proper order

[spf30]

Ok, first, I'm using old chemicals while I wait for my TY replacements to come in the mail. That said, and unless the old chems are making the numbers waaay off, it appears I'm in need of CYA (always start at what appears '0' but I'm sure there's 'something' there), and of course bleach.. But my pH is around 8.0 and TA is through the roof at around 260 (always runs high, but not this bad).

I'm heading out to start off with about 4# of stabilizer (will need to add more, I assume), and dump in bleach. But at what point should I add acid to get the pH down? Or could the old chems be that far off and I should wait till the new stuff arrives? Either way, what is the best order to add, etc? By the way, water is clear. Thanks!

 

[Butterfly]

Lower the pH to about 7.2 first.

Then add chlorine and add about 30 CYA. Use sock method for CYA if you think you might need to backwash within the week.

Later you can do the TA lowering process (acid/aeration) in Pool School.

 

[spf30]

made a mess of things!

It's my own fault..Water was in it's way to be 'adjusted', but was clear. Long story short, I forgot we had to rig up a system to bypass a leak (it worked), but it entailed installing a bypass valve that would need to be turned when we backwashed. Ok, I forgot that very important part! So guess where all the backwash water ended up??!! So, I vacummed today and bottom looks good, but water is somewhat cloudy and area around ladder is murky shall we say. I did dump a gallon of bleach right over that area, just to say I did something! Don't want to waste bleach till I get others up...

Here's where I am now...
ph....8.0-8.2 (adding acid this evening per pool chart)
Cl...not a lick of it
CYA...35-ish (still have a hard time with this test, but in that range..more to follow on this topic)*
TA...waaay too high 250....always an issue, but not this high

Ok...checking to see if this will work. Add acid to get ph down to around 7.2. Then bleach (suggestions??). Regarding CYA...I'm toying with the idea of adding Cl tablets to our autochlorinator for awhile. The CYA is low enough (correct?) that it shouldnt get readings too high with it's use, and would allow a continual supply of Cl to help keep the Cl up (always a problem). I don't want to abandon bleach (preferred choice) but we will be in and out a lot this summer and would like to know we can be gone a few days without a swamp greeting us each time. If tablets are ok, how should I also incorporate the bleach...I mean once I get this under control? Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: made a mess of things!

Your plan looks good. After adjusting the pH I'd add enough bleach to get to about 4 ppm FC now and you can use the tablets to get the CYA up if you'd like. Using tablets will also help get your TA down as they're acidic. You can add bleach while the tablets are in there to supplement the FC.

 

[linen]

Re: made a mess of things!

Well Bama beat me too it, but here is my take:

Ok, I forgot that very important part! So guess where all the backwash water ended up??!!

Other than dumping junk back into your water, this is probably just a vac to waste, or filter and backwash correctly to fix this "accident".

Add acid to get ph down to around 7.2.

Yes

Then bleach (suggestions??).

Yes add bleach. What are you asking here...if you should shock or not? If you pool was not crystal clear before the "accident", or if your CC level is greater than 0.5 ppm, or if a OCLT (Overnight chlorine Loss test) is greater than 1 ppm, then you need to do the shocking process.

Regarding CYA...I'm toying with the idea of adding Cl tablets to our autochlorinator for awhile. The CYA is low enough (correct?) that it shouldnt get readings too high with it's use, and would allow a continual supply of Cl to help keep the Cl up (always a problem).

Each 8 oz. puck will add 1.4 ppm of cya to your pool. Remember easy to add but drain/refill to remove.

If tablets are ok, how should I also incorporate the bleach...I mean once I get this under control?

If you are going to use pucks, and you will be away from the pool some this season, I would only use them when you are away from the pool for a couple of days so that your cya doesn't go too high. Pucks and bleach are just sources of chlorine, so for FC you can use them interchangeably, though in addition to cya, the trichlor pucks lower ph, so you will need to watch that.

 

[frogabog]

Re: made a mess of things!

Keep track of how many pucks you put in and stop when you have used enough to raise your CYA to 40ppm. That's not far off from 35ppm so you really can't use pucks for much longer if you would like to use them while vacationing. Unless you're targeting higher CYA due to extremely sunny and hot conditions (50-60ppm) 40ppm is as high as you want it to be. Personally I'd tackle the pH organically (acid), leave CYA at 35ppm planning for a 10-15ppm CYA rise after a week's vacation using pucks, and call it good.

 

[spf30]

Re: made a mess of things!

Thanks for the advice! I will give this suggestions a go. Linen, so not being a chemist, are you saying that for every tablet I use, that will bump me up one 'line' on the Frogabog, I have wondered if I shouldn't hike up the CYA. The pool is complete southern exposure and we go from mid 90s down to 80s then back up...in a cycle. So yes, it gets full sun the entire day and am constantly adding bleach. Should I shoot for 50? Any advice on the best way to read the CYA test? I follow the steps, but I'm ashamed to admit it...for the longest time, I kept seeing the dot...only to discover I was looking at my head reflecting in the tube!! Only telling on myself in case some else has a problem....hence, check to be sure you're not looking at your own head! But, that said, I do have a hard time with the whole 'dot' disappearing...any help??! Thanks!

 

[spf30]

sky high TA

Posted yesterday trying to clear pool. Got the Cl up to 7 and pool seems clearer, but main concern is pH. We started at around 8.0-8.2, so I added approx 1.4 gal of acid last night. I was shocked to see the pH only dropped to around 7.8....then I tested TA and it's through the roof...stopped counting at 400! I didn't check TA for a few days, but the last time I tested I thought it was around upper 200's...but perhaps it was higher, and I just stopped wasting the drops! Obviously, I have to add more acid...knowing how little it budged with what I added before, should I be looking at 2 more gallons (how much can I add at a time/how long do I wait between gallons if I can't add all at once?)? How much of a drop should that make in the TA? And most important...it's going to be 90
s today...can we still swim if Cl is at 7??? Thanks!

 

[Butterfly]

Re: sky high TA

FIRST, before adding more acid, retest the TA using the extended test kit directions here:

extended-test-kit-directions-t25081.html

[s:15shhevj]What is your CYA level? Safe chlorine levels are based on CYA level.[/s:15shhevj]
Yes, 7 FC is safe to swim with your 35ish CYA level.

 

[spf30]

Ok, Butterfly, I retested using your link...only thing I did differently was dropping to 10 ml h20 to test. This time I got 300...so back to where I was originally. How long will it take for the 1.4 gal of acid I added last night to completely register (I assumed it would be 'as is' by now, but perhaps it needs more time). At any rate, I retested pH as well, and it may be between 7.5 and 7.8, but is still clearly pink, vs the more orangey range as it drops below 7.5. So now what?! Thanks!

 

[linen]

With TA that high you should probably lower it or your ph will continue to rise quickly and it will take a lot of MA to lower it. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/lowering total alkalinity TFP recommended range is 70-90 for bleach/LC chlorination.