New pool owner first self test..

[aweldon]

Hi everyone, been reading up on the boards and purchased a test kit from TKTestKits. Just got done with my first reading.
TC - .5-1
PH - 7.5
FC - 1
CC - .5
TA - 180
CH - 470
CYA - 0

This is my first pool, came with the house. I originally had my water tested by a local pool place and they gave me a list of things to add totaling over $200 so I went in search of the DIY way. Since adding everything they recommended I have been adding the 3" tabs to the basket and running the pump only a few hours a day. What do you guys recommend from here?

Thanks for any help.

 

[duraleigh]

We're gonna suggest purchasing CYA and bringing it up to around 30ppm (or more) but tell us what your water looks like first

 

[aweldon]

Water looks pretty good, we have had a ton of rain lately so I vacuumed this morning and brushed everything down.

 

[JasonLion]

You shouldn't use trichlor tablets in the skimmer unless the pump is running 24/7. They slowly dissolve while the pump is off creating an area of high FC low PH water that can damage the pump seals and the heater when the pump turns on again.

 

[elwood58]

If you must use Chlorine Tabs, which in your case will likely add some beneficial CYA, put them in a floater out in the pool.

 

[aweldon]

Ok, I'll get a floater, I'm hesitant to run the pump 24/7 because I was keeping an eye on the DE filter pressure and it was running high. It has since leveled off. I really need to invest in a timer to run it.

 

[aweldon]

Ok been busy the last few weeks and it has been raining up here. Just bought stabilizer from a local pool store but it didnt have any active ingredients on it.. is anyone familiar with this stuff? If not I can return it and grab something else..

 

[jblizzle]

What is the listed ingredient? That looks like the right stuff ... the dosages seem a little higher than the poolcalculator.

Add your pool details in your signature ... we can not help with dosages if we do not know the volume of your pool.

Are you intending to stop using the tablets after you add the stabilizer?

 

[aweldon]

Thanks for the help... thats the thing, no listed ingredients.. says caution contains cya so I wasnt sure of concentration. After i get the cya up I would like to switch to just bleach found 12.5% at the local bj's wholesale for a decent price. Also the size is based on the pool calculator with an average of 5 feet (shallow - slope - deep end)

 

[jblizzle]

OK, so if you are at zero, I would suggest adding 4 lbs which according to the poolcalculator should put you close to 32ppm if your pool is 15k gallons.
Put it in a sock in front of a return. Squeeze whenever you walk by. Let it mix for a week. Re test and see where you are at. Then you may want to add another 2 lbs or so.

Once you add it, assume you have 30ppm and use that for your required FC numbers from the chart in Pool School.

 

[aweldon]

Ok, will report back as soon as I get results.