Want to get This Right!

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Using my super slueth skills, I tracked down our post lady today & low & behold, she had my test kit!! :goodjob: So, I have just tested the FC and Ph because those seem to be my two biggies right now. I did not test for CYA because I just started adding it on Thurs. I'm just shooting for that to be 30. Should I test for anything else right now?? Here's my test results & my diagnosis. Please let me know if this sounds ok or totally bonkers to you!!
FC: 0 -Couldn't even get pink water after adding the powder!-Does this seem right? Haven't added any bleach since last night though so it sounded legit to me...
Ph: 8.2 - I used the Taylor kit for that. Was that the right one to use? I was seeing a TA test, in the TF 100, but I didn't think that's what I needed here.
So, after punching this into the magic calculator, I'm off to add 27 oz of MA. I plan on waiting 1/2 hour & then adding 187 oz of 6% bleach.
Question. How long will it be before I should see my pH level decrease?? And if someone gets here quick enough, should I just worry about getting my pH down before raising my FC? I know if the FC gets above 10, it throws the pH test off, but I'm just shooting for 10 right now since my CYA isn't near 20 yet.
Sorry to ramble, thanks for your patience, help, & the popcorn-Butterfly! :wink:
 
It is always good to lower pH before shocking if pH is high. You are using the right tests so far. TA is for total alkalinity and you don't need to worry about that until after the shock process is completed.

You should see the pH level decrease 30-60 minutes after adding MA. Be sure and keep the pump running!
 
If you added CYA to get to 30, assume you've got 30ppm in there and chlorinate according to the calculator for 30ppm CYA.

Just because you may not be able to get an accurate reading for a week doesn't mean it's not in the pool. I'd go ahead and test for it today, in my experience it can read correctly 24 hours after adding it.
 
I bet it would have been entertaining if we could have seen you 'track down' your post lady :mrgreen: :goodjob:

So glad you got your kit already! duraleigh and Meg have amazing service!

Yep, 24 hours after the CYA is added to the pool, you can use the new CYA level for your FC/shock calculations.
But, you know, don't bother measuring for about a week. It may or may not test earlier than that, but just isn't worth wasting reagents to see. imho

So how does the pool look today?
 
Thanks zea, frogabog, & Butterfly! It's nice to know I have the help I need! Yes, the chase was quite entertaning, but she did get the honor of being my favorite person of the day! :-D
I measured the pH about 45 min after adding the MA & it was down to 7.5. I decided to wait a bit here & measure it again before deciding to add more of anything. Am learning that patience, not more chemicals is what I need! I feel like I'm back at square 1, but am confident because I have my tools now! :whoot: Pool is still cloudy, but not the nasty green I started with Thurs. Will be sure to keep you updated!!
 
Update & yet more questions! So I have gotten the pH down & holding at 7.5. Even after adding the amount of MA to get it down to 7.2, it's staying at 7.5. Anyways, I shocked as if my CYA were 30, left for a couple hours. Tested when I got home & the FC was 12, the goal that it was to shock to. So I was happy to see that it seemed my CYA was up & want to test to see if my CYA level was above 20, however my CYA vial was cracked when it arrived (new one on it's way Monday!) So, thoughts on upping my shock level to as if my CYA were 40 or 50, or should I wait longer & test my FC again later? The pool has been in the sun the whole time, so I'm pretty sure that CYA is taking hold since I didn't lose any FC in those two hours.
 
Your fine to shock at PH 7.5
Go ahead and bring up your shock to 16, this way as the algae eats the chlorine, you won't fall below FC of 12 for a cya of 30 ppm. :)
Just because you added for 12ppm, you didn't test right then, could have been higher so when you did test a couple of hours later and you got 12.
If you stay with it, the pool WILL behave as it's told! :whip:
So keep testing and stay at 16 ppm and add more when you fall to 12ppm with bleach or Liquid chlorine, brush pool, keep filtering 24/7 and watch filter pressure to backwash or clean.
With this TFP system you have to have POP (Pool Owner Patience).
Then you end up with Sparklypoolitis! :whoot:

Chuck
 
Thanks, Chuck! Feeling like a bit of a failure here. :grrrr: Husband keeps asking how much bleach I'm going to keep dumping into the pool. Now I really want this to work to make him a believer!! I think he's thinking I've lost my mind, but I will prove that it will work by golly! We really need some of this "POP"!! Is it in the pool section of WalMart?? :wink:
 
Whatever amount of CYA you added ( I think it is enough to reach 30 CYA) is the CYA# used for the SHOCK LEVEL you should be aiming for. And if 30 CYA, then you are correct with a shock level of 12.

Also, you should not increase CYA above 30 until you are completely done shocking the pool. IOW, when you meet the three criteria in my sig - see red lines.

Once you have adjusted your pH, don't worry about it until you are done shocking. It will naturally be a little high during shocking, but it is okay. Forget about your ph for now and concentrate on maintaining shock level of 12. :wink:

What does your pool look like now?

Remember, you just got your fabulous test kit a few hours ago, and that was after sleuthing the post lady :shock: :mrgreen: You are doing great. Hammer it tonight!

WallyWorld sells lots of things, but POP you get from around here ::epds:: :lovetfp:
 
Well I'm no where meeting the three criteria. Yet. :twisted: Anyways, here's a picture of where we got today. I know how much you love pictures!! Plan on checking FC one more time before bed & adjusting accordingly.
[attachment=0:1c5c5g0s]pool July 9 001.JPG[/attachment:1c5c5g0s]
 

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Well, I spent all day yesterday maintaining shock level. I see I was losing about 4ppm of FC every couple of hours & kept bringing the level back up. Cleaned the cartridge for the filter twice yesterday. It had brown yuck in it, which I'm guessing was dead algae. Did an FC overnight test & didn't lose any. Got my CYA test to work today & it came to be 40. Guess DH & I added more CYA than intended, but at least now I know where we stand. I was thinking we had added a little much & was shocking at 40 CYA, 16 FC yesterday. Am planning to continue the fun today. Any thoughts on when I might be seeing any change? The water has stayed pretty much the same shade for a couple of days now. My thinking is the darn filter is too small. Have a sand filter on the way & am thinking of hooking both filters up to the pool like frogabog did. Hit it from the top & bottom!
 
Did you ever test your TA? Reason I ask this is that you have to have that number entered into the pool calculator for it to give you the right amount of MA to add to adjust pH.

For example, with a TA of 100 (default) and your 9,000 gallons, 27 oz of MA would lower pH from 8.2 to 7.2.
However, if you have a high TA like I do, it takes much more. 9K gallons at a TA of 300, it would require 74 oz of MA.

Based on how your pH resonded, I am guessing your TA is close to 200. You need to know this number and have it plugged in or the amount of MA the pool calculator shows to add will not be accurate.
 
I have not tested the TA. I was told not to worry about that until I was done shocking. Should I test that now, while I'm in the process of shocking or continue to wait? I went through the TA testing last night with my hot tub (same well water we used for the pool) & it was high when I started. Could my TA be throwing the shocking process off?
 
aa62579 said:
I don't think the TA will effect shocking, but once done and you want to lower your pH, you will have to know your TA to get the right amount of MA to add.
Click to expand...

Yes,aa62579 is right.

The TA is the key to changing pH correctly. When you add muriatic acid you need to test TA first so you are sure of the effect. As TA changes, the amount of acid needed changes with it. So if your TA falls from 200 to 150, you will need something like 25% less acid to get the same effect. If you are not paying attention to that and use the same amount of acid as before, the pH swing will be greater than you expected. We don't like to go below 6.8, since that is the limit of the tester and bad things can happen there.
 
Ok, I'm getting nervous/confused here. Since I did not test my TA before trying to lower my pH, is that maybe affecting the shocking process since high pH lowers the effects of the chlorine if I'm reading correctly? Based on the test I got from the pool store the day I added MA, my TA was at 242. I added 55 oz of MA to the pool & had a reading of 7.5 on my pH test before shocking. So now I am wondering if I need to bring the FC down below 10 & restest the the TA & pH & start the process again or if I should just continue shocking to 16. Thanks!
Lisa
 
Ok, thanks!! I keep reading on here & feel like I learn something new each time & feel like I've totally messed up! Here's a pic from today. Does this look like improvement? To me it's looking the same....[attachment=0:1trh4q5j]pool July 11 001.JPG[/attachment:1trh4q5j]
 

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You are fine, don't worry about the TA, you tested it before you adjusted the pH so that was correct.

Keep shocking. And filtering, and brushing, and raking if there is any chance of trash in the pool.
 

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