newbie starting BBB

[Suley]

Hello All!

Thanks to you all I have successfully shocked my pool and here are the final readings:

FC 14.5
CC < 0.5
TC about 15
pH 8.0
TA 120
CH 160
CYA 65
Temp 72F

I have had overnight FC loss at 1ppm for last two days and the weather has been really cloudy with no sun. Infact the FC loss of 1ppm includes the loss during the day on the second day of testing!

Now:

I inherited this pool with clear water in it. Have no idea what was used in it. Should I worry about other things like metals, copper, borates, etc which might be already in it?

How low should the FC level be to give me accurate pH results?

Should I start BBB or worry about my low CH first?

Would appreciate if you could point me to the right direction from here.

Thanks!

 

[duraleigh]

How low should the FC level be to give me accurate pH results?

10ppm will work fine if you are testing with Taylor reagents.

You have already begun BBB in that you are beginning to understand your testing and what to do about the results.

Let you FC drift down to about 5-7ppm and keep it there. It should take a couple more days.

After your pH is retested and possibly adjusted, I would then start to calculate just how much chlorine you are consuming daily so you will have your dosage more pinpointed.

At the same time, you can bring your CH up to around 250. I wouldn't get it much higher as it has a tendency to increase. YOu could also test your fill water for CH to see if it will positively or negatively affect your pool content.

VERY NICE WORK!! I assume your pool is nice and clear.

 

[Suley]

Thanks!

Correct me if I am wrong, but i was thinking of doing a partial water change and bringing the CYA down to 50 before doing a chlorine consumption test and the rest....

What do you think?

 

[duraleigh]

While I am a very big fan of keeping CYA around 50 in a manually chlorinated pool, I'm not sure I would drain off because 65 is just not quite bad enough.

Secondly, it will come down on it's own over the summer (from splashout and refill) so it may end up around 50 in August.

It's your call and you have a good grasp of the knowledge it takes but I think you might be over-tweaking just a tad bit.

 

[Suley]

Lol! Thanks!

O I am known for over tweaking things! Thanks for that.. i will not waste any water then!

 

[thepiratemorgan]

Lol! Thanks!

O I am known for over tweaking things! Thanks for that.. i will not waste any water then!

Trust me, a "symptom" of owning a new test kit!! Kinda like a kid with a new Nintendo 3DS, just not quite as expensive and this method will actually save you $ in the long run.

 

[Suley]

You are right!

It already paid for itself on the first day by giving me the correct CYA level as 65 and not 80 like leslies said. I was about to do a 50% water change which would have cost me like $220!