help with test kit.

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poolnew-b

poolnew-b

0
Jul 6, 2010
131
laconia, NH
Ok I have an HTH 6 way drop test kit.
Im now realizing it test TC (total chlorine) instead of FC like I see all over stuff like the pool calculator and everywhere else I look online.

Are the 2 tests the same or close. I have been keeping my Chlorine at 5ppm TC but now that Ive realized there 2 different tests I wont to make sure thats still a good amout of chlorine. I will just post my full test reults from a day ago and see if that helps with answers.

TC=5
Ph=7.5
Alk=50
CH=80
CYA=30

I know my test kit isnt the best but its what I got, At least it is drops and not the strips everyone hates.



Also rather than starting a new thread I got 1 more question. My pool is a small 15x36 intex metal frame, there are at least 4-6 people in it threw out the day. should I shock it once a week or when do I know I need to shock it?

I do plan on getting this taylor test kit I keep hearing about and A bigger pool when money isnt so tight.

Edit: almost forgot, Is it normal to lose chlorine in 2 days mine went from 5 to .5 but that was after a full day of use too and alot of sun.
 
FC = free (good) chlorine, CC = combined (bad) chlorine, TC = total chlorine = FC + CC.
That's it. In a clean pool, CC is near zero so TC is close to FC.
You can get just the FAS-DPD chlorine test to augment your 6-way kit, if you like.

You shouldn't need to shock on a schedule, it's an as-needed kind of thing. Although, I have to say, one of the ways you know you need it is if your CC goes over 0.5, which your current kit doesn't measure. You could just assume CC is okay, and look for an unusually high chlorine demand to indicate a need to shock, if you don't want to spring for the FAS-DPD test right away.

It does sound like you should be testing daily, with lots of sun and lots of use. Losing 4.5 ppm in two days of sun and fun is entirely reasonable, but you don't want FC (or in your case TC) to go below 2 if you can help it. You might consider raising CYA another 10ppm or so if you're in a more sunny climate.

You probably want to be adding chlorine every day, preferably in the evening so it has the most chance to work before the sun hits it again. I would say bring FC up to 4-5 each evening if you can.
--paulr
 
ok will get the FAS-DPD within a week or 2 to make sure my CC isnt above 0.

Im sure it was the heat and use that killed my chlorine level the sun hits my pool all day and weve had some crazy hot weather here in new hampshire along with humidity.
I also have to get more of the CYA reagent kinda crazy they only give you enough of it to do 2 tests.

I love testing the pool im sure I will eventually grow to hate it but atm it is fun, I test every morning and afternoon.

I will bump my CYA up to 40 but will wait till I get more reagent so I can make sure its still at 30 before I bump it up.


Thanks for your help PaulR Ive been reading anything about pool care , I think my brain is on overload lol.
 
Another way to detect CC is just to see if the pool smells like chlorine. That "chlorine smell" is actually CC. With heavy usage, sweat, dirt, hair, lotions, you would expect CC as the chlorine is used up.
 
anonapersona said:
Another way to detect CC is just to see if the pool smells like chlorine. That "chlorine smell" is actually CC. With heavy usage, sweat, dirt, hair, lotions, you would expect CC as the chlorine is used up.
Click to expand...

Well you can smell the chlorine on your body after getting out of the pool. if you are standing 1-2 ft away from the side of the pool you cant smell it at all.

I will still get a CC tester as I have no idea how strong of a smell is to strong to tell if my CC is high.
 
passionsrlz said:
so on a normal basis you should put bleach in your pool every night? I am just curious about my own situation. I have the same test kit and I know I need to raise cya but wasnt sure how often to put in bleach.
Click to expand...

Well I dont know much about the bleach, But I do know I need to add a little chlorine just about every night or every other night.

Go to walmart or whatever store is in your area and get some HTH stabilizer/conditioner to bring up your CYA from what I understand 40-50 ppm is a good place for your CYA.
I only say that because I know from experience if your CYA is low you will just be adding more bleach/chlorine then you need too.
once you have your CYA where its should be test the water everyday I test in the evening to see where its at after use. If its low add what you need to to bring it up to where it should be.
The pool calculator will help a lot with that.
 
Here at TFP there are two places that we use to determine how much FC the pool ought to have and that value is then put into the Pool Calculator to determine the volume of bleach needed. The Chlorine/CYA chart has a narrower range, generally 2 ppm. The other place is the values that show in the Pool Calculator as Goals, based on your selections at the bottom and the values you input for where your pool is Now. The range for Goal on the Calculator is wider, 4 ppm in general.

Since "normal usage" is something like 2ppm a day, maybe more maybe less, you may be able to go 2 days between adding bleach, or maybe not. I tend to run FC up a bit more than the Calculator suggests so I can test and add bleach every other day.

I could, and maybe should, consider adding a qt or 2 of bleach on the no-test days and then adding as required on the testing day more exactly. Our pool is used infrequently and so I feel this is OK. If I had kids in the pool daily I'd sure as heck add something daily. Kids introduce so much dirt and snot and sweat that a low FC might let bacteria get started in the pool.
 
Well after looking at my CYA reagent I realized they say theres enough for 2 tests on the package, but the reagent has I think 22ml in the bottle which at 7ml per test that gives me 3 test.

So I bumped my CYA up 10 to 40 maybe a little more or less just went by what the pool calculator came up with and threw it in.

After bringing my CYA up I checked my TC and it was down to 1 is this normal after adding CYA ?
I added chlorine and its a shade brighter than 5 the highest reading on my HTH drop kit. I will check the calculator and see what my TC should be at with a CYA of 40.

I wish I had more questions you guys rock. But im a google freak and usually find my answer threw a search sometimes I cant and thats what brought me to this awesome forums.
 

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Typically you'd want to start out testing every day just to keep track of things, and make sure you're not dropping below your minimum. After a while you'll get to know how your pool behaves and you don't need to test as often. These days I find myself adding bleach about every other day, but i have a solar cover that helps reduce daily FC loss.

Adding CYA does not reduce your chlorine level.
--paulr
 
You would need a DPD or FAS-DPD test to measure CC. The OTO test doesn't do that.

I'm not used to thinking in terms of TC loss... offhand if you see a TC loss overnight, probably it's due to CC going away. If you see up to 2ppm loss during the day with nobody in the pool, that's more likely to be normal FC loss. If people are using the pool, it's normal to use up more, especially in a small pool like yours.
--paulr
 
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