First results with TF-100... here's my plan.

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C

Clueless

0
Apr 14, 2011
65
The Bluegrass State
So I've been out of town for a few days and came home today to my new test kit and rushed out to give it a try.

A few background items (other than what's in my sig below)...

- Pool was opened last week by pool company (cover put away, plugs taken off, etc.)
- Pool company dropped six bags of "Turbo Shock" into a green pool and it cleared up in a few hours
- I vacuumed the bottom of the pool over the next few days and thought I got it all but after being gone a few days, there seems to be a little more work to do in this area. :?
- Water is currently clear enough to see all the way to the bottom in the deep end (about 9.5 feet I'm told) which is also how I know I still have some vacuuming to do.
- Return jets are breaking the water which I need to correct so TA doesn't go any lower as it needs to be brought up

So, drumroll please....

TA: 60-70 (depending on your definition of "red" - turns dark pink at 60 and "redder" by 70)
CYA - 0 (based on the fact that when filling the tube I could always see the black dot and then the water overflowed the tube, so I'm guessing 0)
CH - Over 200 (I stopped at 20 drops because nothing was happening, so 20 X 10 = CH)
CC - 0 (nothing on the Taylor "red/yellow" test and the more chemistry-like Chlorine test verified this)
FC - 0 (I'm calling this 0 since CC is 0)
Ph - Above 8.2 (color was a deeper purple than the highest end of the Taylor "red/yellow" test)
Salt - 1050 PPM
Air Temp - 50 degrees F

So, I used every test in the kit and also some salt test strips I bought as well to get these results. Based on pool school and the pool calculator (and assuming I haven't FUBAR'd the test somewhere) it looks like I should do the following:

1. Add 141oz of 6% bleach in front of return, pouring slowly so that it takes a couple minutes to empty each jug(s).
2. Let it run for a few hours and retest chlorine and note CYA level.
3. If chlorine is still not in acceptable range, repeat step 1 & 2.
4. OPTIONAL: Once in acceptable range, I could wait 24 hours and do a chlorine loss test to see if anything is alive in my pool, but I'll probably need the CYA level to be acceptable or the loss could be due to sunlight.
5. To get CYA level up to where it needs to be based off current results (which could change once retested), I will need 95oz of liquid stabilizer.
5. Once I have chlorine and CYA levels stable, I will tend to the remaining levels as I do not want to make big changes all at once but rather a series of small adjustments (thank you pool school).
6. Once everything is in line, I will turn on the Autopilot which will tell me how much salt to add and I will verify that amount with my own salt test and then I should be on regular maintenance, God willing.

So there's my understanding of my situation based on a week of pool school reading and an hour with my new test kit. I will say that I normally do not learn by reading but rather by doing, so if you all can verify or debunk my plan here so I can get on the right path with putting chemicals in the pool and seeing everything in action, I promise I will make huge strides in the education area.

Thanks so much for all the help and I hope I'm not completely wrong here. A passing grade would be acceptable since its my first attempt and I make my living working with computer code, not chemicals.
 
JasonLion said:
Get the PH in range (7.2 to 7.8) first.

Start raising CYA to around 30 at the same time you are starting to shock. Raise the CYA level the rest of the way after you are done shocking.
Click to expand...

I know having the jets aerating the pool can raise PH, so is it beneficial to skip chemically altering the PH for now and try stopping the aeration and see if the Ph level falls on its own or is that not normally how it works?
 
Good move on getting the kit. Call your TA 70 Adjust PH first to 7.6 using muratic acid...a reading of 8.2, could mean it is actually even higher. You may also need to add some baking soda to keep TA above 50. Baking soda raises TA, not aeration. Aeration raises PH without raising TA and you want to stop aerating as your PH is too high. Once PH is dealt with and TA is above 50, add the bleach. Getting some CYA in there is also a good move. Then continue testing CH, stopping at 200 is not a complete test and you should keep going until you can get an accurate reading. With PH so high, you will want to ensure you do not also have high CH levels as it could lead to scalling. Otherwise...looks like you are on your way to a TFP pool :goodjob:
 
You need to get the PH in range fairly quickly, so use acid. When PH is closer to normal you can wait for it to drift to where you want it, if it is drifting the correct direction, but 8.2+ is too high. Get PH down to 7.8 or lower now and think about more gradual adjustments to PH afterwards.
 
OK, let me see if I have this right...

So I'm going to address PH first by stopping the aeration and adding around 20 oz or so of the muriatic acid I have (not sure of the exact type since I'm not at home, so unsure of the exact amount) which should get it to around 7.6.

I will go to the store on my way home and pick up some bleach (probably 4 jugs) and baking soda (4lbs or so), enough to have extra on hand if needed.

Two new questions come to mind now...

1. Now I'm kind of confused about what I'm doing with the chlorine. Am I shocking the pool? I thought the pool guys already did that? If I am indeed shocking the pool, then I need a 24 FC level since I have a SWG which means I'll need more than 6 gallons of bleach. If I'm not shocking the pool but instead just bringing it to the 3-4FC range, then I'll only need a gallon, give or take. So a little more clarification on this one, please?

2. To raise CYA, I will need stabilizer and I'm having trouble tracking it down in pool school now but I'm about 80% sure that's the only item that must be bought at a pool store or in the pool section, right? In other words, there is no household item substitute for that, right? Shouldn't be a big deal either way though as the box store has a great supply of pool chemicals.
 
Also when doing the CH you can test using a 10 ml sample to save on reagents.

So do the following for CH to save

Do 10 ml sample

Use 10 drops of R-0010

Use 3 drops of R-0011l

Then when you add the drops of R-0012 you will multiply this by 25 instead of 10. That will help save on reagents for that test.
 
I couldn't take it any longer so I ran to the big box store and grabbed bleach and stabilizer since I have muriatic acid, ph+, ph-, and akalyne+ at the house. Of course, one of the jugs of bleach was Mountain Scent so I need to take that one back but no big deal.

I still don't have an answer about if I'm shocking my pool or just bringing the chlorine level to the appropriate level, so I proceeded as if it were the latter and aimed for an FC of 4.

I added 20 ounces of muriatic acid and let it circulate for about 30 minutes before adding 120-odd ounces of 6% bleach fairly equally spread among my three return outlets to get good coverage.

After that, I used half of a 4 pound container of powdered stabilizer that I split between two socks, then tied each with a shoelace and attached the shoelace deckside in front of a return. The bottle is telling me to add the whole thing but I know CYA is the hardest thing to move down, so I'm playing it safe and going with half the requirement. Plus I've read it could take a week to show up on a test, so I'd rather come up short on this one than overshoot.

Anyway, that was all three hours ago. As of right now, I have the following...

Air Temp: 55 degrees
Water Looks: Cloudy, can't see the bottom since adding chemicals

Ph - 7.5-7.6
FC - 4
CC - .5
TC - 4.5
TA - 50
CH - 200
CYA - I'll call it a 10 as it's pretty clouded but I still see the dot
Salt - 1050 ppm

I will let it all circulate in the pool tonight and test again in the morning to see if there's any drastic changes, but to my uneducated eyes these results look pretty good, no?

So, my questions now are...

1. Any answer on the shocking question? Am I shooting for normal FC or shock level of 20+?

2. How am I on everything else? Anything you would do differently at this point or recommend to do next?

3. Why is my water cloudy enough that I can't see the bottom but I could before all the chemicals?
 
1. Any answer on the shocking question? Am I shooting for normal FC or shock level of 20+?
Well, you shock your pool (and remember, it's a process not a one-time dose) when you have reason to suspect there are organics in your pool. Test your FC VERY early tomorrow AM before the sun hits it and see if your FC is still 4.0. If it is, you do not need to shock. If it is 3.0 or lower, that is reason to shock because organics have consumed a portion of your chlorine.

2. How am I on everything else? Anything you would do differently at this point or recommend to do next?
Your pH is good, CH is fine, I would disregard TA for the time being, and you CYA needs to come up....but you know that.

3. Why is my water cloudy enough that I can't see the bottom but I could before all the chemicals? I have no idea. The only plausible explanation I can think of is some unknown ingredient already in your pool that is reacting to what you have added. I haven't a clue what that might be.
 
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