Question on FC levels for target

[yeomanflood]

I haven't found any comments to my question below on FC targets.

So my CYA is 40, so my target FC is 5.
I measured tonight ad my FC is 5.5. That being said, since it's summer/sunny and high 90s here right now and my pool gets a lot of direct sunlight (and loses maybe 3 FC per day when I'm near the the target or higher).
Does that suggest that in the evening I should attempt to push my FC level a little higher than 5.5, knowing that tomorrow some will burn off potentially lower than the 3 that is the minimum for my CYA level? Or so I wait until that FC is burnt off and then tomorrow, push the FC back up to 5 or 6. I don't know the exact amounts to move my FC exactly to what - the poolcalculator has been my guide and has been relatively close overall.
Next question is if I'm going to bounce FC between min and target - does that mean that I might be adding chlorine (I use liquid) like nearly every day in the hot days of summer?
Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[jblizzle]

You need to raise the FC such that by the next time you check it and adjust, it has not dropped below the minimum. You may want to boost up to about 6-7ppm in the evening so that when you check it the following evening it is still above 3ppm. And yes you should be testing and adding bleach every day.

Realize that the target number is much less important than staying above the minimum. It is safe to swim up to the shock level FC, so no problem shooting a little higher than the target in the calculator or chart.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[yeomanflood]

OK. Cool - that's what I thought too.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Honestly I don't really understand the reason for the target value on the charts. This is more confusing than a minimum level. Essentially I think it makes people think they should does with that number as their goal - which I don't think works for many of us.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

I think that the reason behind the min and target is due to sun burn off of fc, if you dose your fc to the target level or a couple.above it, that would still give you a safety margin so you never drop below the min fc level thus less chance for a algae bloom.....imo......Mike

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

I think that the reason behind the min and target is due to sun burn off of fc, if you dose your fc to the target level or a couple.above it, that would still give you a safety margin so you never drop below the min fc level thus less chance for a algae bloom.....imo......Mike

Mike - I can see that - but since we all have a different FC daily use wouldn't it be simpler to simply say, "Take the minimum, add 1ppm, add the average daily use that you see in your pool or 3ppm if you don't know the average yet - this is the target you should try for - adjust as you see fit below the shock value for your CYA level."

As it stands - many people will find that using the "target" listed will be too low and lead to going below the minimum FC before the end of the day.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

All pools are different and consume chlorine at a different rate and what you are saying makes sense but the way it is set up makes sense to me also, like I said I dose my pool a couple ppm above the target value every evening and I am losing 1 1/2 to 2 ppm fc a day so I never drop below my target level. A lot of people see the min fc level as what to abbot for and that is wrong because theirs will drop below min level and they will have issues.......Mike

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

All pools are different and consume chlorine at a different rate and what you are saying makes sense but the way it is set up makes sense to me also, like I said I dose my pool a couple ppm above the target value every evening and I am losing 1 1/2 to 2 ppm fc a day so I never drop below my target level. A lot of people see the min fc level as what to abbot for and that is wrong because theirs will drop below min level and they will have issues.......Mike

Good point. I could see the target being the safety margin minimum to shoot for - but I don't think that's how most people read that chart.

 

[yeomanflood]

Good discussion. This is helpful.
For the majority of people the target is 2 to 3 ppm over Min. So I agree that the true message or approach to managing FC is probably that a person wants to target 2 to 3 ppm over the min and should adjust his/her FC to the right level for their individual pool and frequency of FC additions.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

exactly.....yeomanflood

 

[yeomanflood]

cool - thanks.