low alkalinity and high ph

[JasonLion]

CYA: shake for 30 seconds (shake the whole time), then use. The black dot should be totally gone, no sign it was ever there.

TA: The color is read after swirling for a moment so the drop mixes into the whole solution. Add drops till it starts turning red/pink, continue adding drops as long as the color continues changing. When you add a drop and there is no further change in the color you are done, and the final drop that didn't change the color doesn't count.

 

[Gail]

TF-100 test results
CYA 30
TA120
FC 8.5 (adding more bleach)
Ph 7.4??? Last pool store number. CAN I TEST Ph With HIGH FC????
CH 300??? How do you know if you have copper? Got med/dark pink, not red. Did the test both ways & used 30 drops both times till blue(what color blue?) When adding the last drops on CH test, do you stir or not-test doesn't say.
SORRY, have no idea what I am doing!

 

[svenpup]

Good job on the Test Kit! It's the first step to becoming an expert on your own pool!

The pH test is fine below FC = 10

Always swirl when adding drops...last drops are no different. Some of us use a magnetic stirrer which is like swirling on steroids. It makes the CH test much easier, but you shouldn't have to do CH more than a few times a season. If the CH test turned blue and not purple that you are fine. The copper interference causes the test to go to purple.

 

[Bama Rambler]

With an FC of 8.5 the pH test is valid. It only begins to be affected above FC of 10ppm.

Read Extended Test Kit Directions. It should clear up some of your questions. Basically, you swirl as long as you're adding drops. The CH test requires the greatest amount of swirling.
Anything in the red/pink arena is good. Mine's never real red it's always in the pink area and I don't have any metals.

The best way to know if you have metals is to look at a water assay of the fill water and know what you've added. As an added assurance you can have the pool store test for metals. Most of them can test for Iron and Copper.

 

[Gail]

Ran all test again, read extended test kit
CYA 30
TA 110
FC 8.5-adding 182oz bleach going for 13
CH 290-300 light blue no purple
Ph is 7.2
Should I try to raise the Ph to 7.4? Or is it ok till I get done shocking?

 

[Melt In The Sun]

pH is good where it is right now. A slightly lower pH actually helps when shocking. Keep it up!

 

[Gail]

Just added more bleach!

My filter has a high & low speed-
Runs on low 24/7.
I vacume on high-is this right????

Brand new cartridge, Hayward green missle

 

[Gail]

Worked a double last night-lost some ground.
FC 12 at noon yesterday
FC 8 at 1pm today-brought up to 12
FC 11 at 3pm-brought up to 12-full sun today.
Plan on testing again & again & again today, vacume tonight again
Plan on FC 12 after sun goes down for overnight.
PH 7.2
TA 110
CH 290-300
CYA 30
FC 12
CC 2.5
Does the CC test mean I still got stuff to kill & get out? Going for 0.5
Few light spots of light green today when vacuming.
Liking what I see, pool has not held chlorine this season-till I started following this advice, & got my TF-100.
Pool is almost completely blue.
Any advice???? THANKS to EVERYONE!

 

[zea3]

Yes the CC 2.5 means you still need to shock. Keep the pool at shock level until you pass the overnight test.

 

[Gail]

GREAT NEWS!! Cloudy blue, no green yesterday or today.
Lost electric yesterday from 9am-630pm. No fan, no pool=HOT DAY!
Only losing 2 FC overnight test-getting closer!!!! Bleached all hoses!

Problem, not catching all the fine stuff when vacuming. Goes right back in pool. Clean cartridge, vacume, clean cartridge, filter, vacume 2x day. Filter rest of time, 24/7. Stuff in cartridge is dull gray/white. Cartridge is brand new.

POP!!!! But any way to catch more fine stuff when vacuming?
Reading up on skimmer socks, local pool store does not carry them. Can I use the nylons when vacuming on high? Still in opening stage & dead algea.
Live by a farm, lots of dust too, but no local spraying.

 

[Gail]

Only lost 2 FC again in overnight test.
CC still 2.5
Still cloudy blue
Any ideas, can't seem to get nylon fitted on skimmer
Ran the CYA test again, got 35 this time. Hardest test. So I am gona up my FC level For 24 hours-see what happens.

 

[lightingguy]

This last part will be the most frustrating - you're so close Why wont it clear?

Keep up the shock until you pass overnight. Once that's done expect the filter to take some time to clear the final haze (a few days)

I'm pretty sure the skimmer sock is for catching larger debris before it enters your pipes/filter. The stuff you're trying to filter out will pass through it.

 

[Gail]

Passed the overnight test, but the cc is still 1. Had alot of rain last night.
Pool still cloudy blue, have not seen any green at all for about 5 days.
Do I still shock with the cc at 1, yesterday cc was 1.5. The FC level has only dropped 2 since this mornings test 7am, half sun today, 2pm now.

 

[dmanb2b]

Keep it at shock level just one more day and repeat the overnight FC loss test tonight. Make sure to add enough powder so that your sample turns a nice bright pink when testing at night and the am.

Today's sun should keep burning off the CC's

 

[Gail]

Passed overnight test again, & CC only took 1 drop.
Pool still cloudy blue.
Run filter 24/7 & vacume? Do I need to shock anymore, no green since July 31.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Gail,

I'm coming into your thread as you are almost complete. Yes, I would suggest one last day of shock level (about 12ppm or so) and then letting it come on down to around 2-4ppm over the next couple of days after that. You should see steady improvement in the clarity each day. If it looks the same one day to the next, I would bring it right back up to 12ppm.

At this point, vacuuming and filtering are very important as you have likely killed all the algae and now just need to get all the dead stuff out. So brush often, backwash/clean your filter as necessary and run your pump 24/7. You are very close.

 

[Gail]

Thanks!
Just found some gritty stuff on the walls while brushing. My CH was 290-300, when I did the test(TF 100). Light blue-no purple. Really couldn't say what all I added from pool store this year. Over $400 chemicals in 2+ months.
Could this be part of problem?
I have Improve(polysheen blue) water clarifier from pool store that I never used. Should I try it

 

[duraleigh]

I have Improve(polysheen blue) water clarifier from pool store that I never used. Should I try it

Most people have very little luck with clarifiers. I don't like them because they sorta' confuse the clearing process. If you are see improvement in the clarity of your pool from day to day, I would suggest not using it. That said, they are pretty harmless and there are some reports of them speeding up the process noticeably.

The gritty stuff is interesting. I would get that all brushed down as good as possible and vacuum up any residual left on the pool floor.

 

[Gail]

Wondering if the gritty stuff on walls is calcium precipitate? Didn't have it before shocking. High FC, Ch, & ph together can cause it?
Started at 7.2 ph, before shocking. Ph 7.6 at FC 16. TA was 110, CH 290-300, light blue-no purple (b4 shock).
Added the Improve(4oz) at 4pm yesterday. Called into work last night, so I forgot to shock(bleach). Filtered till noon, vacumed, & when I went to clean cartridge was totally surprised-very heavy & filled with dead algea. Have not caught that much this whole year. Very leary of pool store chemicals, but this one seems to work for the fine stuff.
So anyway I was going to let the FC come down to target range & see what happens with the gritty wall stuff. Passed overnight 2 days in row, & cc was 1 drop.
Visibility about 3 ft now, bout 2 ft yesterday, light blue.
Calcium precipitate? Any ideas if I am making any sense?

 

[duraleigh]

You will get a falsely high pH reading when you test in the presence of FC over 10. Disregard your latest pH test.