Confused by free/ combined chlorine

[Melanie hartke]

I'm a new pool owner and am using the taylor2006 test kit. My numbers are: free chlorine 3.2ppm, combined chlorine 0.2, 7.4 alkalinity 90ppm cya40ppm.
I'm clueless as to what the chlorine level should be but thought the free should be 0 not combined. Could someone please let me know. Thank you!

 

[bmoreswim]

Welcome to TFP! Glad you found us.

You should give the following link a thorough reading. It will help you to understand that your FC level needed varies based on your CYA level.

abc-of-pool-water-chemistry

There is a link to an FC / CYA chart on that page which is a cornerstone concept.

Please ask questions after reading through the information.

 

[Texas Splash]

Also, judging by your FC results, you're using the Taylor 25ml sample size right? Instead, try the 10 ml sample:

10ml water sample, one heaping scoop of powder, multiply drop count by 0.5 (basically divide by 2)

Example: Total # of drops until clear was 12 = FC of 6. Should save you on some reagents.

 

[Melanie hartke]

Thanks very much for that tip! So thankful for this site going to read some ��

 

[MarianParoo]

Let us know if you need any more clarification!

Just in case you missed the link in the reading above, here it is straight out:
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart