New pool, new numbers, and a newbie

[Martin2003]

First off happy holidays to everyone.

New pool that was filled 3 1/2 weeks ago (11/17/2007) with today's numbers:

Temp 58
pH 7.8
FC 7
CC 0
TC 7
TA 90
CH 150
CYA 20 (not really confident in this one yet as I can still "see" the dot)
Salt 3450

pH has been steadily climbing and I was able to bring it down last week with acid.
The FC has been climbing as well (was 6 ppm last week), so I moved the Chlorinator down to 40% (was 50%)

My current action plan is to:
1) Add acid (30oz based on PoolCalculator)
2) Move the Chlorinator down another notch to 30%

Does this seem reasonable? Anything I should be doing differently or in addition?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[duraleigh]

Martin,

It sure looks like you've got a good handle on your pool. Those are good numbers and your plan of what to do next makes sense.

The CYA test is a little hard to do at first and it sounds like your CYA is low. As long as you see the dot, the test is not complete........meaning, in your case, your CYA is less than 20.

I would suggest calculating enough CYA for your pool to bring it up 20ppm more than it's current level and test again. I think the dot will disappear around 20-30ppm. How much CYA, if any, did you add initially?

 

[waste]

Martin HI and welcome here :!:

I'm pretty sure Duraliegh meant to type 20ppm NOT 200ppm in his advice to add more cya (no one here wants to see your cya> 100 ppm. ) The consensus amongst those more knowledgeable than I on this subject is to run your pool with a cya of 50 - 80 when you have a SWCG- it'll let you run the unit at an even lower % which will prolong the cell's life. Waterbear has a thread on this somewhere, in which he explains why it's more efficient to run the SWCG with a higher than normal cya level.

Again, welcome to TFP!! Please excuse Dave's little typo (I'm sure he's just a little out of sorts with the elves being back at the North Pole )

 

[DLSDO]

Welcome. Post some pics of your pool in the "show off your pool" thread.

Thanks,

 

[Martin2003]

Great information, I would be lost if it wasn't for this forum and the resources (TF-100, PoolCalculator etc.) :-D

I don't know what the orignal amount of stabilizer was as it was added by the pb.
If I assume 20 (knowing its <20) and add the 60oz of stabilizer to get closer to the 40 mark would that be an okay starter approach? (Still paranoid of adding too much due to the drain requirement, but I guess it comes with being new to this).

Thanks again. (I'm off to post some pics)

 

[duraleigh]

I don't know what the orignal amount of stabilizer was as it was added by the pb.
If I assume 20 (knowing its <20) and add the 60oz of stabilizer to get closer to the 40 mark would that be an okay starter approach?

Yep, that's perfect. You'll be well below your target still but it's a good idea to go slow while you're getting used to all this new stuff with the testing and your pool. Add the 60 oz. and then wait about 4-7 days before retesting for CYA......It takes forever to completely dissolve and register correctly on the test.

After you post that result (which I think will come in around 30ppm) we'll probably suggest approx 100 more oz. or so but let's cross that bridge when the time comes

 

[iggy]

Martin,
I just had my SWG pool completed and was wondering how you have been coming along balancing your water.
Youe numbers looked good and if it was miy pool I would shut down the clorine generator until my FC and TC chlorine levels came down.

Here is my numbers right now with no salt added and no chlorine generator added yet.
FC 5
TC 5
PH 7.6-7.8
TA 170
CA 250
CYA 100
CSI + .01
Temp 58 F

MY CYA is 100 and not a major issue as the FC is also high.
We will active the SWG in about 2 weeks after the pool cures a little. That's what the builders likes to do.


Iggy in Arizona

 

[Martin2003]

Hi Iggy,

Congrats on the new pool! We are loving ours although it has been limited to Spa activity during these cold days.

Things are moving along okay. You were right about the chlorine generator and I did end up moving it all the way down to 1% and let it burn off. I'm still trying to get FC lower and find the sweet spot for the generator so these days FC is bouncing between 2 and 4 with the generator around 8-15%. My latest set of numbers (today) are:

FC 4
CC 0
TC 4
PH 7.5
TA 60
CA 160
CYA 30
Salt 3300

My target at this point is to get CYA at around 50-60 and then see how the numbers react during the summer months and make any adjustments. I'm adding acid these days to keep the pH in check and occasionally Salt. Otherwise, the chemicals seem to be in balance.

 

[iggy]

Martin2003

Glad to hear you reduced your Chlorine generator output. That should save you a little bit with electric.
I'm still working balancing my water.
In the past week I have added 1 gallon of acid (28%) which definitely dropped my TA down from 140 down to about 80.
I'm not worried about my CYA being 100 ppm at the moment.
I'm aerating the water to try and get my PH back up to about 7.6
I'm also running the pump/filter for about only 4 hours a day.
How many hours do you run your pump?

So here is my latest numbers as of a few days ago.

FC 5
CC 0
TC 5
PH 7.2
TA 80
CA 250
CYA 100
Salt 0


Not sure yet from the builder when he will be back to install the SWG panel and add the salt.
Pool water is clear as a bell and if it wasn't 50 degree water I'd jump in now. LOL

Iggy

 

[Guest]

martin,
Get your CYA up to aobut 70 ppm. This will help with ph stability. Read my sticky on water balance for SWGs .

 

[Martin2003]

Iggy, I know how you feel about jumping into the clear water. It looks really inviting until I see the mid-50s water temp or put my hand in. Can't wait for the warmer weather :-D
I run my pump 9 hours a day, but it is a variable speed pump that is set to turnover the water volume once per day, so its wattage usage is based on duration for the 1 turnover. The manufacturer (Pentair) recommend running it for longer time with lower wattage for better efficiency.

Waterbear thanks for the input and your sticky has been an excellent reference resource. I used your guidance to target the 50-60ppm mark. Are you recommending going straight to 70 ppm because of the Pentair IntelliChlor equipment? (I noticed you mentioned the right ppm varies by equipment) Plus, I'm worried about hitting the right balance without adding too much. It seems like such a delicate balance to hit, either you have too little and need to shock because your FC is gone or too much and you have to drain.