opening #s, advise please

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tltmom

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Aug 5, 2011
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Urbana, IL
Hi! I'm a second year "TFPer" I'd appreciate if the pros could check my plan now that I have my pool running to catch me before I make a mistake!
The pump has been running about 4 hours, pool builder checked everything out, added 1 gal 12.5% liquid chlorine.
My #s (with tf100 kit)
pH 8.2+
FC 6.0 cc .5
TA 160
CH 300
salt approx 3000 (based on last season's 3400 with some rain dilution over the winter through my mesh cover. I ordered salt strips from tf kits today)
CYA almost 40
water looks slightly cloudy, had some debris in water upon opening. 60 degrees
Already brushed and vacc'ed
My plan: get pH down asap. use 2 quarts acid, test after 1 hour till I get to 7.7-7.8 range. I think this could take a couple rounds to get pH right. It is probably over 8.2
after pH ok, shock process till clear all 3 criteria. I have read pool school. shock level is 15 for CYA 40.
Then fix salt level once I can test it, dial in my swcg.
Add 7 lb 8 oz powder CYA target:70
inflate pool floatie, enjoy

Is there anything I should change/add?
Thank you as always, you guys/gals are great!
 
I'd shoot for a pH of 7.2. With a SWCG running, your pH will be back up to 8.2 in about 30 minutes. In fact, your TA is high anyway. You'll want that to come down so don't be shy with the acid. Your plan looks good otherwise.
 
i'm baaaack
I have added 1.5 gallons 31% MA so far (1/2 gal each spaced 1 hour apart) and my pH has not budged down from 8.2. I have brand new pH test drops from duraleigh and I have my swcg off for now. plaster is 1.5 years old. rising PH was always a struggle last season, if that has any bearing. My question is am I possibly testing wrong or was my PH higher than I thought? Just didn't want to overdo on the acid.
 
really deep magenta
That's why I thought the pH was even higeher than the kit could read.
I may be imagining things but the magenta may be a little less vivid now, so maybe I'm making more progress than I thought. Using the pool calc the pH should have lowered to 7.2 with the first gallon of MA so that's why I'm beginning to doubt myself!
 
tltmom said:
really deep magenta
That's why I thought the pH was even higeher than the kit could read.
I may be imagining things but the magenta may be a little less vivid now, so maybe I'm making more progress than I thought. Using the pool calc the pH should have lowered to 7.2 with the first gallon of MA so that's why I'm beginning to doubt myself!
Click to expand...

okay, does this help you confirm one way or another?

pH colors:

above 8.2 purple
8.0-8.2 purplish red
7.8 pinkish red with a hint of purple
7.6 red
7.4-7.5 red with an orange cast
7.2 orange
7.0 yellow orange
6.8 and below yellow
 
purple with possibly red. i think it was "purpler" this afternoon but the light outside was brighter. If it has changed in color, then it hasn't changed a lot that I can tell. I usually did well testing pH last year but I could be a little rusty.
 

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What is your FC level? If it is over 10 ppm, then the pH color might be off. Purple can be an indication of high chlorine affecting the pH test color.

What strength is your muriatic acid?

What is your new TA after adding the acid?
 
I had to bail out on fixing the pH today. Sick kiddo :( took priority. So I will go back to adding acid tomorrow, target 7.2, wait an hour, retest etc.

I doublechecked - I'm using 31% MA, and the chlorine level was 6.0 at 1pm or so. I did that test twice as well (used tf 100 dpd test) I know CL above 10 affects pH results but I was well below that.

The short answer as to how the pH got so high over the winter is: it probably shouldnt have. The pH was 7.7 when I closed, TA was 90. I got probably 1.5 feet of melted snow/rain over the winter and I assumed rain would be acidic if anything, not basic.

The long answer is that due to new pool owner ignorance (me) and poor communication from the pb, no acid or bicarb startup was done in fall 2010 when the pool was plastered. I was pool stored in spring 2011 for a few months, and looking back at the notes I kept, I added somewhere around 10 gallons of acid in only a few weeks time, not to mention a lot of other mistakes. The plaster looks pretty good despite the abuse in the shallow end, but is a medium greyish color in parts of the deep end, which makes me think the plaster may be damaged. I guess I was thinking that was contributing to the very high pH I have now. Also, there has been a ton of dust/dirt in the air for the past month from farming/new homes being built near me, and I thought I had read somewhere that dust can be very alkaline. Just a theory - a longwinded one at that.
 
about TA - I assume it has gone down from all the acid I added, but did not retest it. It started at 160.
I will test PH and TA together till I get this figured out. I'll check the CL too before I add any acid just to make sure It not >10.
I don't think I have a choice but to keep adding acid and keep testing! I'm concerned about having a scaling problem if I don't
 
I wasn't sure how old plaster needed to be to not be considered "new"
The plaster in my pool is 1.5 years old.
Looks like I know how I'll be spending tomorrow - fixing the pH then shocking!
Thank you to the mods for the handholding - I'm still new at this! I've really never opened my pool before since last season at this time I was being 100% pool stored.
We are lucky to have honest pool store folks in this area, they just have a different philosophy than TFP!
 

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