FC - 9.4
CC - 0.6 (Thanks Pete)
TC - 10
pH - 6.6
TA - 51
CH - 368
CYA - 80 (first it's EVER read this high, usually 40-50 and was actually measured at 50 from a different store yesterday)
H20 - 75 deg., crystal clear but algae in places around the pool and spa in particular
We opened our pool a month ago and only discovered this site a few days ago. This is my 6th year owning the pool and in the last couple of years the algae has gotten progressively more difficult/expensive to manage and I'm ready for a new approach. After reading up on BBB and ordering my TF100 kit (shipped today), I'm optimistic that I can tame the algae beast once and for all in 2011, but I need some help getting rid of it in the first place so that I can proactively prevent it.
As I said above, my CYA has never ever tested at 80 so I'm hesitant to read too much into that figure. It was measured at 50 just yesterday and that's a lot more consistent with past test results (that I can find) so for the time being I'm assuming a CYA of 50. With that, my shock FC target is 20.
Per PoolCalc and TFP, here's my plan:
- Add 102 oz. baking soda to raise my TA (goal 80) - Have already done this step
- Add 151 oz. Borax to raise my pH (goal 7.5)
- Add 330 oz. of 6% bleach to get to shock FC (goal 20)
Pool store guy also suggested adding 1.5 qts of Scale Inhibitor to mitigate my CH and (as expected) pushed me to purchase a bottle of Banish to hit the algae after I get to shock level. I didn't purchase the Banish but I do have .5 qt of Scale Inhibitor on hand.
Questions I have are:
- Should I wait for a period of time between Borax and Bleach steps above?
- Should I add all 330 oz. of bleach at one time? Or over a period of several hrs?
- Should I go ahead and do the Scale Inhibitor as well? If so, 1.5 qts or would .5 qt do any good?
- Am I correct in assuming that TFP members would steer me away from Banish or other algaecides? Or is shock level FC, brushing and filtration going to be enough to get clear of the algae?
I'm sure I'll have other questions as I go along but for now, that's where I'm at. Any and all input is much appreciated. I'm particularly curious what folks think about my CYA discrepancy, as it could have a pretty big effect on my shock FC target level.
Sorry for the lengthy first post, just trying to get it all out there to get more specific feedback. Thanks in advance for any advice, I'm happy to have found this site and believe it's going to change my pool ownership experience in a big way.
- Josh
CC - 0.6 (Thanks Pete)
TC - 10
pH - 6.6
TA - 51
CH - 368
CYA - 80 (first it's EVER read this high, usually 40-50 and was actually measured at 50 from a different store yesterday)
H20 - 75 deg., crystal clear but algae in places around the pool and spa in particular
We opened our pool a month ago and only discovered this site a few days ago. This is my 6th year owning the pool and in the last couple of years the algae has gotten progressively more difficult/expensive to manage and I'm ready for a new approach. After reading up on BBB and ordering my TF100 kit (shipped today), I'm optimistic that I can tame the algae beast once and for all in 2011, but I need some help getting rid of it in the first place so that I can proactively prevent it.
As I said above, my CYA has never ever tested at 80 so I'm hesitant to read too much into that figure. It was measured at 50 just yesterday and that's a lot more consistent with past test results (that I can find) so for the time being I'm assuming a CYA of 50. With that, my shock FC target is 20.
Per PoolCalc and TFP, here's my plan:
- Add 102 oz. baking soda to raise my TA (goal 80) - Have already done this step
- Add 151 oz. Borax to raise my pH (goal 7.5)
- Add 330 oz. of 6% bleach to get to shock FC (goal 20)
Pool store guy also suggested adding 1.5 qts of Scale Inhibitor to mitigate my CH and (as expected) pushed me to purchase a bottle of Banish to hit the algae after I get to shock level. I didn't purchase the Banish but I do have .5 qt of Scale Inhibitor on hand.
Questions I have are:
- Should I wait for a period of time between Borax and Bleach steps above?
- Should I add all 330 oz. of bleach at one time? Or over a period of several hrs?
- Should I go ahead and do the Scale Inhibitor as well? If so, 1.5 qts or would .5 qt do any good?
- Am I correct in assuming that TFP members would steer me away from Banish or other algaecides? Or is shock level FC, brushing and filtration going to be enough to get clear of the algae?
I'm sure I'll have other questions as I go along but for now, that's where I'm at. Any and all input is much appreciated. I'm particularly curious what folks think about my CYA discrepancy, as it could have a pretty big effect on my shock FC target level.
Sorry for the lengthy first post, just trying to get it all out there to get more specific feedback. Thanks in advance for any advice, I'm happy to have found this site and believe it's going to change my pool ownership experience in a big way.
- Josh