Test Results! Need help

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briang2408

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Jun 4, 2012
14
Hi,

This is my first year with my inground pool and I'm learning as I go. I received results from the pool store but wanted to get your thoughts on what I should do next. My test results as follows:

FC - 8.1
CC - 8.6
PH - 7.3
TA - 3
CH - 265
CYA - 144

My chlorine is very high and should go down soon. I'm putting 2 3" tabs with a setting of 3 on the chlorinator (as opposed to putting in 3 tabs with a setting of 5). Should I shock the pool to get the CC down?

I have no alkilinity b/c my CYA is very high (I added 30 lbs of alkalinity and it went from 0 to 3 ppm - did nothing). Is it a bad thing to have CYA this high? Will it go away over time as I use the pool or do I need to drain water? I'm hesitant to do anything b/c the water is crystal clear. What causes CYA to be high?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Brian
 
CYA and TA don't have anything to do with each other.

If you added 30 lbs of alkalinity increaser, then your TA can't possibly be as low as 3. Is strongly suspect the pool store test results are completely wrong. All of this would be much much simpler if you had your own top quality test kit. In an hour or two you will be getting results that are significantly more reliable than what you get from the pool store. Really, you would be amazed.

CYA goes up when you add stabilizer/conditioner/cyanuric acid and also when you use trichlor chlorine tablets or granular dichlor "shock". You need to get your CYA level down to something more reasonable, assuming it really is 144 (who knows what it really is). Maintaining a pool with CYA over 80 is exceedingly difficult. The only practical way to lower CYA is to replace water. Because that is fairly drastic, it is best to wait for confirmation of your CYA level before doing that.
 
Hey,

Thanks for responding so quickly! First thing I will do is purchase the TF 100 test kit from Amazon.com (unless you recommend something different). I'll let you know what my test results are shortly!

Thanks again,
Brian
 
In answer to your question the use of stabilized chlorine products (powdered shock and chlorine pucks) cause your CYA to skyrocket which makes your chlorine less effective. After you get your CYA to a manageable level, you should only use bleach or liquid chlorine.
 
Hi Again,

I got the TF-100 test kit and tested everything, as follows:

FC - 14.5
CC - 0.5
PH - 6.8 - 7.0
TA - 60
CH - 380
CYA - 70-80

I tested everything twice just to make sure b/c this is my first time testing. What do you think my first step should be? Do I need to first replace water to get CH down? I noticed flaky looking things on surface of water... any clue what that could be?

I can't believe how different these test results are compared to pool store test results... makes me think I tested wrong but I checked twice.

Thanks for your help!
Brian
 
Hey,

Thanks all for the quick replies!

Isn't PH supposed to be 7.5ish? Isn't my 6.8-7.0 kind of low?

I've been chlorinating with 3" tablets... I plan on changing to bleach but wanted to use up the tabs b/c I purchased 25 lbs. Should I turn the chlorinator to off until the 14.5 goes down to an appropriate level?

Should I not be concerned with CH? I've been reading over the site and I think it mentioned somewhere high CH could be harmful to vinyl.

Thanks again,
Brian
 
1. Stop using the tabs. save them for another day....your CYA is too high already and they just add more.

2. Yes, turn off the chlorinator, remove the pucks, and start using bleach

3. CH below 400 or so is quite normal...your fine.

4. pH is a little low but if you stop using the tabs it will come up on it's own most likely

5. Your TA test result is in error...it should be 30 or 40 or 60...something in double digits.
 

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Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice. I'll stop using tabs.

My CH is 380, which is just below 400. Will that eventually evaporate over time? Only asking b/c the pool calculator says to remove water.

Any idea as to the flaky things I see floating on the surface of the water?

My TA is 60 - should I add baking soda? Were you looking at the results from the pool store (they gave me TA of 3 which was strange)

Thanks again!
Brian
 
As soon as you remove the tabs, I think your pH will go up a little into the 7's check your TA then and see if it's still 60. If so, yeah bump it to around 80 but it's not a huge deal either way. (Yeah, I mistakenly saw the pool store results...sorry)

Monitor your pH fairly often and keep it below 7.5. That will preclude any calcium scaling. I doubt you are at any risk even though you are on the high side of normal CH. just check it a couple more times this summer and dio a partial refill if it gets over 400. It won't evaporate.

The flaky things are a mystery. If they're not gone in a couple of days, see if you can post a pic.
 
briang2408 said:
Hi Again,

I got the TF-100 test kit and tested everything, as follows:

FC - 14.5
CC - 0.5
PH - 6.8 - 7.0
TA - 60
CH - 380
CYA - 70-80

I tested everything twice just to make sure b/c this is my first time testing. What do you think my first step should be? Do I need to first replace water to get CH down? I noticed flaky looking things on surface of water... any clue what that could be?

I can't believe how different these test results are compared to pool store test results... makes me think I tested wrong but I checked twice.

Thanks for your help!
Brian
Click to expand...

These results are much better, your original results were a total mess :)

It would be better if your pH was a little higher. Your CH is fine for a vinyl pool. I like my CYA at 45, it means you need less FC. Dont use anymore pucks as they will continue to raise your CYA.
 
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