My first test this season

[JohnN]

Well, the pool is still covered and closed, but I decided to test my water.
FC - 4 (pretty good, since I didn't add bleach all winter)
CC - 0
pH - 7.4
TA - 50
CH - 30 (vinyl, so I don't care)
CYA - ?30
I should mention that during the winter, I pump off the cover into the pool. I know rain water is acidic, so that is probably why the pH is low. That might also explain the low TA. I will have to get a sample of some (maybe it will be in the form of snow, by the looks of the forecast) and test pH and alkalinity. I remember about water temp effecting pH, but I forget if cold makes it higher or lower.

 

[jblizzle]

Cold water makes the test read higher.

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

 

[JohnN]

Looks like come opening time I'm going to need some borax and probably baking soda. Do you think it is the rain water that brought the TA down? I don't remember exact numbers, but I do know that everything was in range come closing time last year.

 

[duraleigh]

Don't be in a rush to elevate pH and TA. You won't hurt a thing leaving it as is for a week or so.

 

[JohnN]

The pool is still going to be closed for a few weeks (maybe longer if spring never shows up) but I was just curious what the current levels were. I am actually surprised by the chlorine, because I haven't put any in all winter, and a lot of water has been replaced with chlorine free rain water. I am pretty happy with the current levels, but I may try to find a way to get some more chlorine in the pool. Ugh, I hate this snow and cold.

 

[JohnN]

So I finally opened the pool. I didn't run all of the tests, just FC, CC, pH and TA.
FC-3
CC-0
pH<6.8
TA-50
I added some Borax (don't know how much, just whatever was left in the box). I am going to stock up on Borax, raise the pH to around 7.6-7.7 and start the shock process using some dichlor I have left over. I didn't test CH because last time it was 30, and I have a vinyl pool. I didn't test CYA because last time it was about 30, and today the sun was already down.

 

[JohnN]

Just tested after adding Borax 30 min ago, pH is now 7.2. Going to aim higher to counteract the acidity from the dichlor I will add.

 

[jblizzle]

Check the CYA before you use a bunch of Dichlor.

 

[duraleigh]

+1 what jblizzle just said.

 

[JohnN]

I checked it a few weeks ago (the first test of the season) and it was <30. I used up the dichlor I had left (2 pounds) which would raise the CYA by about 9. I tested CYA yesterday at about 6:30 and it was still <30. I have some 1" tabs floating around and 2 8" tabs in the auto chlorinator, for a total CYA increase of about 18. That means that if I am truly at 30, I will end around 50, which would be fine for me. However, if it is really still below 30 (which I think it is) I will end lower than 50.