First time pool owner with K-2006 test results

[treefrog*]

CYA socks have been out since we started questioning ammonia presence. I think I was not waiting long enough on the FC test. It takes as long as 4-5 min for the dpd powder to fully dissolve, and about another 6 min of dropping and waiting to see if pink comes back. Testing slowly like this made it apparent that I may have had higher FC than I thought.
Two tests 10 min apart showed FC levels of 10ppm each. Those last 10 drops though I put down the sample and wait to see if pink comes back then add one drop at a time until it stayes gone.

 

[treefrog*]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I'm now showing
FC 11
CC 6

And the total is now 17 jugs of chlorine.

 

[Texas Splash]

ha ha. Okay, now you're rolling. As long as that FC shows a positive holding pattern and stabilization of FC past 10 minutes, you can continue with your regularly scheduled SLAM. Resume stabilizer (sock) soaking, and maintain the FC at 12 now. You should now see a pattern where the FC holds much better and the CC will eventually drop lower. In a day or two, I would recommend validating the CYA to see if it is close to your target of 30 as well. Good luck!

 

[kimkats]

Well done! That was quite a fight! Take a moment to pop a cold one and then get back to it! Get that FC up before you head to bed and then check again in the morning.

I am glad to see your water is getting clearer.

Kim:cat:

 

[DaninFLA]

great progress!

 

[otter86753]

CYA socks have been out since we started questioning ammonia presence. I think I was not waiting long enough on the FC test. It takes as long as 4-5 min for the dpd powder to fully dissolve, and about another 6 min of dropping and waiting to see if pink comes back. Testing slowly like this made it apparent that I may have had higher FC than I thought.
Two tests 10 min apart showed FC levels of 10ppm each. Those last 10 drops though I put down the sample and wait to see if pink comes back then add one drop at a time until it stayes gone.

I want to make sure you are not counting extra drops after letting the sample sit. The sample will turn pink again after the initial clearing. This is normal, but does not mean you need to add more drops and count those to clear. This is for both the FC and CC test.

 

[PridgNYC]

Are you swirling the sample or just waiting? With the SpeedStir I can do the fas-dpd test in about a minute. If you are seeing the sample turn clear, you are done..., no waiting for it to turn back to pink again, it will do this normally after a minute or two and is not an indication that you weren't done, see the extended test directions here... Extended Test Kit Directions

 

[Mr Bruce]

It takes as long as 4-5 min for the dpd powder to fully dissolve

Also, you don't need to wait for all the powder to dissolve, it's normal to have some undissolved. Just be sure to use a healthy scoop.

 

[treefrog*]

In the last few days, I have read more articles here about how to preform the tests for chlorine. I couldn't manage to keep the shock level up on the pool during the week, it was down between .5 and 2.0 FC level all week. I was adding a jug of chlorine in the morning and one in the evening to keep it there. The ph somehow drifted below 7, so I have been airiating the pool for about 2 days now. I am up at 7.0ph now and as time has passed, the CC levels are dropping down. We are going to have a couple of sunny days this weekend, so hopefully the CC will burn off. I am also still slowly adding the CyA, I tested yesterday and this showed below 30ppm which is on track with how much I have added. Once I get Ph up a little and the CyA is around 30 to 40, I plan to make another attempt to SLAM. I just wasn't sure about adding that much chlorine at once. The water is clear but some of the brown staining remains on the pool walls and bottom more in the deep end than the shallow now. The staining is evenly spread and shows most obvious below the skimmer intake. All of the brown spots from tree droppings are gone now though. Due to the high rainfall level here, the pool level is approaching the top of the skimmer intake. I am wondering if I should lower this some, just not sure how much.

 

[Texas Splash]

The bleach (chlorine) is safe as long as you use that Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below). You made it past the ammonia drill, so now you need to make sure to complete that SLAM. The pH is pretty close for a SLAM, so once you confirm your CYA is solidly at 30 or so, the SLAM FC of 12 will be just fine. If you overshoot your CYA to 40, then a SLAM FC of 16 is also just as safe - even for vinyl pools. But it is very important to keep that FC at the SLAM level. If it is allowed to drop to levels as low as your did, not only will the SLAM not work, but even the clearest of pools will get algae with FC levels that low. So if you have any more questions or concerns about chlorination of the SLAM process, please let us know. Have a nice weekend.