First results are done, help with plan going forward please.

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sedalbj

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Jul 3, 2016
45
Eastern PA
First, this forum is awesome. I did my first tests this morning and was able to find answers to most of my questions using the search.

Here are my results
pH 7.5
TA 100
CH 300
CYA 25
FC 1
CC .5
With TF-100 and Pentair tests I tested TC at around 2 or 3, I really have a hard time reading that yellow......

So, I interpret these numbers as CYA low. I should try to raise it to 30. Pool Math says I should add 52 oz of liquid, and 20-21 oz by weight/volume of powder. What is the best stabilizer to buy? I have a Sylvan, Leslie's, and an independent pool store nearby so can probably find whatever you recommend. I don't mind paying for the liquid this time since it is so hot out right now and my FC is so low.

Also, the FC is low and should get it to 4 when the CYA is 30. I should really SLAM it. But....

I am leaving on vacation in 2 days and will be gone for almost 2 weeks. My husband will be home but at work from early morning until dark and it is very unrealistic to ask him to maintain a SLAM level (12) while I am gone. The most I can do is ask him to dump chlorine in every day if I tell him how much.

Should I bring it to SLAM for just 2 days then let it fall back down? Or just bring it to target and leave it? And for the time I am gone what should I tell my husband to add (in the evenings)?

Thanks in advance. I can tell many of you put a lot of time every day into answering questions and I appreciate it very much.
 
The pool looks, fine, I guess? It is clear, I don't see anything unknown growing anywhere. I have never experienced the TFP 'Sparkle', so I may be missing something ;-)

The SLAM because the FC is low? And, about the Nature 2. I know it is a no-no here, and I am moving towards taking it out but my husband doesn't want to. 'We paid for it, so we should use it!'. I am hoping that I can show that the TFP method works over the next few months so when the cylinder is done we won't replace it.
 
What makes you say that you should SLAM the pool? Are you using the trichlor pucks as your signature says or have you switched to liquid chlorine? If you are using the pucks, your CYA is going to get out of hand quickly. I would guess that is where the CYA of 30 (we round up to the next 10) came from in the last month or so.

Edit: If you are worried that some nasties have started to grow, you can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to make sure before SLAMming. That will tell you if you have something consuming your FC when the sun isn't baking it out of the water.
 
You will know if you need to SLAM by doing a OCLT:
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

If you are going away for a few weeks and since your CYA is low, you could throw in some pucks while you are gone and your CYA will come up a little too and then check the CYA again when you return.

If it were me, I would bring it up to shock level before you go, put in some pucks in a floater and ask someone to check on them in a week. If your PH tends to climb, you could push it down low in the ok range before you go as well.
 
Great, so no imminent need to Slam yet. One option would be too raise your FC to 12 assuming CYA of 30 for the next day or two then use pucks for the next several weeks while you are on vacation. The pucks will help maintain FC and raise your CYA and let your husband off the hook. Downside if it works, it may be difficult for him to really know the danger of long term puck use. Upon your return you can retest and move forward with liquid chlorine and a CYA closer to 40 (optimal).

Second option is just to have your husband add about about a gallon every day, which is right at 3 ppm increase per day. "Normal" FC loss is ~2-3 ppm per day in a healthy pool. This will give you a little buffer if he misses a day or two.

Otherwise get your FC to at least 4 now and keep it above 2 at all times.

Last question - how did you measure 25 ppm CYA? Did the dot disappear at all. 25 is the low end endpoint for the test. It could very well be zero.
 
If you are going to be gone for a while and no one is going to be actively testing / caring for the pool I would use some Triclor pucks in a floater as mgmoore7 suggested. This is about the only time they make sense, you have a low CYA so the little bit they add may actually bring you to where you want to be when you get back.

Since you are not sure about needing SLAM I think it's fine to bring it to SLAM before you leave and let it drift down this will happen even slower with the pucks in there. If your husband will not be testing the water I would get several gallons of bleach that he can just dump in (1 per day) if the water starts to look funky and ask that he keep the floater full. That will hopefully be enough that you don't come back to a swamp
 
So low FC isn't necessarily a hard and fast indicator of the need to SLAM. That makes sense now that you say that. I can do the OCLT tonight.

We are using the pucks still (we have plenty from the initial pool store run we made before TFP). I know it will bring up the CYA but will it bring it up fast enough? The pool people put in a bottle of stabilizer when they opened so a lot of the CYA came from that I assume?

My pH does climb (new plaster) although it has leveled off significantly in the last week. I'll ask husband to test that and put in some MA if needed.

So, I will do the OCLT tonight. Should I put in some chlorine? I have 12.5% liquid shock in the shed.

- - - Updated - - -

atttech-2 said:
If you are going to be gone for a while and no one is going to be actively testing / caring for the pool I would use some Triclor pucks in a floater as mgmoore7 suggested. This is about the only time they make sense, you have a low CYA so the little bit they add may actually bring you to where you want to be when you get back.

Since you are not sure about needing SLAM I think it's fine to bring it to SLAM before you leave and let it drift down this will happen even slower with the pucks in there. If your husband will not be testing the water I would get several gallons of bleach that he can just dump in (1 per day) if the water starts to look funky and ask that he keep the floater full. That will hopefully be enough that you don't come back to a swamp
Click to expand...

Overlappy reply :)

Triclor, no problem, we have a handy dandy automatic dispenser for that, ugh. Bleach, what strength? Husband will do that for me.
 
Low FC leads to issues (algae) that may necessitate a Slam but not every low FC will followed by an algae outbreak - correct.

Yes, pucks are slow to raise CYA at first and it is likely from the liquid they added if you are seeing the dot disappear ~25.

OCLT is best performed at/near Slam levels. Since you have 12.5% LC already add that today to raise your FC to ~12. Then retest / add tonight to go back to 12 ppm and then test in the morning before the sun comes up. NOTE - Is is imperative that you remove any trichlor pucks from the chlorinator to perform the OCLT. Any residual chlorine will skew your results and give you a false test result.

Bleach is bleach as is Chlorine; it is just the concentration. Be sure to adjust the % in PoolMath and it will change the total volumes accordingly.
 
Pool Tool said:
Low FC leads to issues (algae) that may necessitate a Slam but not every low FC will followed by an algae outbreak - correct.

Yes, pucks are slow to raise CYA at first and it is likely from the liquid they added if you are seeing the dot disappear ~25.

OCLT is best performed at/near Slam levels. Since you have 12.5% LC already add that today to raise your FC to ~12. Then retest / add tonight to go back to 12 ppm and then test in the morning before the sun comes up. NOTE - Is is imperative that you remove any trichlor pucks from the chlorinator to perform the OCLT. Any residual chlorine will skew your results and give you a false test result.

Bleach is bleach as is Chlorine; it is just the concentration. Be sure to adjust the % in PoolMath and it will change the total volumes accordingly.
Click to expand...

Great, I'll remove trichlor, bring up the level and do the OCLT tonight. And let you know tomorrow what it is. Crossing fingers!

And, PoolTool, I see I didn't answer your question from before. I first did the baseline test (twice, and got @40, not 50) in the TF-100 kit to practice with their 'pool water' then did my pool water. It was a little tricky but I am sure the CYA wasn't zero.
 

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Good morning everyone,
My results are in from my OCLT.

I took out the trichlor and dumped in the liquid bleach Pool Math told me to dump after our conversation yesterday, around noon.

@8:30pm
FC 5.5
CC 0

@6:30am
FC 3.5
CC .5

So the delta is 2ppm.

I am leaving town in 48 hours. I'm thinking load the trichlor feeder so it can work on the CYA and 1/2 bottle bleach every day?
 
With 30,000 gallons, 1 bottle of 12.5% is only 4.2ppm. With that loss of 2.0ppm overnight, you need to SLAM. I would suggest at least 1 gallon per day until you get back to perform the SLAM. Might not be a bad idea to bring it to shock level for the next day and a half until you leave then have hubby continue with 1 gallon per day until you get back. That should at least keep you from getting worse while you're gone.
 
Brushed and tested the pool a few minutes ago. The FC is now measuring 4.5 which doesn't make sense because I didn't add anything to it since the test I took this morning for the OCLT, which was 3.5. FC doesn't rise on its own, right? I don't know which test i did wrong, the first or the second. I just added the SLAM level of bleach (pump running), and i'll test it in an hour or so to see what it reads and try to keep the SLAM level today. And do another OCLT tonight. (and I didn't add the trichlor back into the dispenser)

I definitely looked for clear when doing the drops, and the last one that didn't change the color i didn't add into the total. I use a Speed Stir (love love love it!!!) and the Sample Sizer (more love) so I know it was stirred well. I guess the only variable could be the amount of time I let the powder dissolve, and the amount. How long to you let it stir, until the powder is completely dissolved? My test this morning I didn't check to see if it was dissolved before starting the drops but the test I just did I checked the tube first before drops and it did stir longer. I erred on the 'too much' powder instead of 'not enough' but maybe I don't have the scoop method right yet?

Of course, this difference of 1ppm will change my 'need' for Slam, delta was 2 with this morning's measure, but if I use the one I just did the delta is 1ppm. Water is sparkling though, and when I brushed this morning I didn't see anything strange coming up, the tiles aren't slimy anywhere.
 
Correct, FC does not rise on its own.

I am sure your pump was running all night so everything was welled mixed. Are you taking the sample from about the same spot and as deep as you can reach? The recommended powder amount is usually more than is required - personally i haven't been concerned that it is all dissolved. I assume once it turns pink its done its required part of the reaction. Though I could be wrong.

I would keep it near Slam today and do another OCLT tonight then go with the tab plan until you get back from vacation. I would be adding 1/2 gallon / day via the hubby while you are away.
 
I usually just go right into drops but that's after maybe 30 seconds of the speedstir doing it's thing. Scoop powder, dump it in the vial with speedstir running, put scoop down, put lid on powder, put it back in case, grab 871 and uncap, then start dropping. Usually the powder has stopped any crunching sound from the speedstir by the time I'm ready to do the drops.
 
THanks for the responses. So I guess I'll chalk up the rise in FC to 'inexperience'. :)

So, I just tested again, FC was 10.5, CC 0, then I added a little more than Pool Math told me (emptied the bottle) to add to get to FC 12.

Pump on all the time :)
I think I'm gonna need more bleach....

Thanks for the advice. I'll put the pucks back in tomorrow and ask him to add bleach every day. I talked to him about our 'new' pool method and he was just slightly intrigued. The explanation of FC, CC, and TC and how our test only did TC helped convince him. 'So, we just add bleach?'

- - - Updated - - -

QUestion, with our variable speed pump, what speed should I choose for the 24/7 run? 50%
 
The beauty in the system is its simplicity; yes just bleach. Occasionally some muriatic acid or something for a pH tweak. Don't chalk it up to inexperience but rather a learning moment ;)

As for the speed, if you had a 2 speed pump (low runs at 25% of high speed) I would recommend the low speed. I would think 25-50% would be fine to keep things moving.
 
Well, we have been back a week and after getting the inside of the house back in order, I moved outside and really gave the pool a good test. I have figured out PoolMath so that isn't a problem :). Whoever made PoolMath is awesome. Wish there was 'An App for That'!!

FC 1.5
CC 0
CH 225
TA 80
CYA 25
pH 7.5

Here is my diagnosis. LMK if you agree.
FC - 1.5 - low, with my low CYA I am probably aiming for FC = 3.5-4 for maintenance level, PoolMath tells me how much chlorine to add
CC - 0 - woo hoo!!!!
CH - 225 - I want to get CH = 250, PoolMath tells me how much calcium chloride I need to add
TA - 80 - good
CYA - 25 - a little low but we are using our (ample) supply of trichlor so it will rise over time. BUT should I add stabilizer to make it CYA = 30 before the pool closes for winter (in @1 month) or can I wait and let it rise slowly next spring/summer??????? Does it matter for winter?
pH - ok!! will pay attention to raising it if I add stabilizer....

While I was gone I asked my husband to by a few bottles of liquid shock at the pool store, he came home with two 5 gallon containers of 12.5%! So heavy! He was excited because the containers have a $7 deposit, so it must be a deal :). I didn't trust him to buy the right kind of bleach at the grocery store, lol.
 
With your CYA of 30 (alway just round up to the next line), your minimum FC should be 2ppm with a target of 4-5ppm. You may need to go higher if the bather load is heavy in your pool. Other than that, looks pretty good. You may need to bring CH up a bit having plaster but good job!
 

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