Confused - TFP recommendations differ from the manual

[joecoyle]

Hi

I've been a long time pool user - my above ground vinyl pool has lasted 10 years and still going strong.

I've always been of the belief that FC should be maintained at a level of 1-3ppm, pH - 7.2 - 7.8, TA - 80-120, and CYA between 30-70 (according to my old TF100 kit instructions). So far, these levels have kept my water crystal clear.

Now reading around TFP, pool school and PoolMath, the recommended levels all seem to differ.

	Pool School Recommended (for bleach)	PoolMath (setup with TFP goal levels)
FC	3-7	6-11
pH	7.5-7.8	7.5-7.8
TA	50-90	100-120
CYA	30-50	30-50

I use trichlor in my pool.

We had a thunderstorm last night and this morning I had these levels:

FC - 0.4
pH - 6.9
TA - 61
CYA - 81

I use a Scuba II to test. I could try to double check with my TF100 but i don't know how good the reagents are...

What would people recommend I do? Boost FC to 1-3 or 3-7?

Thanks
Joe (newbie)

 

[PAGirl]

If you could fill out your signature Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post With the details of your pool we can make sure we give you the correct information.

 

[joecoyle]

I have filled it out. It's not showing up.

 

[cowboycasey]

Welcome to TFP

The CYA chart will help you Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

If your CYA is actually 80 you need to target FC 9 every day and never let it go below 6 or you will start to get algae growth..

I just looked at that Scuba II and I would not trust it, Almost all the "automated" testing is so far off it's crazzy..

Every time you throw a trichlor puck in you are raising CYA and it may already be over 100, we just do not know... Without a drop test kit you're in the dark... can you get refills there?

I hope this helps

- - - Updated - - -

I have filled it out. It's not showing up.

it showed up I see it now

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Joe,

Welcome to the forum. A lot of what we suggest does not fit conveniently into the owners manuals of many products. Sad to say, most of that occurs because the manufacturer have simply not taken the time to learn what really makes sense. They simply parrot back what they heard or read somewhere else.

Our suggestions are based on rock solid science and thousands of anecdotal reports. No kidding, you can take our advice to the bank in virtually every aspect of pool water chemistry.

 

[joecoyle]

I must have been able to buy the TF100 from somewhere. Maybe i paid international shipping. I'll look into refills but for now I'll test using my TF 100 and I have some AquaChek strips to check the test with. If all three come back with different numbers, then I'm really stuck. This is what i can't understand...

We had 3 days of nice weather, so i bumped the FC to 3 to cover the max bather load (4 people!) Then after the really heavy storm, I would expect it to drop somewhat? So my FC could be 0.4, but my CYA would not necessarily drop too?

Thanks

 

[needsajet]

I noticed one thing that could be helpful. In your table in the original post, you show the PoolMath FC goal as 6 to 11. That matches your CYA level of 80. Pool Math adjusts the FC goal based on the CYA you enter.

If you change CYA to 40 in PoolMath, you'll see the same 3-7 PPM FC.

If your CYA is 80, be sure to keep your FC at 6 or more. If it was me, I would target 8 PPM FC.

My plan is that if I ever have a warranty claim, I'll adjust my levels to what the equipment manual says before calling a service agent. In the meantime, I stick to TFP numbers to keep my pool safe for people.

 

[PAGirl]

I must have been able to buy the TF100 from somewhere. Maybe i paid international shipping. I'll look into refills but for now I'll test using my TF 100 and I have some AquaChek strips to check the test with. If all three come back with different numbers, then I'm really stuck. This is what i can't understand...

We had 3 days of nice weather, so i bumped the FC to 3 to cover the max bather load (4 people!) Then after the really heavy storm, I would expect it to drop somewhat? So my FC could be 0.4, but my CYA would not necessarily drop too?

Thanks

Trust your readings with the TF100. (As long as you have read and practiced the correct procedures for the tests.) Strips are notoriously inaccurate, you'll only further complicate things by trying to use both.

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[joecoyle]

How long should reagents be good for? These are about 1 year old. Thanks. Joe.


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[cowboycasey]

as long as they were kept cool and dry a year old should be good to go...