First Time Testing with TF-100

[Fish Outta Water]

First time testing our 1.5 month old pool with the TF-100 kit. Let me know what ya'll think about these numbers. I'm battling the pool guy right now. But it's free for 6 months so it's hard to ditch them. My pool builder fired them for me after they moved my DE pressure gauge two weeks in a row and shocked the pool after being told not to. We can't figure out why they kept moving my gauge. Anyway, the maintenance manager called me and said they will not add anything other than acid without getting my ok first.

My numbers last night:
FC - 3.5ppm
CC - 0ppm
TC - 3.5ppm
PH - 7.4
TA - 90-100 (it was pretty close to the correct color at 90)
CYA - 50 (We had trouble with the initial test of the standard water. I think it took to long to do the test because I didn't realize I had to cut the tip off the bottle. My wife did the test of our water next and she measured 50. I tend to trust her testing skills since she is a chemist that tests on a daily basis.)
Salinity - 3500
CH - 650 (I'm going to run this test again this evening just to make sure. It's probably correct because we have pretty hard water around here)
I also performed the chlorine loss test which came back as 0.

Anything I need to do that stands out as a problem? I know I need to raise my CYA a little because of the SWG. My pool also really loves acid.

 

[Fish Outta Water]

A picture for good measure.

Matt

 

[Texas Splash]

Alright Matt. Nice pool! So about your test results:
CYA - Low based on a SWG pool. You want a minimum of 70 CYA to help preserve your SWG's FC production
FC - Is a bit low. Target is ideally 5 once you increase your CYA. I would increase that and watch it closely until you are sure the CYA is at 70.
CH - Even though it is elevated, the potential for scale is counter-balanced by keeping the TA and pH on the low end.
TA/pH - Keep your TA in the 70-80 range, and don't let your pH rise above 7.6 and your CSI level will be fine to keep the potential for scale at a minimum.

Enjoy!

 

[Fish Outta Water]

It may be hard to keep our TA down in the 70-80 range. Although it has crept down quite a bit over the past few weeks. I was surprised to test it under 100. Our tap water is 8.2 PH and 140 TA.

FC - We are running our pumps from 10-10 at 2350 RPM and the IC40 at 40%. Should I adjust the Intelliclor to 45-50? It's usually just my wife and I so I haven't worried too much about getting it over 3 ppm. The water has been crystal clear since the day we filled it.

I also added a 16 pound container of Natural Chemistry Foundation at the recommendation of my PB. He actually gave it to me. He said that the water in our area will most likely cause the stone and tile to develop white deposits that are hard to remove. He said he tried it on a guys pool a few years ago and it took care of his issue. He told me the guy requested it for his new pool as well because it worked so well for him. Looking at the MSDS sheet, it looks like its a water softening mixture of borates.

Is there a recommended product for raising CYA?

 

[flipr]

Is there a recommended product for raising CYA?

Often called stabilizer or conditioner, look for 100% Cyanuric acid, and add in smaller batches so you don't over-shoot your goal in poolmath. If you put in too much, only way to remove is to partially drain the pool.
(From experience!)

 

[pooldv]

More on pool chems here, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals