New pool, TF100 testing

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ajk242

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Jul 16, 2016
25
Brockway, Pennsylvania
Hi folks!

just closed on a home yesterday with and inground pool. Homeowners have not occupied the house in over 2 months but maintained the pool well enough to not let it grow green. I preformed the full blown TF100 tests the past 2 days, here at my most recent results:

FC 10ppm
CC 0ppm
PH approx. 6.8
Calcium Hardness 500
TA approx 0
CYA just over 100

Chlorine is high, but not out of wack. PH is slightly low. Calcium Hardness is high, TA is low and CYA is high. I am thinking of using baking soda per PoolMath to raise my TA and slightly raise my PH in the process.

I am looking for opinions and guidance, i am new to all of this.

1 more question, i turned the automatic chlorinator WAY DOWN. I assume its alright to let the AC run out of chlorine but still be in the cycle with my pump and filter? At this point in time,i just dont know how to unhook the AC from the plumbing.

thank you!
 
Hello and welcome to TFP! :wave: It's great you have the TF-100, but now you have learned what has happened to so many others before you .... the dreaded chlorine tabs have placed your CYA in an unmanageable level. A CYA at 100 or more is simply too high, and the only way to reduce CYA is a partial drain. Simple math ... a 50% drain of a pool at a CYA of 100 should bring the CYA down to 50. So I wouldn't waste chemicals or anything else on the water until you can lower that CYA first, then re-adjust everything else.

As for that auto-chlorinator, I would remove any tabs and stick to regular bleach from now own. Each tablet adds anywhere from 6-9ppm of CYA once dissolved. Now that you know how to test everything on your own, you can be assured the CYA will never rise that way again unless you specifically want it to. Sorry for the draining news, but it's for the best so that you can maintain FC and other levels appropriately.

Let us know if you have any other questions, and we're very glad to found us.
 
If your Automatic Chlorinator takes 3" tablets of trichlor, The cap probably unscrews and you can remove what is not dissolved, but don't get your face over it and may want to wear respirator mask, I would probably turn it way up and get rid of it that way. It will increase your CYA but I believe you will need to do a partial drain anyway. Chlorine/CYA chart for CYA of 100 is FC min. =7, Target=12 and Slam level=39. your PH is low but PH testing not accurate at FC above 10 so it may be just within range. TA seems abnormally low and CH high but if you need a partial drain and refill this may correct or at least drain will change them significantly. TA 0 to me may indicate a error in testing and I would re read the directions and test again to see if you do not get a different result. if you get 0 then your PH should be very low , 4.5 or lower according to directions. perhaps high chlorine of over 10 affects the TA and CH also. It should not affect the CYA which is the most concerning to me. also it could be higher than 100 to get an acurate CYA, you need to do a dilution CYA test see step 9. This will give more accurate reading so you can determine how much water to drain. Before you drain be sure to investigate precautions and procedures of partial drain. Just a disclaimer I am no expert at this but may give you something to think about, I am sure an expert will be on shortly to give much more definitive advice.
 
CYA wont fall on its own over time if i can get the other levels under control?

if i do need to drain, i was provided directions on how to winterize which explain how to lower the water level. I assume i can follow those directions? There at at least 3 drainholes in the pumphouse that have plumbing run into them. I assume these drains are tied into our borough stormdrains to get rid of the water?
 
Only way I know to get CYA level down is partial Drain, Reverse Osmosis (usually very expensive). It won't drop even if you try and balance other chemicals. Also, as Texas Splash said the chlorinator can increase your CYA as much as 9 per tablet and my chlorinator can hold as much as 10 tablets, removal seems faster and the most prudent, just take proper precautions so you do not get a face full of chlorine vapor in your eyes and lungs while removing it. Ventilate pump house well.
 
Retested the TA again this evening, it is still nevr turning green, just going straight to red. I threw in 2 4lb boxes of baking soda this morning in the deep end of the pool and let the pump on for approx 8hrs afterwards. This was about 1/2 of the recommended dose. PH was still near 6.8, maybe slightly lower.

Instead of draining and adding new water, i think im going to deal with the high CYA for the rest of this season, drain for winterization, and start fresh next year. I will need to maintain a FC level between 8-14 and get my PH and TA figured out. I also need to learn how to maintain the DE filter. I will be checking pressure starting tomorrow. DAY 4 OF NEW POOL OWNERSHIP STARTS TOMORROW! All help is greatly appreciated!
 
Hi AJK242,
What was your FC when you tested PH? Above 10 will not be accurate. the quote below is from the testing directions on this site. Plus 6.8 is lowest on the scale if lower we do not know but based on your TA being Zero your ph should be 4.5 or lower as in second quote from TA directions (step 4 not step 1, copy paste format error)

  • pH levels lower than 6.8 will read as 6.8. pH levels higher than 8.2 will read as 8.2.
  • High FC levels will throw off the test results. The Taylor pH reagent is compensated up to an FC level of 10. When FC is between 10 and 20 the test will read higher than actual, the reading will be off by more at higher the FC levels. At FC levels somewhat above 20 the phenol red converts to chlorphenol red and will read as 8.2 at any plausible pH level. Chlorphenol red is sometimes used to measure pH levels between 5.2 and 6.6. Some other brands start having problems at much lower FC levels
Click to expand...

  1. Add 5 drops of R-0008 and swirl to mix. The solution should turn green or blue. If the sample turns red, pink, or yellow, you are done, your TA is zero, and your PH is very very low (4.5 or lower).
Click to expand...
 
A few thoughts since you've elected not to drain and lower CYA:
- Increase pH ASAP. That is critical. If your TA is also as low as you suspect, it helps to allow pH to drop. Remember to use the Poolmath calculator and carefully try to increase those two items in stages so you don't "over-shoot" where you want to be. Get pH in the mid 7s and TA to at least 50. As you already know, baking soda for TA. For pH, you can use soda ash or Borax. Aeration will also cause pH rise. You need to see some orange or light red in that pH comparator view. Once your FC goes over "10", it skews the pH reading making it seem higher than it really is. So as an example, if your FC is currently 12, and you think pH is 6.8, the pH might actually be much lower. Always test pH when the FC is below 10.
- Once you get pH and TA under control, you'll need to maintain FC around the 10-12 mark. The minimum is 7, but you are taking a risk that low with a CYA over 100. Remember to only use regular liquid bleach from now own. No more tabs or bags of shock from the pool store.

Also, please check your profile setting and/or next post to see if the box "include signature with post" is checked so we can see your pool info with every post. :)
 

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I will be dumping in the other 8lbs of Baking Soda today that i have on stock. I also have 16lbs of Borax on stock, the last Poolmath calc had told me 17oz of Borax to get my PH up. is it safe to add baking soda and of Borax at the same time? i realize i need to dissolve the borax in water before dumping in the pool.
 
So i have let things go for about a month now. I had decided to let things go as they were until the end of the season. Ive been able to maintain a constant acceptable chlorine level with the automatic chlorinator. My PH has stayed low, under 6.8, and the TA has remained zero per my TF100 test kit. 3 weeks ago i had the previous homeowner show me how to disassemble and clean the DE filter and it has consistently run at 16-17psi. Today i attmpted to raise my TA and then i would attempt to raise the PH. Over the course of 3 hrs i was going to add approximately 12lbs of baking soda to raise my TA, about 4lbs/hr. Just as i finished the last 4lbs, i noticed my pressure had shot up to 25psi. I backwashed and rinsed 4x and noticed my water had become slightly cloudy. I added a mixture of water and 2.5lbs of DE to my skimmer. The pressure was back down to 16-17psi. I let my pump run until all evening and just went out to shut it down for the nite and the water is still slightly cloudy and the filter pressure has shot back up to 25psi.
 
My PH has stayed low, under 6.8,
Click to expand...
That needs to be job #1.....immediately getting your TA up where it's readable and then moving your pH into the 7's.

You MUST address that first and then we can work on getting your pool clear. Post test results when you get the pH back up out of the danger zone.
 
TA is now readable, about 40. Is Borax the quickest way to get my PH up? I can never get my Borax to dissolve in water before putting in the pool, can i spread it around the pool straight out of the box? Also, do i need to be concerned with my filter pressure being up at the moment?
 
Also, do i need to be concerned with my filter pressure being up at the moment?
Click to expand...
Not until you get that pH into the 7's. The big issue is you were below 6.8 by a lot. Always keep your pH in the 7's.....always.

20 Mule Team Borax is incredibly soluble. Broad casting it around the pool and then brushing should take care of it. Report back your pH.

I haven't read this thread.....do you have a meaningful test kit so we can start to tackle that cloudiness?
 
The cloudy water is most likely due to the chlorine being to low for your CYA level.
The filter pressure is going up because it is filtering out what is causing the cloudy water.

You need to find out the brand & model of your filter. Post a picture of the filter if the label is missing.
 

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