Water test results Help Please

[ctfortner]

Ok all, only my first full year of SWG pool care here. Been reading, still not sure best thing to do. 28000 gal liner pool SWG.

Store said to add 10lbs of stabilizer and super chlorinate for 24 hours.

So far I have added 32 oz of Refresh shock, but I just realized I dont think it adds chlorine. I also added 2 pounds of stabilizer, they told me to add 10lbs total, slowly. Should I go buy some shock bags? I do have some pucks on hand that were free with pool, I dont usually use them. I also turned the super chlorinate on and its set for 6 hours, but I read here thats not the best way to get it back up. Just dont want to dig a hole here. Pool is clear! FWIW I run my pump about 12 hours a day and have chlorination set on 30%.

FC 0.1
TC 0.1
CC 0.0
PH 7.6
Hardnes 100
Alkalinity 50
CYA 0
Copper 0
Iron 0
Salt 3500

 

[ctfortner]

Well, it may be a false reading but I just tested my FC again with a strip and it shows around 3 now. Store tested water yesterday for the readings above. I tested with the strip about 5 hours ago, FC was 0, I have be using SC, added the refresh and stabilizer, and now reading 3. May be false reading, but something must be adding FC at this point.

 

[linen]

First, don't trust those strips, they are more wrong then right. To properly and efficiently maintain a pool (especially one as large as yours) you need the appropriate test kit. See this link: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison I like the tf-100, best bang for buck!

So with that said, what does your water look like?

If clear, you need to get your FC up so that you do not get algae. For a cya of 0, shoot for an FC of 3 ppm (from poolcalculator.com).

Second, that FC won't last long unless you get some cya in there. Have you used trichlor or dichlor in the past, or have added stabilizer to your pool? All of these add cya. The problem is, since you do not have a good test kit you really do not know how much you have in there, unless you are certain you have not added any of the above.

Refresh shock product...please post the ingredients and we can tell you what it should have done.

 

[ctfortner]

Thanks. Water is clear, really clear. So PC says add 168oz of 6% bleach to go from 0.1 FC to 3 FC with. Never put bleach in before, is that what I should do? I have never used or bought trichlor or dichlor. I have some granule stabilizer tha is in 2 lb containers. I have only added that type of stabilizer since its all I got with the pool on purchase.

The numbers I posted above "should" be close, they were done by the local pool store. I will get a good kit soon for sure.

[attachment=1:3i45aj5d]2012-06-23_14-13-06_986 (Large).jpg[/attachment:3i45aj5d]

[attachment=0:3i45aj5d]2012-06-23_14-13-40_956 (Large).jpg[/attachment:3i45aj5d]

 

[ping]

The Re-Fresh is cal hypo so it is adding chlorine and calcium to the water. You can use that product for now if you want to use it up as your calcium level is still low but is at a good level for your liner. Bleach will be the best long term addition for chlorine as it only adds a little salt to the water.

Get all 10 pounds of the stabilizer in the pool by adding it to a sock and hanging it in front of a return. The 10 pounds will only bring your CYA up to 40 ppm from zero and it might take a full week to register on a test. With a SWG you will want the CYA to be in the 70-80 range. A week after adding the CYA test it again and then add enough to bring it up to 70, it might take another 7 pounds.

Your chlorine will start to hold once you get the stabilizer in the water. Use the Pool Calculator found in Pool School to determine how to dose your pool.

 

[ctfortner]

Ok, I used the sock method and have 8 lbs of stabilizer in so far. I am going to do a little more and then test it in a few days. I will use up what little refresh I have left as needed and will go with bleach in the future as needed.

 

[ping]

Make sure your FC stays above 3ppm at all times and shoot for 6ppm when dosing. Make sure you follow the CYA/FC chart in pool school.

The best way to measure your FC is using the FAS-DPD test and I highly suggest getting a test kit like linen suggested. Having one of those test kits is a must to have complete control of your pool.

 

[ctfortner]

Ok, I added 12 pounds of stabilizer over the last week. I ran the pump 24/7 for 3 days straight while I was adding it. The last 2-3 days I been running it about 12 hours a day. I also added 96 oz of bleach about 5 days ago.

I have my chlorinator at 25%.

here are my new results from today

FC 0.4
TC 0.4
CC 0.0
PH 7.6
Hardness 75
Alkalinity 85
CYA 50
Copper 0.07
Salt 2800

Now, couple of questions here. My aqua rite tells me the salt is 3400. Goes between 3300/3400 daily. The pool store first said my salt is 2200, I said that cant be right. Tested again he got 2800. I dont know which/who to believe here.

Why cant I get my chlorine levels up? Do I need to increase chlorination % on the cell? Or maybe its because of the endless 100 degree days here and I have to add 1-2" of water every few days.

My water is clear, I have seen it CRYSTAL clear before, and it is not now. Maybe a very very slight haze to it. I miss the crystal

 

[ping]

Trust the reading on the SWG as long as the SWG is putting out chlorine. If the SWG is happy don't worry about the salt level. Pool store testing is unreliable and you should get yourself one of the suggested test kits in Pool School. Myself, I prefer the TF-100 along with the speedstir. That will be one of the best investments you can make for your pool.

You need to shock your water by following the directions in Pool School. Your water should be crystal clear, CC=<.5, and you pass the OCLT. I'm guessing that you are close to a full bloom of algae and the SWG is keeping it from blooming but it can not make enough FC to kill the algae.

After you successfully go the shock process I suggest raising your CYA to 70-80 and not let the FC go below 5ppm. Follow the FC/CYA guide in Pool school. You will need to adjust your chlorination % to maintain your FC level but we can't tell you by how much. Every pool is different and it is up to you to dial in your SWG.

 

[linen]

Ping give good advice, I too would start the shocking process on your pool. I would do this with bleach/liquid chlorine and leave you swg off for now.

When you get done shocking, you should adjust your FC level with bleach/lc so it is where it should be then have your swg maintain it. Many pools/swgs cannot raise the FC level fast enough, but they can maintain the level once your there..

 

[ctfortner]

Ok thanks guys. But it just dont make sense to me even though I keep reading it. If I understand what I am reading you are suggesting to use the shock FC level, which would be 24 for me, to shock the pool. I am at 0.4, PC says it would take 1370 oz of 6% bleach to do that. I stopped and bought (2) 182 oz jugs on the way home thinking i would have some leftover for future, until I read the pool school when I got home.

Will any of this prevent me from having an "enjoyable" party in 2 days?

 

[linen]

Using poolcalculator.com I get a FC shock level of 16 ppm for your 50 ppm cya. That would be 7.5 gallons of 6% bleach, but you will need much more than that to finish the process. You can also use the FC/chlorine chart shock level of 24 ppm, your choice.

Will any of this prevent me from having an "enjoyable" party in 2 days?

It might. Since you have a deadline I would use the 24 ppm more aggressive target for your shock level and check it often and keep it at/slightly above 24 ppm at all times.

How are you measuring your FC (and all of you results for that matter)? Having 0.1 resolution is not normal for any of the recommended test kits.

 

[ctfortner]

my FC and TC are 0.4 as of this morning. I get it tested by a local pool store. Accurate, I dont know, but probably more than my test strips. I just built the pool last year, and the first time we put water in it it wasnt as difficult as this seems to be getting. We used some chlorine pucks, stabilizer and put the salt in and ran the chlorinator until it got happy and quit using pucks. I guess I just dont understand the 24 or even 16 ppm, when the FC should be around 3-5. I do have low FC, but its still clear, no visible algae or anything like that. I feel like we are shocking it as if it is a swamp, vs. something I am comfortably swimming in daily now. Just trying to understand since we swim in it now, and its clear, why would I need to shock it that much to get up to the 3-5ppm needed.

 

[linen]

Your chlorine level appears to be much to low for normal operation, so most likely you have something in your pool since you stated it is not crystal clear. You could do a Overnight Chlorine loss test (OCLT) to determine if you need to shock, but I would bring it up to shock level to do this, since it is likely you will need to shock....unfortunately, since you have strips and not an appropriate test kit this will be hard to do.

 

[ctfortner]

Agreed, it will be hard for me to do because I dont have a test kit yet. I just know we can swim comfortably now, and I want to be able to on wednesday, so I dont want to overdo anything and ruin wednesday with a bunch of folks coming over. Of course priority is getting it right, but I just want to make sure what I am doing is OK before I do it. When I say not clear, I mean its not crystal, but I could see a spec of dirt in the deep end, its clear, just not crystal like I know it can be. And, I do appreciate your help on this.

So far I have added 364oz of 6% bleach (almost 3 gallons)

I also just found (in the arsenal of products from the pool build) 4lbs of sanitizer. If I should use it. Its ingredients are

sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate 99%
Other ingredients 1%
Available chloring 55.5%

 

[linen]

I also just found (in the arsenal of products from the pool build) 4lbs of sanitizer. If I should use it. Its ingredients are

sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate 99%
Other ingredients 1%
Available chloring 55.5%

If you test numbers are right (and that is not a given), then I would not add it since also add cya to the pool and your 50 ppm cya level is perfect.

 

[ctfortner]

Here is a shot of my water right now, the ring at the bottom is 4 foot deep. deep end the same clarity wise, but waterfall running so water moving water to much for picture.

[attachment=0:2w26xb7y]2012-07-02_19-58-25_435 (Large).jpg[/attachment:2w26xb7y]

 

[linen]

I would agree that you water looks good, but you commented that it did not look as good as normal. With that said, do you happen to have a drop based OTO chlorine test kit?

 

[ctfortner]

I do not have anything but strips. First summer having it, learning, stalled on ordering one, i have plenty of excuses. It just dont look as good as I have seen it look, but its nothing anyone else notices

 

[linen]

I think this might be futile with strips but you could try the OCLT.