying any further about metals and the well, but will also be happy to share re same later on as I am also on well with metals and have experimented a great deal
At your current levels you are under the point at which staining readily occurs. I did not have much success with early versions of culator, but others have, btw.
One future reference point will be determining the iron level, as opposed to copper, in your raw well water. Your tap is likely on a water softener but your outdoor spigot is likely raw well.
The copper is most likely from plumbing (uncommon in actual well) but the iron can be quite high from well. And that will be something you will want to watch on refills.
So after you balance your water, please also post back and tell us:
A) which tap you tested, eg interior or exterior
B) if you have a water softener
C) difference between pool outdoor fill spigot iron and in-house spigot iron (some folks on well like me will plumb and outdoor faucet to the water softener system)
- and then I can help give you some tips for managing levels, sequestrant, etc.
Cheers and enjoy your new pool...soon!
Joshua, welcome
I want you to get your FC up and your water balanced per the pool calculator and pool school before worrying any further about metals and the well, but will also be happy to share re same later on as I am also on well with metals and have experimented a great deal
At your current levels you are under the point at which staining readily occurs. I did not have much success with early versions of culator, but others have, btw.
One future reference point will be determining the iron level, as opposed to copper, in your raw well water. Your tap is likely on a water softener but your outdoor spigot is likely raw well.
The copper is most likely from plumbing (uncommon in actual well) but the iron can be quite high from well. And that will be something you will want to watch on refills.
So after you balance your water, please also post back and tell us:
A) which tap you tested, eg interior or exterior
B) if you have a water softener
C) difference between pool outdoor fill spigot iron and in-house spigot iron (some folks on well like me will plumb and outdoor faucet to the water softener system)
- and then I can help give you some tips for managing levels, sequestrant, etc.
Cheers and enjoy your new pool...soon!
I did the water test at an interior sink for my tap water. I do not have any type of softener on my water system. I do have copper pipes for the entire house, including exterior spigot. I finally realized that after an hour of running the water it looses the "back pressure" in the pressure tank under the house and the pump starts to act up. I have to turn it off and let things get back to normal before I can continue filling. This was good news to me as I originally thought the pump was going bad and or the well was that low on water. The pressure tank is very small and cannot keep up with continuous water flow. anyway... I have about 1/2" left to fill this afternoon and will let it circulate for a few hours and then take a full test. I honestly feel the high copper level was from whomever closed the pool before I bought the house. I did a full test on the water and the iron was 0.2 for the tap water.
FINALLY!
Got the water level back to normal and let the pump run for awhile. Below are my results..
FC 0
CC 0
TC 0
CH 75
TA 0
CYA 50
PH <6.8
Copper 0.2
The water is still mostly clear but a little cloudy on the deep end. I did have to brush some Algae off the floor today.
Let me know what I should do now that the copper is back down and the CYA is lower.
Got the water level back to normal and let the pump run for awhile. Below are my results..
FC 0
CC 0
TC 0
CH 75
TA 0
CYA 50
PH <6.8
Copper 0.2
The water is still mostly clear but a little cloudy on the deep end. I did have to brush some Algae off the floor today.
Let me know what I should do now that the copper is back down and the CYA is lower.
Looks good. Raise your PH to 7.2, might take a couple of tries adding acid. Raise your FC to min and then to target for CYA, Chlorine CYA Chart
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,751
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If you have no immediate concerns about metals, then go directly to the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below) and make sure you increase FC to the target level that corresponds with your CYA of 50. Do that right away. Adjust pH to 7.2-7.4, and TA to about 50 for now. Those are your first priorities. Once you have those numbers adjusted, we need to evaluate the need to perform a SLAM (link also below). Based on your cloudiness and belief that you saw some algae, it's almost 100% you'll need to do it, but you've been through so much recently, I just want you to get the chemistry under control before attempting the SLAM. But be prepared, I suspect it's coming. Hope that makes sense.
How's that for advice? Almost carbon copies.
Hope that makes sense.How's that for advice? Almost carbon copies.
Thanks for the info guys! I am going to work on getting my FC up to 6 then focus on my pH to 7.2 and then my TA to 50. Will let you know what happens.
Similar threads
