Pool Store Gets It Wrong Again

[HouTex]

Yesterday I needed more MA so I took a water sample to one of my pool supply stores for a test. Here are their results and my commentary:

FC 4 (probably too low)
TC 4 (CC=0 is correct)
pH 7.8 (probably correct)
TA 80 (too low)
CYA 90 (too high)
CH 340 (???)
Salt 3700 (probably accurate)
Phospates 500 ppb (who cares)

Here are my results this morning with the TF-100

FC 7
CC 0
ph 7.8
TA 130
CYA 70
CH 480 (???)


The best part of the story is that after testing the water the guy looks at me with a very sincere look and asks how my water looks. I said it's perfect--could not be better. He looked confused and asked if I was sure. I said of course I'm sure and asked him why he would think otherwise. He said my phosphates were so high that I probably have algae. I smiled and said I'm not concerned about algae at my present chlorine levels.

Again, don't trust the pool store test results.

 

[JasonLion]

One sad thing about it is that phosphates at 500 aren't really very high. My phosphates have been up to 4,000, now that is high.

With TA around 130 and CH at 480 you need to be careful to never let PH go above 7.8 and ideally you should keep PH lower than that. Longer term you should think about lowering TA.

 

[HouTex]

Understood. I have been trying to lower TA by taking pH to 7.2 and aerating. Two days ago my test kit showed it was 90 and I thought I was making progress. I added a little water (lost to evaporation) to the pool and now it says 130. My fill water is in the 130-140 range. We need some rain in SE Texas.

[edit] I just tested my fill water's TA. It is 220.

 

[waste]

Understood. I have been trying to lower TA by taking pH to 7.2 and aerating. Two days ago my test kit showed it was 90 and I thought I was making progress. I added a little water (lost to evaporation) to the pool and now it says 130. My fill water is in the 130-140 range. We need some rain in SE Texas.

[edit] I just tested my fill water's TA. It is 220.

That sucks, but you know how to deal with it

(Any chance you can catch rain water and use that to refill the pool, when you need to do so?)

 

[anonapersona]

Waste, you don't know just how bad we are hurting for lack of rain here. All that rain and stormy weather the mid-section and north has been getting is usually ours in the spring. We are at about half of the typical rainfall level now, and in June it sometimes quits raining completely so that early spring rain is vital.

The chinch bugs were so bad in my lawn, I thought they were ants at first when I ruffled the grass to see what was the matter. Normally chinch bugs are not a big deal until August in irrigated areas. It is so dry now it may as well be August. Gophers have moved into my yard from the woods looking for water, taking down one shrub after another as they cut into the roots of everything I have planted in this yard. I don't see how any of this can survive when it starts to get hot (high 90's) with so much root damage.

I know how it is for you HouTex, my fill water is TA 340 last I checked. Every time I add water the TA in the pool jumps measurably, 5 or 10 points.