pool open and my first set of tests

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flyweed

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Aug 3, 2009
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SW Wisconsin
Hi.
Well, I did it. I took the winter off my pool cover and since it was just set up last August, shocked then put to bed for the winter...I was pleasantly surprised to take the cover off to a crystal clear pool, with a smell of chlorine!! :lol:

anyway..here's my first set of tests. I have put in a new SWG and need to add the salt too, but i did take a base line salt reading today just to see if any was present.

Here is my info:

Temp: 46F (BRRRRRRR) no i most certainly did not get in!
FC: 3.5
CC: 0
TC: 3.5
pH: 7.2
T/A: 200
CH: 180
CYA: 50
Salt: .6 so less than 200ppm

So.....what do you guys think and what should I be adding to my pool now upon opening it? I have an Aussie SWG..so I need to get my salt up to 5500ppm as well.

Dan
 
So I plugged in my numbers into the pool calc, and i am hoping I got the right info.

Pool size: 25,300 gallons
to hit target chlorine level I need to add 26oz. of 6% bleach
pH: I need to add 206 oz. of Borax
CYA: I need to add 84 oz. of "stabilizer" (where do I get this??)

to reach the recommended 5500ppm on my SWG it said 1143 pounds of salt or 29 - 40lb bags

So am I reading this correctly? And my T/A is still too high. I am still aerating..what else can I do to bring down from 200ppm to 100 ppm??
 
Thanks Richard......I have used SWG for a couple years now...I guess the models here in the U.S. are about 3200 ppm..but the SWG's that are made over in Australia call for 5200-6000 ppm of salt. I had posted a thread on how much salt to add, and all responses were that I should add according the the manufacturers directions, which in his case is 5500 ppm optimal
 
Lowering TA requires both acid and aeration, and takes time. There is an article in Pool School on lowering TA, if you haven't already seen it.

With a SWG I would raise CYA to between 70 and 80. CYA is raised with cyanuric acid, often called stabilizer or conditioner. Pool stores carry it.
 
well I am really torn if I SHOULD try and chemically lower my TA or just use aeration and call it good. I have read a number of good articles here on the "net" about the relation of TA and PH. and when you bring one down the other goes down as well and if you try to raise your pH your TA goes back up..so almost a vicious cycle. also as you lower TA, your pH becomes more "unstable" if you will. SO having a bit higher TA(read above 120ppm) and maintaining a perfect pH is more desirable than trying to really drop your TA down to that "Magic" number of 120 or less.

can anyone comment on this info?

here is a good question and answer article by Alan Schuster:
http://www.askalanaquestion.com/pool_ph ... linity.htm
 
An SWG tends to cause pH to go up. High TA tends to cause pH to go up. So, in general a lower TA is better for an SWG pool, because the pH will be more stable.

I think the advice to pay more attention to the target pH range than to the target TA range is spot on. It's not worth fussing with the TA unless there is some kind of problem (real or potential). If your pH is stable, most likely the TA is where it should be.

You might also want to check out Water Balance for SWGs.
--paulr
 
so......what should I do for now until I get the SWG operational? SHould I just add the 26 ounces of bleach and retest in 24 hours? or should I add bleach, Borax to up the pH to 7.6, and add some cyanuric acid to bring the CYA up as well?

Any thoughts????

Dan
 

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flyweed said:
SO having a bit higher TA(read above 120ppm) and maintaining a perfect pH is more desirable than trying to really drop your TA down to that "Magic" number of 120 or less.
Click to expand...
A TA of 120 is too high for use with a SWG and will result in your PH constantly drifting up. A lower TA will result in a more stable PH level. There are procedures for lowering TA documented in Pool School that work reliable and don't have the problems you describe.

If your test results from yesterday are still approximately correct, you can start running the SWG now if you keep a close eye on the PH and lower it back down to 7.2 any time it gets up to 7.8. Or you can use bleach. You should not do anything to bring the PH up, it will go up on it's own.
 
Ok..well I added 26 oz of 6% bleach and then the recommended amount of Borax from the pool calc. I retested today (24 hours later) my numbers now are:

FC: 5
TC:
pH: 7.5
T/A: didn't test again was 200 2 days ago
CH: didn't test, was 180 2 days ago
CYA: Still at 50
Temp: 54F

So i guess I'll try and bump my CYA up yet a bit..but then add the salt for the SWG and call it good for now. I am going to keep my return splashing out over the water surface for the next week or two to try and bring the T/A down more.
 
Probably as long as you keep a close eye on the pH, the acid you add to keep it under control will eventually get the TA down into a more reasonable range. The extra aeration you mentioned will make that process go a bit faster.
--paulr
 
And the muriatic acid to lower TA then aerate to raise Ph without affecting TA....is a serious lesson in pool owner patience....it does go up with the aeration but it's ssssslllllooooowwwww.......

Let's see, its wednesday night......I am sitting at ph 7.2 after adding acid this morning when I got to 7.6. I think by friday I may add acid again...(is there a tapping fingers smiley?)
 
Wait for Ph to go back up to 7.8 by aeration, add acid to lower to 7.2 (so it doesn't go dangerously low) again. Then aerate until you raise Ph back up to 7.6 -7.8.

I'm in process of lowering off the charts (at pool store) TA right now. When I got my test kit I showed 260 and has gone to 240. I expect another 20+ drop the next time...

Once the ph gets to 7.6 - 7.8 I retest TA to be sure it's still high. Then add acid according to the pool calculator to lower ph from 7.6 (or 7.8) to 7.2... Then I'm aerating some more. I put my return up to break the surface like pool mom told me to, then I also have a submersible pump with a hose attached to a sprinkler shooting into the pool for a fountain type effect. I'm only running the pump 12 hrs right now as I've got proper chlorine levels, etc...so I imagine it would take less time if I ran the pump 24 hrs...but those days will come when it gets really hot so I'm trying to save the electric bill right now....

As I understand, it could take weeks to lower TA with this method, but I'm just happy I'm not throwing PH Down and PH Up into the pool in the same breath...which is what the pool store was telling me to do, which is why I'm here!

The pool calculator is my new best friend.
 
cool...I am doing the same thing as you bsically. I have my return pointed up so it actually breaks the surface of the pool water now and running it 24/7. I'll watch my pH and when it hits 7.8 I'll add muriatic acid. my TA was at 200 2 days ago...I am hoping to hit a target of 100.

Dan
 
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