First results with the K-2006...some follow -up questions...

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pisstol27

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Jun 25, 2012
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Smithtown, NY (Long Island)
Thanks to all who have answered my questions from other posts. This site has been a great resource, I am definitley becoming a supporter! I got my K-2006 kit last night and before even saying hi to the wife after getting home from work (oops!) I opened it and started reading through the instructions. I'm a new pool owner and have had the pool open for a month using the test strips until now (which were actually pretty accurate compared to the results below). I was using pucks as my only source of chlorine and I probably didnt have enough in there so the water started getting cloudy, so I shocked it last weekend. My water is very clear and has been since the shock. So here are the results and some questions:

FC - 4 (it was 1 on the initial test, so I added 1.5 gallons of 6% bleach to get it up a bit)
CC - 0.5
PH - 7.4
TA - 80
CH - 200
CYA - 0???

I tested the FC this morning and it was a 3.5, so combined with the low CC and clear water, I think it is sufficiently shocked. :party:

Q1: I was not expecting the 0 CYA reading. I am pretty sure I did it right, but the mixed solution was really clear and I had no problems seeing the dot. I added a 5lb bag of CYA a week after opening the pool (but while I was still shocking) and the pool store said it should last a couple of years. I have been losing a lot of chlorine, so I guess I know why. Are there any common mistakes people make with they CYA test that I should know about? What desired reading should I shoot for (my pool is in the sun all day).

Q2: How much FC do you normally lose a day (assuming appropriate CYA levels) and what level of FC would you like to stay above daily? I would think I can add those two numbers together to detrmine what to raise my FC to each night.

Q3: I have a chlorinator that I have the pucks in now. Can I take them out, put the dial to 0 or off and leave it like that the rest of the year?

Thanks again for all your help.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

1. 5 lbs of stabilizer would have only been 20 ppm in your pool so it isn't surprising that it reads zero. I'd call it 20 and go from there.

2. With appropriate CYA levels you should shoot for around 2 ppm per day.

3. Yep. you sure can, but if you have pucks in there I'd turn it wide open and let them dissolve. That'll help add to your CYA also.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

The low CYA will result in the sun breaking down your FC during the day ... possibly all of it.

I think you should consider adding another 5 lbs and after a week measure again ... at least then it should show up on the test scale ... and should not be more than 40ppm which is mid recommended range.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

You say you have also been using pucks, those will also add some CYA, but I tend to agree with Jason, you likely need more CYA. AS to the test the CYA test can be a bit hard to get good answers on, as to how to do the test:

Mix equal parts pool water and CYA test reagent in mixing container, shake vigourously, wait 30 seconds, shake again, wait at least another 30 seconds before pouring into the viewing tube. View outdoors in bright sunlight holding the tube at waist level with the sun to your back. Pour back and forth as needed over several minutes to get good reading when your sure the dot is not visible.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

Careful you do not use too many pucks with the extra 5 lbs of CYA ... you do not want to overshoot too far.

Doing the CYA in more light will actually make the CYA read lower than before ... although the shacking could be more of a factor.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

pisstol27 said:
Thanks guys, I only shook it once and tested at night. I'll add the 5 lb bag and re-test next weekend when I am home during the day. I will also throw a few more pucks in until I can get the CYA in there.
Click to expand...

I would wait until you actually know the amount after doing the test correctly. If you dump too much in now you'll have no choice but to dump some of the water and add fill water back to get the CYA back down if you overshoot.

How many pucks did you use before switching over?
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

I too would wait before adding more cya. Test again during the day, or with a good light inside. It's much easier to retest an odd number like this than it is to fix a mistake later.
 

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Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

So I tested again today, this time following Isaac's instructions and it was the same result. It is overcast here today, but I don't think it would matter b/c the solution is really clear after shaking it twice. I have been losing about 6-7 ppm per day, which seems really high though my overnight loss is only 0.5, so I probably am low on CYA. With me bring a novice, I think I will see what the pool store's test says. If they come back with a reading, then I will wait for better sunlight and try again myself. Assuming the CYA is at or near zero, can someone give me some hints on how to apply it? Pool school says put it in a sock, does that mean a regular old athletic sock? I're already done it once this summer, but I do remember that I had to backwash about 3-4 days later so maybe I lost some? The sold me something that looked more like crystals than liquid or solid. Should I ask for anything in particular? What kind of reading should I shoot for taking into account that my pool gets sun almost the whole day? Thanks!
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

You should go ahead and add some CYA. Reading the CYA test on an overcast day will give a slightly higher than actual result. Since your result is low to begin with, and the actual is at or below what you measured, CYA must really be low. Remember that levels as high as 20 can read as zero, so only add another 20 or 30 ppm of CYA right now.

Granular CYA is much less expensive than liquid, so I recommend sticking with granular. There are only very minor variations between brands, so just about any of the granular/solid CYA products will do. Just make sure that it is 90+% CYA. There are one or two that are only around 50% and a much worse deal.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

I'm back after two weekends of adding CYA. I added 5 lbs and then 6 lbs of the granular bag and my reading is still at or near 0. The mixed solution was definitely more cloudy than the initial test though I could still see the dot with the tube filled to the top. The dot was less clear, but definitely visible. I added the CYA slowly thorugh the skimmer, but have read people put it in sock and hang it in front of the return valve. Is that the more widely used method? I'm hesitatnt to add more CYA since I have now put in about 15 lbs since the beginning of the year. I use about 120 oz of 6% bleach per day to replenish what I lost which I am ok with, do I need to worry about adding more CYA if I don't mind the amount of bleach I have to add? From what I can tell, that is the only drawback.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

pisstol27 said:
I'm back after two weekends of adding CYA. I added 5 lbs and then 6 lbs of the granular bag and my reading is still at or near 0. The mixed solution was definitely more cloudy than the initial test though I could still see the dot with the tube filled to the top. The dot was less clear, but definitely visible. I added the CYA slowly thorugh the skimmer, but have read people put it in sock and hang it in front of the return valve. Is that the more widely used method? I'm hesitatnt to add more CYA since I have now put in about 15 lbs since the beginning of the year. I use about 120 oz of 6% bleach per day to replenish what I lost which I am ok with, do I need to worry about adding more CYA if I don't mind the amount of bleach I have to add? From what I can tell, that is the only drawback.
Click to expand...


Did you backwash after adding the CYA via the skimmer?
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

I have not backwashed since adding the 11 lbs (I did a week after adding the 5 lbs initially back in June). I dont know the brand name, but it was in a blue and white package called pool stabilizer and conditioner. I bought it at Chemex pool supply (which may be a local chain by me). It was granular in nature.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

This is for the experts out there, I'm not, if the pump is multi-speed and runs mainly on low speed and the CYA is added to the skimmer, will there be enough water flow to dissolve the CYA? I did this my first time I needed to add CYA and I only got a fraction of the expected CYA increase. The next time I added the CYA to a soccer sock and hung it next to a return and got the expected results. I waited 2 weeks to test after the CYA was added to the skimmer before adding more.
 
Re: First results with the K-2006...some follow -up question

ping said:
This is for the experts out there, I'm not, if the pump is multi-speed and runs mainly on low speed and the CYA is added to the skimmer, will there be enough water flow to dissolve the CYA? I did this my first time I needed to add CYA and I only got a fraction of the expected CYA increase. The next time I added the CYA to a soccer sock and hung it next to a return and got the expected results. I waited 2 weeks to test after the CYA was added to the skimmer before adding more.
Click to expand...

I would not think the speed should matter. The CYA would be trapped in the filter and should then dissolve within a week. Although maybe if there was VERY slow flow in part of the filter it may not dissolve very quickly.

Anyway ... by putting it in a sock in front of a return, you are sure it is all dissolved into the water and you are not loosing it by backwashing.
 

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